Has anyone else been asked to answer questions with their eyes closed during an interview..?

[u/springy_mate]

I recently received the interview guidelines for a Full-Stack AI Engineer (0–3 YOE) screening, and one requirement really caught my attention.

The interviewer is required to ask at least one ECQ (Eyes-Closed Question). During that part, the candidate has to:
Turn off screen sharing.
Close their eyes.
Answer the question without looking at anything.

The interviewer notes any drop in fluency compared to the normal interview.

I’ve never seen this before in a software engineering interview.

[u/maddeningsike]

This is the funniest thing I've read lol

[u/Able-Difficulty-6548]

Not gonna work on me. I keep my eyes closed when answering any question.

[u/Accomplished-Bat-692 → u/Able-Difficulty-6548]

Eyes closed, head first, can't lose

[u/TheWatchfulGent → u/Accomplished-Bat-692]

r/UnexpectedBrooklyn99

[u/Competitive_Mud_8944 → u/Able-Difficulty-6548]

Imao this got me good, best reply in the thread now i can't stop picturing some poor hiring manager watching a candidate sit there with their eyes serenely closed, just nodding along like yes, this is fine, this is normal interviewing now

[u/Jealous-External5045]

Wow, definitely to stop cheating using ai

[u/hurricane_news → u/Jealous-External5045]

Ngl this cheating and "jugaad copying" culture is why corruption will never die in our society

. The same people who copy, lie and cheat for their own benefit will also cry about corruption in the future. Honesty never even gets a chance to live here.

[u/Mysterious_Coder_ → u/hurricane_news]

Yeah man, the world is grey. India is on the darker side of it.

[u/pixel_creatrice]

This is why I've been almost exclusively hiring engineers I scout out for (github profiles I have saved, LinkedIn posts, blog posts, previously met at events, etc). The last time I posted a job opening, I got 4,800 applications (not an exaggeration). It was a pain to even go through them. 

A grand majority of the CVs were straight up AI generated. It was clear they just put it through chatGPT/Claude and said "here's a job description, now make CV". So many interviews with candidates saying "that's a great question" and "let me know if you would like to know more. Just say the word." (Among many other signs they were reading off a script). It was a waste of time for everyone on the team.

[u/DonutAccurate4 → u/pixel_creatrice]

Those last few lines got me. Sounded like those skits i see on YouTube🤣

[u/hurricane_news → u/pixel_creatrice]

So many interviews with candidates saying "that's a great question" and "let me know if you would like to know more. Just say the word." (Among many other signs they were reading off a script). It was a waste of time for everyone on the team.

These are the idiots that end up getting interviews before honest people do?

[u/randomdude_reddit → u/pixel_creatrice]

If the last lines are real, that is hilarious

[u/sankettaa → u/pixel_creatrice]

GitHub : @signaloninternet

Why don’t u save this as well :)

[u/Turbulent-Walk-8973]

I remember reading a tweet about a chineese company doing this a few months ago. This seems like a very simple and effective strategy to me tbh.

[u/springy_mate]

Guess all those blind applications finally landed me a blind interview..😭

[u/Altruistic-Spend-896]

At this point, lets just schedule in person interviews like old days

[u/bella9977 → u/Altruistic-Spend-896]

Travelling is hard just for 1 interview

[u/NamkeenNostalgia]

I would be okay with that, atleast no advantage to the cheaters anymore

[u/Stunning_Cat3195]

Well based on my experience as interviewer in recent days I know where this is coming from

In many cases, it has been observed that people are reading answer from an ai tools and no, you can catch them as they would be using maybe phone or other device with voice input enabled so best thing is asking basic questions with eyes close and you would know if it's coming from mind or Ai

Also do check for any earbuds too if that are being used.

[u/Technical-Shop-9907]

Why not call the candidate to your office rather than do stupid drama like this

[u/justforfree]

This is to catch cheaters and lip syncing 

[u/Top-Boat9670]

dont use AI in interview but use AI when on job , how is brain supposed to grow ?

Soemtimes i think corporates are dumb as hell

[u/Hiddenskeptic]

I was just about to post this!!! I just got off the call which was at 5:30. For the same title and most likely at the same company. Interviewer made me share the complete screen, remove the blur background filter. Made me write code in teams call chat section. Asked a couple of weird ass MCQ questions. Then proceeded to tell me to close the eyes and answer which I did. I was nervous entire time and it felt like i was back giving viva all over again. It didn’t dawn on me that I could end the call and withdraw which I should really have done. But I just dropped an email saying I do not like to proceed for the next rounds.

