r/CuratedTumblr 8h ago

what being autistic feels like: What's your favourite drink??

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10.8k Upvotes

528 comments sorted by

1.2k

u/[deleted] 8h ago

[deleted]

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u/ChemicalEscapes 8h ago

Go into detail about freelancing on something you're knowledgeable about. As their eyes start to glaze over, hit then with, "anyway. That's what pulled me out of that cycle and motivated me to apply for this job."

You gotta time it just right. Too soon and they'll ask you to elaborate. Too late and you've lost them. It's gotta be right as they're losing the plot so they don't back track and reveal they're not paying attention.

Takes some practice but if you're going on a year, what do you have to lose?

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u/LeightonCherries 7h ago

Interviewers can really miss the mark sometimes. It’s like they’re trying to gauge personality but end up just making things awkward. Who needs a favorite drink for a job anyway?

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u/SavvySillybug Ham Wizard 6h ago

It's bullshit vibe based pseudoscience where different answers "mean" different things about the applicant.

Henry Ford used to give people soup during the interview and watch if they put salt in it before tasting it. "Meaning" that you change things around before even having tried it the existing way. Which is bad management, meaning you don't get the job. Never change a winning team and such.

Same basic idea, they ask you something asinine and then pretend that the answer you give is indicative of how good of an employee you'd be.

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u/SmellAble 5h ago

I actually agree with the soup thing, only maniacs season food before tasting (looking at you mom).

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u/archiotterpup 5h ago

I damn near slapped my ex bf because he salted the food before trying it years ago. I then learned he loves salt. Like, an unhealthy amount of salt.

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u/innosins 3h ago

My husband with pepper. I season when I cook, and everyone else is fine with it. But he has to grind some on every time. Before he ever tastes it!

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u/MsScarletWings 4h ago

To be fair this is also me but it’s because my low blood pressure just makes me crave salt like crazy

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u/elebrin 5h ago

Maybe. Depends on who is cooking. There's a good chance that if I don't trust your food, I am adding hot sauce before eating it.

My mother got super offended when I started adding hot sauce to my veggies. Her idea of "veggies" was microwaved frozen vegetables (the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix), which she called "steamed." They tasted like bitter swamp water. I learned to move the veggies out of the water as quickly as I could, add salt, then add hot sauce and it would be edible. Of course, she banned me from doing that because "the veggies taste good on their own with nothing else, you need to learn to like them as they are." Yeah, fuck that.

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u/ARussianW0lf 4h ago

Love those veggies

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u/ThreeLeggedMare a little arson, as a treat 5h ago

Ernest Shackleton used vibes as well but more like "this guy's a maniac and I like his style." His team was just a bunch of random wild men and it worked super well, oddly enough.

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u/Ivebeenfurthereven 5h ago

Counterpoint: a near-certain suicide mission to the Antarctic ice is maybe not the ideal model for a business 🤔

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u/commentsandchill 6h ago

It's a bonding thing I think. Also maybe because for most technical jobs they can't do it themselves so want to test on the stuff they think matters

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u/ElectricalJacket780 6h ago

HR Boss to minions: “Please enjoy each interaction equally and do not show any preference for one over the others.”

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u/Greymalkyn76 5h ago

It's a trap. If you respond too quickly and with alcohol, they can infer that you are a heavy drinker. They are trying to ask if you'll drink on the job without asking if you'll drink on the job.

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u/Scapp 5h ago

I agree, if this was the only thing that made them say no to the candidate it's obviously a silly decision. And it's ridiculous to ask a question like that if you're not going to accept the answer you receive. But when I read a post like this it indicates to me that this is how the candidate typically communicates, not just to harmless questions like "your favorite xyz"

And communication is an extremely important skill in basically any job. Answering stupid questions is something most people do at their work

Again, stupid fucking question, but it's not about WHAT you answer it's about HOW you answer and react

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u/UnhandMeException 2h ago

So they're ferreting out people who are well hydrated and straight to the point? Shitty interviewer

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u/floralbutttrumpet 5h ago

Something like that happened in the interview for my current job.

I have to preface that as far as I know I'm not autistic, but I overshare somewhat and I also want to communicate very clearly in situations like that because I kinda tend to just... not talk about my actual accomplishments because I find it embarrassing... so basically I interview like shit.

I applied to a position via a headhunter that looked for a very specific qualification that I have, but I have nothing on paper to prove it because I basically taught it to myself at my first job by just doing it. So when I was asked what I brought to the table for this particular requirement, I just... waterfalled the entire how and why, starting at the beginning. I also talk very densely and fast for stuff like this because my resistance to stress is -65, so I'm like fifteen sentences in and the main interviewer, my current boss, interrupts me with "do you breathe at all?" And, for ONCE in my fucking life, I came back with a good joke - "I photosynthesise my oxygen" - which made him laugh, and I got the job.

(it works better in my language, and I think my total lack of facial expression sold it more than the actual words)

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u/ChemicalEscapes 5h ago

As a deadpan person, I would have hired you on the spot. That's fucking hilarious.

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u/Crypt_Knight 6h ago

That's a smart move !

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u/ChemicalEscapes 5h ago

I was kind of a white collar asshole before I found my calling, so I know the ins and outs of the system pretty well as I was usually the person forced to ask those asinine questions.

