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Comment by hyperpape | Hacker News Reader

I'm conflicted about this.

I agree with you that I think working for this company and not having an ethical objection is a red flag.

But the interview environment is fraught. Is it really obvious that no candidate would think "this question is a trap"? There's a lot of interview advice that says your answer to this question can only ever hurt you, so be as bland as possible.

Some employers want compliant employees who don't rock the boat. Some employers will hear complaints about proctorio's software and hear "SJW shit".

I don't want to work for those kinds of employers, but I sympathize with people who want a job and might fear that their honest answer could be used against them.

Ultimately, I think I have to come down on this policy being a bad idea, however understandable.

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Yeah it's a tricky area. In multiple cases I have been tempted to badmouth someone or a company in an interview type context, but have almost always been glad that I avoided it and just found a more subdued (but still honest) way to express my feelings.

> There's a lot of interview advice that says your answer to this question can only ever hurt you, so be as bland as possible.

Seems like terrible advice to me. If someone gives me bland answers I'll assume they're a bland person.

> Some employers want compliant employees who don't rock the boat.

Good for them, I do. I want people who are willing to stand up for what is right and say "no".

> Good for them, I do. I want people who are willing to stand up for what is right and say "no".

See, the problem is you think you're selecting for ethics when in reality you're just selecting for how easily they can read you and the rest of the room.

That's all interview questions.

> If someone gives me bland answers I'll assume they're a bland person.

The issue is that plenty of interviewers are bland.

There is no upside to speaking ill of your previous company. In no particular order, your potential employer might think...

... that you'll badmouth them in the future too,

... that you are the type of person who will cause drama by speaking behind other people's backs,

... that you don't know how to accept and recognize your mistakes ("it's not me, it's them")

... that you are not as nice to work with as any of those other candidates who didn't badmouth their previous employee when given a chance

... and so on. The interview process is biased enough against you to be worth the risk, specially when there's so little to be gained from it.

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