Reply to: Interview Question

[boredsenseless]

Ah. I see. Does that mean you can hit the manager with a spanner?

Why not hit everyone with a spanner and then work out whose to blame later?

[vetran]

uh?

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

So if you are depending on a colleague to deliver part of a project you need to work on and it doesn't arrive you go straight to the MD and say Bert hasn't delivered?

I agree the team leader could be more pro active in this case.

[zeitghost]

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

Ah. I see. Does that mean you can hit the manager with a spanner?

[Not So Wise]

Its not about managing a team its about working in a team, contractors and employees both have to do that. I'd shred any candidates CV/brochure that came up with a stupid answer about how they don't want to be managing the project that is not what was asked.

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

[zeitghost]

Can you hit him with the spanner after all that?

[vetran]

Unable or unwilling

As a team member first you check whether the person is unable or unwilling to deliver.

If he is unable then you try and help quickly without compromising your deadlines, and if you can't solve it then both of you escalate it to the project manager if you can't help. You get brownie points for helping your coleague plus you keep them on side and what do brownie points make? Why renewals and rate rises.

If he/she is unwilling then you explain the effect its having on your part of the project explain you have to escalate it to the project manager, if nothing changes you dump him / her in it with the project manager from a great height. He/she is a lost cause, you don't want to be blamed for them failing to deliver and it having a knock on effect.

Its not about managing a team its about working in a team, contractors and employees both have to do that. I'd shred any candidates CV/brochure that came up with a stupid answer about how they don't want to be managing the project that is not what was asked.

[zeitghost]

Surely if you're an engineer, you'd hit the lazy git with a spanner.

Don't all engineers use spanners?

[DimPrawn]

So what is the right answer?

As a disguised employee I would approach my line manager and request a "delivery exception meeting 1A/7". Here we would fill in form 10G/5 and agree corrective actions. A copy would be sent to HR where later I would expect notice 6H/5 to be sent to the team member who did not meet the deadlines and a refocus meeting to be called. During this meeting, I would be expected to rebond with my co permies and we'd all have a team hug and set an agenda for a further corrective planning meeting.....

blah....

WGAS?

It's a bollox permie question.

We as contractors here have no idea what the correct answer is.

It's like asking your plumber how he would cope with the electrician not completing the wiring on time. He'd tell you the sparky is late so he'll be late and it will cost you more money, go sort it out with the lazy arsed git.

[tim123]

"Sorry i thought this meeting was for a contract position as an engineer, not as either a team leader/manager or permanent employee. If you wish to expand it to cover the former, i am sure we can reach some agreement on a revised costing.

I think you have identified the point. This *was* an interview for a position as an engineer and the question was asked to identify whether I would work well in *their* team environment. I wasn't expected to *manage* the problem, they wanted to know how I would work with it.

I started off down the "manage out the problem" answer and it quickly became apparent that this wasn't the answer required.

So what is the right answer?

[DimPrawn]

I'd say "Fire the useless ****". If I'm hired, it's my kind of place. Otherwise it's too touchy feely for me anyway and I'm best out of it.

[Not So Wise]

"Sorry i thought this meeting was for a contract position as an engineer, not as either a team leader/manager or permanent employee. If you wish to expand it to cover the former, i am sure we can reach some agreement on a revised costing.

I will contact the agency and once it is all sorted we can discuss things like that"

that I'm selling a service and that when he hires me I'm going to reorganise his project, is not going to get me the gig.

Actually you would be susprised, sometimes telling the client what is wrong with his current plans and putting forward an alternative is just the right thing to say. At least twice that alone got me the contract and once a rate rise right off the bat.

Your "expertise" is not only your codeing skills (if "just" a programer) but also your experience.

Just be sure your alternative really is better.

[tim123]

Much though I agree with what you are saying, when a client wants a BoS contractor, telling him that: his recruitment criteria is wrong, that I'm selling a service and that when he hires me I'm going to reorganise his project, is not going to get me the gig.

Much though I'd like to be supplying a service, the reality is that all of my potential clients want a perma-temp who looks just like one of their employees
(preferably one that they can *turn* into a perm in a year). (Not that it matters, most of the jobs are overseas, so IR35 doesn't apply)

So back in the real world, does anyone have any views on what the best answer to this question is?

tim

[Chessplayer]

aha ! but what if your asked to meet unrealistic deadlines then you become the one that doesn't deliver !

Then you need to realign the customers perspectives.
Also sell them your idea of why their initial deadlines are unrealistic.

[messiah]

aha ! but what if your asked to meet unrealistic deadlines then you become the one that doesn't deliver !

[Cowboy Bob]

LGM

1) It's irrelevent to my problem what you call this process. It was a telephone chat, the interviewer has the upper hand here, you get the answer wrong - you don't get the job (or whatever you want to call it)

2) I know what you do. But What I'm not sure about is what is the expected way of answering the question.

Thanks for your insight

tim

I'd say that I'd carry on as normal and deliver what I'd been asked for. If they don't like that answer then it wouldn't be the contract for me. After all I'm not an employee and it's not my problem if the client has hired incompetent/lazy people. I'm being paid to implement the requirements I'm given.

Any time you start doing other work that you're not specifically contracted for you're into employee status/IR35 territory.

Bob