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When I worked at startups i interviewed people for swe jobs. I used to ask "what is your favorite 4 letter word?" and compare responses to their interview perfo
by mkoryak 3y ago
When I worked at startups i interviewed people for swe jobs. I used to ask "what is your favorite 4 letter word?" and compare responses to their interview performance.
- irrational 3y agoI'm into board games, so I would say "game". What might that indicate about my performance?
- mkoryak 3y agoNothing at all.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- refulgentis 3y agoI don't understand EDIT: In all seriousness, anyone have an idea of _what_ they're thinking when they ask this? I don't get it, at all. Yes it's a horrible interview question, but...what do they even think they're getting out of it?
- mkoryak 3y agoPoop fart and code
- imbusy111 3y agoWould be a red flag for me about the company, that my performance is judged by unrelated factors that I have no control of.
- seanhunter 3y agoThat's a staggeringly terrible question. I hope you're joking but I suspect you're probably not. If someone asked me that question in an interview that would be a red flag for me.
- seanhunter 3y agoJust to explain further, this question is bad because it is a random classifier and a magnet for potential unconscious bias. It's a random classifier because it doesn't correlate in any way to any possible thing they could be doing as part of their job. It's a magnet for potential bias because it's super-easy for the interviewer to deceive themselves into thinking they are gaining some insight about the candidate while they are actually just projecting their own feeling about whether they like the candidate or not.
- wlll 3y agoI don't get it, how does this help? Is it common for people to have a favourite n letter word? I don't.
- manicennui 3y agoWhy do interviewers believe they are psychologists?
- dwb 3y agoThat's a really stupid interview question. I would be angry to have wasted my time with a company that asked me that.
- mkoryak 3y agoMaybe that would have saved everyone some time, which is a good thing
- noman-land 3y ago"Stop." Doing this.
- mkoryak 3y agoI have
- rendall 3y ago"I waver between fuck and cunt. How about you?" Interviews can be stressful for interviewees. It might be tempting take it the opportunity to perform nonconsensual psychological experiments but just be kind and professional.
- mkoryak 3y agoI never got those responses, but I think that swearing during an interview is not a good idea
- PawgerZ 3y agoSo is lying, and those are most definitely my favorite four-letter words.
- rendall 3y agoIt's not and everyone knows this. Nevertheless, you asked that question. It puts people in an awkward position, intentionally. Either be ok with swearing and be clear about that, or don't ask these questions designed to put people on the spot. That's neither kind nor professional.
- mkoryak 3y agoI no longer work at startups or interview anyone.
- refulgentis 3y agoLol