Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:34:25 -0400 Allan Streib wrote: > Craig writes: > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Schwimmwagen > > > > I'm fairly certain I would not want to use a Schwimmwagen to get > > between the islands. > > Better than an outrigger canoe that the natives would have used? Not necessarily. An outrigger canoe will float if it's swamped; not so das Schwimmwagen. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Sounds like the kid I had in a remedial reading class I taught for high school. This is the class you go to (and stay in) until you pass the state mandated reading test. No pass - no graduate. Obviously a smart kid. So one day we are chatting before class starts, and I ask him why he is in my class, as he is certainly more that capable of passing the test. "Was is test anxiety? Do you have a hard time testing?" I ask, figuring this is the most likely reason he didn't pass the test. "Nope. I thought it was a big waste of my time, so I just bubbled in answers randomly." I asked him if he learned a valuable lesson from his experience. Thank goodness he admitted that he did. When he did his retake that semester he nearly aced the test... Dan On Sep 4, 2012, at 2:03 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: > Depending on what hole I was looking to fill on a team I wouldn't find a lack > of joke a problem. I'm usually the jokester so its nice to have a straight > man around. Gotta balance the team. > > I'm usually the one that breaks the curve on the oddball questions. Did I > ever tell you guys about the time I took the Meyers-Briggs personality > survey? We did it with work. Apparently we took the "super intensive" or > something, I forget exactly but there were something like 2,000 questions, it > took several days to complete (meanwhile getting no real work done). > > Many of the questions were of the type "do you believe A or B?" and it got to > the point where sometimes I thought "well, both" or "Neither" so after awhile > I started filling in two bubbles per question. Then I started filling in many > bubbles so it spelled out words like: "This test sucks", sometimes I'd fill > in all As for awhile, then all B, then all C and so on. > > So after wasting all this time they take the whole group of us to a ski > resort for a day of skiing and a couple days of team building and going over > the test. This is when I start to get nervous. They announce "Somebody > thought they'd be a smart alec and fill in multiple bubbles" and the project > on the screen some of my answers. At this point I'm absolutely sure I'm going > to be fired. Then they announce "the joke is on the jokester, the test is > designed to take his personality type into account." All eyes on me at this > point, I'm the OBVIOUS culprit. > > The test breaks you into personality types and I forget how it all works out > but I'm a creative, turns out 2 people in my group are creatives, one is an > introvert, the other an extrovert. They tell us that this is great because > one should be the manager of the other and in fact those two people are in a > manager/employee relationship. Turns out its me and my boss, but I'm the > extrovert. I thought his head was going to explode he turned so red. > > A month later the company is bought, we all lose our jobs. > > -Curt > > > Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:09:08 -0500 > From: Randy Bennell > To: Mercedes Discussion List > Subject: Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview > Message-ID: <504627a4.6050...@bennell.ca> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Two comments. > > I wonder what the acceptable or preferred answer is to the question > about different solutions to a problem by different team members? I had > a very similar question put to me at an interview I had for a job in the > provincial land titles office a number of years back. > Obviously it is a standard type question and although there is no > obvious "right" answer, they are obviously looking for how you respond > and I wonder what they would like to hear. > > Second thing is in regard to the question about a joke. It is too bad > that you did not come up with something quick and good but it is very > good that you did not tell some off color, sexist, or racist joke etc. > Obviously, that would likely be the end of any hope you might have and > it is amazing how many people who are very intelligent might fall for > that. I do wish you had managed to come up with something however as it > shows an ability to think on your feet when you get an out of the blue > oddball question. It also shows something of your personality if you are > able to tell a nice clean joke. It shows other interests in life and > that you are not a total dweeb. It does not matter how smart and > dedicated you are if you have no personality or sense of humour. > > Please don't take what I have said too personally. I'm just running off > a the mouth and probably would not have done any better at it than you > did. It is a difficult thing to answer when you are primed fo
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Now THAT'S a real shaggy dog story! Too bad it has an unhappy ending. On the point of humor, a successful work environment thrives with a balance of jokesters and joke appreciaters provided everyone works hard and the humor is not cruel. On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: > Depending on what hole I was looking to fill on a team I wouldn't find a lack > of joke a problem. I'm usually the jokester so its nice to have a straight > man around. Gotta balance the team. > > I'm usually the one that breaks the curve on the oddball questions. Did I > ever tell you guys about the time I took the Meyers-Briggs personality > survey? We did it with work. Apparently we took the "super intensive" or > something, I forget exactly but there were something like 2,000 questions, it > took several days to complete (meanwhile getting no real work done). > > Many of the questions were of the type "do you believe A or B?" and it got to > the point where sometimes I thought "well, both" or "Neither" so after awhile > I started filling in two bubbles per question. Then I started filling in many > bubbles so it spelled out words like: "This test sucks", sometimes I'd fill > in all As for awhile, then all B, then all C and so on. > > So after wasting all this time they take the whole group of us to a ski > resort for a day of skiing and a couple days of team building and going over > the test. This is when I start to get nervous. They announce "Somebody > thought they'd be a smart alec and fill in multiple bubbles" and the project > on the screen some of my answers. At this point I'm absolutely sure I'm going > to be fired. Then they announce "the joke is on the jokester, the test is > designed to take his personality type into account." All eyes on me at this > point, I'm the OBVIOUS culprit. > > The test breaks you into personality types and I forget how it all works out > but I'm a creative, turns out 2 people in my group are creatives, one is an > introvert, the other an extrovert. They tell us that this is great because > one should be the manager of the other and in fact those two people are in a > manager/employee relationship. Turns out its me and my boss, but I'm the > extrovert. I thought his head was going to explode he turned so red. > > A month later the company is bought, we all lose our jobs. > > -Curt > > > Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:09:08 -0500 > From: Randy Bennell > To: Mercedes Discussion List > Subject: Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview > Message-ID: <504627a4.6050...