Reply to: Losing One's Touch

[Friday Blue]

this book may be of use:

How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company Selects the Most Creative Thinkers
by
William Poundstone

i got it for 99p on amazon second hand shop. it's worth having a read to see through their tricks.

[SteelyDan]

"Dunno, but if I welly a hard boiled egg at your head from any distance, it's going to make you cry, so do you want to stop these ******* stupid questions or do you want me to go get that egg?"

hilarious

I think that if I was asked such questions, I'd be inclined just to get up and walk out. Roger that & call him/her (regardless of gender) a tosser on the way out

I'm interviewing to do a job, not to have a waste of time interview where the interviewer seems to have an inferiority complex which means that they have to ask bollox questions like this.

or is it a superiority complex?

[TheFaQQer]

"a train leaves station A to get to station Z at n MPH. meanwhile another train leaves station Z a o MPH heading towards station A. These are the distances for intermediate stations. If a bird perched on the bonnet of A starts flying at another rate and at what point will the bird meet the second train?" (ridiculous or what? That was for a UI role btw)

"Assuming it's a Virgin train, the bird will die of old age before either train passes."

"what's the heighest floor you can drop an egg from without it breaking?"

"Dunno, but if I welly a hard boiled egg at your head from any distance, it's going to make you cry, so do you want to stop these ******* stupid questions or do you want me to go get that egg?"

I think that if I was asked such questions, I'd be inclined just to get up and walk out. I'm interviewing to do a job, not to have a waste of time interview where the interviewer seems to have an inferiority complex which means that they have to ask bollox questions like this.

[nomadd]

Thanks for all your replies. Much appreciated.

Just for context the kind of interview questions I'm talking about are more to do idiocy or mathematical stuff (it is banking in London after all). As such they are virtually impossible to prepare for. I can't quite remember them all or any in full detail but things like:

"there's a rabbit than can jump up one or two steps at a time but has to come back one (or something) whenever it does. What's the algorithm for climbing up 'n' stairs? ". (I identified it was the Fibonacci series but it took some time)

"a train leaves station A to get to station Z at n MPH. meanwhile another train leaves station Z a o MPH heading towards station A. These are the distances for intermediate stations. If a bird perched on the bonnet of A starts flying at another rate and at what point will the bird meet the second train?" (ridiculous or what? That was for a UI role btw)

"we have three baskets of fruit and all of them are incorrectly labeled. One has Apples, one has Oranges and the other has Mixed. You can put your hand in only one basket and then must label all the rest correctly". (this isn't that difficult actually but only when you've really thought it through and when you know the answer it's common sense).

"(whips out a chess board). What's the algorithm to calculate the total number of squares on this board?"

"what's the heighest floor you can drop an egg from without it breaking?"

etc, etc

btw, I've only ever had these kind of interview questions in London and in investment banking. Of the 4 different contracts I've landed there over the last 4 years none of them fortunately involved these types of questions though one of them had a one hour pair programming test which in many ways was just as stressful. Maybe I haven't lost my touch but actually was never any good at these type of questions?

Thanks again

You should always approach these deliberately deceptive and ambiguous questions with a question.
For example, "What's the chess board made of?" (as something with a cubic crystalline structure could contain trillions of "squares", and not the 1 to 204 they had as an answer. )

Anyway, you've just been unlucky. I've been working on and off for IBs since 1995 and never had anything asked like those you quote. I'd probably just tell them to take the rabbit to a vet.

Chin up. Move on. Next interview will be better.

[oliverson]

Thanks for all your replies. Much appreciated.

Just for context the kind of interview questions I'm talking about are more to do idiocy or mathematical stuff (it is banking in London after all). As such they are virtually impossible to prepare for. I can't quite remember them all or any in full detail but things like:

"there's a rabbit than can jump up one or two steps at a time but has to come back one (or something) whenever it does. What's the algorithm for climbing up 'n' stairs? ". (I identified it was the Fibonacci series but it took some time)

"a train leaves station A to get to station Z at n MPH. meanwhile another train leaves station Z a o MPH heading towards station A. These are the distances for intermediate stations. If a bird perched on the bonnet of A starts flying at another rate and at what point will the bird meet the second train?" (ridiculous or what? That was for a UI role btw)

"we have three baskets of fruit and all of them are incorrectly labeled. One has Apples, one has Oranges and the other has Mixed. You can put your hand in only one basket and then must label all the rest correctly". (this isn't that difficult actually but only when you've really thought it through and when you know the answer it's common sense).

