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> I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. Heh, I actually would
by jcadam 7y ago
> I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified.
Heh, I actually wouldn't have minded that too much - but in addition to being a software engineer I'm also a former Army officer.
In any case, I think such a task can be relevant, if you're working in a fast-paced and competitive environment (esp. one with a lot of non-technical staff) you need to be able to hold your own in an argument. You wouldn't want to be the guy who is always right but gets overruled 99% of the time because you're unable to persuade others.
> ...but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse.
Mine too, and probably 99%+ of the world's population. But that doesn't stop most people from having strong opinions on subjects they don't understand.
- tasty_freeze 7y ago> you need to be able to hold your own in an argument Then you'll hire a bunch people who like arguing about things they aren't qualified to argue about. I'd much rather have a coworker who admits what they don't know and is willing to learn about it rather than someone who is willing to vigorously argue in support of an arbitrary position.
- DoofusOfDeath 7y agoGreat point, but I could imagine this being a test for many different traits. One might be that the interviewee would be entertaining to argue with. It's anyone's guess what really motivated the interview topic.
- rich_ard 7y agoNot clear on how showing that you're willing to argue a position that you don't have any background or evidence to support is a positive.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- ska 7y agoPerhaps it is useful in any industry where a key competence is convincing people of things that are not true.
- 0xffff2 7y ago> You wouldn't want to be the guy who is always right but gets overruled 99% of the time because you're unable to persuade others. On the other hand, I don't want to work in a group where the right answer only gets picked if it's backed by someone with an assertive personality.