@bennell.ca> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Two comments. > > I wonder what the acceptable or preferred answer is to the question > about different solutions to a problem by different team members? I had > a very similar question put to me at an interview I had for a job in the > provincial land titles office a number of years back. > Obviously it is a standard type question and although there is no > obvious "right" answer, they are obviously looking for how you respond > and I wonder what they would like to hear. > > Second thing is in regard to the question about a joke. It is too bad > that you did not come up with something quick and good but it is very > good that you did not tell some off color, sexist, or racist joke etc. > Obviously, that would likely be the end of any hope you might have and > it is amazing how many people who are very intelligent might fall for > that. I do wish you had managed to come up with something however as it > shows an ability to think on your feet when you get an out of the blue > oddball question. It also shows something of your personality if you are > able to tell a nice clean joke. It shows other interests in life and > that you are not a total dweeb. It does not matter how smart and > dedicated you are if you have no personality or sense of humour. > > Please don't take what I have said too personally. I'm just running off > a the mouth and probably would not have done any better at it than you > did. It is a difficult thing to answer when you are primed for business > and trying to be careful. > > I know I have been trying to think of some good joke while typing this > and the best I have come up with so far is the old George Carlin > monologue where he talks about things like "hot water heaters" and > "flammable vs inflammable". > > Randy > > ___ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Depending on what hole I was looking to fill on a team I wouldn't find a lack of joke a problem. I'm usually the jokester so its nice to have a straight man around. Gotta balance the team. I'm usually the one that breaks the curve on the oddball questions. Did I ever tell you guys about the time I took the Meyers-Briggs personality survey? We did it with work. Apparently we took the "super intensive" or something, I forget exactly but there were something like 2,000 questions, it took several days to complete (meanwhile getting no real work done). Many of the questions were of the type "do you believe A or B?" and it got to the point where sometimes I thought "well, both" or "Neither" so after awhile I started filling in two bubbles per question. Then I started filling in many bubbles so it spelled out words like: "This test sucks", sometimes I'd fill in all As for awhile, then all B, then all C and so on. So after wasting all this time they take the whole group of us to a ski resort for a day of skiing and a couple days of team building and going over the test. This is when I start to get nervous. They announce "Somebody thought they'd be a smart alec and fill in multiple bubbles" and the project on the screen some of my answers. At this point I'm absolutely sure I'm going to be fired. Then they announce "the joke is on the jokester, the test is designed to take his personality type into account." All eyes on me at this point, I'm the OBVIOUS culprit. The test breaks you into personality types and I forget how it all works out but I'm a creative, turns out 2 people in my group are creatives, one is an introvert, the other an extrovert. They tell us that this is great because one should be the manager of the other and in fact those two people are in a manager/employee relationship. Turns out its me and my boss, but I'm the extrovert. I thought his head was going to explode he turned so red. A month later the company is bought, we all lose our jobs. -Curt Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:09:08 -0500 From: Randy Bennell To: Mercedes Discussion List Subject: Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview Message-ID: <504627a4.6050...@bennell.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Two comments. I wonder what the acceptable or preferred answer is to the question about different solutions to a problem by different team members? I had a very similar question put to me at an interview I had for a job in the provincial land titles office a number of years back. Obviously it is a standard type question and although there is no obvious "right" answer, they are obviously looking for how you respond and I wonder what they would like to hear. Second thing is in regard to the question about a joke. It is too bad that you did not come up with something quick and good but it is very good that you did not tell some off color, sexist, or racist joke etc. Obviously, that would likely be the end of any hope you might have and it is amazing how many people who are very intelligent might fall for that. I do wish you had managed to come up with something however as it shows an ability to think on your feet when you get an out of the blue oddball question. It also shows something of your personality if you are able to tell a nice clean joke. It shows other interests in life and that you are not a total dweeb. It does not matter how smart and dedicated you are if you have no personality or sense of humour. Please don't take what I have said too personally. I'm just running off a the mouth and probably would not have done any better at it than you did. It is a difficult thing to answer when you are primed for business and trying to be careful. I know I have been trying to think of some good joke while typing this and the best I have come up with so far is the old George Carlin monologue where he talks about things like "hot water heaters" and "flammable vs inflammable". Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Two comments. I wonder what the acceptable or preferred answer is to the question about different solutions to a problem by different team members? I had a very similar question put to me at an interview I had for a job in the provincial land titles office a number of years back. Obviously it is a standard type question and although there is no obvious "right" answer, they are obviously looking for how you respond and I wonder what they would like to hear. Second thing is in regard to the question about a joke. It is too bad that you did not come up with something quick and good but it is very good that you did not tell some off color, sexist, or racist joke etc. Obviously, that would likely be the end of any hope you might have and it is amazing how many people who are very intelligent might fall for that. I do wish you had managed to come up with something however as it shows an ability to think on your feet when you get an out of the blue oddball question. It also shows something of your personality if you are able to tell a nice clean joke. It shows other interests in life and that you are not a total dweeb. It does not matter how smart and dedicated you are if you have no personality or sense of humour. Please don't take what I have said too personally. I'm just running off a the mouth and probably would not have done any better at it than you did. It is a difficult thing to answer when you are primed for business and trying to be careful. I know I have been trying to think of some good joke while typing this and the best I have come up with so far is the old George Carlin monologue where he talks about things like "hot water heaters" and "flammable vs inflammable". I have a different take about the joke. engineer types generally are NOT the life of the party. Many hard science types are in this category. My take is that yes, the wrong joke can be a disqualifier, but not remembering ANY joke, I contend is normal for engineer/hard science types. (Physics is about as hard as science gets) I consider myself to be this type, although how much is natural and how much is learned is subject to debate. I can't tell a joke if my life depended on it. To my mind, a joke is trivial, and not something I will fill my mind with. However, I always read the funnies (the intellectual section) first back in the newspaper days. And I seldom read much but the jokes and funny stories in the readers' digress back when I got it. Not remembering jokes does NOT make a person humorless. My uncle, (a civE) had a dry sense of humor, but it was very active. There was a study done a few years ago about personality types of computer engineers and comp Sci folks. The differences were stark, and amazing to me. The compE types were pretty much in the standard engineering model. The compSci types were aligned with creative arts. artists, designers and graphic artists. The differences between engineering types and industrial technologists is very interesting too. particularly, Industrial Engineering and Industrial Technologists are seen as interchangeable (especially by HR), but when you study the personalities, you find big differences. The engineers are linear thinkers, and tend to want to reduce everything to a problem with numbers (innate or training?) while the technologists are more likely to have a global view, integrating many inputs and unknowns mentally while coming up with a (often elegant) solution without numbers or equations) This is something innate, and not really learnable. Engineers generally end up working for the technologist. Students who get really frustrated with engineering curriculum often make great technologists. The difference between an accountant and a network admin? Both are very detail oriented by necessity. The accountant hates chaos. The network admin lives in chaos, but systematically takes pieces and parts and puts them into order. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Two comments. I wonder what the acceptable or preferred answer is to the question about different solutions to a problem by different team members? I had a very similar question put to me at an interview I had for a job in the provincial land titles office a number of years back. Obviously it is a standard type question and although there is no obvious "right" answer, they are obviously looking for how you respond and I wonder what they would like to hear. Second thing is in regard to the question about a joke. It is too bad that you did not come up with something quick and good but it is very good that you did not tell some off color, sexist, or racist joke etc. Obviously, that would likely be the end of any hope you might have and it is amazing how many people who are very intelligent might fall for that. I do wish you had managed to come up with something however as it shows an ability to think on your feet when you get an out of the blue oddball question. It also shows something of your personality if you are able to tell a nice clean joke. It shows other interests in life and that you are not a total dweeb. It does not matter how smart and dedicated you are if you have no personality or sense of humour. Please don't take what I have said too personally. I'm just running off a the mouth and probably would not have done any better at it than you did. It is a difficult thing to answer when you are primed for business and trying to be careful. I know I have been trying to think of some good joke while typing this and the best I have come up with so far is the old George Carlin monologue where he talks about things like "hot water heaters" and "flammable vs inflammable". Randy On 31/08/2012 4:56 PM, Craig wrote: Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig ___ ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Craig writes: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Schwimmwagen > > I'm fairly certain I would not want to use a Schwimmwagen to get between > the islands. Better than an outrigger canoe that the natives would have used? Allan -- 1983 300D 1979 300SD ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Ted Kennedy coulda used wunnathem. --R On 9/3/12 12:26 AM, Craig wrote: On Sun, 2 Sep 2012 21:16:11 -0600 Craig wrote: On Sat, 1 Sep 2012 07:12:26 -0400 Tim C wrote: Maybe you could ask them to throw in a schwimmenwagen as a signing bonus? :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Schwimmwagen I'm fairly certain I would not want to use a Schwimmwagen to get between the islands. Or, if you want to buy one, go to http://www.oldbug.com/schwim1.htm Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Sun, 2 Sep 2012 21:16:11 -0600 Craig wrote: > On Sat, 1 Sep 2012 07:12:26 -0400 Tim C wrote: > > > Maybe you could ask them to throw in a schwimmenwagen as a signing > > bonus? :) > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Schwimmwagen > > I'm fairly certain I would not want to use a Schwimmwagen to get between > the islands. Or, if you want to buy one, go to http://www.oldbug.com/schwim1.htm Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Sat, 1 Sep 2012 07:12:26 -0400 Tim C wrote: > On Sep 1, 2012 12:47 AM, "Craig" wrote: > > > > made the comment that Hawaii had some noticable drawbacks, not the > > least of which were due to the fact that you can't drive there. > > Maybe you could ask them to throw in a schwimmenwagen as a signing > bonus? :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Schwimmwagen I'm fairly certain I would not want to use a Schwimmwagen to get between the islands. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Rich Thomas wrote: That's the place that has screwed me over -- part of HVAC Stores I ordered mine Sunday (the last day of a 6% off sale), and it got to the freight company's local (well, 35 miles from me) terminal on Friday morning scheduled for Monday delivery. I drove there, they forklifted the pallet into my dad's pickup truck, and everything was perfect. I hooked up the electric, LP, and flue over the weekend and my cousin/licensed master plumber hooked it up to my ductwork and tuned the burners the next week. Mitch. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
