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I assume it's because he is seeking to pay rent, food bills, and other expenses through employment.
by emodendroket 4mo ago
I assume it's because he is seeking to pay rent, food bills, and other expenses through employment.
- hypfer 4mo agoI mean maybe that is because I live in a still mostly not failed state (Germany), but I can't imagine that these things would be _so bad_ that living in fear of saying the wrong thing would be something worth considering. Plus, and leaving that aside, I have my doubts that even if you did that, that that company would stay alive for very long. Reality has the habit of eventually ripping this kind of unproductively delusional people (like e.g. a boss that flips if you don't say the right word with regards to the current hype) to shreds eventually.
- retired 4mo agoHow is Germany relevant in this?
- hypfer 4mo agoAcknowledging that my perception might be skewed because there are still a ton of social safety nets in place. The same might not be true everywhere.
- retired 4mo agoLast time I was in Germany I saw elderly people going through garbage bins in the park I sat at. I think you overestimate the safety net in Germany. In my European country the elderly sit at cafes drinking coffee, not going through bins. Update: Every street corner has a yellow garbage bin for recycling. That is where your plastic bottles go. Seems like a better system than having elderly going through bins.
- hypfer 4mo agoThat's why I said "mostly"
- ezst 4mo agoNot OP but many people eligible for social benefits don't seek it, for all kinds of reasons (not knowing about it, pride, ideology, peer pressure, ...)
- inigyou 4mo agoThey make it that way on purpose, to save money.
- malfist 4mo agoWho is "they" and what specific actions are they taking?
- inigyou 4mo agoThe government that runs the benefits programs. They make you jump through hoops to get any benefits. The first hoop is even knowing that a program exists that you qualify for.
- ezst 4mo agoBut then they also pay social workers to guide you through the steps of applying and receiving this support. Sometimes the biggest hurdle is to get to know what you don't know.
- Avalaxy 4mo agoMaybe in your country they also don't have a deposit on bottles/cans, making it pointless to go through trash cans?
- spacechild1 4mo agoKeep in mind that not every old person who searches garbage bins is actually poor. Some of them just have dementia. I personally know such people in my home town.
- LargoLasskhyfv 4mo agoIt's the 'gift-economy'. https://pfandring.de/ https://pfandring.de/ "My trash, a flash of joy. For the poor people. Enabling me, the blissful sheeple, to consume on with abandon. Everybody won."
- thatjoeoverthr 4mo agoLast time I was in Germany I saw what appeared to be homeless children
- yakshaving_jgt 4mo agoWelfare doesn't entirely eliminate homelessness. It's… like… not that simple.
- ipaddr 4mo agoDid they look Ukrainian or Syrian? Germany let in millions of people over the last few years and never built enough housing.
- cyberax 4mo agoThis is totally incorrect. Germany is literally giving out housing for almost free. No, I'm not stupid or lying. And yes, it's true. It's just that this housing is not in Berlin.
- ben_w 4mo ago"Built enough" may sound like the same thing as "giving out housing for almost free", but it isn't. Also, cheap temporary emergency housing for a sudden extra burst of refugees may be inappropriate for permanent occupancy, I believe this is an example, it's certainly containerised/temporary *something*: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HUyQS6Sc1w1Y8GUH6?g_st=ic https://maps.app.goo.gl/HUyQS6Sc1w1Y8GUH6?g_st=ic That said, an idea has come to mind: UK and Italy have had schemes where a home can be purchased for £1/€1 under the condition the new owner repairs them (the repairs would cost 20-150k). Given some of the really bad stock I've seen in some searches, this may be a good idea for Germany too.
- cyberax 4mo agoI'm talking about places like Eisenhüttenstadt where you can find a regular apartment for rent for 300€ a month. Market rate. And yes, you can find even cheaper apartments.
- lukevp 4mo agoThe US has no social safety net. Healthcare comes from your employer. Everything is centered around having a job. Opinions on AI diverge significantly and someone’s response to this question would be pivotal to me in a hiring role. The market is not great for job seekers. The hiring manager can wait for someone who aligns with their company’s perspective on this.