"(whips out a chess board). What's the algorithm to calculate the total number of squares on this board?"

"what's the heighest floor you can drop an egg from without it breaking?"

etc, etc

btw, I've only ever had these kind of interview questions in London and in investment banking. Of the 4 different contracts I've landed there over the last 4 years none of them fortunately involved these types of questions though one of them had a one hour pair programming test which in many ways was just as stressful. Maybe I haven't lost my touch but actually was never any good at these type of questions?

Thanks again

[DieScum]

I agree with the other guys who have said you are probably just being harsh on yourself. Sounds like you have just had a bad run.

Perhaps get a general interview skills books or brush up on stuff like this.

Good luck!

I always quite like the in depth technical interviews. I have had plenty of brief chats masquerading as interviews and they have been a bit of a red flag. If a client can't even organise themselves to ask a few probing questions then how will the rest of the business be run and what will the quality of other employees be like.

[nomadd]

At what point does one start to lose one's touch in the area of being able to answer taxing interview questions quickly and correctly?

I'm in my mid 40's now, working in the finance sector and these last couple of years despite making it throught to final stage interviews repeatedly, it's that old achilles heal that trips me up, time and again, with disturbing regularity - the 'problem solving questions'.

Most of my contracting colleagues don't get these kinds of questions. Guess I'm just unlucky. But it seems that all the good stuff - phone interviews, coding exercises, online tests, strong CV, in-demand skills, are completely negated by one single question. All the reasons they should offer me are irrelevant because of one single negative.

Very interesting question for me, this one, as at 48 my biggest failing is I'm nowhere near as sharp as I once was at remembering the 'detail' rapidly. I definitely feel I've slowed down in that respect. I'm vary wary at interviews these days, as that sort of stuff used to come instantly.

And yet I find it strange that you struggle with the 'problem solving questions'. That's actually where I tend to shine, when someone has posed a problem and they want to see how I'd tackle it. I talk the hind legs off a donkey when I get asked this sort of stuff at interviews - after all, that's exactly what I've been doing as a contractor all these years - fixing problems for people. And I find that once I start detailing a solution or two, all that stuff I mentioned above about not being to remember then starts to come back. So the "problem solving questions" actually turn out to be my savior.

I think as other posters have pointed out, you probably have more of a confidence problem than anything else. Maybe get some training from a career counselor in this area? Maybe you just need someone to help you focus. Maybe you are reading far too much into the question - remember, no solution is perfect; they are all a balance of compromises (and that's usually a good talking point to raise.) As others have said, whatever you do, don't start beating yourself up over it as you'll only make it worse.

BTW: I point blank refuse "coding tests" and "online tests" as I feel they can create more negatives than any other approach. But that's a subject we've done to death on many other threads, so let's not re-open those old wounds.

[MarillionFan]

I've been losing one's touch ever since my first contract in '97.

The trick is to play to ones strengths where they exist but to also move with ones skillset. Whereas I no longer program anything I have moved across into Business Analysis/Technical Design/PMing.

Interestingly where I started out with no ability to manage people or situations particularly well(and got away with technical skill), I have now adapted to managing people & situations well while finding someone else to do the technical stuff(and keeping them out of the way of the tricky 'soft' skills they don't have)

Need to constantly adapt.

[BolshieBastard]

Currently benched (3 weeks) and I'm not having problems getting interviews but there's a worrying trend and it's been in existence the last couple of years if I'm honest.

At what point does one start to lose one's touch in the area of being able to answer taxing interview questions quickly and correctly?

I'm in my mid 40's now, working in the finance sector and these last couple of years despite making it throught to final stage interviews repeatedly, it's that old achilles heal that trips me up, time and again, with disturbing regularity - the 'problem solving question'.

I'm losing (lost) my ability to sit there under scrutiny of two or three people and come up with an answer there and then. Only now it's not just the single question I have to struggle with, it's the baggage of all the questions of all the recent interviews I've had. Every second I'm focusing on seems like a minute. Every minute an hour.

