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0 pointsFolcon2mo ago0 comments

I feel like if that's the thought process, that should be stated up front

There's a ton of incredibly talented neurodivergent people in our ecosystem who would trip up on that question just because of how it's framed

Because how is the interviewee to know if you're testing for the technically sophisticated answer no one in their right mind would ever write or the pragmatic one?

0 comments

wreath2mo ago

I dont even think you need to be neurodivergent or anything to answer this question like the parent’s cofounder did.

From one side, we call ourselves problem solvers, on the other hand we are not satisfied with simple solutions to these problems. If im interviewing for a job, i should be expected to behave and solve hypothetical problems the way id do it on the job. If that screws up your script, you probably suck at hiring and communicating your expectations.

johnnyanmac2mo ago

We also aren't mind readers and interviews are a crapshoot. Some companies do in fact want you leveraging tools and API's in your solutions. Some want to probe your foundational technical knowledge. Ideally they will poke you towards the answer they want, but not always. But few will let you know ahead of time for some reason.

wongarsu2mo ago

Or just add a couple zeros to all the requirements until postgres is a worse solution than whatever the interviewer envisions. Isn't that the point of stating throughput requirements?

wpietri2mo ago

Right? I'll often structure interview questions like this. I give a basic problem, hoping for a basic answer. Then I add complexity, seeing how they respond.

In my experience, it's much easier to train somebody on how to scale a basic system up in response to need than it is to get somebody who favors complexity to cut it back.

mrweasel2mo ago

It's probably more about your mindset, than about being neurodivergent vs. neurotypical. If you care more about maintainability and operations, there's a whole host of solutions you'd never built.

giveaccountpls2mo ago

> neurodivergent people in our ecosystem who would trip up on that question just because of how it's framed

If anything, it's neurodivergent interviewers. If I insisted on a different design I'd either ask a question that's not solved by "just use postgres" or follow up with "ok, that would work, but what if <something that would prevent postgres from working>". Just failing a candidate for a correct answer is a prime example of why interviewing is so bad.

anthonypasq2mo ago

if your brain short-circuits at ambiguity, or you're completely incapable of understanding intent and you take everything literally, that is a negative hiring signal.

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