- atomicnumber3 4mo agoNo, if anything, I would say a very unfortunate trait of existence right now is that reality does NOT tend to punish corporations for being completely idiotic, at least not very fast at all. Look at musk's companies. They will basically never (on any near timescale...) produce GAAP profitability and yet their IPO is in the trillions. To the point that S&P refusing to suspend their GAAP profitability requirements means the index will basically never see this company in it (which I'm quite pleased about). The power of already-accumulated capital is simply more powerful than things like "don't be completely pants-on-head stupid about a recent fad" "don't seig-heil in front of the world stage" "there's no point in having people come to an office just to spend all day on zoom" etc etc etc. The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent, and companies can remain irrational longer than you can go without contributing to your 401k.
- emodendroket 4mo agoYes, I'm sure in Germany nobody ever muffs an interview by offending the interviewer.
- ben_w 4mo ago> Reality has the habit of eventually ripping this kind of unproductively delusional people (like e.g. a boss that flips if you don't say the right word with regards to the current hype) to shreds eventually "Eventually" yes, but while this phrase may have been about the stock market, it also applies to management: "the market can remain irrational for longer than you can remain solvent". One concept I only learned a few years ago was the difference between "mistake theory" and "conflict theory". Rational decision-making is the former, political decision-making, including office politics, is the latter. It's important to know which of these kinds of battle you're fighting, or you'll make the wrong type of move. Also, FWIW, I live in Germany and my unemployment insurance has run out because the job market is just that bad right now; I'm fortunate that I have enough passive income to support myself, but even then if my partner's unemployment insurance ever runs out I can't support both of us.
- acc_297 4mo agoyou assume correct
- retired 4mo agoI typically seek employment for the free electricity, coffee, internet, water, microwave usage and coverage from rain. Some employers even offer showers! The best benefit about working in a large office is that nobody checks the basement.
- furyofantares 4mo agoI think honesty is still probably correct - if you're struggling to figure out how to hedge. I think you'd rather have good odds at some companies and 0% at others, rather than abysmal but non-zero odds at all companies. And as an added bonus, you might get hired at a company where you're actually a good fit, rather than one you weasled your way into, and get to pay rent, food bills, and other expenses through employment for a long time!
- simonw 4mo agoIt's pretty easy as an interviewer to spot when a candidate is hedging on a question, and it's the kind of thing that might get discussed in the post-interview debrief. "Wouldn't give a straight answer on question X" isn't an instant no-hire, but it's not a positive signal.
- airstrike 4mo agoironically, I'd understand people not giving a straight answer on this particular topic
- ipaddr 4mo agoThis doesn't make sense in practice. He hedged so not sure need to look at other factors vs he picked a side and he selected the opposite of what we wanted no-hire or he answered what we wanted small positive signal need to look at other factors.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- knollimar 4mo agoI just interviewed a guy and all three interviewers asked him functionally the same question. He hedged 3 times and we just wanted an honest answer...
- onraglanroad 4mo agoThe guy wanted a job, didn't know what answer you wanted for the job, and you guys were being assholes. If you can accept that then you've learnt something.
- massysett 4mo ago“I assume it's because he is seeking to pay rent, food bills, and other expenses through employment.” Fair enough, so if there were one “right” answer, that would be the one to give whether true or not. But here there is no obvious right answer. If the employer is looking for a particular answer, the poster doesn’t know what it is. In that case, the best thing to say is simply the truth, particularly when the truth that the poster gives here is completely reasonable.
- inigyou 4mo agoThe best thing to say when you don't know the answer probabilistically is to give the most likely correct answer.
- incognition 4mo agoCommon sense not common
- what 4mo agoYou can’t have common sense when you have no shared values.
- tmcdos 3mo agoOr just say that you do not know the answer - but have the capacity to find it.
- lwansbrough 4mo ago> But here there is no obvious right answer. According to you. That's not the opinion of every prospective employer. Hedging is the right strategy.
- reg_dunlop 4mo agoIt's possible to work for an employer, and not have to compromise your values and or professional integrity. The attitude suggested by your response suggests you haven't lived that reality yet. Either way, I'd rather be rejected by an employer for speaking my truth, than lie to be somewhere I'd rather not be.
