It's also potentially a good test for how you approach correcting people, especially when you're in a subordinate position. Some people can be too forceful ("you're wrong!") quite a lot of people will let it slide ("I'll implement this terrible idea because I can't say no").
I hate this thinking (I know it is not yours, it's a hiring meme).
If an interviewer makes some crazy assertion, then I pretty much flip into the mode of "how do I get out of this interview ASAP, as there is no way I'm working with this idiot". Whereas in the office, I'm the guy that sends the really difficult mass email that calls out his boss, if it is really needed. Engineering is not interviewing, and vice versa; why would you expect identical behaviors in both?
And yup, I am self selecting out of the situation where the interviewer is not an idiot and just 'testing' me. I'm fine with that, because I'm also selecting out of a job where people aren't willing to treat me with respect.
Interviewing is largely voodoo; we shouldn't be inflicting cognitive pain on people based on our random selection process. The only measure that has ever been shown to be predictive is past performance. So let's talk about my past performance, and leave this amateur hour psychological testing in the trash bin where it belongs.
It's a psychology test, designed by non-psychologists.
Don't try something because you sit down and think "hey, I am going to create an artificial situation, and then guess at what a good candidate would do[1]." Then see if he does that.
Other nervous circumstances that are not the same as interview circumstances. For me at least, test and interview stress is of a nature and effect that I have never experienced in other circumstances in 12+ years as an engineer of various disciplines.
The type of place who needs people who can develop under that type of pressure doesn't sound like a great place to work... That type of pressure sounds a lot like cowboy coding.
TBH if you're nervous about a technical interview, maybe you don't actually have the technical level required for said job.
Or maybe that's just me; nervousity in presentations or interviews or even talking is IMHO an indication of not knowing what you're talking about. And knowledge is confidence.
I've interviewed a number of people who were incredibly confident in their language, voice and body language who clearly had no idea what they were talking about.
Similarly, I've interviewed people who clearly knew way more about the subject matter of the job than I did but who were incredibly nervous during the interview either because they were intimidated by the idea of working outside of academia, real/preceived language limitations, or because they were just incredibly shy and awkward.
I've generally tried to look for people who fit the sweet spot in-between: confident and sociable enough to be reasonably comfortable during the interview and humble enough to not be brash. The more "customer/client" facing the position, the more I care about the confident and sociable part.
Totally depends on the person. I'm shy in interviews, always have been, but I'd happily challenge anyone with my knowledge. (I'm not saying I know everything or even a lot, but I am very confident of what I do know)
Comments
What a great idea, to test self-confidence in extremely nervous circumstances. What could even go wrong.
Seems like a good time to test it. After all, it's not absurd that you might need it in other nervous circumstances during the job.
It's also potentially a good test for how you approach correcting people, especially when you're in a subordinate position. Some people can be too forceful ("you're wrong!") quite a lot of people will let it slide ("I'll implement this terrible idea because I can't say no").
I hate this thinking (I know it is not yours, it's a hiring meme).
If an interviewer makes some crazy assertion, then I pretty much flip into the mode of "how do I get out of this interview ASAP, as there is no way I'm working with this idiot". Whereas in the office, I'm the guy that sends the really difficult mass email that calls out his boss, if it is really needed. Engineering is not interviewing, and vice versa; why would you expect identical behaviors in both?
And yup, I am self selecting out of the situation where the interviewer is not an idiot and just 'testing' me. I'm fine with that, because I'm also selecting out of a job where people aren't willing to treat me with respect.
Interviewing is largely voodoo; we shouldn't be inflicting cognitive pain on people based on our random selection process. The only measure that has ever been shown to be predictive is past performance. So let's talk about my past performance, and leave this amateur hour psychological testing in the trash bin where it belongs.
It's a psychology test, designed by non-psychologists.
Don't try something because you sit down and think "hey, I am going to create an artificial situation, and then guess at what a good candidate would do[1]." Then see if he does that.
[1] Which is often "what I (imagine I) would do."
Other nervous circumstances that are not the same as interview circumstances. For me at least, test and interview stress is of a nature and effect that I have never experienced in other circumstances in 12+ years as an engineer of various disciplines.
The type of place who needs people who can develop under that type of pressure doesn't sound like a great place to work... That type of pressure sounds a lot like cowboy coding.
TBH if you're nervous about a technical interview, maybe you don't actually have the technical level required for said job.
Or maybe that's just me; nervousity in presentations or interviews or even talking is IMHO an indication of not knowing what you're talking about. And knowledge is confidence.
Ummm... Actually very often the opposite is true.
I've interviewed a number of people who were incredibly confident in their language, voice and body language who clearly had no idea what they were talking about.
Similarly, I've interviewed people who clearly knew way more about the subject matter of the job than I did but who were incredibly nervous during the interview either because they were intimidated by the idea of working outside of academia, real/preceived language limitations, or because they were just incredibly shy and awkward.
I've generally tried to look for people who fit the sweet spot in-between: confident and sociable enough to be reasonably comfortable during the interview and humble enough to not be brash. The more "customer/client" facing the position, the more I care about the confident and sociable part.
Totally depends on the person. I'm shy in interviews, always have been, but I'd happily challenge anyone with my knowledge. (I'm not saying I know everything or even a lot, but I am very confident of what I do know)