4 ms·

"- Lack of self awareness and introspection. Not being able to give specific examples of times you've made a mistake and how you learned from it." I'd venture

by nol13 10y ago

"- Lack of self awareness and introspection. Not being able to give specific examples of times you've made a mistake and how you learned from it." I'd venture that not being able to answer this question and others like off the top of their head is less an indication that they are unaware of/don't learn from their mistakes than it is an indication how well they practice for bullshit interview questions and can give you a bullshit answer to your bullshit question that gets past your personal bullshit-o-meter well enough for you not to be offended. But since you're also probably trying to filter out cynical assholes like me, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

hobls 10y ago
> not being able to answer off this question... Well it certainly shows a lack of preparation and experience. Here's how I approach those questions. I think about each project I've launched, and whether they're relevant. It's an easy thought exercise, and then you have an answer to that question forever. And seriously, time you've made a mistake should be an easy one, and it's one everyone should have ready. Over your whole career you can't think of a time you've done something that you'd do differently if you had a chance? I bet you can, and if not, it shows a serious lack of introspection. We want people trying to make themselves better. Thinking about your career and studying for interviews is part of that. > filter out cynical assholes Dude, at least 50% of the tech industry is people who would charitably be described as cynical assholes. Part of being professional is being able to turn it off. If you can't give a professional answer in an interview how can the interviewer expect you to give a professional answer in a contentious meeting?
ashark 10y ago
Can confirm. My work life has been smooth and fairly boring, and I have piss-poor autobiographical memory anyway, so I pretty much have to make those up to have anything worth telling. Maybe start from some half-remembered kernel of truth, but it's all BS from there, because it's all I've got. Have to rehearse them so I'm not making shit up on the fly--too much risk of tripping up, or making it too flashy, or accidentally saying something in a way that makes it seem like I'm shifting blame, or taking credit I shouldn't, or anything like that. Especially the "tell us about a time you had a conflict with someone" question. Ugh. I guess I just need to seek out some assholes to work with because I've got a big fat nothing to talk about on that one. I ought to start writing down the crap I make up for it so I don't have to do it again every time I interview.
- hobls 10y ago
  They don't have to be big monumental conflicts or fuckups or whatever. And yeah, you should totally have a pre-canned answer. It can be something minor; "I once spent a lot of time implementing feature X, and then I realized I could have just done feature Y in a quarter of the time." Or, "Bob wanted to build X, and I thought Y would be better, so we disagreed about it, and ultimately Z." (And make sure the story doesn't end in, "and I was super wrong.") I know it's phony, but job interviews are sales pitches. Preparation helps.

by nol13 10y ago

hobls 10y ago

> not being able to answer off this question... Well it certainly shows a lack of preparation and experience. Here's how I approach those questions. I think about each project I've launched, and whether they're relevant. It's an easy thought exercise, and then you have an answer to that question forever. And seriously, time you've made a mistake should be an easy one, and it's one everyone should have ready. Over your whole career you can't think of a time you've done something that you'd do differently if you had a chance? I bet you can, and if not, it shows a serious lack of introspection. We want people trying to make themselves better. Thinking about your career and studying for interviews is part of that. > filter out cynical assholes Dude, at least 50% of the tech industry is people who would charitably be described as cynical assholes. Part of being professional is being able to turn it off. If you can't give a professional answer in an interview how can the interviewer expect you to give a professional answer in a contentious meeting?

ashark 10y ago

Can confirm. My work life has been smooth and fairly boring, and I have piss-poor autobiographical memory anyway, so I pretty much have to make those up to have anything worth telling. Maybe start from some half-remembered kernel of truth, but it's all BS from there, because it's all I've got. Have to rehearse them so I'm not making shit up on the fly--too much risk of tripping up, or making it too flashy, or accidentally saying something in a way that makes it seem like I'm shifting blame, or taking credit I shouldn't, or anything like that. Especially the "tell us about a time you had a conflict with someone" question. Ugh. I guess I just need to seek out some assholes to work with because I've got a big fat nothing to talk about on that one. I ought to start writing down the crap I make up for it so I don't have to do it again every time I interview.

hobls 10y ago
They don't have to be big monumental conflicts or fuckups or whatever. And yeah, you should totally have a pre-canned answer. It can be something minor; "I once spent a lot of time implementing feature X, and then I realized I could have just done feature Y in a quarter of the time." Or, "Bob wanted to build X, and I thought Y would be better, so we disagreed about it, and ultimately Z." (And make sure the story doesn't end in, "and I was super wrong.") I know it's phony, but job interviews are sales pitches. Preparation helps.