Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 112 posts

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#61

Post by wallstthrowaway »

I remember going through 16 interviews to be hired by a top tier Wall Street investment bank. I was an experienced hire, lateraling over at this point

I was only hired after I got an offer from a competitor (following about ~6 interviews there, most of which were over the phone) and forced my top choice's hand

Fast forward 18 months and I was laid off along with hundreds more. As it turns out, my two superiors weren't liked at all, so when the market slowed, their peers took the opportunity to get rid of them... and I became irrelevant as I had nobody to work for.

In hindsight, it's somewhat obvious that it took them this many rounds because they were not certain they needed someone to work for the guys everyone disliked. I got a couple of deals done, had a couple more lined up, generated millions of dollars of revenue to the bank, clients liked me... but it wasn't the right place or the right time.

If I could do it all over again, I would have been more upfront and a tougher negotiator with them from the outset. I either want full commitment or it's not worth it. Tell me upfront how many rounds of interviews you need and I'll tell you if it's worth my time and the brain damage.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#62

Post by Draiken »

tanseydavid wrote: post #29
Der_Einzige wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My petty revenge against amazon mistreating my partner when they worked there is to aggressively pursue onsite interviews with them. I refuse to do initial phone screens - a tactic which often works to go directly to onsite since amazon is clueless and desperate. I don't study for their stupid whiteboards and I don't study their stupid leadership principals. I on purpose refuse to use them during behavioral interview…

Move on friend, you are wasting a least a little bit of your creative energy.

Maybe he's on the extreme side, but it's definitely better than not doing anything, like the rest of us.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#63

Post by [deleted] »

TRDRVR wrote: post #37
arduanika wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That claim is not supported in the source you linked. In fact, it's directly contradicted several times. For example, toward the end, it quotes the OED: "The theory that the origin of the phrase [‘beyond the pale’] relates to any of several specific regions, such as the area of Ireland formerly called the Pale … or the Pale of Settlement in Russia … is not supported by the early historical evidence and is likely to b…

What about the link contradicts the point that it's pro-colonialist? The etymology is in doubt for any particular area, not the concept of what a pale was and how it was used to colonize. That is the point of "many believe." Also keep in mind that the major doubter is the Oxford English Dictionary...

[deleted]

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#64

Post by arduanika »

TRDRVR wrote: post #37
arduanika wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That claim is not supported in the source you linked. In fact, it's directly contradicted several times. For example, toward the end, it quotes the OED: "The theory that the origin of the phrase [‘beyond the pale’] relates to any of several specific regions, such as the area of Ireland formerly called the Pale … or the Pale of Settlement in Russia … is not supported by the early historical evidence and is likely to b…

What about the link contradicts the point that it's pro-colonialist? The etymology is in doubt for any particular area, not the concept of what a pale was and how it was used to colonize. That is the point of "many believe." Also keep in mind that the major doubter is the Oxford English Dictionary...

Hmm, so if you're interested in my answer, I guess I would ask you how you want to proceed. Do we want to accept that OED is an trustworthy catalog of etymological facts, or not? If not, why? Do you think the quotes it pulls from the 1700's are fabricated? Do you think it's suppressing an earlier usage of "pale of settlement"? What is your claim, exactly?

You're the one whose source was quoting from OED, so you tell me. It'll be easier if we're starting from a shared ground truth.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#65

Post by TRDRVR »

arduanika wrote: post #64
TRDRVR wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about the link contradicts the point that it's pro-colonialist? The etymology is in doubt for any particular area, not the concept of what a pale was and how it was used to colonize. That is the point of "many believe." Also keep in mind that the major doubter is the Oxford English Dictionary...

Hmm, so if you're interested in my answer, I guess I would ask you how you want to proceed. Do we want to accept that OED is an trustworthy catalog of etymological facts, or not? If not, why? Do you think the quotes it pulls from the 1700's are fabricated? Do you think it's suppressing an earlier usage of "pale of settlement"? What is your claim, exactly? You're the one whose source was quoting from OED, so you tell…

No I just think all those quotes reference colonization.

Many people believe that specifically the Irish Pale popularized the statement, but the OED aren't among them.

What are we disagreeing about?

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#66

Post by CoastalCoder »

TRDRVR wrote: post #20

Just a periodic reminder that 'Beyond the Pale' is a pro-colonialist phrase that many believe was was part of Britain's Centuries-long campaign to eliminate Irish culture. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/beyond-the-pale.h...

Speaking as an Irishman, please be comforted to know that I truly don't care about the original meaning (whatever it truly was) of the phrase.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#67

Post by willhslade »

gentleman11 wrote: post #22

A variant: government of canada/province jobs that re-post your job every season; requiring you to fully re-apply and re-interview over and over with your boss while they endlessly try to replace you, no matter how well you did. Until you get promoted or they find somebody they like better and you have to move 500+ km to get a different position I honestly think amazons stack ranking is less humiliating and skeezy

This actually happens? Which branch or all branches?

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#68

Post by stanleykm »

TRDRVR wrote: post #20

Just a periodic reminder that 'Beyond the Pale' is a pro-colonialist phrase that many believe was was part of Britain's Centuries-long campaign to eliminate Irish culture. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/beyond-the-pale.h...

I’m willing to believe that because so much of our language is tainted in that way, however the blog you are referencing here doesn’t support what you are saying. You mention “many people” believe this so surely there are better sources.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#69

Post by TRDRVR »

CoastalCoder wrote: post #66
TRDRVR wrote: post #20

Just a periodic reminder that 'Beyond the Pale' is a pro-colonialist phrase that many believe was was part of Britain's Centuries-long campaign to eliminate Irish culture. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/beyond-the-pale.h...

Speaking as an Irishman, please be comforted to know that I truly don't care about the original meaning (whatever it truly was) of the phrase.

As someone else who doesn't deal in identity politics, please know I don't care what you think of it and was trying to share information on a forum for the intellectually curious.

Re: The return of never-ending job interviews: 'It can go beyond the pale'

#70

Post by zug_zug »

TRDRVR wrote: post #43
selwoot wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the exact opposite of what the link you included says. From https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/beyond-the-pale.h... As for the relationship between the two expressions, the OED has this to say: “The theory that the origin of the phrase [‘beyond the pale’] relates to any of several specific regions, such as the area of Ireland formerly called the Pale … or the Pale of Settlement in Russia … is not suppo…

You have successfully repeated the opinion of the Oxford English Dictionary after reading an entire article about how the British used Pales to colonize areas and define boundaries, but I'm not sure it's as cut and dry as you want it to be.

Dude it was your source. Take the L and don't cite sources you haven't read going forward.
Post reply on HN