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This is the most important question I ask in every interview. The goal isn't to get someone to piss and moan about every little thing, it's to see if they can i
by BigJono 8y ago
This is the most important question I ask in every interview. The goal isn't to get someone to piss and moan about every little thing, it's to see if they can identify any downsides to the tech they use. IME >80% of candidates have never even thought about it, treat every tool/dependency as free, and whatever tech they happen to use was written by the second coming of tech Jesus and contains no faults.
- isoskeles 8y agoIt's a great direct question. However, what I read was that this person asks candidates broadly about X technology and expects them to divine the knowledge that they need to start complaining about X if they want a job.
- michaelt 8y agoWhen a job interviewer asks about X technology, often they actually _want_ to see you hedge your bets. They think of this in terms of you understanding both the upsides and the downsides of technology (and business) decisions. I aim to answer by listing: a high-level business benefit of X, a time I saw X delivering such a benefit, a time I saw X being a hindrance or failing to completely deliver the purported benefit, something an alternative of X does differently and why, then wrap up with a conclusion that the benefits are situation-dependent.
- sanderjd 8y agoFair enough. Perhaps I have a blind spot due to always having been the opposite kind of person. But I dunno, I'm not sure I've ever run into one of these "second coming of tech Jesus" types of candidates. Maybe that sort of perspective is more common in the bay area? I definitely sense a bit less ... cautious skepticism when I talk with silicon valley type folks.