This post is a reaction to this article: https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/microsoft-new-developer-interview-process-2018-12

How do we do more objective interviews?

In a recent article, Microsoft promotes an approach in order to reduce bias, ensure the interview is more relevant and promote greater empathy. In this post, we’ll summarise what was actually done, and comments on how this could be applied to data analytics interview processes.

Share Interview Questions with the Candidate: one of the more challenging things is to first share with the candidate what interview questions will be asked and what they will be working on (pair programming). This gives candidates time to think and do research.

Rationale: in the work place, we rarely have surprises so why is the interview any different?

Solve the Problem together: again, in the workplace, we’re rarely in the position where we may lone wolf the problem. Make sure you give the interview what you have and how you might solve it (after all, what’s the point of testing their ability to reinvent the wheel), and try to work through things together.

Avoid one on one interviews: to avoid biases, interviews should be done in pairs. Not only that, feedback should be shared jointly - not in a trickled manner; in order to avoid bias or prejudice.

Allow candidates to give feedback: Ensure at every stage of an interview candidates can give feedback - that way this process will improve.

My Takeaway

Above all, this approach isn’t too different from a take home assignment approach. The biggest difference is the emphasis on reducing bias in the interview process, and making the interview feel more like what actually working would be like. Some of the challenges in implementing this could be the sharing of data in analytics field - it is often a highly domain dependent area, and having non-private data is quite difficult.

In this approach, there is a greater emphasis on the need to work together as a coherent team (particularly important, as the team in question at Microsoft implementing this is the program management team) - though it may not be applicable is the team is focussed on having “lone wolves”.

Regardless this probably will not change my personal interviewing approach; it will still remain as follows:]

  • Phone interview
  • Take home assignment (i.e. sharing interview questions) for on-site interview
  • Final interview for cultural fit with head of department if applicable or needed