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Comment by kjgkjhfkjf | Hacker News Reader

Regardless of whether you consider yourself an imposter, do ask clarifying questions! They are generally expected from candidates. If you're not asking them, you're probably hurting your chances.

Source: I interview lots of candidates for SWE positions.

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Questions are often under specified for exactly this reason: to test ability to ask questions when necessary.

Even if the problem is fully specified, asking clarifying questions is considered a good signal in any interview I've ever conducted.

> Questions are often under specified for exactly this reason: to test ability to ask questions when necessary.

Unless you deviate from the script the [incompetent] interviewer expect, in which case, you are toasted.

If you can't make yourself understood to the average engineer at a company, I think it's fair to say there's not a good fit between you and the company.

s/engineers/managers/... Who probably ended up there to limit their collateral damage to the company, ie. followed the Peter principle.

I'd say that if you're in a technical interview with a non-technical manager, you may've chosen the wrong company to interview with. And if it's a non-technical portion of the interview and you have trouble making yourself understood (to a manager), you're back to the "it's not a good fit" conclusion.

It was definitively the "technical interview with a non-technical manager", and yes, I do agree with you, but it's difficult to judge companies beforehand.

Fair enough; unfortunate that they put you in that situation.

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