# About a question at a job interview. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395 "2012-02-29T21:44:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/41 "2012-03-01T10:48:45Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I’m guessing he was looking for an answer like, “I know I’m done with the project when the customer for the project has approved it.” So what about tasks where you don’t get direct approval from the people who ordered it? I’m thinking of when I was a QC lab tech. I knew that the pHmeter was done hbecause it beeped. I knew the solids were ready to be weighed because the timer pinged. I knew the gels needed to go into the oven because there was no more liquid in the pot of sample. I knew the results were ready to be told to the shift supervisor because every single inspection in the list had a result penned beside it. He didn’t approve or reject my results, the results were what they were. In any case, it was me who told him whether he needed to add more water or filter the product further… and in a weekend or night shift, the people who had told us when to do either weren’t available to pat heads. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/42 "2012-03-01T11:08:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The problem you’re encountering is people who don’t know what it is they’re trying to do. They’ve confused the process with the goal. Studying the material isn’t the goal. Passing the test is the goal. Studying the material is a means towards achieving that goal. But if they find that studying isn’t helping them pass the test, then they need to rethink what they’re doing. That’s exactly right. But the students don’t always see it. The equate time on task (studying) with completing the goal (learning the material). So I have these conversations with students who aren’t doing well and their first reaction is “I should’ve done well, I studied”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/43 "2012-03-01T11:26:12Z")
IME, many of the ones who “study” a lot are also confusing “looking at the page” with “studying”. They’re the ones who read classnotes, schematics, etc. again and again, but they may even be reading other people’s notes and they never prepare their own “Notes”, it’s always that guy Cliff. That may eventually make them able to parrot part of the material, but if the coursework needs any actual comprehension they’re screwed. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/44 "2012-03-01T11:46:13Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > IME, many of the ones who “study” a lot are also confusing “looking at the page” with “studying”. They’re the ones who read classnotes, schematics, etc. again and again, but they may even be reading other people’s notes and they never prepare their own “Notes”, it’s always that guy Cliff. That may eventually make them able to parrot part of the material, but if the coursework needs any actual comprehension they’re screwed. Again, that’s absolutely right. One skill many students need to learn at the college level is actually how to study. Many either never learned it in HS, or could squeak by, but college level material requires more effort. But if I can get them to at least challenge the idea that time studying is the only measure of studying that counts, it’s a step in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/45 "2012-03-01T12:00:40Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I was about to say something about measurable objectives - but a job at a dollar store? Just as likely the answer he was looking for was when he said it was done. Yeah, lots of places are very excited about “SMART” goals and putting them into the employee evaluation/review process, so when I read the OP it’s the first thing I thought about. Your goals need to be: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely, and if you’re not able to measure your success, then your goal needs tweaking. According to these guys, anyway. Maybe the guy wanted to hear about how you set goals and measure your progress, but I don’t really see why a dollar store job interview needs to get all fancy-pants on you, unless it was a higher position within the company. If it’s basic retail, I’d say we have a case of a manager wanting to sound smart. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/46 "2012-03-01T12:04:10Z")
It could also be that the manager was burned by some employees that did work half-assed and left tasks undone. Something like taking inventory that does have a concrete completion point, but many steps to stay on top of. And really just wanted to be sure the next employee knew how to finish a job and not trail off when he got 9/10th done. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/47 "2012-03-01T13:23:43Z")
After the cumshot? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/48 "2012-03-01T13:51:16Z")
When the cash register balances and all troublesome customers have been escorted to the door, and said door is locked for the day. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/49 "2012-03-01T14:15:34Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > That’s not so easy. I was on a committee once developing a process to figure out when to give more money to a project and when to stop it. We had a problem in that our internal customers gave us money for researchy projects, and if they clearly were not going to work it was very, very hard for managers to admit it and give the money back - even when the scientists working on it told them there was no hope. Someone managed to use our process to kill a zombie project, which made us feel really good. True. I’m still having trouble applying the question to a dollar store. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > It could also be that the manager was burned by some employees that did work half-assed and left tasks undone. Something like taking inventory that does have a concrete completion point, but many steps to stay on top of. And really just wanted to be sure the next employee knew how to finish a job and not trail off when he got 9/10th done. Or, to take the opposite tack, he may have been burned by employees who had reached the point of diminishing returns and still wanted to take another two hours to get that floor just 1/10 cleaner and brighter when there were six more things on the store closing checklist and they were into overtime already. The wording is still odd. Especially when he couldn’t give an example. I suspect **Jake Jones** is right and this is a case of poor note taking at a seminar or from an article. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/50 "2012-03-01T14:24:20Z")
