Chilichunks
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After stalling, stammering, and overall fighting a looming panic attack I bit the bullet and apologized to the interviewers for wasting their time and admitted I was nowhere near as prepared as I thought I was. They asked if I was sure I couldn't continue and I said yes, I had no idea how to answer the remaining questions and no amount of bumbling my way through it was going to help.
They thoroughly enjoyed how annoying my cat was being though.
Cat tax, her name is Elby.
itsChuckles
my wife did this. they knew she knew her shit and offered her a second chance. then got the job. dont give up!
AccountCreatedToUpvoteDogs
I have nothing to add except my observation that this is a surprisingly encouraging thread full of advice. I learned some stuff.
TheMildOne33
I had a cat named LB once. Stood for little bitch and was she ever! Better luck next time man, it happens to the best of us.
Chilichunks
That's exactly why she's named Elby lol!
USSBigBooty
Who gives a shit. Someone asked me a 1999 era "three tier application" question today and I was like lolwat?
USSBigBooty
My point is, if you have the technical experience, references, and even a little chutzpah, it'll shine through. Don't beat yourself up!
Iaimtomisbehave
I never learned anything from winning OP. You keep trying.
VodkaReindeer
"Whatever, more time for petting me" -Elby, probably
Wrathmelior
Technical interviews are the worst! Very stressful, very easy to flub. My boss said he expects a level of anxiety based forgetfulness
hamx3
Your cat outstaged you :(
JohnMike64
I've had bad interviews where I couldn't answer questions and still been offered job. Chill not the end of the world.
ColdestOne
You should have stuck through it. I thought I bombed an interview last year. But I got hired and have been given two raises and a promotion
Slamtastik
You never know what the interviewer is looking for, just because you are perfect for the job doesn't mean you are gonna be hired either.
draco25310
Some interviews are Kobayashi maru style.
Paranemec
As a hiring manager for those 6-figure jobs, sometimes we just need the person that can do a thing, not the smartest person.
TripUpStairs
I'm so sorry! Are you looking for anything, or just venting?
Chilichunks
Oh, just venting! I still have a fairly decent job so this isn't world-ending for me, but it was just embarrassing to screw up so badly.
TripUpStairs
Good to hear you have current employment. It's going to be ok. ♡
Chilichunks
TripUpStairs
pzummo
2 thoughts. 1. Always finish the interview. 2. Be honest about what you don’t know and ask for the opportunity to learn it and come back.
dashers
I ask hard questions in interviews to gauge the ability of the candidate, I'd be surprised if they were answered correctly and confidently.
Drewcifer70
Once aced an interview by stating I had "spaced out & needed the question again." Hiring manager appreciated my honesty
BilboBaggineses
It's ok! Interviews suck. I'm going through them too and completely bombing. I hope you have a better experience next time :)
Zobbie
Been there, got to the 4th interview, the tech test. It is all AWS, nowhere in all the previous was it mentioned the whole test is just AWS
casiehansolo
I’ve definitely had bad, embarrassing interviews and still gotten the job! Best of luck on your next one if you don’t get it!
theoggoldfish
I had a terrible interview in 2019 a few months before the pandemic and was drowsy with medication. Got a job in 2021 with the same company.
theoggoldfish
Don’t beat yourself up @op
randomBirb
had a panic attack during an oral exam. Had to bullshit everything, too. But in the end i passed and was happy to have tried :) be confident
nickasaurusrex83
My supervisor always talks about a guy who went for a promotion and less than halfway through the interview stood up and boldly declared 1/2
nickasaurusrex83
"I am terminating this interview because I do not like the way you conduct your business" and then went back to work.
scribetree
coderay
When you get asked a question you can't answer, talk about how you would learn the answer instead.
Lynkfox
Next time... don't back down. I got a dev job and I couldn't remember how to instantiate an array in c# during the interview. Now , having
Lynkfox
Given dozens of interviews since then, I never expect someone to know everything or even what I think is simple. As long as they are clear,
Lynkfox
Think through problems, ask questions, and generally s good problem solver that's more imortant.
MoonMoon89
I messed up my interview for my dream job, had a crappy two years, got another interview with the same people and aced it. Don't give up!