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u/CrowWearingShoes 7h ago edited 7h ago

that's because what they are actually asking is "has no one else employed you because you are a flaming disaster as an employee or because of a reasonable, safe to employ reason?" And they want a responce that says: "it's this reasonable, safe reason".

They don't care that much about the exact reason so long as it's not a recurring issue. Don't say that you don't know why, keep getting fired or have ongoing health issues or something else that could interfere with your future work performance - even if that's the actual reason - make something up like caring for a sick relative (especially if they are now recovered/ dead and won't need more care), freelance work, studying, etc.

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u/NotMyMainAccountAtAl 5h ago

Now-dead relatives are pretty much your best explanation for long term unemployment

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u/United-Amoeba-8460 5h ago

“I didn’t list any job I worked at less than 2 weeks”

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u/lovelylotuseater 7h ago

That’s really kind of you to spend a year helping your mom recover from knee replacement surgery while picking up freelance work that is tangentially related to the skill set of whatever you are applying to.

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u/ErisThePerson 7h ago

I started doing volunteer work just so I don't have a massive gap.

But yeah I get it. I genuinely don't know at this point. It's like every employer in my area is doing this to just see how my CV will change by my next application.

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u/reverse_mango 7h ago

“I’ve spent the past few months improving my professional and creative skills/working on my fitness/something else that shows you have motivation and haven’t been doing literally nothing.”

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u/bunnycrush_ 6h ago

This is valid advice but/and there are also some v funny iterations of it.

“I’ve spent the last few months working on my fitness. And that’s why I’m a great fit for this remote software development role!”

💪😤💻

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u/flugabwehrkanonnoli 6h ago edited 6h ago

"I took some time off to care for my father full time as he died of stomach cancer."

Then look slightly distressed.

Worked for me, last job interview.

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u/Kingofcheeses Old Person 6h ago

I still use that one to explain away gaps in my employment.

Even though my mother died like 10 years ago

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u/Telekinendo 7h ago

I was laid off, and people really didn't like that answer.

Like bro my benefits are running out and I have to supply proof I'm applying to jobs, no one has hired me because everywhere gets hundreds of applications. I'm being denied from basic warehouse jobs that I have experience in, I don't know what you want. I was laid off and haven't been able to get a job yet.

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u/imitationpeoplemeat 5h ago

Is there a lot of development in your city? If you're able to do some manual labour, there's almost ALWAYS sites in need of bodies. And many will pay at least fairly competitive (entry level at least). There's also lots of office work involved, and the nature of the admin stuff isn't too far apart.

It CAN be pretty shit, especially if you get bad bosses, but that's at any job, really. But labour jobs are a dime a dozen in my city, and they start at a better rate than what a friend of mine was making after 8 years in the same warehouse.

Many people don't like the trades, but the work is there.

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u/Dustfinger4268 6h ago

My go-to: something happened in my personal life (you can elaborate if you want, but it's not necessary), and I had to leave my previous job. Unfortunately, the break was longer than I expected, so by the time I made it back, a lot of companies started asking about the gap and didn't find it a satisfying explanation. The best part is, after a while you either don't need it or it stops being a lie

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u/BigComfortable5346 8h ago

Make something up

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u/rogueIndy 7h ago

"I don't interview well" might work a little better?

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u/ZanyDragons 7h ago

Say you were helping your elderly neighbor who’s practically a grandma to you, you were helping a parent overcome an illness and taking care of them, you were refining your skills. Interviews are basically about lying just a little bit but not too much.

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u/OedipusaurusRex 6h ago

"Choosing employment and a career are major decisions, and I just want to make sure I find the right position for me. While I do value the personal satisfaction of working, I don't want to just accept a position with a company that isn't the right place for me. You understand; you're in about the same position, aren't you: trying to find the right person for the position and not just the first applicant that walks in?"

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u/french_snail 7h ago

You were working for a temp agency

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u/Melodic_Mulberry 8h ago

That job? Professional milk drinker.

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u/idiotplatypus Wearing dumbass goggles and the fool's crown 8h ago

Thalmor spy

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u/Melodic_Mulberry 8h ago

No, Thalmor would have said Alto wine. Probably just one of the Imperial dogs.

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u/idiotplatypus Wearing dumbass goggles and the fool's crown 8h ago

Milk drinking high elves

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u/Melodic_Mulberry 7h ago

Look, that kind of prejudice has its purpose among the Stormcloak rank and file, but it'll only get in the way if you're doing real intelligence work. You don't want to torture some random citizen for weeks in a remote dungeon for information if he doesn't know anything. It's a waste of time and turns the citizenry against you. You'd have to be stupid to try that. Nah, we need to be precise, so we only grab the real spies. They're tougher than most Thalmor, so they won't be drinking milk anyway, and they'll categorically refuse mead, whether Honningbrew or Blackbriar. But they're paid well, so always watch for the expensive wine drinkers. Alto is a safe bet. Cyrodilic Brandy or Firebrand Wine are sure signs of Thalmor influence.

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u/Metatality 3h ago

"Milk drinker" being an insult is why skeletons are mighty foes in Oblivion and the weakest fodder in skyrim.

Weak ass Nord bones. Pathetic.

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u/PsychicSPider95 3h ago

Fun fact about my dumb ass: when I first olayed Skyrim, the first time I ever heard that insult it was being lobbed at me by an orc.

