4 ms·

I agree that the way the answers are evaluated is too narrow and simplistic. That said, > coming across like a jerk... lack of self-awareness and basic social

I agree that the way the answers are evaluated is too narrow and simplistic. That said, > coming across like a jerk... lack of self-awareness and basic social skills I see things very similarly, but from the other side of the table. If an organization is uncomfortable with me asking direct-but-polite questions about potentially negative aspects of working there, and asking such questions gets me labeled as a jerk, that organization is too culturally dysfunctional for me to work for.

t8sr 4y ago
The issue is not with being direct, but with instructing the interviewer to "please list the exact steps and time estimates for each." It smacks of self-importance and arrogance, and the way it's phrased strongly suggests the author thinks they are the smartest and always right. By the way, I looked this guy up, and his experience looks like it's extremely limited to basically a couple of SMBs and some consulting. I have no idea where he gets the confidence to comment on the industry, having basically never worked in it.
yibg 4y ago
I've had this type of person on my team before. Reading through the questions and rationales I can just picture that person asking the same questions and expecting the same answers. Technically capable and a pain to work with. Everything was their way only, no compromises. If you don't agree, then you're just too dumb or inexperienced. The cost to the rest of the team is simply too high.
- civilized 4y ago
  I appreciate both this and the sister comment. I think it's perfectly valid to come to a new job with strong opinions, but they should be open to challenge and a discovery of limitations and context-dependence. In my line of work, people with strong opinions are very rarely encountered. The tendency is overwhelmingly towards unquestioning conformity to the status quo. As a result, foundational decisions are etched in stone and impossible to revisit, no matter how much downstream pain they cause. Personally, then, I welcome any suggestion that a person has a thoughtful preference after reflecting on alternatives. But maybe it is not that useful if it is just another form of mindless rigidity.

t8sr 4y ago

The issue is not with being direct, but with instructing the interviewer to "please list the exact steps and time estimates for each." It smacks of self-importance and arrogance, and the way it's phrased strongly suggests the author thinks they are the smartest and always right. By the way, I looked this guy up, and his experience looks like it's extremely limited to basically a couple of SMBs and some consulting. I have no idea where he gets the confidence to comment on the industry, having basically never worked in it.

yibg 4y ago

I've had this type of person on my team before. Reading through the questions and rationales I can just picture that person asking the same questions and expecting the same answers. Technically capable and a pain to work with. Everything was their way only, no compromises. If you don't agree, then you're just too dumb or inexperienced. The cost to the rest of the team is simply too high.

civilized 4y ago
I appreciate both this and the sister comment. I think it's perfectly valid to come to a new job with strong opinions, but they should be open to challenge and a discovery of limitations and context-dependence. In my line of work, people with strong opinions are very rarely encountered. The tendency is overwhelmingly towards unquestioning conformity to the status quo. As a result, foundational decisions are etched in stone and impossible to revisit, no matter how much downstream pain they cause. Personally, then, I welcome any suggestion that a person has a thoughtful preference after reflecting on alternatives. But maybe it is not that useful if it is just another form of mindless rigidity.