4 ms·

As someone on the other side of the table, if someone doesn't feel an interview is going well (either because they can see they aren't going to get hired or bec

As someone on the other side of the table, if someone doesn't feel an interview is going well (either because they can see they aren't going to get hired or because they don't think they would accept even if they were offered), I want you to politely tell us something along the lines of "I'm sorry, but I don't believe this is the best fit for either of us. I appreciate the chance, but I think we should end it here." Each side shakes hands with a smile, and we go on our own ways. In the end, it's a waste of your time and our time if either side has already made up their mind. We, the interviewers, end interviews early semi-frequently (for example, if one is going poorly we will just skip a coding test). There's no reason the interviewee can't do the same. Just be polite about it. Don't burn any bridges. You never know when the other interviewers (the ones who stayed in your case) will be interviewing you at another company and remember you for leaving a bad taste in their mouth.

protontorpedo 4y ago
Let me politely disagree with you. I conduct interviews regularly and often the candidate's perception about of own performance doesn't match reality. More often than not, they are worrying about aspects of their code that we don't really care about, or concerned about some mistake they made. It's better if both sides just commit to completing the interview, even if you have strong feelings it isn't going anywhere.
- danielmarkbruce 4y ago
  +100. It's another 20 minutes or whatever. Just smile and continue.
- mindcrime 4y ago
  Let me politely disagree with you. I conduct interviews regularly and often the candidate's perception about of own performance doesn't match reality. Agreed. In my own case, when I'm interviewing people I frequently ask at least one or two questions that I really don't expect anybody to know the answer to. It's more of a "here's your chance to really extra impress me", but not knowing the answer is in no way an indication that you aren't qualified. One of my favorites of this type is "Can you explain the difference between deadlock and livelock?" Anyway, when asking stuff like that I make it a point to always try to remember and emphasize to the candidate "there are no auto-fail questions here, and not knowing the answer to this does not mean we won't want you", etc. I've interviewed (as a candidate) enough times to understand how nerve wracking it can be, and I try my best to help the candidates not feel intimidated or whatever. And yet, I think sometimes people stumble on a single question, and suddenly get more nervous thinking that they've "failed the interview". Interviewing is not an easy process, for either side of the table.
  - FabHK 4y ago
    > I frequently ask at least one or two questions that I really don't expect anybody to know the answer to. Just to expand on this: It seems really optimal, in terms of extracting information, if the candidate can answer about half the questions (maximal entropy, if you will). If the questions are too easy and the candidate nails them all, you're wasting time. If the questions are too hard and the candidate fails them all, you're wasting time. You want to quickly get to the limit of the candidate's knowledge, and spend some time there. This is particularly true if you aim to cover several areas of interest quickly.
    - D-Coder 4y ago
      So, like a LD50... (The dose of something that kills half of the lab rats: 50% lethal dose.)
  - Lio 4y ago
    Being told by a candidate that they don't know the answer to something is a really useful thing to hear. There are times when you want someone to show initiative and come up with a solution on the spot and others when you really just want someone to clearly say, I don't know. It's always good to have at least one question where someone can demonstrate that intellectual honesty.
- arethuza 4y ago
  My interview for my current role started with a mild disagreement about some aspects of the structure of the interview that caught me off guard - so I thought I had no chance.... :-)

protontorpedo 4y ago

Let me politely disagree with you. I conduct interviews regularly and often the candidate's perception about of own performance doesn't match reality. More often than not, they are worrying about aspects of their code that we don't really care about, or concerned about some mistake they made. It's better if both sides just commit to completing the interview, even if you have strong feelings it isn't going anywhere.

danielmarkbruce 4y ago
+100. It's another 20 minutes or whatever. Just smile and continue.
mindcrime 4y ago
Let me politely disagree with you. I conduct interviews regularly and often the candidate's perception about of own performance doesn't match reality. Agreed. In my own case, when I'm interviewing people I frequently ask at least one or two questions that I really don't expect anybody to know the answer to. It's more of a "here's your chance to really extra impress me", but not knowing the answer is in no way an indication that you aren't qualified. One of my favorites of this type is "Can you explain the difference between deadlock and livelock?" Anyway, when asking stuff like that I make it a point to always try to remember and emphasize to the candidate "there are no auto-fail questions here, and not knowing the answer to this does not mean we won't want you", etc. I've interviewed (as a candidate) enough times to understand how nerve wracking it can be, and I try my best to help the candidates not feel intimidated or whatever. And yet, I think sometimes people stumble on a single question, and suddenly get more nervous thinking that they've "failed the interview". Interviewing is not an easy process, for either side of the table.
- FabHK 4y ago
  > I frequently ask at least one or two questions that I really don't expect anybody to know the answer to. Just to expand on this: It seems really optimal, in terms of extracting information, if the candidate can answer about half the questions (maximal entropy, if you will). If the questions are too easy and the candidate nails them all, you're wasting time. If the questions are too hard and the candidate fails them all, you're wasting time. You want to quickly get to the limit of the candidate's knowledge, and spend some time there. This is particularly true if you aim to cover several areas of interest quickly.
  - D-Coder 4y ago
    So, like a LD50... (The dose of something that kills half of the lab rats: 50% lethal dose.)
- Lio 4y ago
  Being told by a candidate that they don't know the answer to something is a really useful thing to hear. There are times when you want someone to show initiative and come up with a solution on the spot and others when you really just want someone to clearly say, I don't know. It's always good to have at least one question where someone can demonstrate that intellectual honesty.
arethuza 4y ago
My interview for my current role started with a mild disagreement about some aspects of the structure of the interview that caught me off guard - so I thought I had no chance.... :-)