[OT] Job interviews; manhole covers (was: Converting HTML ...)

[Ben Scott]

On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 11:09 AM,  <VirginSnow at vfemail.net> wrote:
> The guy interviewing me asked me a bunch of questions
> (presumably to tell how "smart" I was).

  Job interview questions serve many functions.  Sure, they help gauge
knowledge and intelligence, but they are usually just as much about
seeing *how* you think about questions, how you present your answers,
and how you interact with other people.

  For example, if you come off as pretentious, that would generally be
a bad thing for any job that will require working with other people.

  (Hmmm, if I ever have a prospective employer review my postings to
this list, I'm doomed.)

> One of the questions he asked was "Why are manhole covers round?"  Oh,
> he thought he was being soooo clever!

  That is actually a tired, cliche job interview question at this
point.  I have read Microsoft was asking it of most applicants at one
time.

  My favorite answer: "Because manholes are round."  :-)

  But what can you say about chocolate-covered manhole covers?

-- Ben