A colleague of mine recently circulated an excellent article (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/GuerrillaInterviewing3.html) that describes how technical folks ought to approach the interview process. According to Joel (the author), one of the two most fundamental traits to scan for in potential candidates is whether they are smart. He meant a certain kind of smart, and I want to explore that (as well as other kinds of smarts to look out for) in greater detail.

In the world of psychology, there are different kinds of smarts, or intelligences. The most prominent researcher in the field of intelligence is probably Howard Gardner, who has identified seven independent types of intelligences.  He thinks they are independent because each one can been mapped to an isolated region(s) of the brain. Each of us carries a certain potential for each type of intelligence.

In technical consulting, the most applicable type of intelligence is clearly logical-mathematical intelligence. This is the type of intelligence that Joel refers to throughout his article. He recommends that the interview should largely focus on analyzing how the candidate goes about solving problems, since this is so integral to our profession. He also recommends that a great way to determine whether a candidate is oriented towards this type of intelligence is by analyzing his or her passion for problem solving and technology, though this is not always a telltale indicator of intellectual worth. For instance, I may love to play football, but this does not mean I have great athletic intelligence.

Several other types of intelligences are applicable to our profession, including linguistic intelligence. Linguistic intelligence is about effectively using language to accomplish one’s goals. We use linguistic intelligence in everyday project communications, through speech and writing. Important to tech consulting, but not as important as logical-mathematical intelligence.

Spatial intelligence is about comprehending and manipulating patterns of things. In terms of technical consulting, spatial intelligence is needed to be able to intuitively recognize, work with, and invent software solution sets. Architects and senior technical consultants need to be able to speedily create technical layouts to meet larger scale business needs. All technical consultants need to be good at visualizing combinations of software libraries, utilities, and design patterns to meet particular business requirements.

Next comes interpersonal intelligence, which is about understanding the moods, intentions, motivations, and desires of others, and responding to them effectively. It helps us to navigate the politics of a project, and keep multiple people happy at the same time. Certainly it bears more weight for engagement managers and functional consultants (and parents) than technical consultants… Nonetheless, candidates with a high degree of interpersonal intelligence have the potential to establish good rapport with clients, and make relations around the office smoother.

Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to know oneself, one’s abilities, and one’s goals. It speaks to the depth and character of an individual. It is helpful to have candidates who know themselves, since these people probably have a good reason for being in the interview in the first place, and actually want to do the job at hand because it aligns with who they are and with what they can handle. If, for instance, the goals of somebody with high intrapersonal intelligence, appear to (genuinely) fall in line with the job, and they seem (genuinely) excited about the job, that’s a good sign they will stay committed and make a positive impact. High intrapersonal intelligence has another advantage from a practice-wide, human development standpoint. Not insignificantly, depth and character rub off. One of the more tangible benefits of having somebody with high intrapersonal intelligence on the team is that other team members are more likely to self-actualize, which improves life for all.

The last two intelligences are musical intelligence and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Look these up if you want to know more about them – I don’t think they have any bearing on technical consulting or the interview process :)

Having reviewed a candidate, one question we often ask ourselves is, “Was I comfortable with this guy?” or “How did I like him?” The answer we give, I believe, is due in large part to a synthesis of how we consciously and unconsciously value the intelligences listed above, and how we feel the candidate performed in these terms.

I’d like to get your thoughts. Which intelligences do you think are more valuable than others when it comes to coding, architecting, and tech consulting? Is it a good idea to analyze the “smartness” of candidates in terms of the various intelligences they present (with special weight to logical-mathematical intelligence)? How does Joel’s second requirement - the “gets it done” requirement - relate to the intelligences?