That's the place that has screwed me over -- part of HVAC Stores --R On 9/1/12 6:12 PM, Mitch Haley wrote: Rich Thomas wrote: Which internet vendor in FL did you use? I was trying to buy stuff from one and getting the runaround, and they owe me $500+ now. I bought this. It was $835 in February, so with a coupon for 6% off, I still paid more than the current price. http://www.acwholesalers.com/Goodman-Natural-Gas-Furnace-Heater-p/11147.htm ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Rich Thomas wrote: Which internet vendor in FL did you use? I was trying to buy stuff from one and getting the runaround, and they owe me $500+ now. I bought this. It was $835 in February, so with a coupon for 6% off, I still paid more than the current price. http://www.acwholesalers.com/Goodman-Natural-Gas-Furnace-Heater-p/11147.htm ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Fri, Aug 31, 2012, at 11:57 PM, Rich Thomas wrote: > I gotta find some guy who can go buy me that stuff. I tried the buy > it on the intertubes route, and found that problematic. You need to make friends with an HVAC contractor, or at least get to know one well enough to figure out if you can do a "reciprocal favors" kind of deal. The wholesalers and supply companies don't like selling to "unlicensed" individuals because they don't want/aren't equiped to handle questions and problems the DIY installer may encounter, and also for liability reasons. Or go take some HVAC classes at the local vocational school and get yourself licensed. Allan ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Which internet vendor in FL did you use? I was trying to buy stuff from one and getting the runaround, and they owe me $500+ now. --R On 9/1/12 12:09 AM, Mitch Haley wrote: Rick Knoble wrote: Why not grab a HVAC contractor, take him out for lunch, and have him buy your unit from Johnstones or Berkheimer? I work with an ex HVAC guy who still does side work and he helps out people like that all the time. Either my cousin/plumber was lying to me, or his cost on my Goodman furnace was about 20% more at Johnstone than I paid an internet vendor in Florida. Mitch. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
I have a few jokes he could send. Wait, they probably would not be appropriate. Sent from my iPhone On Aug 31, 2012, at 9:56 PM, Tim C wrote: > For a sort-of career changer (?) I would suspect they are after Craig's > science background and mental agility, not necessarily his knowledge per > se. When I interviewed at one major network vendor we talked about the > intricacies of spanning tree for four hours, but when I interviewed with a > storage and backup company (unrelated position technically to my > experience) I got asked almost nothing that I'd consider technical - they > didn't know my skills and I didn't know many of theirs. It was broad > strokes of how I would think about this and that, why do I think things are > this way, etc. (I got both of those positions, by the way.) > > Since Craig's worked in smaller groups I think the large group question is > fair - there are a lot of people who couldn't talk to a big team, or work > cooperatively with different personalities, so that could easily be a deal > breaker on either side. Not knowing the position it is hard to say how > many people would be in a play, but a project manager on a > moderately-complex product could easily have 10-12 cooks in the kitchen at > once, plus managers and busy bodies. (Or, as my co-worker says, "too many > cooks in the frying pan.") I think that is reasonable to ask before > crate-shipping someone across the Pacific. :) > > Craig, I don't know how the interview went overall - sounds like it was a > little awkward - but if you still want to play for the job maybe you could > include a joke in your follow-up note, preferably one with an engineer and > a scientist. :) I'll keep you in prayers. > > Best, > Tim > On Aug 31, 2012 6:55 PM, "Max Dillon" wrote: > >> What to think? Well, we conduct quite a few technical interviews for the >> project I work on. I have a few guys who are very knowledgeable who do >> this, generally they start with a couple practical "how do you do [ ]?" and >> then switch to theoretical stuff to see if the candidate really understands >> the topic (networking). I think you didn't get a technical interview, >> either because they really did not know how to do that, or because the HR >> person was wrong. >> >> As far as the "team" question, poor choice for a telephone interview. >> Personality is really hard to determine by phone, interpersonal dynamics >> are best determined in person. >> >> -- >> Max Dillon >> Charleston SC >> '95 E300 >> '87 300TD >> >> Craig wrote: >> >> Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. >> >> It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I >> did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected >> technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got >> related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. >> >> One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of >> the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we >> worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on >> have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each >> team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think >> quite a lot about how to answer that question. >> >> When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had >> prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. >> I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the >> conversation. >> >> The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a >> blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't >> know any either." >> >> I'm not sure what to think of all of this. >> >> The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate >> selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. >> >> I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord >> is in charge. >> >> Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. >> >> >> Craig >> >> _ >> >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> >> ___ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> > ___ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mail
