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Worst interview questions for software developers

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Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#211

Post by Jiro »

codegeek wrote: post #200
karaterobot wrote: post #48

> How do you see yourself in five years? Man, this question. I was asked this question in an interview for a startup. I gave the regular answer that was expected of me. The interview went well, and at the end when the interviewer (who was the co-founder) asked if I had any questions, I turned this around on him: "where do you see [company x] in five years?" He laughed and talked about finding product-market fit and g…

I disagree. I ask this question to get an idea of what you think about your own career and how goal oriented you are. There is no right answer to this question. I don't care if you think the answer is "management" or "team leader" or whatever. I try to read between the lines. If it feels like you had to come up with an answer, then I already know you don't care too much. That is not necessarily a negative but people…

>There is no right answer to this question.

Unless the chance of getting the job is unaffected by the answer, and it doesn't sound like it is, there is a right answer to the question.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#212

Post by joezydeco »

readonlybarbie wrote: post #42
joezydeco wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I actually come prepared for this question, and have a line to explain each and every job I've departed in reverse chronological order. And I'd be happy to read them off if you'd like. You do? Okay... - VCs merged us with a Chinese acquisition and sent our work overseas - Manager ignored my memos for 5 years and then said "you have no new ideas" to my face in a review - Sales team demanded an emergency prototype and…

While I agree all of these scenarios are good reasons to leave, I have a feeling (based on being an American for all 30 years of my life now), these answers would be classified as "TOO REAL" and as a result you might be filtered for "culture fit" aka manager doesn't think he/she can control you.

I agree, but at that point if they're going to make this kind of observation on my resume ("hmm, you move around a lot"), the reply is going to be of equal tone ("I move around a lot because the companies I choose tend to make bad decisions and change direction with equal frequency").

There's nothing much to lose by that point.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#213

Post by Jiro »

Blackstrat wrote: post #55

Having interviewed innumerable candidates for software development roles, I seldom used anything resembling these questions. If the candidate had relevant domain knowledge, e.g., financial apps, we’d talk about that. If not, how did that person go about acquiring the relevant knowledge. Same on the development platform. If they weren’t experienced with our suite of technologies, how do they approach learning it. What…

>When I clarified that I only cared about technical material, he replied that he only read technical material on the job, not after hours.

He's heard of work/life balance and doesn't want to do work during unpaid hours.

Nobody hires a cashier asking "tell me how you've made cashiering an integral part of your whole life or we won't hire you".

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#214

Post by Jiro »

fotcorn wrote: post #59
djbusby wrote: post #5

Ok, what are the best questions?

I like to ask the following as a starting point for an interview: What is the most interesting project you have worked on recently? Doesn't have to be work related, but should be relevant to the job, e.g. programming, not gardening for a developer role. Why was it interesting? What were the biggest challenges on that project? How did you solve those? Will show if people are passionate about something specific, and al…

Demanding passion for the job is one of the toxic features of the software industry. It's your job, not your life.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#215

Post by yellow_lead »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #142

> Have a family/children? How does this affect your work? I'm pretty sure that question is illegal. I do know that asking if someone is married, is illegal (in my state). We got lots of CYA training from HR, telling us to not ask these questions.

I think this and the pregnant question are illegal in all of the US

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#216

Post by astura »

vsareto wrote: post #199
astura wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's been my experience serial job hoppers have personal problems, not a lack of monetary compensation.

Reading this thread, it seems like you just become tainted and no one will ever take a chance on you again if you had this period for whatever reason. This is starting to sound a little cruel.

Some companies will take a chance on you again, depending on their needs. Just not everyone.

I once reviewed a resume where someone literally had a 30 year career when their longest stint was 14 months with several stints of 2-6 months each. Not exaggerating. I passed on the candidate myself, but the last 20 or so companies who hired him were willing to take their chances.

I also once interviewed someone else much more jr who looked like a serial job hopper. During the interview he had a very good explanation for it which eased my concerns literally 100%. This was like 4 years ago and he's still onboard.

At a previous employer we hired someone who had a 15 year job history where he left every employer like clockwork every 14-16 months. We hired him anyway because he had a specific skill we were looking for.

And, yeah, sometimes people with a string of bad luck will begrudgingly grind out a couple years somewhere they'd prefer not to be to better help their future career prospects. It's REALLY not the worst thing in the world.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#217

Post by marcosdumay »

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #157
andirk wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a fine question to chew the fat with, and there _are_ wrong answers, needn't I go in to those. Probably the best answer: even better off, more happy, more fulfilled, and not worrying about where I will be in the next 5 years.

Which would be some of the wrong answers?

Anything that says you don't wat to grow inside the conpany, however they define "growing".

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#218

Post by puffoflogic »

tikhonj wrote: post #73
chronsk830 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've laughed in potential employers' faces when they said they expect 50 to 60 hour weeks from their hires. Quant finance companies expect employees to work 60-80 hours per week. But then again, they pay 400-500K USD to 22 year old new grads.

Can't speak for most firms, but I interned at Jane Street and this definitely wasn't the case: almost everyone there worked 45 hours/week with a consistent schedule (market hours + a small buffer). It makes sense: they value people doing high-quality work and avoiding mistakes. Everybody there was also clearly very productive—it was one of my first experiences that convinced me that long hours are actively counterpro…

9 hr/day is not quality work. Quality work is 6 hr/day max.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#219

Post by astura »

TheCleric wrote: post #175
chrisandchris wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would try to answer (to my future supervisor) something like "I'll have your job, because I want to grow and get better". But that might the interview. Of all the dumb questions, I think this one is the dumbest because there are only wrong answers.

> I'll have your job, because I want to grow and get better" I would never ask this in an interview, but if I was foolish enough to do so, I'd be fine with this answer.

Same, FWIW.

Re: Worst interview questions for software developers

#220

Post by astura »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #196
chrismcb wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm America there isn't much that is illegal in terms of speech. But you do open your company up for a lawsuit with those kind of questions

I think it may actually be against employment law. Our HR was run by our General Counsel, so they tended to be pretty strict about the language they used, and they called it "illegal." I think asking questions about sexuality and/or disability may fall into the same bucket.

It's not so much an "illegal question" - it's asking about something that's illegal to take into consideration when making hiring decisions. So there's no legitimate reason to ask it and any answers can't be used.
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