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Building Official Position Interview

B

Bryan Holland

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2009
Messages
241
Location
SW Florida
So, the City of Venice, FL - Director of Building & Code Enforcement position opening resulted in nearly 40 applicants. Of these applicants, 5 were selected to be interviewed; myself and 4 highly qualified individuals with a wide range of skills and experiences. It appears the city uses some sort-of scoring system to establish the top candidates.

The interviews were conducted today. It was a real experience. The interview was very formal and professionally conducted. The city had a panel of 5 city employees to give the interview. This included the interim BO, the Director of Community Development, the Director of IT, the Director of HR, and a city planner / engineer. Exactly 12 questions were asked and 45 minutes was allotted for the entire interview. Each of the panelists took turns asking the questions. There was no feed-back or response after any of my answers. Each applicant received the same question from the same person and allotted the same amount of time. We were also given an opportunity to make an opening and closing statement.

I was really impressed with scope of the questions asked. They were not your run-of-the-mill vanilla questions you typically get at job interviews. Each question addressed a specific topic or subject matter. The interviews were conducted at 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, and 2 PM. I had the first, 9 AM interview.

Over the next several days, the 5 member panel will meet to discuss the interviews and will select the top 2 of the 5 interviewed. The top 2 will be asked to come back in for a second meeting which will consist of 3 job assessment exercises. The first will be a 5-minute speaking presentation on a specific scenario using a PowerPoint presentation. The second will be a short written essay on a specific industry topic. And the third will be a 2 page memorandum which presents a staff recommendation to the city managers on a personal matter.

The top applicant following this meeting will be interviewed by the city manager, have background checks completed, and other various administrative "checks" and procedures. If all goes through, the applicant will be offered the position.

So, I will keep you guys updated. I feel pretty good about today's interview. I feel I have a real good chance of being called back in for the second meeting but can't say for sure. It appears I have the endorsement of the interim BO and the Director of Community Development considers me #1 or #2. I believe these two carry the most weight for the final decision.

Take care...
 
Brian congratulations on being one of the top five candidates. May you be fortunate with continued opportunities.

This is very similar to the way we do our interviews; curious if some of the questions were character based similar to the personal recommendation memorandum. These type of questions surprises candidates expecting to be interviewed solely on the basis of their achievements.

Well done
 
Bryan,

I wish you well on the position. Whatever the outcome; you are the best in my book.

Best Wishes to you and your family,

Uncle Bob
 
That's such a horrible way to conduct interviews.

It's fair (in a socialist kinda way), but a horrible way to get to know someone.

A one-size-fits-all interview process could very easily eliminate some of the top candidates.

I always preferred to let interviews flow naturally, letting the candidate talk his/her way into (or out of) the position.

Oh well, to each his own.

Good luck, Bryan!
 
That certainly sounds like a well run, professional system. Especially for local government. Good luck Bryan, although you won't need it because you have something more important than luck.
 
That would indicate to me that they are looking for a square peg-square hole type of candidate, which is fine if they understand that is what will pan out with that interview process.

Good luck (I'd love to know the questions)
 
Bryan - out of pure curiosity, do you remember a question that they asked that stood out in your mind? Either a very pointed question or a rather unusual one? Sometimes it helps to learn what the question was as it can help people who are looking for a job get their minds ready for a similar question during an interview. Just wondering.
 
peach said:
oh, hey Pack.. I can think of much worse ways to conduct an interview ..
Click to expand...
. . . let me guess . . .take them out in the field (and carry a paper bag and a pair of scissors)?
 
Thanks for all your nice comments. I greatly appreciate your votes of confidence...

So, I was notified that I made the top two and will be having a second meeting with the interview committee. For this meeting, I have been asked to submit several documents to be reviewed by the committee and discussed at the second meeting.

The first request is two separate, professional correspondences that I have made to a member of the public, a contractor, or another code professional in the role of my current position. These correspondences can be emails, memos, or a letters. The second request is a draft response to a citizen making a compliant about a code enforcement issue. A letter was provided to me with the citizen complaint. I am to respond to this complaint letter in the role of the new Building Director. The final request will be a 5-minute oral presentation on "why we have a building code." A PowerPoint accompaniment is optional.

The second meeting will be with the same five persons from the first meeting. Questions will be asked about my correspondence submittals and the compliant response. The meeting will close with the 5-minute presentation. From there, I will meet with the Building Department Administrative Assistant for a 15-20 minute meeting. This will be my opportunity to ask questions about the department operation and its staff. Meanwhile, the 5 member committee will be briefing the City Manager on my second interview and presentation. Once they are done, I will be having a 15-20 minute meeting with the City Manager. Again, I will be given an opportunity to ask questions about the city in general, the position, and whatever else I feel necessary.

I have a 10:30 AM appointment, and the other candidate has a 1:00 PM appointment on the same day.

I will update you on how the second meeting goes. It feels a little like jumping through hoops at this point, but I am enjoying the process for the most part.

Have a good night and take care...
 
Way to go!!!!

Just don't let them know anyone on This website, might sink you!!
 
Schweet! I'm sure you'll shine Bryan!

When is it?

(I like being the first interview, set the bar high)
 
Hello Again.

So, the second meeting occurred yesterday and it went great.

They had me open the meeting with my 5-minute presentation. The City Manager walked in (unexpectedly) when I was about 2 slides in and watched the remaining presentation. Afterwards, we broke away to his office for an extremely brief but pleasant conversation. I then went back to the meeting with the committee to answer questions about my earlier submittals and some additional questions about the specific job duties.

As I indicated in my previous message, the other candidate's meeting was at 1:00 PM. The committee will spend the rest of this week on into next week making their decision. The Director of HR indicated they will likely make an offer within the first week of the New Year.

So, I still feel pretty good about my chances. I will keep you updated.

Thanks for all your support…
 
I would have to say that's a real positive result, the bonus meeting with the CM. Good luck, may the new year bring good news!
 
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