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nixCraft 🐧

Job Interviewer: Why should we hire you?

Me: Nah. Why this position open? Why people quitting? What are you hiding from us?

@nixCraft you should hire me because of my analytics skills.

For example, I ask good questions, like why is this job open? Did someone quit? And is this employer hiding something that a candidate should know about the position in the hopes of attracting someone who would otherwise steer clear?

@indiealexh @nixCraft 😂 There are lots of ways to be "good"...

@nixCraft My favourite when they ask "anything you want to know" or equivalent is to ask how many sexual harassment suits they've dealt with in the past five years and whats the ratio of people who filed the complaint to people who were the subject of the complaint who are still on staff.

You want to ask me probing questions, I get to ask probing questions.

@nixCraft
When I was freelancing, in the 90s or so, interviews were easy.

Me: Tell me about the problem you're try to solve, and I'll tell you if I can help.

Now it's like...
Them when I later go back to permie work: So, where do you see yourself fitting in to the growth structure here, babble gurgle.
Me: Where's my desk? Just keep paying me, and we're good.
Them: Sir, do you even know what this company is called?
Me: Is that a trick question?

@nixCraft

what linux distro does this company use?

@nixCraft
«Why should we hire you?»
«Well, you paid for the job ad, you have people attending these interviews instead of doing their jobs, the costs add up…»

@nixCraft

Because you would likely benefit. I improve group communication and cohesion, I don't love complexity for its own sake, I comment and document reflexively, I am at ease with my ignorance on a topic, and I am a persistent problem solver.

Why should I work for you? From where I would be sitting, what would I find that your organization does particularly well?

@nixCraft literally got multiple jibs that way in the past

  • Pulling a #Cage (but not the "#YouDidntSay?"-#Meme!), knowing that my professionalility and 'willingness to clean up messy IT and bring it up to code' without asking questions is an important set of skills and that if they weren't intending on hiring me they would not waste their time calling me in but instead politely decline the application with copypasta wording.

@nixCraft finance companies always had a lot of IT support roles going, high turnover due to stress was my theory

@nixCraft Interviewer could save time by just saying "we have this h1b guy we want to hire and pay dirt, but the law says we have to go through the motions".

@nixCraft Or in the case of the university IT job I once went for in ancient times:

"Why are you asking me all these stupid questions? OSI? Seriously? Oh! Oh! This is just an _obligation_ interview isn't it! Before you give it to somebody internal?"

@nixCraft there has been scientific research into how to interview. Most show no sign of knowing it exists much reading it.