Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to get pigeonholed to certain comp...
by amazonavocado on Monday August 27, 2018 @12:20PM
(#17852365)
Yeah, I don't consciously answer everything as how they want to hear. Nor do I want to. When I have a job interview, I just go to the interview. I've never done more than look up what the company does, and perhaps a quick refresh on basic algorithms.
As an example from myself, initially my answers were "too correct". If you tell someone what you think they want to hear, they pick up on that bullshit and they trust/respect you less. I then switched to more genuine answers, which has its own set of problems: sometimes people (mostly HR) actually do just want to hear the perfect answer, or they're judgmental and snobby about the genuine answer. However, at least I'm now actively deciding what impression I give.
Once you cut out the major errors in your interview answers, it just becomes a numbers game. After you interview with enough people, you'll just click with the right company.