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Ask HN: As an interviewer what did a candidate do to stand out and get an offer?

2 points by jessehorne ↗ HN
Can you think of any specific times a candidate stood out due to side projects, past experience, how they handled the interview, the answers they gave, etc, that made you go "yeah they are the one"?

5 comments

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JojoFatsani
Be a real human. No sucking up. Directly answer questions, stay on topic. Demonstrate perseverance.
jessehorne
This sucks for me because sucking up is all I feel I can do to make people like me. :p
JojoFatsani
Develop skills and confidence will follow.
billybuckwheat
By that candidate being authentic, being honest about their strengths and their weaknesses, having genuine enthusiasm for their profession, and showing a good mix of confidence and humility.
austin-cheney
When I was the A/B test engineer for Travelocity I needed somebody who could walk the DOM. Nobody could do it except for one candidate. That stood out and I made them an offer.

My learn from this is know what problems, the end state, you need solved. Don’t compromise with a bunch of bullshit abstractions and framework nonsense. Hire for the immediate problem. If nobody exists that can solve the problem then hire somebody smart enough and willing to be trained. The alternative is imposters, over engineering, or entertainment.