Technical interview taker’s Syndromes

Technical interview taker’s Syndromes

“Need to Defeat” Syndrome

I must beat you on at least one question

“I was stuck up here” Syndrome

Asking the question where you were stuck up big way

Not everyone will be in your situation

“Only I know this” Syndrome

Item other than “Generally Known”, most of the times the “WOW” thing

“Exact Verbatim” Syndrome

Expecting exact words or terminology being used from the book or article you had read

“You can’t be better than me” Syndrome

Treating the candidate with the though that he can be better than me, so what the great point is he making? I am the interview taker.

“Threat Perception” Syndrome

Perceiving the candidate if accepted can be position threat by interview taker

“High Standards” Syndrome

Expecting notoriously high standard of candidate in his abilities

“Collage Questions” Syndrome

In a way challenging that he had moved towards a professional level after he had doe with his collage studies

“Emotional Acceptance” Syndrome

Accepting candidate considering his situation or recruiting just because is personality had appealed

“Just Like Me” Syndrome

Choosing personalities who are like you,
you like introverts / extroverts so recruiting them,
you like male / female to work with in comfort hence recruiting them,

Or even common attributes of any types

“I must ask about everything” Syndrome

Asking on Aptitude, then on abstract, then on design, then on database, then on java, then on J2EE, then on Project Management, then on Frameworks, then a program writing,…

“No breaks car” Syndrome

Once interview started, can only be finished after 1 ½ hr. As if it is an OCD. Knowing that candidate is not suitable in 10^th miniature, still continuing with 1 ½ hr course.

As interview Technical takers gain experience, these Syndromes fed away as signs of maturity.

Water fill syndrome

Water fill syndrome

Avoid water fill 
Before something to be done, 

something else needs to be done.. 

to qualify to “this is how it should be done”
Work expands to end later, 

as this recursive work scope extension prevents delivery of 

a “small, manageable and short coursed ‘focused tasks’” 

Avoid water fill at all costs.

Seek, simplest thing that is guaranteed to work, next hour.
Impact on delivery

• This delays deliveries 
• Accumulates associated deliveries 
• Main do-able item looses focus in the process 
• Timely sequence of delivery packets disturbed and takes form of big chunk deliveries with longer delivery intervals

Preventive course
Working on every subsequent associated item shall be discouraged and 

entered into TODOs list so they do not loose sight

Avoid gold plating. 

Gold plating is glorification and hence expansion of a scope

Every unit of expansion adds to complexity

"Complexity" relates to "efforts to do" in exponential relation