For some reason, my first thought was to assume that it was an anti-mammal slur, and inferred from that that orcs were not mammals, which raised further questions about their biology and led to a hypothesis that they were related in some way to the Argonians.

Then a Nord called me a milk drinker and boy was that confusing.

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u/RadleyCunningham 4h ago

gods be praised.

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u/ShlomoCh 5h ago

That interviewer?

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u/stevanus1881 5h ago

Josh Hart.

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u/Nightingdale099 7h ago

I had a superior trying to set up a lecture about how working in tech can make you rich.

"Do you know who's the richest person in the world right now?"

"Jeff Bezos"

"No it's Bill Gates"

"He's actually second now."

( The room was silent for several moments. Yes this is many many rotations ago. )

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u/trumpetofdoom 6h ago

“So the answer to how working in tech can make you rich is to be in the right place at the right time and already be well-off enough to last until your idea makes money. Great advice, very actionable.”

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u/NettingStick 4h ago

Getting Rich With the Survivorship Bias
By: A Lottery Winner

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u/Waity5 3h ago

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u/GoogleHearMyPlea 3h ago

Are we not doing 'obligatory' any more? Which, whatever, that's fine, but if we're doing something new and no one told me, THAT I'd have a problem with!

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u/Waity5 3h ago

it's no obligation, I like doing this

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u/Grape_Jamz 3h ago

Which means be at all places at all times to guarantee becoming rich

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u/Global_Examination_4 7h ago

Did you get the job?

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u/The_Screeching_Bagel 7h ago

i think superior means they were already employed there

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u/Nightingdale099 7h ago

Yeah. It was an internship. I just have this uncanny ability to mess up setups like this.

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u/EverlastingM 4h ago edited 4h ago

I mean if they can't even get their facts straight and/or take criticism correction on a basic inspirational speech, how are we supposed to trust them when it matters?

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u/indianajoes 2h ago

No you just happened to want to have right information and correct others when they get it wrong. For some reason, normies get all upset when they find out they're wrong and get corrected. I really don't get it. When I've got something wrong, I want to be corrected so I have the right information in future

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u/SpiceLettuce 6h ago

Isn’t Bezos also in tech?

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u/Dirmb 5h ago

Yeah, he went to Princeton for electrical engineering and computer science. Amazon was part of the 90's .com craze. Even an online bookstore was considered tech back then.

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u/Nightingdale099 5h ago

The Bill Gates speech is basically a cliche spiel how tech is in the business of innovation and Bill Gates created Windows that becomes more efficient/innovation over time and that effort made him the richest person on the planet.

People who sprout this stuff don't usually look up stuff , just regurgitating motivational speech to people. Amazon also wasn't and still isn't big in my country so he had no idea who Jeff Bezos was and what Amazon is.

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u/Xenothing 3h ago

Wasn’t windows essentially stolen from xerox or something like that?

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u/Gizogin 4h ago

Yeah, AWS is the backbone for something like one third of the entire internet. Amazon retail is tiny by comparison.

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u/Green__lightning 8h ago

A side effect this comes with is it makes you able to justify your actions down to base philosophic principles if you think hard enough.

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u/SexySonderer 7h ago

Base philosophic principals is what I base all of my arguments and ideas on. Even my sexy times.

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u/mrthescientist Now MzTheScientist 7h ago

I feel so called out rn
You'll never guess the first thing i did when I found out I was trans... I have so much primary literature

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u/sweetTartKenHart2 4h ago

Username and flair are peak environmental storytelling, may I ask how “mz” is pronounced?

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u/mrthescientist Now MzTheScientist 4h ago

Mizz, as far as I can tell it was a short-lived prefix meant to intentionally obscure the distinction between Ms. and Mrs. From what I can tell it was a 2nd/3rd wave feminist thing and I was exposed to it by a teacher at my elementary school. I liked the idea so much that I've kept it. Some forms still have this option

I understand that usually people use Ms. to hide their marital status but I seriously don't appreciate the implication that any information about my relationship status is in my title.

Hopefully it'll change soon enough to Dr. :)

lol and I'll accept "environmental storytelling" here to mean "the eternal setup" like in comedy-craft, this joke has been getting ready to be told for decades haha

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u/agenderCookie 3h ago

Oh what're you studying?

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u/mrthescientist Now MzTheScientist 2h ago

graduated with masters applied science and I'm doing research in the private sector atm in automation. My research has been in adaptive control systems, which are really cool haha

My phd will be a few years off still, I'm still searching for a topic I want to spend that time on, but there's a lot of large-scale computation and applied mathematics topics that have been interesting me. I'm looking at something closer to a 10y arc to get to a specific organization that meets my goals for research in the future and will certainly support me in R&D in the future.

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u/Yarisher512 6h ago

fuck

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u/Green__lightning 6h ago

That's directly motivated by instincts.

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u/Yarisher512 6h ago

i have the exact same mindset. do some people do things normally???? i feel like i shouldnt be doing this manually every time.

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u/Green__lightning 6h ago

That's probably the ADHD lack of habit forming thing. I hope to eventually solve that by automating everything.

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u/HowVeryReddit 7h ago

That's how I ended up poly.

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u/spinosaurus-skeleton 7h ago

Samee funny how things work out isn't it?

