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The general idea behind the question is brilliant, but I doubt its usefulness as an interview question. When I read that in his book, my first thought was how

The general idea behind the question is brilliant, but I doubt its usefulness as an interview question. When I read that in his book, my first thought was how I would answer it in an interview, and I think the unstated subtext to the question is: "What important truth do very few people agree with you on that is big enough to feel important, but I will not feel threatened or offended by?” "What heretical views you have?" is a great question to ask a friend over a beer, but as an interview question, it's the liberal arts version of those horrid interview puzzles.

beatgammit 7y ago
Agreed. In an interview, I'm trying to present the best possible version of myself so I can make a favorable impression. I'll likely not share my non-mainstream religious, political, or socioeconomic views in a professional setting (I try to avoid such subjects at work since they're usually off topic and tend to ruffle feathers), and technical views are much more nuanced and difficult to come up with on the fly (e.g. an "original" view on code formatting). Once I know more about the company, I know what types of answers will be useful. There's only so much I can glean from the company website, and for larger companies, it's even less clear where I'd end up working. For example, a rant about how strict work hours will likely result in a poorer product (due to poor employee satisfaction) doesn't make sense in a company where being available for emergencies is more important than delivering features, but it does in an R&D role that's more creative and less results oriented. My input depends on the needs of the company, and I'm not going to try to force a solution that was designed for a very different company. So, I'm going to be more conservative in such situations, which isn't the outcome the interviewer expects. I much prefer situational questions, perhaps based on my prior experience. For example, maybe something like: > Give an example where your input changed the direction your team went on a project. Or alternatively, describe an instance where a team member changed your mind and lead to an improved end result. Ideally, this should be an instance where existing processes were ignored and ended in a better result. I think that gets at the heart of what the interviewer is looking for. If the candidate can at least recognize when a better solution presents itself, they're likely capable of thinking outside the box. Discussing the situation can help shed more light on it.

beatgammit 7y ago

Agreed. In an interview, I'm trying to present the best possible version of myself so I can make a favorable impression. I'll likely not share my non-mainstream religious, political, or socioeconomic views in a professional setting (I try to avoid such subjects at work since they're usually off topic and tend to ruffle feathers), and technical views are much more nuanced and difficult to come up with on the fly (e.g. an "original" view on code formatting). Once I know more about the company, I know what types of answers will be useful. There's only so much I can glean from the company website, and for larger companies, it's even less clear where I'd end up working. For example, a rant about how strict work hours will likely result in a poorer product (due to poor employee satisfaction) doesn't make sense in a company where being available for emergencies is more important than delivering features, but it does in an R&D role that's more creative and less results oriented. My input depends on the needs of the company, and I'm not going to try to force a solution that was designed for a very different company. So, I'm going to be more conservative in such situations, which isn't the outcome the interviewer expects. I much prefer situational questions, perhaps based on my prior experience. For example, maybe something like: > Give an example where your input changed the direction your team went on a project. Or alternatively, describe an instance where a team member changed your mind and lead to an improved end result. Ideally, this should be an instance where existing processes were ignored and ended in a better result. I think that gets at the heart of what the interviewer is looking for. If the candidate can at least recognize when a better solution presents itself, they're likely capable of thinking outside the box. Discussing the situation can help shed more light on it.