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Comment by makeitdouble | Hacker News Reader

> He didn’t get the job because even though the technical attributes were all good, he should have pressured the customer.

I'd say he didn't get the job because they would have asked him to pressure customers day in day out, he would refuse, never get promoted and be otherwise miserable in an aggressive culture.

IMHO he shouldn't change his answer to please the interviewer, the process is working as intended and I'd assume he found a job that better matched him somewhere else, where his mindset will be better valued.

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I've too many wacky interview stories to list here, but the first time I came to this same conclusion was when I had an interviewer interrupt me mid-answer to correct my pronunciation of "idempotent" (because I said it in what is apparently a more British fashion). I asked him to repeat himself to see if he'd apologize or brush it off as a tic and he repeated himself with an elevated level of contempt. I declined the offer, that company got bought by McKinsey a year later, and everybody lived happily ever after.

A long time ago, maybe 2016, I interviewed at Paperless Post. The interviewer asked me explain the concept of a promise in javascript, then asked me to implement it from scratch, then asked me to extend it with different features like promise.all.

About 45 minutes into doing this I decided that any company that screened candidate like this was not somewhere I wanted to work so I told the interviewer that I didn't think this was the right fit and I appreciated them taking the time to consider me for the role but I wouldn't be continuing on.

I'll never forget he was like, "But you're doing great!" ... like yes, I know. I'm not stopping because I'm failing, I'm stopping because you are.

I had an interviewer once interrupt me and say that there was no way I could remember the techincal details of a 10 year old project I was the architect for, thus any details I did offer would likely be lies. Needless to say, I didn't get an offer nor would I have accepted it.

I had an interviewer once interrupt me and say there was no way I would have studied gray codes in college. I still don't know if that was some bias that I went to a "provincial school" in their mind or that they hadn't noticed my Master's degree or that my degree program also involved a lot of hardware and electronics work or just that they didn't study it in college and were secretly telling me how useless their fancy "West Coast Ivy" degree program was for them.

I made the mistake of letting that company bring me back for a second "less technical" round of interviews, but I shouldn't have.

> IMHO he shouldn't change his answer to please the interviewer

Which is why I never lie in interviews. If I don't make your cut, I might be dodging a bullet.

Yes, strongly agree with this.

The goal when interviewing is not "get the job", it's "am I a good fit for this role".

If the company is some weird dysfunctional hierarchy run by socio-paths, I'll be happier elsewhere.

Or to put things in a much more pretentious manner - If you're too stupid to appreciate my genius, you don't deserve to work with me :)

Unfortunately most people have a problem with starvation and homelessness, you'd almost swear they're allergic to those things.

that's true, being lucky enough to have one's basic food and shelter needs covered does really help one refuse employments that might be unpleasant, and it's very true that many people are not lucky enough to have that freedom and may end up having to put up with difficult working environments.

> I'd say he didn't get the job because they would have asked him to pressure customers day in day out, he would refuse, never get promoted and be otherwise miserable in an aggressive culture.

But how do you differentiate between if it is just this one interviewer or if it is the team or the whole company? I had interviewed at places that my friend referred me to, and after the fact, my friend told me it is just this one interviewer with their weird preference that screwed the whole process…

The only goal of an interview for the interviewee is to get as much money as possible. If they're offering really good money, you need to pass whatever obstacles they have. If they're not, why are you there?

Money is a factor, but not the only one, and for some, not the most important one. Beyond a certain point, there are diminishing returns. Does driving a car that costs twice as much make you twice as happy? Maybe for the first month, then it's just normal again.

For me personally, quality of life is important, so is vibing with my coworkers, and management that respects work-life balance. I have this at my current job. My salary is good, not amazing but comfortable. Would I trade double the salary for an environment where I'm stressed, expected to work 50 hour weeks, and answer calls on my own time? Nah. No way.

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