4 ms·

I hire people. I ask this question because I sincerely want to know if there is a good fit. If you are honest and I am honest then we start off a little better

I hire people. I ask this question because I sincerely want to know if there is a good fit. If you are honest and I am honest then we start off a little better with a higher probability of having a good working relationship. I also ask this because I want to know if you are a curious, growing, learning organism. We want those. We don't want 9 to 5 people. Tell the truth. Why start off lying? The truth will come out soon enough. Why hang out for a few weeks and get bounced because of a wrong fit? It's bad for everyone. But then that's our shop. We do it our way. In Dilbertville it is probably different. But you get to choose your life, so why not do it right? EDIT: if you answered me "I like programming. You're hiring programmers" and you showed me you really did like it, that would be a winning answer in my book. I hire tax professionals. Someone who says they really really like the hard core "work out the numbers" paperwork would be exactly what I want. Or someone who loves to figure out seemingly intractable problems. So I think your throwaway answer is probably the best one. Say it with a laugh and then follow up with something that shows you REALLY like programming. Winner.

godzilla82 12y ago
What if I am a curious, growing, learning organism who wants to just work 9 to 5. Sorry, but I think the people who ask such questions are either lazy who cannot come up with actual questions or are not experienced enough to know a good candidate from a bad one. If you are looking for a specific trait then I feel that you should look around in the people you already know who have that trait first. And then check if the people you are interviewing are similar to the ones you admire. Questions like these and where do you see yourself in 2 years don't really bring out anything in the candidate if you are looking for anybody other than sales guys.

godzilla82 12y ago

What if I am a curious, growing, learning organism who wants to just work 9 to 5. Sorry, but I think the people who ask such questions are either lazy who cannot come up with actual questions or are not experienced enough to know a good candidate from a bad one. If you are looking for a specific trait then I feel that you should look around in the people you already know who have that trait first. And then check if the people you are interviewing are similar to the ones you admire. Questions like these and where do you see yourself in 2 years don't really bring out anything in the candidate if you are looking for anybody other than sales guys.