4 ms·
To be fair, in an in-person interview talking about something like this can be a nice way to settle into the interview and steady any nerves they might have - i
by smcl 4y ago
To be fair, in an in-person interview talking about something like this can be a nice way to settle into the interview and steady any nerves they might have - it's a question that doesn't have a wrong answer and doesn't (or shouldn't) have a "gotcha" attached that the candidate can be afraid of. It can spark a little conversation that could lead to other, more specific topics - but if it doesn't then no worries, it's served its purpose.
It's a bit odd to be asked to write this out ahead of time though, because if when it comes up in the interview it's like you're being questioned by the police on a statement you had previously given them and being tested what you said. Weird.
- markshuttle 4y agoOr, it allows for the conversation to start naturally from that point. "In your written interview, you observed that... can you expand on that?"
- smcl 4y agoI don't think being confronted with an email I'd sent (or is it a form?) and being asked questions about it is natural at all. It is much weirder than actually having the conversation face-to-face.
- loloquwowndueo 4y agoIt’s odd that you approach interviews with a confrontational frame of mind. I would totally expect, and be prepared for, an interviewer asking me to expand or comment on anything I send in as part of the process, be it the CV, application questions, code samples, coding exercises, and whatnot. It’s actually worse when an interviewer asks you questions that show they clearly didn’t read all those materials.
- smcl 4y agoI fully expect to be asked about my CV or experience in an interview, I do not find that or interviews in general to be confrontational. Or even if there was a programming assignment I had to submit, reviewing that stuff is normal. What I find weird is to fill out what is effectively an GTKY interview over text, then have someone pull out it out during an in-person interview to discuss. Also even though I usually don't feel that way, it is completely ok for a candidate to feel confronted or cornered in an interview and not at all odd.