- lazide 4mo agoCite needed - FAANG certainly leaned hard into ‘lie to survive’.
- pesus 4mo agoThis a very condescending and privileged comment. The job market is much different when you're just starting out, and it's especially brutal these days for new grads.
- d_silin 4mo agoIt is not. I made that choice in the past and will do it again. "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes"
- KittenInABox 4mo agoI think it depends. The people that I know that have made significant sacrifices to live along their morals are usually people who 1) are intensely bitter when others will not sacrifice as much as them; 2) are completely understanding of people who will not sacrifice as much as them or acknowledge that they simply have less to sacrifice than others. For example someone who is willing to live the "dirtbag" lifestyle out of their car to dedicate to their outdoorsman activity who is either bitter others have the relative financial security or feel immensely grateful they have consistently good enough health that allows them to be outdoors with so little resources. For example I think the decision to stick to certain morals is very hard if someone has a disabled dependent, are disabled themselves, or require consistent access to healthcare. There are different lines for different people of course. Our ire shouldn't go towards individuals who make these decisions but the people in power who force others to be in a position where these decisions need to be made.
- tfehring 4mo agoIt's still just a bad answer across the board. Having opinions and being able to articulate and defend them clearly is itself an extremely important hiring signal regardless of a company's stance on generative AI. An AI-forward company will be looking for an answer like "I haven't written code manually since 2025, I use ..., I stay on top of new tools without drowning in hype by ..." If that's not your answer, you probably aren't a good fit for those companies, but companies that would be a fit will still want a similar level of decisiveness. Much better to give an honest answer that will sound good to the right people than a wishy-washy answer that will sound bad to everyone.
- stevage 4mo agoSurviving in most companies requires a certain amount of wishywashiness.
- pipes 4mo agoA truthful, nuanced, well reasoned answer will be well received by an employer with a culture you want to work in.
- arcanemachiner 4mo ago> an employer with a culture you want to work in A modern luxury, unavailable to many.
- coldtea 4mo ago>A truthful, nuanced, well reasoned answer will be well received by an employer with a culture you want to work in. If you're into long shot betting AND your savings aren't running out while waiting to land a new job, that might be a good strategy
- TACD 4mo agoI don’t see why “truthful, nuanced, well reasoned” is the long-shot vs cagey and evasive.
- coldtea 4mo agoObviously because the latter lands more jobs.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- overfeed 4mo agoHave you seen the job market lately? You call the response "cagey and evasive", but that is for an objectively a bad interview question, one wrung below "How many years experience do you have prompting Anthropic Opus? We are an Opus shop." People are not locked into their current way of using AI and it is trivial to match how one works with AI to match employers requirements. It's a question that deserves an idealized non-answer
- throw1234567891 4mo agoBut it doesn't make sense to do a job you'd hate. Just be honest, land the job where you're happy.
- monocasa 4mo agoMaslow's hierarchy of needs comes into play.
- simmerup 4mo agoBut no one will pay me to watch tv all day
- kmote00 4mo agoIf you're good enough at it, I suppose someone would. (There are television critics after all.) But I'm just curious: if someone were to give you a living wage to do nothing but watch TV all day for the rest of your life, how many years do you think might go by before you would start to ask yourself, Is this really what I want to spend my one, exquisite, irreplaceable life on?
- throw1234567891 4mo agoOh but they will: https://gracenote.com/ https://gracenote.com/. These people sit and watch TV, note down every event taking place then sell the data. Search for Infostrada and how it came under Gracenote. That's where the info like "this is his first X since the game Y Z years ago" comes from.
- grugagag 4mo ago> But it doesn't make sense to do a job you'd hate. Just be honest, land the job where you're happy. In this economy it's really a luxury to nitpick about the job when there are bills to pay, mouths to feed, a roof over one's head is a must. The well of have a lot more options regarding this.
- account42 4mo agoAs a software developer with a non-bloated lifestyle? Bullshit.
- bravetraveler 4mo agoI'd assume they're seeking longevity to that employment. You, or others, might be able to maintain a facade; I can't recommend it for long.