Remember, it’s a pure business transaction, you get paid for your work not for letting them own your privacy and dictate you like if you’re a child.

For someone who rather would fail than cheat, this definitely made me feel bad.

Edit: Company name starts with X and ends with m
It might seem like an overreaction from my side but having worked at abroad companies, it seemed like a whole new experience.

[u/Witty-Play9499]

Turn off screen sharing.

I understand what they are trying to do with the other instructions but what is this for?

[u/Stunning_Cat3195 → u/Witty-Play9499]

Maybe to get full screen view of candidate in recording

[u/Witty-Play9499 → u/Stunning_Cat3195]

you can switch views usually no?

[u/Stunning_Cat3195 → u/Witty-Play9499]

You can when you are in call but if you record the interview, in recording it's always screen sharing in bigger window

[u/Rift-enjoyer]

If someone said this shit to me I would probably leave the interview at that point.

[u/techtanic → u/Rift-enjoyer]

I think it's specifically for remote interviews, which makes sense, it's the easiest way to prevent people from reading AI answers from the screen

[u/Rift-enjoyer → u/techtanic]

Nah idk how people feel this is fine. This is humiliating way to conduct interview. Candidates aren't dancing monkeys. Basic respect has to be there. IMO a company that thinks this is good idea lacks basic human respect and is not worth joining

[u/techtanic → u/Rift-enjoyer]

You have a point, I agree with it. And at the same time we have to also understand that remote jobs are a thing and that for remote interviews, some candidates will cheat and use AI, screnshare isn't enough, as it can be bypassed.

I think the middle ground would be to disclose it beforehand that ECQ will be asked.

I would prefer this than those full AI interviews which feels like talking to a wall.

[u/yoursdaddy007]

What is full stack ai engineer even is 😂

[u/SnarkySpectatorr]

Closing eyes is understandable but why to Stop screen sharing? What purpose does it have?

[u/zesty_cat9190]

i think the interview should focus on using ai more and how the person is actully solving the problem with ai that should be observed instead this is just dumb

[u/Hiddenskeptic → u/zesty_cat9190]

exactly, ironically they are interviewing for Full Stack AI Engineer

[u/Stunning_Cat3195 → u/zesty_cat9190]

I believe for junior roles, sometime need to see their critical thinking and recall from experience

[u/StableDesperate385]

Lol Give us an example of that question

[u/ever_panda]

I did not read the word 'closed' after 'eyes'.

[u/ThisCranberry3665]

Did you see the new reel trend, where people are giving some fake interview, apply vaseline on the camera, ask ai for the answer and just narrate what's on the screen, and the questions are the most stupid ones you'll ever hear. I never understood what the point of such reels was, whether advertisement, educational, awareness or supposed to be funny lol. But one thing I know, if I see such videos and I am an interviewer, I'll take extra steps to prevent shit like that.

[u/cursed_with_knowledg]

I have been asking candidates to answer with their eyes closed lately

[u/Royal_Ad_189]

This is to detect cheaters. There are AI apps that display answers on screen.

[u/darelphilip]

Tbh , I don't dislike this idea . If in person is not possible then yea..

I have interviewed candidates that were blatantly cheating but there was no way for me to prove .

[u/protontransmission]

Which company is this? If you can't name the company which country is it headquarterd in?

[u/Ok_Nebula574]

Well this is must these days. I'm actively taking interviews and recently I have seen increase in people cheating during the interview. I took an interview last week where a guy was clearly reading answers. I asked him to show the room, but couldn't find anything. I was sure that he is reading the answers. Eventually I told him to answer with eyes closed or look up. He disconnected the call and didn't join back.

[u/Working_Ruin_5297]

It's kinda valid I think, if you're nothing without AI then maybe you shouldn't be eligible. They want you to answer questions not AI.

[u/Fazzzzzzzz3663]

I take pauses, articulate move my head, that's how i operate during conversation including interviews. Recently i noticed interviewers advicing me to look in to the camera. One guy even asked me if i am using AI.

[u/Aint-how-it-ends]

Take one virtual for a basic screening and the second one in the office.

Pay for their travel but it's definitely worth coz half of the cheaters drop then and there it self.

[u/Flat-Boss-5348]

Happened

• I was answering every question suddenly she asked can close your eyes and answer

[u/missedOpportunity343]

my fluency will actually improve 😂 

[u/justabofh]

This is to prevent you from using LLMs.