3 ms·

Not to make you feel bad, but it feels like poor form to ask how you did in an interview at the end of the interview itself. If the person you're talking to is

Not to make you feel bad, but it feels like poor form to ask how you did in an interview at the end of the interview itself. If the person you're talking to is just some random IC then you might be putting them in a tough spot if they say you did great but the employer later passes on you. Also interviews are sometimes structured to always seem successful to a candidate even if they did poorly. For example, the interviewer might gracefully skip some technical questions if you struggle on easier ones, or avoid bringing in later interviewers if it's clear it's not going to work out. If you ask about how you did directly then you're putting your interviewer on the spot to either lie or say you did poorly even though they've tried to hide that from you. Could you give specific examples of how asking at the end has gone well for you?

gregjor 4y ago
Can confirm that interviews get structured to avoid wasting time on candidates who clearly won't get hired. Schedule an hour and that's all you're on the hook for. If you get a great candidate you ask them to stay and get more people involved, dig a little deeper with the candidate. No one who wants the job is going to complain if it goes long. If a candidate asked me "How did I do?" I would interpret that as an odd and off-putting question in that context. It puts me on the spot and maybe forces me to lie to avoid an uncomfortable conversation, or possibly exposing the company to legal problems. If you don't know how you performed in an interview asking the interviewer is just making your prospects worse.
tsol 4y ago
I totally get what you mean and I was unsure about it at first as well. I think it only works if you're able to project confidence throughout the interview. Asking at the end when you know you did bad is mostly awkward. I've had good responses though. Surprisingly often I'll get "I love that you asked that, I'm the kind of person who thinks like that too" or "you know I rarely get that". My current position I got after asking the same question. When they told me I did well I honestly didn't really believe it at the time. But it turned out to be worth it, as the hired me a week later
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- anon50118810 4y ago
  It depends on who you're talking to and what you ask. An IC interviewer's hands might be tied for some questions for legal or other reasons no matter how confident you are. Some questions are okay though, for example if you ask about a system design question they asked you, and they tell you their question was based on an actual business problem they have and your answer described how they've actually solved it. Obviously that's a good sign. Also, if you're talking to the hiring manager, particularly about salary and start dates, you might as well just ask if you're going to get an offer.

gregjor 4y ago

Can confirm that interviews get structured to avoid wasting time on candidates who clearly won't get hired. Schedule an hour and that's all you're on the hook for. If you get a great candidate you ask them to stay and get more people involved, dig a little deeper with the candidate. No one who wants the job is going to complain if it goes long. If a candidate asked me "How did I do?" I would interpret that as an odd and off-putting question in that context. It puts me on the spot and maybe forces me to lie to avoid an uncomfortable conversation, or possibly exposing the company to legal problems. If you don't know how you performed in an interview asking the interviewer is just making your prospects worse.

tsol 4y ago

I totally get what you mean and I was unsure about it at first as well. I think it only works if you're able to project confidence throughout the interview. Asking at the end when you know you did bad is mostly awkward. I've had good responses though. Surprisingly often I'll get "I love that you asked that, I'm the kind of person who thinks like that too" or "you know I rarely get that". My current position I got after asking the same question. When they told me I did well I honestly didn't really believe it at the time. But it turned out to be worth it, as the hired me a week later

deleted 4y ago
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anon50118810 4y ago
It depends on who you're talking to and what you ask. An IC interviewer's hands might be tied for some questions for legal or other reasons no matter how confident you are. Some questions are okay though, for example if you ask about a system design question they asked you, and they tell you their question was based on an actual business problem they have and your answer described how they've actually solved it. Obviously that's a good sign. Also, if you're talking to the hiring manager, particularly about salary and start dates, you might as well just ask if you're going to get an offer.