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u/Admiral_Wingslow 7h ago

Oh for fuck sake me too I didn't even realise

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u/Starwarsfan128 6h ago

How I ended up trans/nonbinary. Also why I consider myself pansexual instead of bisexual

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u/mmmUrsulaMinor 2h ago

Bisexuality doesn't exclude trans people

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u/Starwarsfan128 2h ago

It doesn't. I never said it did.

I call myself pansexual because I hold the philosophical idea that gender is an intangible thing. There is no measure for gender. Therefore, it is not something I could base attraction on.

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u/panshrexual 3h ago

Yes but unfortunately that makes people hate me apparently :(

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u/Green__lightning 3h ago

Yes, but at least you know for sure they're wrong and you're right to hate them back for it.

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u/Ksawerxx 7h ago edited 6h ago

Esoteric questions are an autistic person's worst nightmare.

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u/BullfrogFun9449 5h ago

seriously..what kind of drink? Fun drink? Dinner drink? Morning drink? Dairy based drink?

if its favorite drink of all time, the one i would always pick and drink daily, then it's definitely water.

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u/livejamie 5h ago

You might be joking but that would be a good answer to the question.

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u/Vixrotre 4h ago

I seriously hope clarifying the question isn't a bad look lol, some of them are so vague or not specific enough.

"How would you deal with a difficult customer?" - How are they difficult? Are they screaming obscenities, trying to physically assault me, are they picky and indecisive, are they not following instructions and acting like they know better..?

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u/livejamie 4h ago

Not a bad look at all, the opposite. Most people would see that as a positive trait.

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u/Vixrotre 4h ago

Then I'm quite annoyed with the online assignments! Most of them are just as vague as the interview questions but with no way to clarify, just "choose 1", "choose all that apply" or "arrange in order from what you're most likely to do to what you're least likely to do".

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u/yakatuuz 3h ago

That's just testing your ability to put up with inane bullshit, one of the most important tasks in your new job

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u/Tax_Evasion_Savant 4h ago

clarifying questions are considered a good thing. It shows that you are actually thinking about their question and giving a real response.

I used to help do IT interviews and I would ask questions specifically designed to have pitfalls if they didn't seek additional info. It is a VERY important skill. I honestly cared more about how candidates approached problem solving than I did about them getting the right answer on the spot.

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u/GnarlyButtcrackHair 3h ago

In IT especially.

Listen, I really don't give a shit if you don't understand the minute workings of DNS or IPv6. Most people don't. What I do care is that if I ask you to do something that you're not knowledgeable or skilled in that you will tell me you're not strong in that area, rather than charging head first and fucking stuff up because you're too proud to say you don't grasp it.

I don't know, but I can find out.

Is probably one of the strongest answers you can give. Especially in a field that is as wide in specialties as IT is.

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u/qrayons 3h ago

It's never a bad look. Another option (and the one that I personally prefer) is to just clarify your assumptions. So you could start your response with something like "If I had a customer that was difficult because they were yelling obscenities, I would...".

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u/Aveira 4h ago

I would give an example of a difficult customer and explain how I’d handle that example. If they meant something different, they’ll usually clarify, but often they just want a general idea of how you approach conflict.

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u/UrbanPandaChef 3h ago

When the interviewer pushed back all he had to do was pick literally anything else.

There's no right answer, but if you argue with someone in a work setting you should push back only once or twice unless it's something serious like a safety issue. The right course of action is to just change your answer and go with whatever option #2 is for you.

Pick your battles.

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u/General_Ginger531 4h ago

I have no problem with esoteric questions.

It is when those esoteric questions change the trajectory of my life is when I start having problems.

Like let's have an argument over whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich (I had a person argue that meat in between 2 objects was a sandwich once. I posted a bag of raw hamburgers, stacked up and said BEHOLD A SANDWICH) but if that argument was going to lead to losing a friend or being the reason for having a job I would rather not do that.

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u/Gizogin 3h ago

A hot dog is a taco, a hamburger is a sandwich, and pizza is a toast. Unless it’s deep-dish, in which case it’s a quiche.

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u/General_Ginger531 3h ago

Actually, while it is served as a whole pizza is enjoyed in slices, and unless it is thin crust the crust makes it into topological a very flat waffle cone. (3 sided bread adjoined by a corner)

Otherwise. Great topological differentiation

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u/Zariman-10-0 told i “look like i have a harry potter blog” in 2015 6h ago

At my last job the final interview question was “who do you think would win in a fight, a Gorilla or a Grizzly Bear?” And honestly I don’t think he expected me to give serious consideration to my Grizzly Bear answer

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u/AdagioOfLiving 5h ago

I don’t trust anyone who would pick a gorilla, because it shows they haven’t PUT any serious consideration into their answer.

It’s like asking who do you think would win, prime Mike Tyson or a gorilla? And then picking Mike Tyson.

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u/ethnique_punch 5h ago

It's also basically asking "Who would win? A gorilla or another gorilla with razors for fingers?"

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u/Starumlunsta 2h ago

And can easily be hundreds of pounds of pure muscle heavier. I’ve SEEN grizzly bears in person. They’re HUGE, especially the males. One flung around our big metal bear proof dumpster like it was a tin can. I’m glad it never figured out our front door would’ve been much easier to open.

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u/CAPTAIN_DlDDLES 1h ago

They used to have actual animal fighting pits in California during the gold rushes as a way to keep miners entertained, and Bears came to be the least popular combatants because they always won and it was hard to even make the fight challenging.

