3 ms·
It depends how your interviewer is ranking/scoring you. One interviewer might be impressed with your ability to talk through and solve the problem from first pr
by jlees 11y ago
It depends how your interviewer is ranking/scoring you. One interviewer might be impressed with your ability to talk through and solve the problem from first principles, where another might ding you for not instantly knowing the answer. The former type of interviewer would be happy to give you hints and prompts, the second is a stone wall. I try to be the first -- it helps assess how a candidate responds to coaching too! -- but there's a spectrum between "nudging" and "telling them the answer straight out".
- seanflyon 11y ago> where another might ding you for not instantly knowing the answer While there certainly are incompetent interviewers, I think ones that extreme are rare.
- jlees 11y agoI've definitely seen interviewers (both by reading other people's feedback, and in one rare case, being an interviewee) who expected a "correct" answer and wouldn't work with the candidate to get there if they didn't already know it. See also: overused brainteasers. I remember being asked the 5 litre / 3 litre / get 4 litres problem for my Microsoft intern interview, and honestly told them that I already knew the answer, so I wouldn't be "solving" it, but here it is anyway...
- rnovak 11y agoI've seen the same thing, but I tried to account for it in the 10-15% of cases where I haven't had success. Once I notice that it's not really going well, I try to politely as possible suggest that maybe we adjourn, so as to not waste each others' time. That hasn't really ever backfired, and actually turned one rejection into an offer, but I find it's polite to respect everyones' time.