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Behavioral interviewing. It's commonly used in the corporate world these days. Wife was trained in it (2 weeks and big bucks) when she worked at Harley-Davidson. It's intended to reveal what kind of person you are and a lot about your personality. This was not a behavioral interview, but the "joke" question is a component of it. It's also exhausting and brutal when done properly (for the interviewee, that is.) There are a lot of efforts to catch you off guard so your reactions can be observed. I did a round at Harley when I interviewed for a training position there. My favorite recollection was when the HR lady asked me, "What's your hot button?" In my mind, I stood up, grabbed my crotch and shouted, "This is my hot button - RIGHT HERE!" I only thought this because I was about three hours into this and was getting pretty tired of all the games - remember, my wife knew how this worked and had prepped me well beforehand. I can't say I recall what my actual response was, but it doesn't really matter. I went home that night and told the wife what I was thinking when I was asked the "hot button" question. Some weeks later after I knew I would not be chosen for the position, she told the HR lady (who was a friend of hers) what my desired response was to her question. According to her, she never used the question again. Dan On Aug 31, 2012, at 9:12 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: > I've done some interviewing and usually throw in an oddball question. > > My favorite one for years was "If you were a Smurf what Smurf would you be?" > > -Curt > ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
'Sure sounds very familiar - BTDT - the doing and the buying parts. Wilton - Original Message - From: "Rich Thomas" To: "Mercedes Discussion List" Sent: Friday, August 31, 2012 11:57 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview Then my house addition would not get built, and I would have to be working for others. The way I figure it I would go get a job to make money, then turn around and give it all to someone to do what I can do better, and have to monitor and manage them and have that headache, and probably not be pleased with the quality of what they are doing. I hired out some of the work, and worked along with the crew, and managed the manager, and even then they did a few things that were not quite up to spec. The only benefit would be getting it done faster, maybe, but with the attendant hassles. I was out today on my weekly errand runs, went by Home Depot to look at something, a woman had a table set up there hawking air conditioning equipment. So I ask her if she will sell me a quad-zone mini-split heat pump system 34k-36k BTU, she says she will have to send her guys out to figure out what is needed then they could give me a quote. So then I rattle off a list of stuff I need, and ask if they have that stuff and will they sell it to me. She gets all flustered and says probably not. So I ask if they are in the AC business, and she says no we are an installation contractor. So I tell her I can do the install myself, I just want the stuff. She got all defensive and says that is not what we do. So I ask her why she is there and asked if I was interested in an AC system, I say yes, then she decides she is not interested. She had no good answer except they just do installs. I knew that going in, but it was somewhat diverting to have the conversation. Then I stopped by Costco and there was a guy there selling Lennox HVAC stuff. I stop to see what he has, ask him if they do mini-spilts, he says sure. So I ask him for a quote on a quad-zone mini-split blah blah and he says he will have to get someone to come out blahblah. So I ask him the same thing, why is he there hawking Lennox HVAC stuff when he is not prepared to sell it. Well, he can't really sell just the stuff, he is there to arrange contractors to come out and do the work. I knew he would say that, but it sorta pissed me off to see a booth with Lennox stuff, when what they were really hawking was some HVAC contractor. I gotta find some guy who can go buy me that stuff. I tried the buy it on the intertubes route, and found that problematic. --R On 8/31/12 11:34 PM, Gerry Archer wrote: You should hang out your shingle as handyman. Handymen around here make good money. Gerry From: "Rich Thomas" Don't forget plumber, cabinet maker, tile setter, and sheetrocker. And auto mechanic. --R On 8/31/12 9:11 PM, Max Dillon wrote: He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, but his wife doesn't pay him enough. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5237 - Release Date: 08/31/12 ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
How is the new addition coming along? -- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300 '87 300TD Rich Thomas wrote: Don't forget plumber, cabinet maker, tile setter, and sheetrocker. And auto mechanic. --R On 8/31/12 9:11 PM, Max Dillon wrote: > He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, > but his wife doesn't pay him enough. > _ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Sep 1, 2012 12:47 AM, "Craig" wrote: > > made the comment that Hawaii had some noticable drawbacks, not the least > of which were due to the fact that you can't drive there. Maybe you could ask them to throw in a schwimmenwagen as a signing bonus? :) Best, Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:06:45 -0400 Allan Streib wrote: > Doesn't sound like a technical interview to me. Sounds like a very > standard management interview. Those "how do you work on a team" > questions are straight off of any "top interview questions" list. Sounds > like the HR guy either didn't know or misrepresented the nature of the > interview. Is he really in the Keck HR department or is he a hired > recruiter? As far as I know, he is really in the Keck HR department. He did make the comment at the end of our first telecon that he had been a recruiter preparing people for interviews. > Nevertheless, I wouldn't give up hope. Sounds like you hung in there > and the fact that you had questions prepared is going to weigh in your > favor. A lot of people don't. That was one of the things the HR guy suggested when he said he had been a recruiter. > And honestly, living in Hawaii sounds nice and romantic but when it > really comes down to it not too many people are going to want to pull > up roots and move THAT far away. As I mentioned to Shirley's cousin, I was trying to be realistic when I made the comment that Hawaii had some noticable drawbacks, not the least of which were due to the fact that you can't drive there. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Aug 31, 2012, at 11:14 PM, "Mitch Haley" wrote: > Either my cousin/plumber was lying to me, or his cost on my Goodman furnace > was about 20% more at Johnstone than I paid an internet vendor in Florida. Hmm. I remember you writing about that. I do know Johnstone won't deal with you unless you have a tax ID. I walked in there to buy a blower motor and walked out empty handed. Rick Sent from my iPhone ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Rick Knoble wrote: Why not grab a HVAC contractor, take him out for lunch, and have him buy your unit from Johnstones or Berkheimer? I work with an ex HVAC guy who still does side work and he helps out people like that all the time. Either my cousin/plumber was lying to me, or his cost on my Goodman furnace was about 20% more at Johnstone than I paid an internet vendor in Florida. Mitch. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Aug 31, 2012, at 10:57 PM, "Rich Thomas" wrote: > Then I stopped by Costco and there was a guy there selling Lennox HVAC stuff. I don't remember if it is Lennox or Carrier, but one of them is a real pain to get parts for. Why not grab a HVAC contractor, take him out for lunch, and have him buy your unit from Johnstones or Berkheimer? I work with an ex HVAC guy who still does side work and he helps out people like that all the time. Rick Sent from my iPhone ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Then my house addition would not get built, and I would have to be working for others. The way I figure it I would go get a job to make money, then turn around and give it all to someone to do what I can do better, and have to monitor and manage them and have that headache, and probably not be pleased with the quality of what they are doing. I hired out some of the work, and worked along with the crew, and managed the manager, and even then they did a few things that were not quite up to spec. The only benefit would be getting it done faster, maybe, but with the attendant hassles. I was out today on my weekly errand runs, went by Home Depot to look at something, a woman had a table set up there hawking air conditioning equipment. So I ask her if she will sell me a quad-zone mini-split heat pump system 34k-36k BTU, she says she will have to send her guys out to figure out what is needed then they could give me a quote. So then I rattle off a list of stuff I need, and ask if they have that stuff and will they sell it to me. She gets all flustered and says probably not. So I ask if they are in the AC business, and she says no we are an installation contractor. So I tell her I can do the install myself, I just want the stuff. She got all defensive and says that is not what we do. So I ask her why she is there and asked if I was interested in an AC system, I say yes, then she decides she is not interested. She had no good answer except they just do installs. I knew that going in, but it was somewhat diverting to have the conversation. Then I stopped by Costco and there was a guy there selling Lennox HVAC stuff. I stop to see what he has, ask him if they do mini-spilts, he says sure. So I ask him for a quote on a quad-zone mini-split blah blah and he says he will have to get someone to come out blahblah. So I ask him the same thing, why is he there hawking Lennox HVAC stuff when he is not prepared to sell it. Well, he can't really sell just the stuff, he is there to arrange contractors to come out and do the work. I knew he would say that, but it sorta pissed me off to see a booth with Lennox stuff, when what they were really hawking was some HVAC contractor. I gotta find some guy who can go buy me that stuff. I tried the buy it on the intertubes route, and found that problematic. --R On 8/31/12 11:34 PM, Gerry Archer wrote: You should hang out your shingle as handyman. Handymen around here make good money. Gerry From: "Rich Thomas" Don't forget plumber, cabinet maker, tile setter, and sheetrocker. And auto mechanic. --R On 8/31/12 9:11 PM, Max Dillon wrote: He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, but his wife doesn't pay him enough. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5237 - Release Date: 08/31/12 ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
You should hang out your shingle as handyman. Handymen around here make good money. Gerry From: "Rich Thomas" Don't forget plumber, cabinet maker, tile setter, and sheetrocker. And auto mechanic. --R On 8/31/12 9:11 PM, Max Dillon wrote: He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, but his wife doesn't pay him enough. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5237 - Release Date: 08/31/12 ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Large teams observations: Every time I've been in a large team environ, within 10 working days of being task, the 40 to 120 "team" members had shaken down to like minded work groups and the "large team" had evolved into "leaders" and "workers" within each sub-group who got a portion of the task moved forward. Then came endless "large team meetings" where each "sub-group" clawed for recognition and fame, with very little progress towards the actual problem solution [at the meeting]... In nearly every case, management was given the task of selecting the "answers" to the problem set from those multiple presentations of ways to solve the problem. All in, Dr. Porsche said it best "Committees discuss problems, individuals make decisions." That said, it is my humble opinion, a large team has lots of committees and few individuals that make decisions. To actually work, provision needs to be in place at inception to nurture that informed decision making... to have success. Grant... On Fri, Aug 31, 2012 at 7:56 PM, Tim C wrote: > For a sort-of career changer (?) I would suspect they are after Craig's > science background and mental agility, not necessarily his knowledge per > se. When I interviewed at one major network vendor we talked about the > intricacies of spanning tree for four hours, but when I interviewed with a > storage and backup company (unrelated position technically to my > experience) I got asked almost nothing that I'd consider technical - they > didn't know my skills and I didn't know many of theirs. It was broad > strokes of how I would think about this and that, why do I think things are > this way, etc. (I got both of those positions, by the way.) > > Since Craig's worked in smaller groups I think the large group question is > fair - there are a lot of people who couldn't talk to a big team, or work > cooperatively with different personalities, so that could easily be a deal > breaker on either side. Not knowing the position it is hard to say how > many people would be in a play, but a project manager on a > moderately-complex product could easily have 10-12 cooks in the kitchen at > once, plus managers and busy bodies. (Or, as my co-worker says, "too many > cooks in the frying pan.") I think that is reasonable to ask before > crate-shipping someone across the Pacific. :) > > Craig, I don't know how the interview went overall - sounds like it was a > little awkward - but if you still want to play for the job maybe you could > include a joke in your follow-up note, preferably one with an engineer and > a