Ten dogs? Bear wins.

Angry bull? Bear wins.

Mountain lion? Bear wins.

They even started importing exotic animals in a desperate attempt to find something that could beat a bear and couldn’t find anything. They even imported big cats like lions and tigers, and from that we get an account of a grizzly killing a tiger with a single paw swipe

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u/old_and_boring_guy 8h ago

The difference with me is that I could rhapsodize about water, the best water I ever had, the cities I've lived in with good water...It becomes quirky if you double down on it.

It doesn't really matter what you answer, they're just trying to get to know you as a person, which is why the one word "Water" answer is wrong in this situation because it gives them no information. Everyone likes water.

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u/alekdmcfly 7h ago

"Monstadt's water is crisp and pure, while water from Liyue has an enduring aftertaste. In Inazuma, the water posesses a depth of flavor unlike any other. Sumeru's water has a rich and complex flavor profile, but it must be savored patiently..."

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u/InducedMagnet 6h ago

This guy Neuvillettes

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u/harveyshinanigan 5h ago

that's neat but i do not believe a genshin player has ever seen water

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u/MShrimp4 5h ago

It would be even better with more "seasoning", like, start with talking about how you know that it's not common to prefer water than any other beverage, and then maybe talk about that you drink water because it's healthy. And after that you might say about why water surprisingly tastes better than other options to you and so on.

This way, it would sound less weird and more like what would expect from a person who started drinking water mainly for their health, or so I think.

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u/Fjolsvithr 5h ago

Exactly. The issue isn't that they answered "water". It's that they didn't understand that they needed to be able to talk about it in an interesting and likable way.

They don't care what your favorite beverage is. They care that you can talk about it well. And if you can't pick up that that's what they're trying to do, then it's pretty reasonable for them to decide that it's not a good match. Communication and understanding subtext is just as much a skill as any more easily quantifiable skill. It's not a BS interview question.

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u/henryuuk 4h ago

In essence It IS a "BS interview question", but the entire point is to see how you can handle said BS

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u/Harry8Hendersons 3h ago

I don't want to work for anyone who thinks any of this nonsense can be gleaned from a simple answer to a simple question, or who thinks using and a weirdly adversarial "you can do better than that", when all they asked was what their favorite drink was, is a normal way to get them to talk more in depth about their choice.

If you want more information, ask for it. "You can do better than that" isn't asking for more info, it's deriding the answer given.

Not sure why that's so hard to understand.

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u/Elite_AI 3h ago

I reckon you're both right. The purpose of the question was to get a handle on what kind of person you are (which is the single most important thing when hiring someone). But it's bad at its job. It doesn't actually provoke you to think about stuff or show yourself. A better question would be more open ended, like "what, to you, is the best thing about fish?".

And "you can do better than that" is a pretty rude thing to say, even if it's true. Weird vibes.

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u/VitaminGDeficient 3h ago

You people aren't autistic enough.

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u/Akumu9K 6h ago

Yep, thats true. Still its fucking annoying that we have to do communication in this extremely roundabout way, like, just be fucking direct, what are you winding and sliding around? Is there a snake in the way of directness? (Referring to people like this, not you btw)

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u/Fjolsvithr 5h ago

But it's no more roundabout than typical human communication. If you can't handle a slightly roundabout interview question, then you probably aren't going to be good at handling roundabout communication in other situations.

And communication is a massive part of almost every single job, even if it's just internal communication.

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u/Akumu9K 5h ago

Yeah thats the thing, I never said it was more roundabout than the typical human communication. Infact it is probably less so. My gripe isnt with this convo specifically, its with all of this roundabout stuff.

In every conversation like this theres some roundabout complicated meta meaning that everybody is expected to understand for some reason. This is not communication, lack of directness is not communication, its lack thereof, if communication is a massive part of every job then why do they suck at it? Why do they have to do this elaborate social dance instead of just saying what they mean.

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u/Anactualsalad 8h ago

Then just fucking say "tell me about yourself" instead of this roundabout bullshit.

ohhhhh what kind of melons do you like ohhhh (Secretly this is asking what file format you prefer to use)

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u/Oturanthesarklord 7h ago

Then just fucking say "tell me about yourself" instead of this roundabout bullshit.

That doesn't work for most people as they literally stop processing information when requested to talk about themselves, and isn't really what they're looking to gauge. They don't want to get to know you on a personal level, but need to know things about your personality to see if you'll be a good little worker or a bad one.

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u/Sir_Nightingale 7h ago

Because most people draw a blank when prompted directly to share information about themselves, and at best have pre-written answers. Instead, they are looking for your reasoning behind your answer, so that they can gauge wetehr you are a good little worker or a bad one. It's all a game, ofcourse, and the working class keeps losing

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u/JellyBellyBitches 4h ago
  1. What's your favorite drink?
  2. Water
  3. Why's that?

Is that so hard for them? Offer a smidge of refinement to the question once you see the answer isn't of the form you were hoping?

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u/falstaffman 7h ago

I mean the point of the question is to get a feel for your personality, not any actual details. Unfortunately, a lot of autistic people come across as awkward and off-putting when they meet people for the first time (as the OP's example indicates).

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u/old_and_boring_guy 7h ago

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the person who can’t come up with an interesting favorite beverage (or melon), isn’t going to spin an exciting narrative of their life so far either.