RunawaySpoons
Gotta say, my main/best/longest job (only left due to ill health) was from the second time I applied. First time, I wouldn't have employed
RunawaySpoons
me, my interview was absolutely terrible! Second time a couple of yrs later, so much better. But even if that doesn't happen, every bad >
RunawaySpoons
interview can be a learning experience.
Chilichunks
Oh dang, nice redemption arc though, belated congrats!
ealdent
I’ve interviewed dozens of technical candidates. I don’t care as much about the correct answer as being able to communicate your process
Chilichunks
Well that was what they wanted but I couldn't even remember the basics of how stuff worked to even think it through :(
ealdent
Well the best way to get over nerves is to keep trying. Every time gets easier. You’ll get there
walnutbreath
I hear ya. I got twisted when an interviewer asked me my favorite package in R. I use R regularly for my work and am proficient in its use,
walnutbreath
but I've never considered which package was my favorite because it's a statistics program and I'm not a weirdo. I use what's appropriate to
walnutbreath
my needs, there's no emotion involved.
tomatoboy
Oh, my personal favorites from my job seeking days were: forgetting what the interview was for and the bait and switch job.
tomatoboy
The former happened because I had applied to entirely too many jobs (hey, it was 2008-2009) and couldn’t find the posting anymore.
tomatoboy
The latter was an epic fail. They lied about the job, listing it as full time when it was a contract gig, tried to claim it was okay for me…
Chilichunks
My current contract position, the recruiter lied to me and said "the client" wouldn't pay me more even though "the client" had no say.
tomatoboy
…to work in a state I wasn’t licensed when it entirely wasn’t, commented on my last name making them thing I was of a different race*, and…
tomatoboy
…eventually it devolved into a shouting match.
tomatoboy
*my surname is culturally ambiguous, it could sound European or Asian to an unfamiliar listener.
fragilityV1
It's not always about getting the right answer in the interview, it's more about getting insight into how you think.
SorryMyChameleonCircuitIsStuck
Agreed I ask two question specific to show reasoning. 1 is about our tech they wouldn't know. 2. Why do you think manhole covers are round.
dwitcs
This. I once got frustrated in an interview for Cisco TAC. Guessed for a few then admired I didn’t know the answers. They admitted to me /1
dwitcs
There was no right answer, they would keep coming up with things that were broken. When I don’t know something in an interview now, I’ll /2
dwitcs
Admit it and say but ill find out. Write down the question and email them later with the answer I found. When asked the question “Why /3
dwitcs
Should we hire you, or biggest strength?” My response is always the same. “Because I may not always know the answer, but I can guarantee /4
dwitcs
I’ll find the answer.” Cisco offered me the job. It’s ok to admit when you are wrong, or nervous. No one should expect perfection. And if /5
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SayRamrod
i would never accept a position where the hiring manager asks only this. you seem arrogant and unlikeable.
[deleted]
[deleted]
RevolutionOnHerLips
found the sociopath
djgrom
However before being completely offended, how would you answer that question?
dwitcs
More than there should be.
SayRamrod
ive been asked how many funeral parlours are in my city. the market size / analytical questions are welcome.but if that's your only question
SayRamrod
youre a jerk. sadly this is also evidenced by your other reply promoting toxic work traits. try love, hombre. it's better.
imNotThisCleverIRL
I interviewed a candidate who was probably middle of the pack tbh - definitely not at the bottom. He got frustrated with his lack of answers
Aliubi
I once forgot my name in an interview. I really wanted that job, but wouldn't have finished my degree if I had gotten it.
Cactus21
Anyone can answer by rote from a book. It’s the thought process and willingness to learn that more interests me from a candidate
imNotThisCleverIRL
and quit. It was the first time I had a candidate just end the interview early. I mention this to encourage you, because
CrazyCatLad
Curious, over Zoom he just signed off or in person or in a test he bailed?
imNotThisCleverIRL
It was Zoom. "I would like to withdraw." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, I feel like I'm not doing well." *click*
imNotThisCleverIRL
I usually try to give some encouragement, but didn't get that chance here.
CrazyCatLad
Well, better than wasting time, I guess. I went through 4 interviews + a design test & then was ghosted by Lifelines LLC. Super rude.
imNotThisCleverIRL
you're never doing as bad as you think. I purposefully ask progressively harder questions to see where their limits are and
imNotThisCleverIRL
how well they handle those limits. It's OK to not have all the answers. It doesn't mean you don't have the cognitive ability.
