I Don't Know — And That's the Right Answer [30]

Show notes

Part 2 of 4 on hiring the right SE. A candidate confidently answered a technical question completely wrong, and that moment told the interviewers everything. Two interview signals that predict an SE's ceiling: coachability and self-awareness.

What Nate and Ava discuss

• The bluff vs. the "I don't know but here's how I'd find out" — and why reasoning out loud IS the job
• "What's the hardest feedback you've ever received?" — and why the emotional honesty matters more than the answer
• The over-coachability problem — the candidate who agrees with everything has no spine
• Testing whether candidates can distinguish real feedback from noise

The move

Add two moments to your next SE interview. First — ask a question the candidate probably can't answer. Bluff, shutdown, or honest reasoning? Second — give real feedback after a role-play, mixing a valid note with a matter-of-style one. Do they integrate, debate, or deflect? Those two moments tell you more about a person's ceiling than anything on their LinkedIn.

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