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It's ironic that people who want the job will be nervous and might interview poorly but people that are only interviewing for experience or just don't care will

It's ironic that people who want the job will be nervous and might interview poorly but people that are only interviewing for experience or just don't care will do better.

stu2b50 6y ago
My best interviews are definitely when I was already happily employed or when I already had offers. The confidence boost is huge.
UncleOxidant 6y ago
Definitely my experience. If I don't really care about the job either way I do quite well. If I really want or need the job I generally bomb the interview. So often I've ended up with jobs that I didn't care a lot about.
acomjean 6y ago
My Mom makes this point about nerves. In the last century when she was interviewing she got lost and showed up 45 minutes late to the interview. Thinking she had no shot, she was relaxed and interviewed well and was hired. When she left that job 10 years later, her boss noted, that "one of the things she learned from her was that it was ok to hire someone who shows up 45 minutes late to their interview.."
- drewmate 6y ago
  This is an interesting anecdote. All too often, interviewers seem to be looking for any reason they can not to hire someone rather than looking for evidence that the person would be a good co-worker. I am guilty of this to some extent, but a lot of it comes down to the interview culture/framework of the company in question.
  - n00j 6y ago
    I think I'm the complete opposite. I want to hire you if you come in to interview. Interviewing for an open position takes up so much time from so many people during the process, why would I want to spend more time than necessary. When I'm in the interview I try to do everything I can to make sure you can succeed and looking for reasons to hire you, otherwise I have to spend more time interviewing.
biql 6y ago
Neediness is always perceived as weakness. Same with negotiations, the less you need something, the stronger position you have, the better deal you get.
_lacroix 6y ago
I used to work in a client facing role for enterprise software before I got into programming. The ability to stay cool and override nerves with sheer adrenaline that I developed by attending high pressure client meetings is 1000x more helpful to me in technical interviews than any leetcode practice problems. If you have the basic technical knowledge and problem solving skills then 99% of the interview is just staying calm enough to use them properly without coming off like a nervous mess. Much easier said than done, I know.
yibg 6y ago
Anecdotally this has been true for me. For jobs I didn't care about for whatever reason I have a much high success rate than for jobs I really wanted. I guess it's possible that the jobs I wanted are at more prestigious companies and therefore are more picky and the interview is just harder to pass. But I suspect it's not just that, and psychology plays a part too.

It's ironic that people who want the job will be nervous and might interview poorly but people that are only interviewing for experience or just don't care will do better.

stu2b50 6y ago

My best interviews are definitely when I was already happily employed or when I already had offers. The confidence boost is huge.

UncleOxidant 6y ago

Definitely my experience. If I don't really care about the job either way I do quite well. If I really want or need the job I generally bomb the interview. So often I've ended up with jobs that I didn't care a lot about.

acomjean 6y ago

My Mom makes this point about nerves. In the last century when she was interviewing she got lost and showed up 45 minutes late to the interview. Thinking she had no shot, she was relaxed and interviewed well and was hired. When she left that job 10 years later, her boss noted, that "one of the things she learned from her was that it was ok to hire someone who shows up 45 minutes late to their interview.."

drewmate 6y ago
This is an interesting anecdote. All too often, interviewers seem to be looking for any reason they can not to hire someone rather than looking for evidence that the person would be a good co-worker. I am guilty of this to some extent, but a lot of it comes down to the interview culture/framework of the company in question.
- n00j 6y ago
  I think I'm the complete opposite. I want to hire you if you come in to interview. Interviewing for an open position takes up so much time from so many people during the process, why would I want to spend more time than necessary. When I'm in the interview I try to do everything I can to make sure you can succeed and looking for reasons to hire you, otherwise I have to spend more time interviewing.

biql 6y ago

Neediness is always perceived as weakness. Same with negotiations, the less you need something, the stronger position you have, the better deal you get.

_lacroix 6y ago

I used to work in a client facing role for enterprise software before I got into programming. The ability to stay cool and override nerves with sheer adrenaline that I developed by attending high pressure client meetings is 1000x more helpful to me in technical interviews than any leetcode practice problems. If you have the basic technical knowledge and problem solving skills then 99% of the interview is just staying calm enough to use them properly without coming off like a nervous mess. Much easier said than done, I know.

yibg 6y ago

Anecdotally this has been true for me. For jobs I didn't care about for whatever reason I have a much high success rate than for jobs I really wanted. I guess it's possible that the jobs I wanted are at more prestigious companies and therefore are more picky and the interview is just harder to pass. But I suspect it's not just that, and psychology plays a part too.