4 ms·

"Do you have any questions?" I've always found this tricky, as generally interviews with me go both ways, and I'm asking questions about the work, company, peo

"Do you have any questions?" I've always found this tricky, as generally interviews with me go both ways, and I'm asking questions about the work, company, people and so on throughout the interview. If you need a safe fallback, asking them to describe your typical day, who'll you'll be working with, and what project(s) you'll start with are both useful and a pleasant note to end the interview on.

johnward 12y ago
I usually just go to the fallbacks because I honestly have no questions. So I just go to the standard BS. I don't really care about the company to be honest. I've never liked any job I've ever had in this industry and I don't really see that changing based on company. I only work because I have to. to provide the lifestyle I want for myself and my family. I work because I need money and that's the absolute only reason. I know people are going to tell me how wrong this is but I'm just being honest. How can I pretend to be interested when I'm actually not? Coincidentally I've been looking to make a move and not finding anything but I guess that's not surprising. There is nothing I really like in life but at least people tell me I'm pretty good (or at least I've never been fired) at this software stuff so I just stick with it.
- ghettoCoder 12y ago
  Holy hell! Get out of my brain. That's my life, not yours. On a more serious note, drop me a note if you want. I've been wondering for some time at which point most of us lose (not really the right word. maybe fades is better) that drive.
- ryandrake 12y ago
  Its kind of sad (and telling) that you expect people here to jump in and tell you your opinion is "wrong". Have an upvote--I don't think there is anything wrong or even unusual about your attitude. In reality, I've worked with many more people in Technology who work because they like getting paid and whose job is "just a job," than I've worked with people who were passionately in love with writing an accounting app or CRUD web service. Not saying that attitude is "wrong" either, but it does appear to be the prevailing one in this community.
  - johnward 12y ago
    I think this stems from so many articles about "passion" I see on HN. That and when I look at job posting they always want someone who has contributed to a significant amount of projects on github. If you can't share your day to day work publicly like that (I can't) then it must be open source or side projects. To take on things like that I feel like you need to have free time, and then the drive to actually want to do those things after you've spent 10 hours or more at your day job. Then if you don't have a profound github profile I feel like you aren't taken seriously, at least as a developer. I don't think passion is a requirement to be good at something.
    - acheron 12y ago
      I think it's another HN bubble thing, though. It's been a few years since I was out interviewing, so maybe it's different now, but I would honestly be shocked if I interviewed with someone who even knew what "Github" was. Obviously it depends on the specific field you're looking in -- if you're interviewing with startups in San Francisco, then sure, the HN view might be helpful, but the vast majority of companies are nothing like that.
- logfromblammo 12y ago
  You're lucky. Every job that I have ever liked even a tiny bit in this industry has been pulled out from under me and tossed in the garbage. So I know there are jobs out there that I would like; I just can't have any of them.
ht_th 12y ago
The problem I have with this question is that it is at the end of the interview. The questions I had, I asked during the interview. The questions I have after reflecting on the interview I can ask the next time (or not, as it often happens), but I almost always answer this question with "No", followed by summarizing my experience during the interview, telling what I learned about the company/job/other person, and see if something else comes up. If the interviewer wants to know if I have learned all that he/she wants me to have learned during the interview, he/she should ask more specific questions. I know that in many communication training programs people learn to ask questions like this, for it is good to explore if your goals have been reached, but for that to happen you have to take charge of that exploration, not hoping that the other person somehow does it for you.

johnward 12y ago

I usually just go to the fallbacks because I honestly have no questions. So I just go to the standard BS. I don't really care about the company to be honest. I've never liked any job I've ever had in this industry and I don't really see that changing based on company. I only work because I have to. to provide the lifestyle I want for myself and my family. I work because I need money and that's the absolute only reason. I know people are going to tell me how wrong this is but I'm just being honest. How can I pretend to be interested when I'm actually not? Coincidentally I've been looking to make a move and not finding anything but I guess that's not surprising. There is nothing I really like in life but at least people tell me I'm pretty good (or at least I've never been fired) at this software stuff so I just stick with it.

ghettoCoder 12y ago
Holy hell! Get out of my brain. That's my life, not yours. On a more serious note, drop me a note if you want. I've been wondering for some time at which point most of us lose (not really the right word. maybe fades is better) that drive.
ryandrake 12y ago
Its kind of sad (and telling) that you expect people here to jump in and tell you your opinion is "wrong". Have an upvote--I don't think there is anything wrong or even unusual about your attitude. In reality, I've worked with many more people in Technology who work because they like getting paid and whose job is "just a job," than I've worked with people who were passionately in love with writing an accounting app or CRUD web service. Not saying that attitude is "wrong" either, but it does appear to be the prevailing one in this community.
- johnward 12y ago
  I think this stems from so many articles about "passion" I see on HN. That and when I look at job posting they always want someone who has contributed to a significant amount of projects on github. If you can't share your day to day work publicly like that (I can't) then it must be open source or side projects. To take on things like that I feel like you need to have free time, and then the drive to actually want to do those things after you've spent 10 hours or more at your day job. Then if you don't have a profound github profile I feel like you aren't taken seriously, at least as a developer. I don't think passion is a requirement to be good at something.
  - acheron 12y ago
    I think it's another HN bubble thing, though. It's been a few years since I was out interviewing, so maybe it's different now, but I would honestly be shocked if I interviewed with someone who even knew what "Github" was. Obviously it depends on the specific field you're looking in -- if you're interviewing with startups in San Francisco, then sure, the HN view might be helpful, but the vast majority of companies are nothing like that.
logfromblammo 12y ago
You're lucky. Every job that I have ever liked even a tiny bit in this industry has been pulled out from under me and tossed in the garbage. So I know there are jobs out there that I would like; I just can't have any of them.

ht_th 12y ago

The problem I have with this question is that it is at the end of the interview. The questions I had, I asked during the interview. The questions I have after reflecting on the interview I can ask the next time (or not, as it often happens), but I almost always answer this question with "No", followed by summarizing my experience during the interview, telling what I learned about the company/job/other person, and see if something else comes up. If the interviewer wants to know if I have learned all that he/she wants me to have learned during the interview, he/she should ask more specific questions. I know that in many communication training programs people learn to ask questions like this, for it is good to explore if your goals have been reached, but for that to happen you have to take charge of that exploration, not hoping that the other person somehow does it for you.