Here’s the thing: It’s not that the question itself was bad. It’s that after the OP answered the question, instead of engaging in a discussion/conversation, the interviewer simply REPEATED THE QUESTION like a big robot-dufus. What the f8ck was up with that? I’ll tell you what: it was a deliberate attempt to make the OP feel stupid and inadequate to see how she would behave when flustered and challenged. To which I say, “I don’t want to work for someone who treats a total stranger that way.” That’s why I said the OP dodged a bullet in not getting the job. To work for someone who would ask a question-- any question-- and then not accept your good faith answer as a \*starting \*point for a conversation, and instead would simply repeat back the question without any reaction to or comment on your answer would likely be a big PITA to work for. And ANY job is good/bad tolerable/intolerable mostly because of your boss. In ThelmaLou’s World, when you interview for a job, if you have the good fortune to be interviewed by the person who would be your boss, YOU are interviewing THEM to see if THEY measure up to your standards for being a boss. If this person isn’t even supportive, cordial, cooperative, respectful, and intelligent during the interview, how will s/he be day in and day out? I realize that if you “really need this job” (cf.\* A Chorus Line\*), you may have to compromise your standards. So be it. But know what you’re doing. Going into an interview with this mindset will keep you from looking like a supplicant or trained monkey working for applause and peanuts and remind you that YOU are offering something of value and expect it to BE valued. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/51 "2012-03-01T17:46:35Z")
It’s a bad question, but at least it should be answerable with some management lingo…quite unlike “What kind of animal would you be?” or “What kind of tree are you?” I’m still a bit stabby about those. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/52 "2012-03-01T18:11:14Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Yeah, lots of places are very excited about “SMART” goals and putting them into the employee evaluation/review process, so when I read the OP it’s the first thing I thought about. Your goals need to be: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely, and if you’re not able to measure your success, then your goal needs tweaking. According to these guys, anyway. Maybe the guy wanted to hear about how you set goals and measure your progress, but I don’t really see why a dollar store job interview needs to get all fancy-pants on you, unless it was a higher position within the company. If it’s basic retail, I’d say we have a case of a manager wanting to sound smart. I know all about SMART goals, studied them in various management classes, and have been forced to write them on yearly plans. I have yet to encounter any manager actually going over them during a review, and I sure never did when I did reviews. If I knew exactly what I was going to do for the next year, I’d go crazy in several ways. I wonder if anyone ever reviews smart goals. I worked at one place where the department had to assign itself grades based on how many of our goals we accomplished. This job was a bit easier to measure, but we still pretty much made stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/53 "2012-03-01T18:13:31Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > After the cumshot? Winner! And I think I could write a management book around this concept. You prepare your partner/customer. You don’t let things leak out ahead of time. You release with a big bang. And you let everyone see what you have done. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/54 "2012-03-01T18:56:34Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > … > Voyager, I thought it was easy. **Once you have accomplished that objective, you are done.** That’s what I told him, he still wants to know how you know. Please don’t use this question if you interview people. Or at least evaluate their first answer and move on. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was thinking right along with Candyman. > … > To the others, umm, it was a job at a dollar store. Can’t be that complicated, really. My first thought was “someone just finished reading a scammy ‘self-help’ business book.” The fact that this is a dollar store job confirms it. A part of defining a goal is defining what end result you want. In some cases it might be customer satisfaction, or budget considerations, etc., and in some cases not. If all I want to do is “read X book” then I know I’m done when I’ve read the last word on the last page, and customer satisfaction is irrelevant. If customer satisfaction is an important objective, then that’s included into what’s defined as your goal, and you haven’t met your goal until you’ve met that. In other words, your answer was correct – you’re done when you’ve met your objectives, whatever objectives you’ve defined. And the interviewer was a petty jerk with no idea how to interview and possibly no idea how to set, effectively define, and meet objectives to run a business. And for those who want to use this question in interviews, please god no. Please ask questions that are meaningful, instead. (What kind of idiot doesn’t understand what “meeting objectives” means??) ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395/55 "2012-03-02T19:26:55Z")
All of my questions were read from a piece of paper. Maybe he didn’t have the ability to think on his feet, and the piece of paper gave him no clue what type of goal he meant! (Am I dusting the house or buying a house?!) Meantime, I have talked to a friend that has worked for this particular company, and she has told me that in the eyes of corporate, my job is never done. IvoryTowerDenizen, if I might ask, what subject do you teach? Thanks to all of you for your answers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-a-question-at-a-job-interview/614395.md?page=2)