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Maybe you could give the critical replies to your comment some consideration. There seem to be many interviewers who abuse their temporary power over candidates

Maybe you could give the critical replies to your comment some consideration. There seem to be many interviewers who abuse their temporary power over candidates by freestyling a psychological excercise, and brag about it in threads like this. In a way forcing the other party to give up with an "I don't know" is humiliating, and graciously allowing this answer doesn't make things better. You'd put yourself above the other person. Imagine you'd interview someone you truly respect, a luminary of Open Source walks in. How would you go about the interview then? I think a great interviewer can make the interview an enlightening and wholesome experience for both parties - while easily identifying the exact qualifications and the fit of the candidate.

ThrowawayR2 7y ago
"I don't know" is something that developers encounter weekly, if not daily. There's nothing humiliating about acknowledging that there are things one doesn't know, whether in our daily jobs or in an interview.
Stronico 7y ago
I thought I had given consideration. I do not regard "I don't know" as giving up. Giving up would be not finding the answer eventually. I certainly don't find myself "under" some other person if they know the answer to a particular technical question. As for interviewing a luminary of open source what would be the difference? I imagine they (much like everyone else) don't know lots of things and are probably comfortable saying so. Their answers to how they would go about finding an answer would probably be wonderful.
- UweSchmidt 7y ago
  Fair enough. Of course it depends a lot on the overall tone of the interview, and as I read more I'm sure you're doing it very well.
NoodleIncident 7y ago
You can call it whatever you want, but I think if a candidate would be humiliated by saying "I don't know" in an interview, that's a strong negative signal. Saying "IDK" and reading the docs, googling it, or asking for help is at least half of the job.

ThrowawayR2 7y ago

"I don't know" is something that developers encounter weekly, if not daily. There's nothing humiliating about acknowledging that there are things one doesn't know, whether in our daily jobs or in an interview.

Stronico 7y ago

I thought I had given consideration. I do not regard "I don't know" as giving up. Giving up would be not finding the answer eventually. I certainly don't find myself "under" some other person if they know the answer to a particular technical question. As for interviewing a luminary of open source what would be the difference? I imagine they (much like everyone else) don't know lots of things and are probably comfortable saying so. Their answers to how they would go about finding an answer would probably be wonderful.

UweSchmidt 7y ago
Fair enough. Of course it depends a lot on the overall tone of the interview, and as I read more I'm sure you're doing it very well.

NoodleIncident 7y ago

You can call it whatever you want, but I think if a candidate would be humiliated by saying "I don't know" in an interview, that's a strong negative signal. Saying "IDK" and reading the docs, googling it, or asking for help is at least half of the job.