4 ms·

The fact that we have long articles like this on how to game interviews and then interviewers become keen and it becomes a stupid meta back and forth game of ca

The fact that we have long articles like this on how to game interviews and then interviewers become keen and it becomes a stupid meta back and forth game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile us normal non-career ladder psychopaths want to talk and be treated like regular people. Every time I’ve been asked about a conflict I’ve had and how I resolved it, I die a little bit inside.

neilv 3y ago
What's important is that you die a little bit inside in STAR format.
- FabHK 3y ago
  - So, once I interviewed with a company and was asked about a conflict at work. - The task at hand was to recall (or, for that matter, invent) a situation involving a conflict at work, and convince the interviewer that I handled it with aplomb. - And so, I proceeded to recalling a situation involving a conflict, explained the Situation to the interviewer in detail, outlined the Tasks I was responsible for, conveyed the Actions I took, and related the Result of my actions. - Result: I died a little bit inside, but the interviewer was very impressed and offered me a job on the spot.
rkachowski 3y ago
what's the real expectation for these conflict questions? is it to show that you've encountered it before? that you can manage it? that you're a reasonable person when faced with interpersonal difficulties? that sometimes hard choices have to be made wrt bad actors? that you are some kind of golden Spongebob/Candide that has never experienced being ground up in the gears of office politics? I never know which way these are meant to go
- minitoar 3y ago
  It depends on the role. IMO the bar is pretty low for many engineering roles. Determining “that you're a reasonable person when faced with interpersonal difficulties” is usually good enough.
  - andrewingram 3y ago
    I'm really good at other people's interpersonal problems, I'm a natural mediator. Less good at my own.
    - minitoar 3y ago
      The bar is very low.
kj4211cash 3y ago
is it just me or is the entire Amazon interview panel like this? "leadership principles." makes my skin crawl.

neilv 3y ago

What's important is that you die a little bit inside in STAR format.

FabHK 3y ago
- So, once I interviewed with a company and was asked about a conflict at work. - The task at hand was to recall (or, for that matter, invent) a situation involving a conflict at work, and convince the interviewer that I handled it with aplomb. - And so, I proceeded to recalling a situation involving a conflict, explained the Situation to the interviewer in detail, outlined the Tasks I was responsible for, conveyed the Actions I took, and related the Result of my actions. - Result: I died a little bit inside, but the interviewer was very impressed and offered me a job on the spot.

rkachowski 3y ago

what's the real expectation for these conflict questions? is it to show that you've encountered it before? that you can manage it? that you're a reasonable person when faced with interpersonal difficulties? that sometimes hard choices have to be made wrt bad actors? that you are some kind of golden Spongebob/Candide that has never experienced being ground up in the gears of office politics? I never know which way these are meant to go

minitoar 3y ago
It depends on the role. IMO the bar is pretty low for many engineering roles. Determining “that you're a reasonable person when faced with interpersonal difficulties” is usually good enough.
- andrewingram 3y ago
  I'm really good at other people's interpersonal problems, I'm a natural mediator. Less good at my own.
  - minitoar 3y ago
    The bar is very low.

kj4211cash 3y ago

is it just me or is the entire Amazon interview panel like this? "leadership principles." makes my skin crawl.