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The Dumbest Interview Question

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Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#61

Post by cjoh »

warp wrote: post #41
bayleo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's all well and good, but when you look at it from the interviewee's perspective he/she has to determine, based on what little knowledge they have of the interviewer, whether or not they want to hear the bullshit answer or your preferred, realistic version of the answer. Right now, it is probably a safer bet to stick to the bullshit answer until more interviewers like yourself swing the tide back over. In the mea…

Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that expects a bullshit answer here. I'll give them the real answer, if they then don't hire me because they expected bullshit, that's fine.

I agree-- if I get a non-bullshit answer (which happens, rarely) then all the better. I mean, it is a tremendous strength to be able to acknowledge your flaws to an employer and be open and transparent about them.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#62

Post by jpwagner »

araneae wrote: post #50

My biggest weakness is that I have no respect for authority. I work hard when I want to please someone, but the threat of punishment is the best way to get even worse work out of me. This means that many of my employers and teachers really adored me, and went out of their way to help me. When I was writing my honor's thesis in college, a postdoc invited me to her apartment to stay overnight and help me finish it in t…

you are so cool.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#63

Post by ellyagg »

dpritchett wrote: post #40
Dove wrote: post #22

You could always reply, "What's the worst thing about working here?"

That's a fair question but it could be hard to pull off the follow-up question without it coming off as a gotcha. Tread lightly.

It is a gotcha. How on earth could you deliver that as a reply to the original question and not have it be a gotcha?

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#65

Post by billybob »

I think it's a fair question. It's also fair to ask them about the company's weak points, why people have left, etc.

Interviewing is a two-sided process. Maybe my arrogance will be a problem for them. Maybe their widely fluctuating revenue will be a problem for me. We both have a right to ask.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#66

Post by araneae »

jpwagner wrote: post #62
araneae wrote: post #50

My biggest weakness is that I have no respect for authority. I work hard when I want to please someone, but the threat of punishment is the best way to get even worse work out of me. This means that many of my employers and teachers really adored me, and went out of their way to help me. When I was writing my honor's thesis in college, a postdoc invited me to her apartment to stay overnight and help me finish it in t…

you are so cool.

I'll take that at face value, because I'm autistic.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#68

Post by run4yourlives »

fizx wrote: post #32
clistctrl wrote: post #8

The company I work for now relies on code samples. Then the interview tests you on the sample to ensure you wrote it. The rest is purely about your personality. Seems to work well.

A couple years back, I made a great hire. He came in for the interview, and fumbled through our generic tests (program fibonacci in the language of your choice, etc). So we said "no thanks." He emailed us back and wanted another interview, said he was on a borrowed computer, bad day, etc. So we asked him to send us a code sample. Next morning, we get a machine vision algorithm coded in impeccable C++. I read through…

The problem is that most of us only have the time to make safe choices.

Selling yourself as a is part of your job, as discomforting as that is.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#69

Post by run4yourlives »

pwnstigator wrote: post #56
clueless123 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A ton of excellent developers work way to hard and are obsesive compulsive about perfection. This is so common as to warrant whole chapters about "the best is the enemy of the good" and so on. And.. it is a weakness.. a big weakness. it is no bullshit.

I agree. The problem with "I'm a perfectionist" is that: 1. It's a common stock answer, so giving it signifies a lack of imagination. 2. Taken at face value, it's a real weakness (good; honest), but it's one that can cause problems for the business (bad). It's a crippling trait which might prevent a person from meeting deadlines, and that's not something you want to indicate during an interview. You want to answer th…

You just stated that you want your staff to tell you what you would like to hear, even if that's a lie.

Re: The Dumbest Interview Question

#70

Post by run4yourlives »

gcheong wrote: post #19
sdfx wrote: post #17

This question is not as stupid as it seems. True, your answer will most likely suck if you haven't thought about it previous to the interview, but this is probably true for most of the behavioral part. The interviewer is not looking for a boilerplate answer like "I'm a perfectionist" etc. You have a good chance to demonstrate that you are self-aware and able to recognize your weaknesses and to show that you are worki…

If its a fair question then it is fair for the interviewee to ask the question back, but I get the sense that this is not accepted behavior - though I would not hesitate to do so.

What's the worst thing about working at this company? is a perfectly valid question.
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