[ryandrake]

> As I always tell my candidates, "there are no right or wrong answers in this interview."

Yea, I've heard that one before.

At least at large companies, with complex (and sometimes written) culture, there are right answers to cultural fit questions. This is where it helps to know someone inside the company who can coach you on the specifics of the culture and help you to learn the right answers. At different companies, the culturally "fit" answer to "What do you prefer to do when you see someone else getting nit-picked?" can be very different! At one company, the better answer could be "coach the nit-picker on effective feedback" and at another, the better answer might be "help the nit recipient with their coding skills." Figure out the right answer for the company you're interviewing with and how to defend it in a way the interviewer expects, given your knowledge of their cultural norms.

Maybe I'm being overly pragmatic but as a candidate, your goal is to get the offer and if possible get the offer at their competitor, too. You're already facing a massive power imbalance. More offers translates into more choices and leverage as a candidate.

[l_t]

Personally, I do believe that there are no right or wrong answers, just right or wrong reasons. At least for the tech parts of the interview.

I like that you called out that culture fit questions often have right answers. I failed to mention that but it's definitely true. Ironically, the more "cultural" a question is, the more likely it has right and wrong answers.

(As a little background, I'm usually involved in the tech-eval stages of the interview. The "culture fit" is evaluated by other people at our company. So, I don't have a lot of experience with that, unfortunately.)

[Communitivity]

I think the wrong answer to a culture fit question is the one that doesn't reflect who you are. The answer they are looking for matches their culture. If you are hired because they think you fit the culture, and you don't, everyone loses. You won't keep the job because team friction trumps all other considerations in my opinion, and you'll be miserable. Find a place that where you are a match for their culture, and thrive.