I haven't heard of any role-playing, but Microsoft does implement logic
puzzles into the interviews, which are usually connected with 3 or more
people individually.
The goal is to determine how you think. Most real world solutions to
problems can be applied to technological hurdles, or problems.
As an example:
Prep:
You have an empty box, a lock, a key for your lock, and a
diamond.
Your friend has an empty box, and a lock for his box.
Goal:
You want to get the diamond to your friend via courier. However
the courier will steal anything that is not locked. How do you do
this?
Another example:
If you have 2 20' poles, a 32' rope strung between them, and the
lowest point of the rope is 4' off of the ground, how far apart are
the poles?
It gauges how one thinks and handles situations.
-----Original Message-----
From: nrf [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, April 05, 2002 12:54 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: My interview story [7:40553]
Strange and silly as some of these games seem, it is often the case that
many high-profile companies, tech or otherwise, incorporate these games
into
their hiring processes. Microsoft in the old days, for example, used to
make extensive use of this kind of game role-playing in their interviews
(don't know whether they do that anymore). Oracle too (one possibly
apocryphal story - when Oracle was starting out, Oracle would ask a
candidates who were coming straight out of college whether he was the
smartest student he knew, if the candidate answered 'yes', then the
candidate qualified for a round-2 interview, but if the candidate said
no,
then Oracle would ask then if you're not the smartest student you know,
then
who is, and then they would try to hire that person). Management
consultancies and Wall-Street investment banks are also notorious for
this
as well. You may say to yourself that these games are ridiculous and
ask
yourself why you have to jump through these silly hoops, and how
management
is dumb for forcing candidates to go through these games, and yes that's
true, but sometimes the position is worth it. I for one definitely
wouldn't
have minded getting into Microsoft in, say, 1990.
""John Neiberger"" wrote in message
[EMAIL PROTECTED]">news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> That reminds me of what happened to the husband of a coworker. He
> worked for a division of GE and they had some social engineering week
> where everyone was supposed to wear the same colored T-shirt each day.
> For example, the first day everyone wears red. The second day they
all
> were green, etc. Ugh... Aren't we here to do actual work and not
waste
> time on this garbage?
>
> I think I'd wear black all week. ;-) Or, I might wear white claiming
> that white reflects all colors of the rainbow and I'm therefore it is
> the best choice of color for a politically correct wardrobe. I
> definitely would NOT rush out to buy a bunch of T-shirts just to
satisfy
> such a silly requirement.
>
> I must reiterate that it is VERY dangerous for managers to have too
> much spare time!
>
> John
>
> >>> "Priscilla Oppenheimer" 4/5/02 12:13:52 PM
> >>>
> Catbert has a little too much power in that department at
Schlumberger.
> I
> would tell them to go take a hike. ;-) If they interview with games
> like
> that, think about what else they might make you do:
>
> 1) Go on team-building excursions while the mission-critical network
> is
> failing
> 2) Promise never to flirt with any of your co-workers
> 3) Attend monthly meetings that will help you learn how never to
flirt
>
> with your co-workers
> 4) Pee in a cup while an HR flunky stands outside the stall
> 5) Get the company's mission statement tattooed on your chest
> 6) Agree to dress casually on just one day of the week (Friday)
> 7) Add 300-word messages to the bottom of all e-mails saying that the
>
> company can't be held accountable for what you say
> 8) Provide information on every pimple you ever had so that company
> insurance can say it was a pre-existing condition
> 9) Provide information about your personal insurance so if you have
an
>
> accident while on a business trip the company can avoid incurring
> costs
> 10) Promise never to use words that HR doesn't understand but thinks
> sound
> vaguely illegal, such as "pedagogical"
>
> The last one really happened! See here:
>
> http://www.britishexpat.com/pfun/madoffice.htm
>
> Priscilla
>
>
>
> At 10:32 AM 4/5/02, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >I agree with the summary, the desert game is used to develop team
> skills
> >and inspire group communication allowing employees who are not
> outspoken to
> >share in the decision making process. But this should not have been
> used
> >as a 'one test' for hire decision. If that is so, the Human
Resources
> dept
> >has made errors that will eventually bring the effectiveness of the
> >company/unit to zero, when that happens, higher ups will take a look
> and
> >heads will roll. but the process can be too long. Mark should be
> glad he
> >didn't get the job.
> >
> >
> >Have a good day.
> >
> >
> >
> >Kevin McCarty
> >CCNA CCNP
> >Computer Sciences Corporation
> >Defense Sector
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >John
> > Neiberger To:
> >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: My interview story
> >[7:40553]
> > Sent
> >by:
> >
> >nobody
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >04/04/2002
> > 08:39
> >PM
> >
> >Please
> > respond
> >to
> >
> >John
> >
> >Neiberger
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Why would you want to work for a place with such stupid
> >interviews in the first place? If they select their employees
> >based on how they play "Stranded in the Desert" or whatever the
> >heck that was, then it's probably best you don't work there.
> >I'm sure the management there is awful.
> >
> >Stuff like that is a sure sign their managers have too much
> >time on their hands, and there's almost nothing worse than a
> >clueless manager with too much time.
> >
> >Someone needs to send those managers a Dilbert calendar!
> >
> >I'm sorry to hear it didn't go well, but you should forget
> >about them and move on to a better company.
> >
> >John
> >
> >
> >
> >---- On Thu, 4 Apr 2002, Mark Zhang ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
> >wrote:
> >
> > > hi,everybody,I have a interview appointment at 9:00 AM.
> > > The position is Network Engineer in SNS(schlumberger network
> >solutions
> > > sector).But I falled,at least i think so.
> > > At first,every candidater have a chance to intraduce oneself
> >for 1
> > > minute in
> > > English.Then every 5 person get a group to play a game named
> >Desert
> > > Survive.Game as this:Just image you and some people lose in a
> >deep
> > > desert by
> > > an airplane problem,so plz list the most important thing to
> >the lest
> > > from 15
> > > tools you could use,first time by your own choose,the second
> >by your
> > > group.
> > > Maybe I do not show good in the self-introduce,then I paly
> >the game,I
> > > choose
> > > more close to the expert answer the my group,but the
> >schlumberger do not
> > > think I as the right person they are looking for.
> > > what a pity!I experienced in Motorola and a network
> >company,have design
> > > a
> > > large scare voip network include about 40 nods,familiar with
> >Cisco,But
> > > why?Just because a lose in the game?
> > >
> > > B.RMark Zhang
> > >
> > >
> > > ---------------------------------
> > > Do You Yahoo!?
> > > Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
> >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ________________________
>
> Priscilla Oppenheimer
> http://www.priscilla.com
Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=40641&t=40553
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