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An interesting point my co-worker made is that, almost by definition, if an interviewee does not know how to answer a question, they don't know why that questio
by ammon 9y ago
An interesting point my co-worker made is that, almost by definition, if an interviewee does not know how to answer a question, they don't know why that question is important or where that type of problem is applied. So from the point of view of an interviewee who's can't do well on all the questions (that's most of us in most interviews) some of the question will always seem like minutiae / lacking application. (Of course, there's also plenty of just bad interview questions)
- sidlls 9y agoIt's entirely possible to not be able to answer a question because the question is objectively not meaningful, and therefore the candidate has correctly never considered it important enough to learn about.
- ammon 9y agoTotally. Both things happen.
- filipecalasans 9y agoSometimes questions are useful only if you are in the context of the specified problem. I mean, if you are not struggling or have never struggled in the problem, you will probably not know the specificities of it. This is specially true for unexperienced engineers or those who are working on a different field
- kafkaesq 9y ago(Of course, there's also plenty of just bad interview questions) Well yeah, there's that unfortunate fact. The problem is, a lot of interviewers can't tell the good from the bad -- and it can only take one bad question to effectively sink the interview.
- logfromblammo 9y agoWhere do you see yourself in 5 years? Every time I hear that question, I die a little inside. I'm not sure it's possible to answer it honestly without taking yourself out of contention.
- scottLobster 9y agoI suppose it depends on your 5-year goals and the position, but as an entry-level developer my first thought would be: "Well as I'm interviewing here I would obviously see taking this position as a step foreword for all the reasons we've discussed. Naturally I don't see this position as the job I'll work until I retire, and obviously I'll be looking for at least some mild expansion of responsibilities in the future. Whether that happens here or somewhere else in 5 years remains to be seen, but staying here is certainly an option depending on how things are going after 2-3 years. On that note, exactly how are company name's technical and managerial tracks structured..." In that paragraph I've been honest, I've let them know that I don't intend to do menial labor forever and have aspirations, the minimum amount of time-loyalty they can expect from me, an assurance that I won't job-hop, and I've shown further interest in their company as well as the initiative to ask questions of my own if I haven't done so earlier. Edit: Reading it here may sound like I want to be a manager in 3 years (which is crazy for a junior dev), but that's where manner and vocal tone come in.
- fwefwwfe 9y agoOk, now do it for someone with 5 and 10 years of experience.
- watwut 9y agoThat question is easier with experience, because you know more about how positions look like in practice and what you disliked in the past.
- logfromblammo 9y agoHere's my honest answer: I don't know, because based on my experience, your company won't even exist as a separate entity five years from now, and if it doesn't lay most of us off before the acquisition, the purchasing company will just afterward. So I'll probably be sitting right where we are right now, answering the same question again. But maybe--just maybe--the company will last that long, and grow, and I'll be sitting in your seat, asking it. But since I am where I am, that obviously hasn't happened yet.
- sbov 9y agoAlmost by definition, if you think being able to answer a question is important, and you only hire people who know how to answer that question, you will always think it's important.
- vaishaksuresh 9y ago>if an interviewee does not know how to answer a question, they don't know why that question is important or where that type of problem is applied I would argue that not knowing answer and not knowing question are two different things. I may not know answer to a questions, but know that the question exists. I personally am comfortable not remembering things that I can easily look up.
- collyw 9y agoI don't know the answer but I know how to get it.
- base698 9y agoI've thought of interviewing as finding the intersection of something to have a discussion about. Tech is so broad and deep it's possible that two people will have minimal overlap. It's nice to find some common ground you can discuss in depth. If both the interviewer and interviewee have overlap they can discuss then the interview is most productive.