I'd bet it predates the concept of the interview. In the Google article, it's not explained in the form of an interview question; Cindy characterizes it as insu

I'd bet it predates the concept of the interview. In the Google article, it's not explained in the form of an interview question; Cindy characterizes it as insurance against wasting time. This is the kind of thing I'd expect to see mentioned when reading about English coffeehouses or French salons.