So what so what so what's the Scenario?

#1

My company is hiring for an Agile Project Manager for the first time since they hired me (more on that job opening later). We have a new manager for the ‘Client Services’ team, which is basically Project Management/Agile Leads and we are working on improving our hiring process for PMs. When I went through the process I was asked to prepare a presentation on Agile “as if you were telling a new client about Agile because they’ve never even heard of it” that I would present at my interview. That was it, the whole prompt. So I created a generic (but beautiful) and brief deck on “agile.” Basically, anyone could have done it, with enough time to research.

So my question - do you use/or have you been asked participate in any worthwhile Homework or Scenarios for an interview? I would love to get some ideas on what we could do instead OR start building a case for dropping it all together!

[The job post isn’t live yet, but we’re looking for an Agile Project Manager who is comfortable working in an agency setting - will follow up once I have full details, but if you are interested go ahead and message me].

#2

The big question is, “What is the homework giving you?” If you are using it as a simple filter to see if someone is even willing to do some work that is great, but if it isn’t meaningful or it takes too much time, you could potentially miss out on some fantastic hires.

I know for software devs in Sydney, people are flat out bouncing to the next job if there is homework that takes longer than a couple of hours.

I’m not sure I have solutions for you here, only lots of questions. I know how hard finding the “right” person can be.

Would something more meaningful be to give them a challenge you are facing right now with some real information? If you give them some time to mull it over, research if they need and get them to work through the issue with you, you will likely learn a lot more about how they think.

When do you get them to “meet the team”? How does that part of the process go? Hmm, not the easiest.

How can you make the most of your collective times? If scenarios aren’t useful, what do you replace them with? How can you see what they do with a “no-win” scenario? Is that useful?

I personally dislike sitting on both sides of the table. Good luck.

#3

I think that if you are hiring the first formal person into the discipline, or the first “coach”, this might make sense as it allows the company to see how that individual’s core personality translates into their day to day communication and how they might drive the transformation being sought.

That being said, I’d personally hate this. It’s sounds like auditioning for a movie and it feels too one-sided. I truly believe that roles like ours should be more compared to dating, as it really is about making a good match. Who goes on a date and tells the other suitor to be prepared with a 30 minute pitch on 'what is a good relationship"? It really needs to be a conversation! Both parties need to explore each other simultaneously and uncover whether it’s a match.

As a candidate, I’ve always pursued deeper conversations than any hiring employer expected. I want to know why they are seeking agile, what problems they want to solve, what patterns they already think they need, and I use the conversation to learn what problems they aren’t aware of yet. I want to be clear that I might not be a good match even, until this conversation runs its course (and I might know someone better than me to fit the role).

TLDR: If you’re going to give me homework for my first interview, then I need to feel like it’s specific and relevant to what the position is immediately needing the first 3 months after hire.

#4

I caught this presentation at Agile2017 - despite the title, it’s really how Spotify screens and auditions Agile Coaches. Might be of interest @amberb…

#5

Brad, you make great points and are asking a lot of questions I think I was eventually going to find myself asking. Thank you a ton for the insightful response!

Would something more meaningful be to give them a challenge you are facing right now with some real information? If you give them some time to mull it over, research if they need and get them to work through the issue with you, you will likely learn a lot more about how they think.

This really stands out to me because working in an agency setting means a lot of the challenges are unique and I will probably end up learning something from the exercise just beyond how the candidate(s) handle pressure.

#6

Thanks! I am bookmarking this to watch on my commute!

#7

it’s a PDF - nothing too exciting, but if you’re on the train…

#8

Whatever it is, I’m excited. I like using the train for some good :slight_smile:

#9

I think the problem I have here is you’re setting a bar as an ideal candidate and now I can’t use you as an example!

But, seriously, all good points and I appreciate the feedback!

#10

Holy crap! This is a REALLY good and concise summary… lots of good stuff in here!