Alfadorfox
Whenever I'm in an interview and I get asked a question I don't know the answer to, I go over how I would find the answer, because sometimes
DocMozi
As one who hires... ALL THE TIME. All I care about is your thought process. I already know the answer, I want to see how you troubleshoot.
Alfadorfox
interviewers might be more lenient on someone who demonstrates an ability and willingness to research gaps in their own knowledge. Or maybe
imNotThisCleverIRL
You'll learn from this and do better next time.
BondulanceDispatch
I purposefully ask question I wouldn’t expect them to know. I want to know will they bullshit or ask for help.
GravyEducation
Admitting you don't know but you'll work to find the answer is more valuable than knowing the answer sometimes
Vilmyr
Yep, you’re not supposed to know all the answers and when you don’t “I would Google it” Is usually just as good as the correct answer
LompHoofd
+1
Doomgriever
Fn0rd
Exactly this. Did the same for entry level IT jobs. If you could tell me how to obtain the answer, would’ve been a pass in my book.
Chilichunks
Unfortunately in this case I was definitely doing as bad as I thought I was and this particular set of questions was all they wanted :/
demosthenes89
You've gotta get in there and sell yourself on potential. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you're already an expert, it just matters if you 1/
demosthenes89
are eager to learn and you have the soft skills. "I can't answer that right now but here's how I'd figure it out." 2/2
Cyynic
As an interviewer I have found that the questions a person doesn't know the answer to give the best insight into how they solve problems.
thoushaltnotpass
When I interview people I always try to understand if the poor performance comes from lack of knowledge or pressure.
Arckeiner
So now you know what they want and on what you need to improve. I see this as an absolute win !
Chilichunks
But I do understand where you're coming from and I appreciate the advice!
trikucian
What you should have done was say you weren't sure of the answer now, but explain how you would go about looking up/ researching the answer
Dimension09
What were some of the questions?
HenryFondle
The interview panels I participated in - our goal was to push the candidate to admit they didn't know or needed to look something up. Blind
HenryFondle
guessing or worse lying was an indicator that they would be cowboy in production.
HenryFondle
In my professional career - it's okay to not know everything. Your team should have SME's that help - you need to show in an interview that
HenryFondle
you have enough base technical knowledge to not waste their time / are willing to learn. Noone is a perfect candidate.
imNotThisCleverIRL
Yeah on the flip side, I appreciate when they know what they need and just ask targeted questions. I was interviewing for
imNotThisCleverIRL
software engineering role when they started asking stupid bubble sort questions. I wanted to walk out so bad!
imNotThisCleverIRL
Sorry - software engineering manager role
imNotThisCleverIRL
(at Microsoft, no less!)
Chilichunks
Ah, yeah, systems analyst II position here. So I uh...completely forgot basic SQL ._. Just absolutely gone. I use prewritten SQL everyday
EndocrineResearcher
Really seems like the sort of thing that should have come up before the actual interview to me
2graves
Yeah why technical interviews are a bit ridiculous tbh
blubberingbastard
Don't beat yourself up. I'm in software. Could care less about how a line of code is written. What I care about is how you think
blubberingbastard
About solving problems.
imNotThisCleverIRL
shit happens.
Chilichunks
but I guess I stopped paying attention to it and eventually forgot it altogether. I was wildly embarrassed because it's SQL, it ain't hard.
Tuen
But hey, not all positions will lambast you that hard for a fault like this. I'm a chemical engineer that forgot the dielectric constant (1)
Silas007
I still don't understand how that disqualify you from the interview. Couldn't you have just said exactly that?
mithiwithi
I wrote some SQL in my previous job, and I was constantly googling the syntax.
lolface
Google is one of the tech's best tools.
Domivla
When i started in consulting... They asked me what types of joins exist. I was like "... Leeft?... Right?.... Outer?...." didnt even 1/2
Deoan
Think Venn Diagram. Left is the left circle, right is the right circle, inner is the shared portion, outer is both circles.
Domivla
Mention cross join... When they asked me where i see myself in 5 years... I said i see myself doing a pull-up.... I got the job