5 ms·

It's bullshit psychological gaming. Obviously 1–6 are right out. Can't pick any of those. 10 is also out. (You're not that arrogant, are you?) So the question

It's bullshit psychological gaming. Obviously 1–6 are right out. Can't pick any of those. 10 is also out. (You're not that arrogant, are you?) So the question becomes: "7, 8, or 9?" Still some strategy to think about here. If you answer "7", then you're saying, "I'm not that good but even I know not to answer lower than 7". Answering "9" is similar, except you're saying you know better than to go full self-aggrandizement. Yup. Nothing of value is gleaned from this question.

bell-cot 2y ago
> 10 is also out. I recall an amusing HN story from a couple years ago: $candidate was asked about his proficiency with $open_source_program. $candidate was challenged on his not-so-humble answer ...and then suggested that the interviewer compare his name with that of the author/lead maintainer of $open_source_program. > So the question becomes: "7, 8, or 9?" I'd throw in a few plausibly-relevant things that zero-ish candidates will have meaningful proficiency at, as an honesty test.
Suppafly 2y ago
Reminds me of the self assessment part of the yearly reviews at my job. No one is going to give themselves a below average rating on any question and generally score themselves higher than normal hoping their boss agrees on at least a couple of the questions.
scottlamb 2y ago
> It's bullshit psychological gaming. Obviously 1–6 are right out. Can't pick any of those. 10 is also out. (You're not that arrogant, are you?) Context matters. Back in 2007, a Google recruiter asked me to rate myself 1–10 on maybe 20 different areas. I gave a bunch of 1–6s, probably a couple 7s, maybe an 8 (don't remember), no 9s or 10s. My interviews focused on the areas I'd self-assessed most highly on, and I got hired. They set expectations as described in my other comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40907661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40907661
- function_seven 2y ago
  This is a good point. If I'm being offered a list of skills to rate myself on, I'd have no trouble marking a 1 for COBOL or a 4 for PowerShell. Same goes for the 9s or 10s. If it's an area I've truly mastered, then that 9/10 becomes a good starting point for discussion in an area I'm really confident in.
fsckboy 2y ago
from what you wrote, sounds like 8 is a solid answer.

bell-cot 2y ago

> 10 is also out. I recall an amusing HN story from a couple years ago: $candidate was asked about his proficiency with $open_source_program. $candidate was challenged on his not-so-humble answer ...and then suggested that the interviewer compare his name with that of the author/lead maintainer of $open_source_program. > So the question becomes: "7, 8, or 9?" I'd throw in a few plausibly-relevant things that zero-ish candidates will have meaningful proficiency at, as an honesty test.

Suppafly 2y ago

Reminds me of the self assessment part of the yearly reviews at my job. No one is going to give themselves a below average rating on any question and generally score themselves higher than normal hoping their boss agrees on at least a couple of the questions.

scottlamb 2y ago

> It's bullshit psychological gaming. Obviously 1–6 are right out. Can't pick any of those. 10 is also out. (You're not that arrogant, are you?) Context matters. Back in 2007, a Google recruiter asked me to rate myself 1–10 on maybe 20 different areas. I gave a bunch of 1–6s, probably a couple 7s, maybe an 8 (don't remember), no 9s or 10s. My interviews focused on the areas I'd self-assessed most highly on, and I got hired. They set expectations as described in my other comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40907661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40907661

function_seven 2y ago
This is a good point. If I'm being offered a list of skills to rate myself on, I'd have no trouble marking a 1 for COBOL or a 4 for PowerShell. Same goes for the 9s or 10s. If it's an area I've truly mastered, then that 9/10 becomes a good starting point for discussion in an area I'm really confident in.

fsckboy 2y ago

from what you wrote, sounds like 8 is a solid answer.