77 ms·

It's also a good way of ensuring culture fit in that it excludes those who don't like board games. If I came to a job interview where they asked me to play boar

It's also a good way of ensuring culture fit in that it excludes those who don't like board games. If I came to a job interview where they asked me to play board games I would find the first opportunity to excuse myself - clearly I am not the candidate they're looking for.

PopeDotNinja 7y ago
If they explained the rubric for how you'd be evaluated, I might play. I'd probably play the game for fun and then politely withdraw. Or maybe not. I'd have to see how I feel, which means it's probably not a terribly objective interview.
em-bee 7y ago
given how bad most interviews are, do you really want to pass on a good job just because you didn't like their interview style? ok, sure, given how unusual the idea of boardgames is, you don't risk much, but if i were to apply that same approach to interviews with trivia questions then i'd probably not find a job. an interview would have to be outright offensive before i'd walk away. or i would have to be skeptical of that job already for other reasons and i just needed an excuse to drop it (the last straw sort of thing). e.g. i can understand not wanting to go to a bar, but what's wrong with boardgames?
- cbanek 7y ago
  > do you really want to pass on a good job just because you didn't like their interview style? Well, the problem is when you're interviewing, that you don't know if it's a "good" job. You and the company are trying to figure out if you're a fit or not, which is the whole point of the interview. I have to say that I feel interviews are very telling of company culture, for both good and bad. If it's a good interview where they respect you, especially if those people will be the ones you'll work with, that's good signal. I've turned down job offers before because of bad interview experience, and felt like I've dodged a bullet. Sometimes I've taken jobs after having a bad interview experience (mostly because I know someone on the inside), and been burned. An interview doesn't have to be outright offensive to ring enough alarm bells for me to not want to work there, although outright offensive is the loudest bell. The problem with boardgames is they have very little to do with the job. I know plenty of people I would love to play boardgames with who I wouldn't want to work with, and visa-versa.
  - em-bee 7y ago
    you are absolutely right, but i wouldn't hinge that on the fact that they are asking me to play a game during the interview, but how they go about it, how they behave, etc. i happen to like boardgames, so it is harder for me to imagine the bad side of that, so instead, i'll share how i'd feel about going to a bar as part of the interview process, which is something i don't like. first of all, i'd go, if the time allows. (if it's where i live, and i could be home with family, i'd decline, but if i am travelling, then ok) but i don't drink. and that's the test for me. some people are perfectly fine with having a non-drinker in their group. others aren't if i feel uncomfortable, it's a bad interview experience and i'll hopefully draw the same conclusions as you. but if they are a good sport about it, and respect my choices, then we may well get along. now maybe you can translate that to boardgames. if they make you uncomfortable, the interviewers should either be able to make you feel at ease, or they aren't. you then draw your conclusions from that.
- watwut 7y ago
  A company where they play 6-7 hours long game of thrones during lunch ... In all seriousness, I would guess it implies other false-psychology nonsensical processes in place too. As evidenced by dude who they stopped to do code reviews for, because he had opinions. Would me behaving nicely imply more detailed nitpicks cause, well, I don't put up fight? They correlated long term behavior with boardgame patterns that emerged over months of play. Therefore they expect themselves to be able to divine your long term behavior from an hour of playing a game you may or may not know in advance in situation where you are motivated to project charizmatic personality. It also implies me having to project a lot of correct cultural nonsense to get ahead. You dont enjoy learning boardgame rules? You dont like learning new tech. You did not bonded over boardgame? You dont value culture. Ugh.
  - em-bee 7y ago
    indeed, one hour feels to short to actually get some good impressions. at best it helps to see if this is something we could bond over. there is some value to that. having something non-work related that a team can bond over can help smooth over difficulties elsewhere. as i wrote in another comment ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21364367 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21364367 ) the game won't tell you how i will work, but, if we can have a good time over a board game then maybe you will realize that me being critical of your commits is not personal, and maybe you'll even work up the courage to ask me for advice instead of sulking and giving up, or starting an argument.
    - watwut 7y ago
      Me bonding with you over game does not mean your criticism of my commits is or is not personal. That is something I realize by comparing how you treat my commits vs somebody elses. By comparing what you say to feedback of other people and by comparing it to my own knowledge. I realize that by seeing that the reviews are consistent, everybody is hold to the same stable standard and by seeing that differences of opinions are accepted with respect and open discussion. Code review can be personal, can be about packing order, can be about someones autism, can be wrong and can be none of those things. Boardgame does not changes anything if you do the above, people will figure it out. > maybe you'll even work up the courage to ask me for advice instead of sulking and giving up, or starting an argument Why do I need courage to ask you? Why am I expected to be afraid of you? Why would a game cancel my reasons to be afraid and wouldn't it better to not scare me in the first place? What if I am right, do I have to pretend ask for advice too? Why am I assumed to be the problem and left very little options how to act when we two disagree?

