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I also keep recommending this book to everyone. The TL;DR is: NEVER ask questions about hypotheticals. Ask people about what they do, how much they pay, how muc
by davidivadavid 7y ago
I also keep recommending this book to everyone. The TL;DR is: NEVER ask questions about hypotheticals. Ask people about what they do, how much they pay, how much time it takes, and so on. Facts, not answers to "Would you use this if...?"
- sdenton4 7y agoIndeed! One of the things I found frustrating about the article is that he talks about people 'lying' constantly... when if fact he had just asked meaningless questions.
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoHe used the word lying. They didn't know they were lying. They were miswanting. And it's a HUGE glossed over fact when talking to customers.
- davidivadavid 7y agoYes, it's the customer development version of the XY problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem
- jnwatson 7y agoInterestingly enough, that’s also a principle of behavioral interviewing. Hypothetical questions allow the bullshitters to shine, but specific targeted lines of question about what the interviewee did in a specific situation is frequently enlightening.
- travisjungroth 7y agoFor a technical sales job, I would have people do a role play about suggesting a technology. They’d always start saying “I would tell them about...” and I’d pause and ask them to tell me the thing, not talk about telling me. My point is that I believe hypotheticals take a lot pressure off and allow you to be super vague in interviews. For the past, talk about real situations. For the present, do a role play.