The Technical Bully Interview

Recently, I have been involved in a lot interviews, both from a hiring manager point of view and consulting with friends and colleagues that are looking for new opportunities.  I am always amazed at how different people conduct interviews.  Some are enlightening, others lackadaisical. Most recently, I have been witnessed a surge in what I refer to as a "technical bully".  These are individuals who fit a certain stereotype of software developer.  Unfortunately, the stereotype it is not  the Hollywood version of a lovable nerd with a big heart.  No, these folks often lack the people skills to effectively communicate and are out to prove something, usually that they are superior in technical knowledge and experience than the candidate.  While this must do something to stroke the bully's ego, I find it counter-productive to the goal of hiring quality people.  What is worse, is that these technical bully's are usually quite talented and experienced and so are often included in the interview process. 

Here are some common things technical bullies do in interviews:

1.  Act annoyed by having to do the interview.  

You only have a moment to make a first impression and if you come across as being put out and annoyed at having to do the interview you are already sending the wrong message.  Speaking of being put out.  Chances are the candidate had to take time off from his current job, get dressed up, drive to the office, get there early, etc.   Lets be honest, interviews are a pain in the ass for everyone involved.

2.  Continue to ask questions until you either don't know the answer or get it wrong.  

I am not sure if this is trying to measure where your knowledge/experience ends or if it is to guage how you measure up to them.  Either way, it generally isn't productive after you have shown competency in a subject area.  I have witnessed bullies asking dozens of questions in a specific area that is only tangentially related to the role being applied for.    

3.  Continue to ask questions in areas that you express that you don't know or don't have experience in.

Much like the second bullet point, it is impossible for people to know everything.  So when a person clearly doesn't have the knowledge of a particular topic continuing to drill the person on it is often counterproductive and can cause the candidate to become defensive.  

4.  Expect you to be able to read their mind, follow their train of thought, or understand the pain points that need to be dealt with.   Especially when poorly communicated or not communicated at all.  

Technical bullies often have their blinders on.  They are concerned with their problems and don't have the time or desire to put that aside to focus on the role's need and bigger picture.  Combine this with an inability to communicate well and you have a recipe for disaster.  I have seen bully interviewers ask questions that were so vague the candidates almost didn't know they were asked a question.  If you can't ask a question and communicate effectively, how are you going to be able to setup the employee for success if they do take the job.      

5.  Not smile.  

This might seem obvious, but smiling is the single most important thing you can do.  We spend a lot of our lives at work and most people would prefer to make that time as enjoyable as possible.  This is in direct conflict with the bully interviewer's primary agenda of intimidating the candidate.  

I try to follow a different approach to hiring talent to join my teams.  For me, the team is paramount.  The team being greater than the sum of its parts.  A high performing team not only gets the work done in a timely manner, they do it at a cost (both human and capital) that is cheaper than the same number of individuals and in a predictable/forecast-able way.  This does not mean that individuals need not be skilled or experienced, but instead that the individual needs to be able to do the job while working as a member of the greater whole.  

By putting a technical bully into the interview process, you have the potential to scare away the candidates that are fundamental to team building.  Those members that are more than code monkey's that can communicate effectively, develop software, and work well with others, they are the foundation of which team can be built around.  Interviewing is a 2-way process.  It is the brief time where you try to determine if the candidate can do the job and will not be toxic to the team.  But it is also the time where the candidate is trying to determine if the company, culture, and team will be a place she wants to be.  At face value, it makes sense to put the technical expert into the interview room to determine if the person has the chops to get the job done. However, you may want to take a moment to determine if that person is a technical bully and if the reward is worth the risks.