Why is a manhole cover round?
And more importantly, who cares? And why do interviewers keep asking these sorts of questions?
Elaine from Meebo, an in-browser instant messaging service, wrote a blog post considering this question. She explores the thesis “A product [or company] is the product of its hiring process.” A company is only as good as its employees, and a product is only as good as the people who make it.
As such, its in the best interest of the company to hire only those who will do a good job in the role they’re hired for. Why should potential employers ask questions that don’t relate to the job? Does being able to figure out what part of the wheel the inventor should patent really indicate how well the candidate will be able to do the job in question?
If the applicant wants to be a patent lawyer, probably. If the applicant wants to open her own bakery, unlikely.
Elaine explains how Meebo’s hiring process works. While applying, applicants visit Meebo and participate in a simulation of the job they would actually be doing. That way, Meebo can find out how successful the applicant would be in the job role … by testing directly how successful the applicant would in the job role. Meebo does not guess how effective the applicant would be by asking them banal interview questions, but instead takes a logical, hands-on approach.
“For a candidate, an effective simulation is amazing. If you’re searching for your next career opportunity, you may have to wait weeks for feedback or phone calls. A three-hour simulation eliminates weeks of stressful sit-and-wait. Plus, you leave from the experience knowing what’s expected of you in your role, who your team members are, and whether you think it’s a good fit.”
Elaine also downplays the role of the GPA in the hiring process. If the candidate is a good fit, and will help create a product or service that the customer loves, then why should the GPA matter?
The good news: Meebo is hiring. The bad news: most companies are not going to spend three hours per candidate on a simulation. So most of us will still have to come up with answers to the traditional interview questions.
And why is a manhole cover round? Because, of course, if it was any other shape, it could fall through the hole.
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