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by droopyEyelids 4743 days ago
Another way of looking at this:

When I'm interviewing someone, I want to get a sense of how they work through a problem and think about things. That sounds difficult right? It is, and your cooperation is appreciated. By saying you heard everything you gave the interviewer nothing. I guess you expected him to be a perfect authority figure and have an infinite vault of questions to throw at you.

Next time, try walking through one of the problems, explaining all the parts you find interesting, and bullshitting about what context it would be useful in. Try to relate to the problem and the interviewing process, and how it might fit in the job. You can be honest and joke about it if it doesn't fit. Remember, this isn't school and your interviewer is a coworker, not a professor with a hundred tests to grade.

Try and figure out how much he knows about the problem he just asked you.. and I bet 80% of the time the interview will go well if you show them something they're missing, or take them to the limits of their knowledge and show them something new or creative. People's egos tend to get in the way when you assume they will. Assume the best about 'em. Remember, the interviewer isn't a faceless part of The Machine out to dismiss you, but a potential coworker and friend that'll probably be happy learning something new with someone who can broaden their horizons.