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If a candidate were to say “that’s my doing” when describing the outcome of a prior team project, and language barriers weren’t a mitigating factor, I would con

by btown 4y ago

If a candidate were to say “that’s my doing” when describing the outcome of a prior team project, and language barriers weren’t a mitigating factor, I would consider that a significant red flag for ego. Not a crime, and a reasonable exaggeration in many circumstances. But I wouldn’t want someone communicating that way in a professional capacity on an engineering team.

filmgirlcw 4y ago
Well it’s a good thing drdrang was just posting a missive on his blog and not in a job interview with you. But I guess if he does ever interview with you, you’ll remember his tongue-in-cheek missive and be dismissive, even if if never comes up in conversation. That’ll show ‘em! Never write tongue-in-cheek blogs or else random weirdos who will never meet you will write you off as a candidate for an engineering team that doesn’t exist and that you don’t want to join in the first place.
indymike 4y ago
> If a candidate were to say “that’s my doing” when describing the outcome of a prior team project, "I made that" is the ultimate statement of pride in work. Taking that away is a really awful anti-pattern in management. Let your people be proud of their contribution, and equally proud of the product of the team. The work of a team is the sum of the contribution of all members. > a reasonable exaggeration in many circumstances I find people who take credit for the work of the team to be a lot worse than people who take pride in their contribution to the team.
- btown 4y ago
  By no means am I saying that "I made that" is a bad thing when it's true! It's vital to lionize people for the work they individually do, and encourage them to take pride in that work themselves. But if they use the same language to describe the entirety of a team project, not just their contribution, as "my doing" alone, that often crosses a line into toxicity in the ways you mention in your second paragraph.

by btown 4y ago

filmgirlcw 4y ago

Well it’s a good thing drdrang was just posting a missive on his blog and not in a job interview with you. But I guess if he does ever interview with you, you’ll remember his tongue-in-cheek missive and be dismissive, even if if never comes up in conversation. That’ll show ‘em! Never write tongue-in-cheek blogs or else random weirdos who will never meet you will write you off as a candidate for an engineering team that doesn’t exist and that you don’t want to join in the first place.

indymike 4y ago

> If a candidate were to say “that’s my doing” when describing the outcome of a prior team project, "I made that" is the ultimate statement of pride in work. Taking that away is a really awful anti-pattern in management. Let your people be proud of their contribution, and equally proud of the product of the team. The work of a team is the sum of the contribution of all members. > a reasonable exaggeration in many circumstances I find people who take credit for the work of the team to be a lot worse than people who take pride in their contribution to the team.

btown 4y ago
By no means am I saying that "I made that" is a bad thing when it's true! It's vital to lionize people for the work they individually do, and encourage them to take pride in that work themselves. But if they use the same language to describe the entirety of a team project, not just their contribution, as "my doing" alone, that often crosses a line into toxicity in the ways you mention in your second paragraph.