Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

What type of person are you trying to hire? The questions you ask answer this question. Please listen to yourself.

Do you want a scientist or a technician or a clerk?

Technicians and clerks are easy to find. Ask what tools they’ve used.

Finding a scientist or analyst or other thinker … Now you have to think a while before asking a question.

For example, I have worked as a systems engineer. Many persons in the computing industry confuse the term “systems engineer” with “system administrator.” They are easy to confuse.

Jobs for system administrators use the names of tools: Linux, Windows, server, Docker, etc.

Jobs for systems engineers use terms related to thinking: requirements, ideas, concepts. Oooh. That is sort of fuzzy, hard to put your finger on those things. Concrete things are missing. What do we talk about? How do I judge if a person can think? This hurts my head.

Here’s a tip: Ask the prospective scientist something like, “How often do you think about the scientific process and its nuances?”