scientist. :) I'll keep you in prayers. > > Best, > Tim > On Aug 31, 2012 6:55 PM, "Max Dillon" wrote: > > > What to think? Well, we conduct quite a few technical interviews for the > > project I work on. I have a few guys who are very knowledgeable who do > > this, generally they start with a couple practical "how do you do [ ]?" > and > > then switch to theoretical stuff to see if the candidate really > understands > > the topic (networking). I think you didn't get a technical interview, > > either because they really did not know how to do that, or because the HR > > person was wrong. > > > > As far as the "team" question, poor choice for a telephone interview. > > Personality is really hard to determine by phone, interpersonal dynamics > > are best determined in person. > > > > -- > > Max Dillon > > Charleston SC > > '95 E300 > > '87 300TD > > > > Craig wrote: > > > > Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. > > > > It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I > > did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected > > technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got > > related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. > > > > One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of > > the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we > > worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on > > have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each > > team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think > > quite a lot about how to answer that question. > > > > When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had > > prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. > > I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the > > conversation. > > > > The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a > > blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't > > know any either." > > > > I'm not sure what to think of all of this. > > > > The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate > > selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. > > > > I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord > > is in charge. > > > > Thank you for
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Don't forget plumber, cabinet maker, tile setter, and sheetrocker. And auto mechanic. --R On 8/31/12 9:11 PM, Max Dillon wrote: He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, but his wife doesn't pay him enough. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
For a sort-of career changer (?) I would suspect they are after Craig's science background and mental agility, not necessarily his knowledge per se. When I interviewed at one major network vendor we talked about the intricacies of spanning tree for four hours, but when I interviewed with a storage and backup company (unrelated position technically to my experience) I got asked almost nothing that I'd consider technical - they didn't know my skills and I didn't know many of theirs. It was broad strokes of how I would think about this and that, why do I think things are this way, etc. (I got both of those positions, by the way.) Since Craig's worked in smaller groups I think the large group question is fair - there are a lot of people who couldn't talk to a big team, or work cooperatively with different personalities, so that could easily be a deal breaker on either side. Not knowing the position it is hard to say how many people would be in a play, but a project manager on a moderately-complex product could easily have 10-12 cooks in the kitchen at once, plus managers and busy bodies. (Or, as my co-worker says, "too many cooks in the frying pan.") I think that is reasonable to ask before crate-shipping someone across the Pacific. :) Craig, I don't know how the interview went overall - sounds like it was a little awkward - but if you still want to play for the job maybe you could include a joke in your follow-up note, preferably one with an engineer and a scientist. :) I'll keep you in prayers. Best, Tim On Aug 31, 2012 6:55 PM, "Max Dillon" wrote: > What to think? Well, we conduct quite a few technical interviews for the > project I work on. I have a few guys who are very knowledgeable who do > this, generally they start with a couple practical "how do you do [ ]?" and > then switch to theoretical stuff to see if the candidate really understands > the topic (networking). I think you didn't get a technical interview, > either because they really did not know how to do that, or because the HR > person was wrong. > > As far as the "team" question, poor choice for a telephone interview. > Personality is really hard to determine by phone, interpersonal dynamics > are best determined in person. > > -- > Max Dillon > Charleston SC > '95 E300 > '87 300TD > > Craig wrote: > > Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. > > It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I > did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected > technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got > related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. > > One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of > the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we > worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on > have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each > team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think > quite a lot about how to answer that question. > > When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had > prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. > I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the > conversation. > > The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a > blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't > know any either." > > I'm not sure what to think of all of this. > > The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate > selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. > > I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord > is in charge. > > Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. > > > Craig > > _ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > ___ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
It may be encouraging that they could have already decided that you knew the technical requirements of the job, and that they therefore concentrated on the human and creative aspects. It may also be encouraging that the group found it difficult to answer some of your questions since you would be bringing different points of view to the group; often an advantage in problem solving. Good luck. Gerry . Craig wrote: Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig _ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5237 - Release Date: 08/31/12 ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