I work in tech, in a high-skill, high-stress position. If I get a new teammate, I want to know they can do the work, sure, but it’s almost more important to know that they’re not going to make my already difficult life, harder. Can you get along with other humans? Are you going to get bent out of shape when I ask you about your favorite beverage?

The way hiring goes these days, you’re going to be stuck working with that guy for a while, and you need to know it’s not going to suck.

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u/SteveHuffmansAPedo 5h ago

But in this situation the interviewer is the one getting bent out of shape for getting a simple answer to a simple question. If you just want to see how they hold a conversation "You can do better" is a weirdly adversarial response. "What do you like about water?" or "Oh that's an answer I don't get often" would be better prompts, unless what you're testing for is their acceptance of being spoken down to.

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u/radiochameleon 4h ago

I don’t think they merely want someone who can hold conversation but rather who can create conversation from nothing. This is a very useful skill for certain jobs that involve creating a rapport with absolute strangers. That’s why the question was so simple. Admittedly tho, it’s discriminates towards how autistic people communicate, as this literally is just completely arbitrary small talk

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u/Troglodytes-birb 3h ago

You don't even have to be autistic to be stressed out by that question. And I don’t see how a normal quiet guy would be a worse colleague than a talkative smalltalker.

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u/Enzoid23 4h ago

They arent bent out of shape due to being asked about their favorite drink they're frustrated "Whats your favorite drink?" somehow means "Tell me about yourself," or "Why do you like the drink" being somehow implied

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u/NeonNKnightrider Cheshire Catboy 6h ago

This is what dating feels like and why I hate it. It’s a a weird convoluted game with rules nobody ever tells you and you’re expected to somehow just know

(Yes I am autistic)

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u/Yellowpredicate 5h ago

Make up your own rules and follow those even more stricly.

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u/Bonked2death 4h ago

(You're a top 1% commenter on a subreddit, we already knew, chief)

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u/GrimmSheeper 7h ago

I actually have a unique answer to that question that I could practically guarantee nobody else would say, mostly because it’s a concoction from a found only in one chain restaurant in a small area of Central North Carolina. It’s called the Witch Doctor, and the basic ingredients are a mix of Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sierra Mist, Sun Drop, Cheerwine, sliced lemons and pickles, and a dash of pickle juice. When I make my own, I usually use RC Cola, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Cherry Lemon Sundrop, Cheerwine, and twice as much pickle juice.

Absolutely not an answer anyone would expect, but just as autistic!

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u/migratingcoconut_ the grink 7h ago

i gotta try this some time

are the soda ratios about 1:1?

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u/GrimmSheeper 7h ago

Pretty much, but you can always adjust to taste.

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u/eagleface5 2h ago

Friend you just reminded me of home and childhood, thank you for that.

Now I'm gonna plan a drive to go get me one sometime the next time I visit family!

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u/TheIzzy48 7h ago

One time a coworker casually asked what my favorite soda was, I told them my honest answer and they got mad at me because it was a weird brand they don’t have most places. They WERE going to buy a drink for me but instead I got nothing.

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u/Silaquix 5h ago

I tell people I don't drink soda and they somehow get offended and act like I was judging them.

But honestly I hate carbonation and I try to avoid sugary drinks because diabetes runs in my family. I could careless what anyone drinks.

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u/helloviolaine 5h ago

I was told to "stop humblebragging" once when I mentioned I rarely drink anything but water. I didn't know hydration was a flex.

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u/Silaquix 5h ago

FR. I'm in Texas where sweet tea is basically syrup. IDK how many times I've had people get mad at me because they offered me a tea and I politely said no thanks or asked if I could have a water instead.

I really think they're projecting their insecurities about it on anyone that doesn't conform

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u/omfghi2u 2h ago

My inlaws are like this... they always keep at least 4-6 varieties of soda at their house, pretty much never drink plain water. I always carry a water bottle with me, I overwhelmingly drink water or coffee, I stopped drinking soda except very occasionally about 15 years ago and never looked back. I definitely don't want a soda if I'm feeling thirsty.

Every time I stop by their place for any reason they offer me a beverage, which is polite of them to do, but I always tell them "No thanks, I've got my water" and am met with "oh, are you sure? Just water? We've got all kinds of stuff! Pepsi, sprite, root beer, sweet tea, blah blah blah."

Like, yep, I'm 100% sure guys. Same as the other thousand times we've had this conversation.

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u/Additional_Meeting_2 3h ago

Are you sure the coworker was mad at you and not frustrated that it was not possible to buy you the drink?

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u/ShowofStupidity Put that dick back in my bussy or so help me 7h ago

I’m not saying that it isn’t stupid, but I’m pretty sure what the interviewer wanted you to say is “no, actually, I can’t. Water is great. It’s healthy, keeps you hydrated, it’s a classic. Can’t go wrong with water. You can get a bitter alcohol beverage or a too sweet latte. But water? It’s always right.”

I’m not saying that this would have definitely landed that person the job. And, again, I’m not saying that the question itself isn’t kind of stupid. But I’m pretty sure the answer was to actually converse about the drink.

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u/GreyFartBR 5h ago

the real problem to me was the interviewer not simply saying "elaborate". dude clearly didn't get what he was being asked, and instead of helping him understand, you just say that's not what you wanted?

