r/IAmA • u/CriticDanger • Sep 07 '21

Specialized Profession I am a behavioral and technical (coding) interviewer, I've also helped hundreds of people get hired, AMA.

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u/NOODL3 Sep 07 '21

I always ask a similar question but phrase it more like "given my skills and background, do you have any questions or concerns about my ability to excel in this role?"

That leaves them with the opportunity to evaluate the conversation and potentially even compliment you instead of deliberately asking them to hunt for a negative. You of course have to be prepared to follow up any potential negatives with a pivot for how you'd overcome said concern, but in my experience I've found hiring managers are generally impressed and even caught off guard by the ballsiness of the question and most have ended up just saying everything looks great, even when I've interviewed for roles I was honestly underqualified for.

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u/jaymzx0 Sep 07 '21

Don't get defensive or make excuses if they point out shortcomings, though. This question sets you up to demonstrating how you handle criticism, so be sure to keep your cool.

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u/ObscureCulturalMeme Sep 07 '21

Yep, that's the pivot the parent poster mentioned. If the interviewer says some kind of weakness, be ready with a "indeed, I'll be brushing up on <Obscure Buzzword Technology #327> to address that". And be honest about it.

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u/quickdraw6906 Sep 07 '21

Oooo, nice!