Most of my contracting colleagues don't get these kinds of questions. Guess I'm just unlucky. But it seems that all the good stuff - phone interviews, coding exercises, online tests, strong CV, in-demand skills, are completely negated by one single question. All the reasons they should offer me are irrelevant because of one single negative.

I thought I'd try my hand out of the London finance market and found a decent opportunity outside of London but on London rates. Despite the interview going very well, and I'd have bet money on an offer, the client turned around and said I'm probably better off working in the City and that working there would only frustrate me! You just can't win can you?

So, my question to you, and I hope others out there perhaps in a similar situation will be forthcoming is this - at what age do you/did you start losing your touch? Second question is WTF can I do about it? (and don't say retire!)

Jeez what jobs are you going for!? More than one initial interview, 2 or 3 interviewers! The only time I have been interviewed by 3 people in nearly 15 years of contract was recently for a Police project (which got canned within 3 months so ha!)

I've never ceded to more than 1 interview with a client either. If they cant \ wont make a decision after 1 interview, Im not interested.

As for what age do you 'lose' it? WTF!? Im 55 and I havent 'lost' it yet

[krytonsheep]

it's that old achilles heal that trips me up, time and again, with disturbing regularity - the 'problem solving question'.

I've got no idea what the questions are, but quite often the reason for them isn't to see if you can 'solve the problem' it's to see how you solve problems. Not knowing the answer to everything in an interview will demonstrate that you are normal, and will probably fit in well.

[stek]

Stek, what field do you work in?

I agree with the others, this has not been my experience either, I'm a developer, and it is always a technical interview.

I did have the option earlier this year of going back to a previous client (fell through as I was still in contract), and have been contacted to do some more work for another previous client (though likely to be only a couple of weeks worth) - neither of these would/will require an interview.

Old clients (or old bosses/colleagues) are the only way I could see this happening for me.

Unix Virtualisation. The only thing remotely technical I've had to do for 'interview' is for the emergency permie job I had to do in 2010.

For me it's always been a general chat where I throw a few buzz words in the convo in response to the client describing the environment on site. You could say it's a form of interview but I really can't recall ever being asked to answer specific technical questions. If they had the answers they wouldn't need me!

The last three roles I've had have all been over the phone too, not even onsite!

[jmo21]

Stek, what field do you work in?

I agree with the others, this has not been my experience either, I'm a developer, and it is always a technical interview.

I did have the option earlier this year of going back to a previous client (fell through as I was still in contract), and have been contacted to do some more work for another previous client (though likely to be only a couple of weeks worth) - neither of these would/will require an interview.

Old clients (or old bosses/colleagues) are the only way I could see this happening for me.

[MyUserName]

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating?

In my experience this is a flawed analogy. If I had a team of builders, plumbers etc and needed a specialist or an extra plumber because of new governement regulations but I knew I did not want to keep them then I would try to find a contract one.

I would have my plumbers speak to him about plumbing to see whether he knew what he was talking about, otherwise he might be bluffing and would cause me a lot of hassle. I would also speak to him to see whether he understood what was expected of him and whether he had a general understanding of the industry - also I would probe to see whether he was lying on his cv.

I have had about a 20 minute interview for my next contract. It was an interview, if they had not liked/believed me then they would not have offered my company the contract there.

[norrahe]

This sounds like a confidence issue. First forget about age. Second practice. Get some books on Case Interviews, do the exercises in them, and practice practice practice. Get friends to be the interviewers for you and rehearse. The ability to deal with this sort of interview and question is like your muscles dont use em and they wither away.

WJS

Don't focus on where you went wrong, focus on what you can do and have done well.

If you feel this is where you trip up then practice and rehearse answers on questions that have come up or ones you exect will come up.

It is a matter of confidence, if you think you will screw up in an interview then you will.

Always prepare for the worst case scenario and often you will be pleasantly surprised how easy the situation can be.

[kingcook]

Not had an interview for ages, last four or five have just been little chats basically to see if I'm not mental.

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating? We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

This is similar to my experience too, with my last 4 contracts. Quick chat on the phone about the project. They visit client for a 10 minute chat to make sure i'm a real person.

Very annoying to have to spend 3 hours on the train just for the later part, but hey ho, it got me the gig.