Argumentative dicks are often your key employees. If they aren't talking, you know the idea is good.

In fact, I'd argue that yes men and the under-confident but easy to get along with are the absolute worst kind of employees - They won't tell you that the car is headed off a cliff until it's already three feet off the edge.

There's a pretty wide range of employees between the dude who is mocking his interviewer because he disagrees with a question, and an under-confident yes man who just goes along with everything. Arguing for the sake of improving things is different than arguing for the sake of arguing. Argumentative dicks, in my experience, do the latter more often than the former.

Be clear here however that our "argumentative dick" has simply asked the same question of the employer that was asked of him.

Sometimes, forcing someone to answer the very question they have posed is a great way of pointing out any flaws.

The taking of offense here is the bigger enemy to progress than anything else in this exchange, and that didn't come from the interviewee.

I'm all for people being cordial and polite, and many programmers could learn a thing or two about human interaction, but the idea that asking a question in response during an evaluation of capability (on both sides) is an insult is a little bit of a stretch.

Right on. You've clearly got your head on straight.

Others here seem more interested in giving snarky half-truths.

I agree. At my work, disagreeing with the upper management gets you fired. Sometimes you just shut up if you want a paycheck. Then you get where you can actually discuss why something is a bad idea (like with my DIRECT supervisor).

You don't have to be an argumentative dick to express doubt in something. Nor are you necessarily an underconfident yes man if you dont speak up. Circumstances dictates a lot of behavior.

> At my work, disagreeing with the upper management gets you fired.

Even if they're wrong? Well, in that case, good riddance.

The takeaway is you don't want spineless employees, you want them free thinking and unafraid to speak up when they sense something is wrong. That being said, "argumentative dick" doesn't immediately equate to star employee, in fact I'd say that moniker is for people who have some of the qualities you are referring to, but haven't learned to adapt themselves to team environments and/or are unable to apply their challenges and criticisms constructively.

In regard to the original situation, I think the interview question in the link is a reasonable one to ask for most places and most positions. The question in reverse is also pretty useful and any candidate genuinely asking it in return (after answering yours) would be a Good Sign. A candidate who doesn't answer, however, and just fires back the question in reverse is showing flags of being an argumentative dick.

That strategy pretty much guarantees that you will eliminate both argumentative dicks and A-players. Good luck with that.

I disagree. The only people that would pull this trick (answering the question with a question) have a lack of judgement and social skills.

Having said that, I'm against gimmicks in interviews.

Augmentative dicks always think they are A-players. That's very rarely the case, but they'll never rise far enough to find that out.

Perhaps. But I'd much rather pass on someone who might have been exceptional than hire someone who has already proven themselves to be a bit of an asshole.

Agreed, but this is also a shame. So many exceptional people don't have a chance to get hired because we're fitting the process towards the median of the distribution. Isn't there a system to recruit and develop truly great people?

Or someone who's willing to call out your bullshit.

If they think a question that gets at "What are your main priorities in looking for new employment?" is bullshit, I hope they do walk out of the interview so I don't waste anymore time on them.

I like argumentative dicks. The important thing is that the arguments are good, not that precious feelings are protected. Though I would prefer if we could refrain from being dicks about it, if at all possible.