3 ms·
Ask HN: Questions to ask the interviewer that put them on the defensive?
Let's say you're being interviewed for a job position.
What are some questions you can ask the interviewer that put them on the defensive?*
I'm talking psychological games here. Something that could lower their status in the interaction.
I'm not interested in "credential shaming" (e.g. the interviewee is from 'Harvard/Stanford' and is shaming the interviewer's less-regarded university). That doesn't require any skill and is common (especially if the interviewee went to 'Harvard Extension School/Stanford Continuing Studies' and thinks the interviewer doesn't know what those are). I'm talking flipping that scenario around.
[*] Similar to how Elon asks his employees "what did you get done last week?"
[Background: I just saw an interaction on Twitter where someone at an A+ world-renowned co. announced they were looking to hire. A bunch of replies acted all "subservient" and all, and didn't get any interaction. But one reply challenged the hirer's assumptions, and got the most interaction. And it got me thinking there's a there there.]
- b112 2y agoThe result? Note on file: likes to play mind games, will likely cause drama, not worth the trouble.
- profsummergig 2y agoThis guy liked playing mindgames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeqPrUmVz-o&ab_channel=JonathanField https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeqPrUmVz-o&ab_channel=Jonat...
- b112 2y agoYet almost everyone here piles on about how horrible a manager he was. Seems to validate my response.
- ttyprintk 2y agoA candidate once tried, “I like to see the capabilities of a team I might be on. How would you recover from `chmod 0444 /bin/chmod`?” It didn’t go well because the answer is obvious. I doubled down and asked how he’d recover from `cp /bin/sleep /bin/chmod`
- profsummergig 2y ago"I like to see the capabilities of a team I might be on." - Not bad.
- pseingatl 2y agoHow about, "what are some questions to ask an interviewer that can only have honest answers?" Force the interviewer to tell the truth and maybe they'll continue to tell the truth. Is there a psychological basis for this. Maybe, "tell me a secret."
- vouaobrasil 2y agoChallenging what doesn't sit right with you is one thing. Just playing psychological games is another. Creative solutions is one thing, being a smart-ass is another. Just know the difference and be yourself, and forget about interviewing strategy.
- profsummergig 2y ago> Challenging what doesn't sit right with you You have aroused my curiosity. Feel free to share an example of such a scenario.
- Someone 2y ago“How long do people usually stay in this job/team?” With follow-up “why do they leave?”
- profsummergig 2y agoGood ones.