PopeDotNinja 7y ago

If they explained the rubric for how you'd be evaluated, I might play. I'd probably play the game for fun and then politely withdraw. Or maybe not. I'd have to see how I feel, which means it's probably not a terribly objective interview.

em-bee 7y ago

given how bad most interviews are, do you really want to pass on a good job just because you didn't like their interview style? ok, sure, given how unusual the idea of boardgames is, you don't risk much, but if i were to apply that same approach to interviews with trivia questions then i'd probably not find a job. an interview would have to be outright offensive before i'd walk away. or i would have to be skeptical of that job already for other reasons and i just needed an excuse to drop it (the last straw sort of thing). e.g. i can understand not wanting to go to a bar, but what's wrong with boardgames?

cbanek 7y ago
> do you really want to pass on a good job just because you didn't like their interview style? Well, the problem is when you're interviewing, that you don't know if it's a "good" job. You and the company are trying to figure out if you're a fit or not, which is the whole point of the interview. I have to say that I feel interviews are very telling of company culture, for both good and bad. If it's a good interview where they respect you, especially if those people will be the ones you'll work with, that's good signal. I've turned down job offers before because of bad interview experience, and felt like I've dodged a bullet. Sometimes I've taken jobs after having a bad interview experience (mostly because I know someone on the inside), and been burned. An interview doesn't have to be outright offensive to ring enough alarm bells for me to not want to work there, although outright offensive is the loudest bell. The problem with boardgames is they have very little to do with the job. I know plenty of people I would love to play boardgames with who I wouldn't want to work with, and visa-versa.
- em-bee 7y ago
  you are absolutely right, but i wouldn't hinge that on the fact that they are asking me to play a game during the interview, but how they go about it, how they behave, etc. i happen to like boardgames, so it is harder for me to imagine the bad side of that, so instead, i'll share how i'd feel about going to a bar as part of the interview process, which is something i don't like. first of all, i'd go, if the time allows. (if it's where i live, and i could be home with family, i'd decline, but if i am travelling, then ok) but i don't drink. and that's the test for me. some people are perfectly fine with having a non-drinker in their group. others aren't if i feel uncomfortable, it's a bad interview experience and i'll hopefully draw the same conclusions as you. but if they are a good sport about it, and respect my choices, then we may well get along. now maybe you can translate that to boardgames. if they make you uncomfortable, the interviewers should either be able to make you feel at ease, or they aren't. you then draw your conclusions from that.
watwut 7y ago
A company where they play 6-7 hours long game of thrones during lunch ... In all seriousness, I would guess it implies other false-psychology nonsensical processes in place too. As evidenced by dude who they stopped to do code reviews for, because he had opinions. Would me behaving nicely imply more detailed nitpicks cause, well, I don't put up fight? They correlated long term behavior with boardgame patterns that emerged over months of play. Therefore they expect themselves to be able to divine your long term behavior from an hour of playing a game you may or may not know in advance in situation where you are motivated to project charizmatic personality. It also implies me having to project a lot of correct cultural nonsense to get ahead. You dont enjoy learning boardgame rules? You dont like learning new tech. You did not bonded over boardgame? You dont value culture. Ugh.
- em-bee 7y ago
  indeed, one hour feels to short to actually get some good impressions. at best it helps to see if this is something we could bond over. there is some value to that. having something non-work related that a team can bond over can help smooth over difficulties elsewhere. as i wrote in another comment ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21364367 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21364367 ) the game won't tell you how i will work, but, if we can have a good time over a board game then maybe you will realize that me being critical of your commits is not personal, and maybe you'll even work up the courage to ask me for advice instead of sulking and giving up, or starting an argument.
  - watwut 7y ago
    Me bonding with you over game does not mean your criticism of my commits is or is not personal. That is something I realize by comparing how you treat my commits vs somebody elses. By comparing what you say to feedback of other people and by comparing it to my own knowledge. I realize that by seeing that the reviews are consistent, everybody is hold to the same stable standard and by seeing that differences of opinions are accepted with respect and open discussion. Code review can be personal, can be about packing order, can be about someones autism, can be wrong and can be none of those things. Boardgame does not changes anything if you do the above, people will figure it out. > maybe you'll even work up the courage to ask me for advice instead of sulking and giving up, or starting an argument Why do I need courage to ask you? Why am I expected to be afraid of you? Why would a game cancel my reasons to be afraid and wouldn't it better to not scare me in the first place? What if I am right, do I have to pretend ask for advice too? Why am I assumed to be the problem and left very little options how to act when we two disagree?