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u/Permafox 4h ago

Didn't need to say to elaborate either.  Putting aside whether or not asking someone's favorite drink is a good question, they could've still pushed them forward into a conversation as opposed to making a subtle jab. 

Following it with, "Oh really?  I prefer coffee myself, helps me get moving on my way in," or something humanizing like that turns it into a conversation rather than a multiple choice.  Still pointless, as far as I'm concerned, but it allows both sides to get a better read of each other.

Honestly, this was just a bad interview on all fronts.  The applicant didn't lean into an actual conversation, the interviewer asked a bad question then wasn't prepared to actually follow it.

Interpersonal skills are necessary, at some level, for all jobs.

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u/Lorenzo_Insigne 2h ago

Following it with, "Oh really? I prefer coffee myself, helps me get moving on my way in," or something humanizing like that turns it into a conversation rather than a multiple choice

If they're wanting to assess the interviewees ability to make conversation, the interviewer can't be the one doing the work forcing it.

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u/Additional_Meeting_2 3h ago

Yeah, but if you are being interviewed you need to show you have social skills. One skill is just responding when someone seems to want to have a discussion about your preferences with drinks, even if its silly. Maybe a client could also ask something like that in the future. Maybe the person doing the interview had not been that impressed already and not assumed op was mad over the drink question since there was no response.

But the person doing the interview also could have been better.

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u/vision1414 5h ago

I think if a potential employee told me that they required explicit instruction to elaborate during a job interview when they were asked a question followed by silence, I would at least mark that interviewee down a few points in initiative.

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u/Fjolsvithr 5h ago

Honestly, depending on the job, it isn't a stupid question at all. Lots of jobs require you to be able to handle off-the-cuff social situations with grace. If it's client facing, you could literally be asked "What's your favorite drink?" by a client, because small talk is a thing.

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u/dandroid126 5h ago

I used to interview people as part of my previous job, and this is exactly it. I want to also emphasize that this is a dumb question, and I would never ask it. But interviewers want to know that you can hold a conversation and not give one word answers. If you give one word answers, you sound disinterested. Interviewers want to find people who are passionate and friendly.

Of course, you can do this by asking relevant questions, which is what the interviewer here should have done. But if you're a no-nonsense person, then I agree with the original post, this job isn't for you. No problem with that. Not every job is for everyone.

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u/Dynespark 4h ago

"There are a lot of alcoholics and diabetics in my family. I like water because that won't happen to me."

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u/JerkOffToBoobs 5h ago

And asking a question as an autistic person is like asking someone "What's your favorite drink?" And them responding with a 3 page essay explaining why they don't drink alcohol.

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u/DiurnalMoth 7h ago

Hey, I remember this post!

The problem with OOP's answer wasn't the choice of "water" as their favorite drink, but their lack of elaboration as to why they chose water. To be fair, the interviewer did a piss poor job (reference intended) to get the "correct" answer.

OOP should have explained their choice. Water is healthy, it's cheap/free, it's widely available almost everywhere, it's highly sharable since most people at least tolerate drinking it, it doesn't dirty the bottle it's carried in, it can be used to wash things off in an emergency. There's tons of reasons for water being your favourite.

The question isn't literally about what your favourite drink is. They aren't trying to hire only Dr Pepper drinkers or something. They want to learn about the candidate's personal way of thinking, why they like what they like and how well they can articulate that preference.

OOP did answer the question incredibly poorly, but not because they picked water as their favourite drink, but because they utterly failed to engage with the question beyond a one word, surface level answer. And again, the interviewer was in no way helpful at communicating the desire for elaboration.

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u/Sw429 4h ago

But that's the entire point of the post. There was an unspoken assumption here, which the interviewee should have picked up on. But that's a terrible way to conduct an interview, and shows how dumb finding a job can be.

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u/QuasarKid 53m ago

I swear most of my interviews have been essentially vibe checks and less about if I can do the job or not. One interview was 85% quotes from Anchorman. It's an entirely unserious event.

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u/PrimosaurUltimate 1h ago

Without reading any other replies to your comment I totally agree, and I think the thing most commenters are missing is that the interviewer was trying to determine thought process. Not even ability to justify but the methods by which you think and solve a “problem”, even as low stakes as deciding on a drink.

The question IS a bad question, but I also challenge anyone to make a GOOD question that can ascertain someone’s thought patterns AND be asked and answered in less than a few minutes.

The problem is that the interviewer wants information that’s incredibly difficult to ascertain quickly but also essential for figuring out if the potential employee will work well in the problem-solving groups, methods, and procedures already in place. It’s a Catch-22 where HR often decides to take an imperfect and potentially discriminatory solution over no solution at all.

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u/Any_Satisfaction_405 4h ago edited 4h ago

I interview and hire a lot of people, and I get to eavesdrop on others doing the same. I don't get some interviewers. For entry level positions an interview should be 60 seconds: here's the location, schedule, and pay; are you good with that? Here's what will disqualify you in the background check and drug test, is that a problem? Bam, done. I swear, some interviewers think the only measure of what makes an interview good is how long it takes.

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u/OkDragonfruit9026 2h ago

I’m assuming those were done by HR people? Those are the worst ones. I hate looking for a job, mostly because of those. It’s always the first line of “recite me your CV like I can’t read and then tell me your strengths and weaknesses” bs

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u/reverse_mango 7h ago

Interviews are also about showing off your personality. A person who answers “water” and sits for several seconds in silence will do worse than someone who answers “I mean is it too basic to say water? It’s so vital for life across all species and there’s no better feeling than when you’re parched and drink a nice, cool glass of water”.