He's employed as General Contractor, Finish Carpenter, Electrician, and Chef, but his wife doesn't pay him enough. -- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300 '87 300TD Rick Knoble wrote: On Aug 31, 2012, at 6:05 PM, "Rich Thomas" wrote: > --R (who is not currently employed by any sort of organization, for reasons > that might be rather apparent) House husband? Retired? Consultant? Freelance? On the dole? Rick Sent from my iPhone _ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
I've done some interviewing and usually throw in an oddball question. My favorite one for years was "If you were a Smurf what Smurf would you be?" -Curt Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:56:14 -0600 From: Craig To: mercedes Subject: [MBZ] My Keck Interview Message-ID: <20120831155614.49f20bb7a41eeaa682970...@pisquared.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Doesn't sound like a technical interview to me. Sounds like a very standard management interview. Those "how do you work on a team" questions are straight off of any "top interview questions" list. Sounds like the HR guy either didn't know or misrepresented the nature of the interview. Is he really in the Keck HR department or is he a hired recruiter? Nevertheless, I wouldn't give up hope. Sounds like you hung in there and the fact that you had questions prepared is going to weigh in your favor. A lot of people don't. And honestly, living in Hawaii sounds nice and romantic but when it really comes down to it not too many people are going to want to pull up roots and move THAT far away. Allan On Fri, Aug 31, 2012, at 05:56 PM, Craig wrote: > Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. > > It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without > questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I > expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The > questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have > not really done. > > One question was if I had been in a situation where different members > of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how > we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked > on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with > each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to > think quite a lot about how to answer that question. > > When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had > prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to > answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close > the conversation. > > The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a > blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I > don't know any either." > > I'm not sure what to think of all of this. > > The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of > candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be > calling me. > > I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the > Lord is in charge. > > Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. > > > Craig > > ___ > http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
Rich Thomas wrote: "Do you know any good jokes?" "This interview?" Not funny when it's true, like in this case. Mitch. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
On Aug 31, 2012, at 6:05 PM, "Rich Thomas" wrote: > --R (who is not currently employed by any sort of organization, for reasons > that might be rather apparent) House husband? Retired? Consultant? Freelance? On the dole? Rick Sent from my iPhone ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
I would be very wary of working in an organization that thinks a large team can accomplish much of anything. The (small) team needs a leader who listens to all inputs, discusses it among the (small) team, then makes a decision and goes forward with it. And justifies and validates it to management, who should have the confidence in the team leader to thank him/her and allow him/her to move it forward successfully. Reasonably quickly. And if the "team" does not get behind it and make it happen, then the team should be smaller, quickly, with management support. But, if they are funded with gummint money, then the paralysis of "team" decisions is to be expected; otherwise, getting more and more gummint money is a bit difficult to do when you are lean and efficient. "Do you know any good jokes?" "This interview?" Well, stick with it, you might end up with a trip to Hawaii. --R (who is not currently employed by any sort of organization, for reasons that might be rather apparent) On 8/31/12 5:56 PM, Craig wrote: Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
What to think? Well, we conduct quite a few technical interviews for the project I work on. I have a few guys who are very knowledgeable who do this, generally they start with a couple practical "how do you do [ ]?" and then switch to theoretical stuff to see if the candidate really understands the topic (networking). I think you didn't get a technical interview, either because they really did not know how to do that, or because the HR person was wrong. As far as the "team" question, poor choice for a telephone interview. Personality is really hard to determine by phone, interpersonal dynamics are best determined in person. -- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300 '87 300TD Craig wrote: Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig _ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] My Keck Interview
We'll be praying for you! Thanks for keeping us posted. -- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300 '87 300TD Craig wrote: Well, I finished the interview, which lasted almost an hour. It was difficult, with questions I did not expect and without questions I did expect. Since it was to be a technical interview, I expected technical questions. There weren't any of those. The questions I got related to how I worked in a large team, which I have not really done. One question was if I had been in a situation where different members of the team came up with very different solutions to a problem and how we worked out a single, final solution. Since the teams I have worked on have been small, with one person doing the entire project or with each team member working on different aspects of the project, I had to think quite a lot about how to answer that question. When it came my turn to ask questions, I went down the list I had prepared. Some of them were difficult for the group in Hawaii to answer. I didn't finish all my questions before it was time to close the conversation. The parting question I got was, "Do you know any good jokes?" I drew a blank. After a short period of silence, the fellow said, "Well, I don't know any either." I'm not sure what to think of all of this. The HR person said they would be moving on to the next step of candidate selection and to keep my fingers crossed that they would be calling me. I was rather drained after the interview. It's good to know that the Lord is in charge. Thank you for your prayers, concern and support. Craig _ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
