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I can't believe how much negative feedback there is for this question, and I'm even more surprised at how rude the suggestions have been for responding to this
by jklp 14y ago
I can't believe how much negative feedback there is for this question, and I'm even more surprised at how rude the suggestions have been for responding to this question, like walking out, or making fun of the person asking the question.
I've had to do a couple of interviews in my time, and when I ask this question, it's usually at the tail end when we've evaluated their technical skills and we're convinced they have the chops for the job.
So now all I'm evaluating is if they'll be a good cultural fit and when I ask this question, I'm not really evaluating what their responses are, I'm evaluating how well they respond to it.
If someone responds by storming out, then obviously they aren't going to work well if a team or programming problem comes up, which is a little out there which they don't like.
If they read a prepared textbook answer, then I know they like to be over prepared, which might be a good / bad thing depending on the position they're applying for.
But if they chuckle, then think about it for a bit, and give me an honest answer, it tells me that even though they have come up against something ridiculous, they're willing to give it an good go and try their best to work the problem (which I think is a good trait to have, especially in an engineering environment).
Interviewing is a lot more than giving a correct answer, even more so when trying to figure out if someone will be a good cultural fit or not.
- ucee054 14y agoThere is NO reason for thinking that someone who walks away from the "weakness question" would walk away from difficult or tedious work. That is a dishonest rationalization that you have bolted on to hide your real motives. You want to know how much the candidate will take bullshit from YOU. And that is why you ask the question. It is a useless question for any other purpose, such as assessing talent.
- jklp 14y ago> That is a dishonest rationalization that you have bolted on to hide your real motives. Wow, personal attacks already. I'm an engineer so interviews I've done have been to find engineers to work with, not to boss around ... > It is a useless question for any other purpose, such as assessing talent. As mentioned above, usually when this question comes up talent has already been assessed and we're just looking for cultural fit. It's actually a lot harder than it looks to asses if someone will get along with you, so sometimes asking "out there" questions are a good way to tease people out.
- ucee054 14y agoWow, personal attacks already It is dishonest to say you are checking if someone "is a cultural fit" when what you actually mean is "will take my crap". God forbid you do your job and try to work with "difficult" people; you'd rather pass on the greatest engineer in the world than do that.