Sergiy (6/15/2016)
Jeff Moden (6/15/2016)
An interview is the one place where volunteering information can do nothing but good... if you know what you're talking about. When someone asks a simple question about how to get the current date and time in T-SQL, they can really start to strut their stuff by answering something like the following instead of asking for clarification on such a simple question...You are soooooo wrong!
You obviously have not been on another side of an interview for quite a long time.
Unfortunately, too many folks who've been appointed to conduct an interview have a limited knowledge of the subject. And they probably have no idea about that range of options you're talking about.
They expect you to answer with that one particular option they do know about.
If you start bringing all the other smart sh.t they will fill threatened, label you "nerd" in their minds and, at the best, report you as "overqualified for the position". At the worst - difficult to communicate.
There must be a dozen of interviewers like that in the world, and 99% of applicants will never even see your advertisement.
To be successful in job hunting applicants need to fit into a more common pattern, like - figure out what kind of answer they want from you and give that single simple response the interviewer would be able to digest.
And when they get to your interview they have no indication that they deal with an odd freak, and they must behave differently.
Give then a sign - and you'll get totally different sorts of applicants and answers on your interviews.
Ah, but do you want to work in a place where they have the attitude "I don't want anyone too good"?
You are quite correct, you do get some interviewers with the attitude you describe. Frankly, I don't want to work with them, or in an environment where that kind of attitude thrives.
Happily, it does seem quite rare in my experience (NE UK based) - but then again, so are candidates of the dubious quality Jeff has inflicted upon him.
Last time we interviewed we had two absolutely outstanding candidates, one decent and one who would have been acceptable as a junior, but not at the grade we were interviewing for, and believe you me - I work for the NHS - it's not like we're attracting people with big (or even medium sized) money.
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.