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Comment by strictnein | Hacker News Reader

> "One Google candidate asked his lunch interviewers where all the “hot chicks” were"

It's shocking that people are this dumb, but sometimes brains just misfire in stressful interviews. Happens with the interviewer sometimes too. I was once asked, when an interviewer noticed my wedding ring, if I planned to have any kids soon and what my wife's career was, which is a definite no-no. I assumed he was joking, but he was honestly asking the question. The other interviewer stopped the interview and basically kicked him out of the room.

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When I had a Google interview I was told (or it was at least heavily implied) that I wouldn't be evaluated by the people I was having lunch with. I didn't really believe that, and looks like I was right not to.

I work at Google.

The thing about lunch interviews is mostly true. By default, the lunch interviewer does not actually evaluate you, they do not normally submit any feedback. But, if you say something that's considered way out of line/offensive, then yeah I'd expect the lunch interviewer to likely email the recruiter.

do you think he was asking in terms of a casual "get to know you" kind of question? or do you think it was more like he was trying to no-hire people with families?

I don't think asking someone who you just met about their wife and if they plan to have kids is a "get to know you" question.

it might not be, and it's an inappropriate question for a job interview, but it's not that weird to ask about in casual circumstances.

have you spent time around any new parents, recently? they're basically mono-maniacally focused on kids and it's nearly the only thing they ever talk about. I can easily imagine that the guy asking the question might be a new parent himself and it was just where his mind went to automatically while trying to do smalltalk.

or maybe not. maybe it is exactly what it seems to be. could go either way.

I actually agree. This is probably all it was.

But the other interviewer still handled it appropriately.

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