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Re:Tell HN: My advice after I applied to 450 positions befor... by thoroughburro on Saturday August 30, 2025 @08:17AM (#45073980)
The answer is literally always “It will allow me to pay my bills. This won’t be a giddy, young-love crush of a hobby for me. Hire me and I’ll just do good work, not cheerlead.”

The question is a synecdoche for “How awesome do you think we are, and so how much will we be able to coast on our respect for you as a result?”

Re:Tell HN: My advice after I applied to 450 positions befor... by manmoonz on Saturday August 30, 2025 @08:33AM (#45074083)
Not true. I can think of a bevy of reasons that I'd be excited for a role that have nothing to do with being a cheerleader. For example, working in the banking industry for many years, I was tied down with a very rigid, sometimes antiquated tech stack. I started applying to smaller companies because I was excited about the prospect of having more autonomy and being exposed to a more modern tech stack.
Re:Tell HN: My advice after I applied to 450 positions befor... by vbezhenar on Saturday August 30, 2025 @08:54AM (#45074227)
I'd love to hear this answer. So much better to work with honest people, who's not afraid to call out BS.
Re:Tell HN: My advice after I applied to 450 positions befor... by usernamed7 on Saturday August 30, 2025 @08:30AM (#45074055)
yep! you nailed it. "because I have bills to pay" is the true reason. But they want some flowery "your mission really resonates with me" BS answer.