This is a question for skilled workers with multiple offers when there are more candidates than positions, so it’s pretty stupid when managers at McDonald’s ask it during an interview. I suppose they can use the given answers to determine if someone is assigned to the cash register or the frier. Even McDonald’s requires a certain level of bullshit tolerance and people skills at the front of the house.
For low level jobs, I see the interview as more of a test of “can this candidate handle basic communication, avoid acting in a way that will alarm others, handle a bit of pressure, and generally behave in a way that I don’t see us regretting hiring this person for at least as long as it takes to have an interview?”
For those interviews, there aren’t so much right answers as there are wrong answers.
Going in to interviews with the subtle art of not giving a fuck mindset transforms their nature entirely. While I don’t enjoy being in a position where I need to go do interviews, the interviews themselves aren’t that bad, they can even be enjoyable if you tune your dgaf properly.
Though it’s important to understand that the not giving a fuck mindset isn’t a “I don’t care what you think” kind of energy, it’s “whatever happens here, I’ll be fine”. Reach for what you want and give it your honest best shot, but leave any desperation at home. Even if you might not be fine, cross that bridge later.
I have been asked this question at ever skill level of job I have applied for, since high school.
It’s interesting that when I finally made it to the level where that kind of question is appropriate, they stopped asking. They know why you want to work at a company with an amazing reputation for taking care of employees, and use their time to ask more important questions. I’ve asked it only twice now that I interview people, and it was when the candidate pool was narrowed down to two amazingly qualified and intelligent people, and I needed some sort of tie breaker. It’s not a great tie breaker, but I was out of ideas. That’s more of a deficiency with my interview prep than a reflection of the company though.
It’s a given you want money. The question is why this job vs another? If you don’t stand out from the 100 other applicants then they’ll take whoever will accept the lowest pay or whoever has the most charm.
If you come off as desperate then they might try to lowball you
Sure, but depending on the field, there is no difference from one job to another. I can do data analysis on your engine, your electrical grid, your stupid app. It’s all numbers to me. Going through the motions of pretending I was called by destiny for your company is insulting to both of us. Same category as a damned cover letter. I had ChatGPT write whatever I thought would get me in the door and you honestly shouldn’t trust a single one ever.
If you can find that special someone that really does have a thing for your company, neat. Otherwise, maybe don’t use this question because you’re probably just going to learn how well the applicant can brown nose. There are plenty of interview questions to choose from that might yield useful data.
“Otherwise, maybe don’t use this question because you’re probably just going to learn how well the applicant can brown nose. There are plenty of interview questions to choose from that might yield useful data.”
The comic is about this specific question, so all else being equal, if I have to choose between someone that responds like you did and someone with any hint of friendliness, then I know who I would rather work with…
Yes, I’m interested in your time for money exchange program.
Employer: “I assume you’re stretching for the peak of your Mazlovian Hierarchy, so why don’t you tell us about that?”
Me: scraping breadcrumbs off the carpet and shoving them into my mouth, half paying attention “I’m sorry, Mazlovian what now?”
Isn’t oxygen at the peak?
What’s with this title?
What’s with this title?
You’ve never had a job interview?
The title means that businesses know exactly how to pay their vendors and all the bills they must pay but when it comes time to pay for the service of an employee’s labor they suddenly think the employee should want to do the job for free, or for little money, or for personal enjoyment. They treat the job as gift that they will bestow upon a deserving person and they don’t see your labor as any other good/service which they must pay for when running a business.
Do you work in HR? How did you not get that?
That’s quite a bit of gymnastics, but I concede, it’s a good one in the end.
Do you work in HR? How did you not get that?
Bahaahahaaa. Thank you, needed that chuckle.
While I fully agree with the sentiment here, getting all that from the title and the comic is a bit of a stretch. We don’t all live inside your head, dude.
I pretty much picked up on what they were going for. Some context clues and not working in HR helps. :)
I heard you get them cash here for my time.
