Ask HN: What are good Qs to check the emotional state of a person before hiring? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What are good Qs to check the emotional state of a person before hiring?

9 pointsxoptions19 comments

Emotional state sounds like the way someone feels in a given moment - like whether I'm in a good mood today or I'm having a bad day. Maybe you're talking about mental health? Or personality testing? They're different things (and each of them has questionable usefulness to hiring).

Yes. I am talking about mental health. Thank you for asking.

What you are planning to do is illegal. Depression is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you have more than 15 employees, you are obliged to provide reasonable accomodations for such employees, and you may not discriminate against them while hiring.

It is also deeply unethical. If they've expressed some intent to not take it seriously, you'd have a point, but the idea that people with less-than-stellar mental health shouldn't have jobs is completely sickening.

Did they make it to the interview? Are they passionate about what they do and okay spending their life earning your company money and being paid as less as possible? Sounds like a healthy person to me! They're hired. In all seriousness, it may be too big of a task to try to learn everything about the person before you get a chance to work with them. If they're not a right fit, it will show in time. It sounds like you've been burned before with employees who were going through some stuff or might have not been of sound mind. What's your motivation behind asking?

Yes. I have been burned recently. We hired an excellent candidate fitting exactly to our needs. We found him to delivering more than we expected in first two months. And then in third month, he started avoided us and resigned by the end of it. There was nothing wrong with him nor anyone had any problem with him. In fact, he was the most sought person at water-cooler too. I loved him for his ability to question anything and everything. He was open-minded for improvements too. Hence, I am assuming that he did not join in right emotional state. The initial excitement was due to a new beginning, probably.

Did you ask him why he left? There are tons of reasons why someone will leave a job. Why did you assume he was not in the right emotional state?

Or maybe he got a better offer from somewhere else.

Or something else happened after they were hired. Maybe they had to move across country to be closer to their aging parents etc.

You're getting roasted enough, so I'll assume you might have meant their behavior i.e. ego, tact, trustingness, etc.

* Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a coworker/manager.

* Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to see your point of view.

* Tell me about a time you caused a major production issue.

These are pretty standard behavioral questions. The key is to focus on a specific example, not a hypothetical. Look for their impact and their actions.

Thank you stocktech. I don't mind roasting, it's part and parcel of an online world where some people find pleasure in trolling behind a veil. I am grateful that HN is an empathetic community and I shall continue to trust it.

These questions are about candidates past, however I intend to know the current status of mind. This reminds me that I was able to confirm a candidate's state by asking him about his daily routine. His after-work-hours were very depressing for me. Conversations are serendipitous - how they have an innate quality of bringing out the best from within. :-)

That’s why you are getting roasted.

His after-work-hours were very depressing for me

So are mine. Don’t judge people on this shit.

Also this (emphasis mine)

> I am assuming that he did not join in right emotional state

I doubt anyone is going to tell another employer about sometime they messed up or let their personal issues interfere with work in a bad way. It's difficult enough as it is to get hired. In my opinion, time is the best indicator.

What do you want to accomplish, not hiring depressed people? That seems somewhat illegal.

First I've heard of that! Which law would be broken by "not hiring depressed people"?

They are a protected group under the ADA in the US.

Maybe you should be checking your emotional state and ask yourself if you're really the person who should be hiring based on your perception of an interviewee's mental health.

what why? OP has posed a valid question and frankly, I thinknits the right of every employer to chexk if a potential(!) employee is fit enough for the job.

There's a difference between fitness (Can you complete the objectives of a the role?) and emotional state (Are you sad?)

Thank you for understanding. I believe in HN as much for cross questioning as for showing empathy.

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