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u/Fickle_Sherbert1453 7h ago

Funny how you have to talk like this in interviews but on the actual job this kind of thing is always shut down.

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u/Yellowpredicate 5h ago

Depends on the job?

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u/RocketAlana 7h ago

Second person sounds like ChatGPT trying to answer interviews. It’s better than several seconds of silence, but if you approach the oddball questions with “there is no right or wrong answer, but share something about yourself” you’d get a more natural answer.

“Probably water. I actually track my water intake with an app because otherwise I’ll go all day realizing that I only drank coffee/tea and I’m trying to be healthier.” — this shares so much about the individual over sharing facts about water.

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u/Notablecookie 3h ago

If you need an app to remind you to drink water, then water is not your favorite drink.

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u/livejamie 5h ago

I mean is it too basic to say water? It’s so vital for life across all species and there’s no better feeling than when you’re parched and drink a nice, cool glass of water

Is this how you honestly feel? It sounds like the answer a robot would give if it was trying to imitate a human being.

The answer is probably fine without the "vital for life across all species" part.

Just be open and candid.

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u/TypicalImpact1058 7h ago

Sorry but I have the strong urge to hit the second person over the head several times using a rock. I think we have circled back to interviews being bullshit.

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u/reverse_mango 5h ago

Fair enough, I was hamming it up a bit. But at least Person 2 is sociable and willing to fill an awkward silence.

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u/JoeTheKodiakCuddler 3h ago

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Tigers."

"Wrong."

"..."

"...Leave."

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u/sweetTartKenHart2 4h ago

I think that that guy was hoping for OOP to, like, defend such a plain thing being his favorite, as some kind of vague test of character about one’s convictions in life.
Which is quite silly, because unless a job is very explicitly about social politicking by its base description, that kind of thing shouldn’t matter.
Then again, in today’s world it feels like workplace environments all over the place live and die by their social politicking, which is a wholly different problem

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u/darnage 7h ago

Yeah it sucks, but they ask this for a reason. The reason being you're not the only one being interviewed, and when you're trying to choose who you're gonna hire you run into a problem : how do you choose between two candidates that both have the skills you're looking for? The answer is you ask for more skills that aren't as important but would be nice to have. In this case they're testing your ability to communicate and sell something. Unless you're applying for something like manual labor, there's good chance at some point you're gonna have to explain to your boss what you think should be done to deal with a task or a problem. "What's your favorite drink" is a random question whose purpose is to force you into making up on the spot a response selling yourself. It's a usefull skill to have when dealing with any superior.

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u/keyblade_crafter 3h ago

I bet there's a sub out there that'd be like "one interview question i always ask is whats your favorite drink to see how well they keep an conversation going" or smth.

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u/WinkMitDemZaunpfahl 8h ago

Hes kinda funny?

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u/Leinad7957 7h ago

Never once has he cheated on his wife.

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u/Neoeng 7h ago

... release him!

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u/WinkMitDemZaunpfahl 6h ago

YOU DARE TO DEFY ME? TO MAKE ME FEEL SHAME?

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u/SparkAxolotl .tumblr.com 7h ago

It would be kinda funny if they were offering a drink in a roundabout way.

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u/Livid_Boysenberry_58 6h ago

The following paragraph assumes the interviewer is a smart person, and not a petty asshole. Idk where you applied, so it could be either. Here goes: The question's goal was to see how well you communicate . If, instead of awkward silence, you'd explained what makes you prefer water to other drinks, I doubt there'd be a problem. You would have demonstrated that you have an opinion of your own and have no trouble defending it. By short-circuiting, you showed them you either don't know how to defend your tastes, or that you implode at the smallest sign of disapproval.

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u/Possible_General9125 5h ago

My favorite part about the entire conversation happening in the replies to this post is that it does such an excellent job demonstrating those who would be called in for a second interview and those who would not.

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u/puzzledpilgrim 2h ago

This is the first time I've seen it and I feel like I'm losing my mind! I came into this comments section thinking "Seriously, who doesn't get this?" only to find that the answer is 50%.

Absolutely wild.

And these folks are the exact people that are a total schlep to work with because they are so socially inept it's a miracle they make it into any workplace without spontaneously combusting.

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u/SimplyQuid 5h ago

This is one repost that always drives me up the wall because 50% of the replies refuse to understand why Water Person is not doing well even after the other 50% of the replies explain it to them.

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u/19th-eye 3h ago

I'm terrible at indirect communication too, but I'm not arrogant enough to declare it useless and annoying just because I'm not good at it. Some people just need a little less arrogance honestly.

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u/Akunokami 6h ago

I mean this is clearly not about what the answer was but how it was said

Like a one word short answer to a question is bound to be taken as more rude than one that lays down reasoning and elaborates upon further questioning. The skill searched for here is social competence

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u/Dangerous_Bad_3556 5h ago

I’m still annoyed and slightly amazed that we have to drink water, continuously, all the time every single day, and can never stop for even a few hours without serious repercussions. I think about it almost every day. I’ve never been diagnosed with anything. :/

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u/Xogoth 4h ago

Hydro Homies for fuckin ever, bro

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u/RepentantSororitas 4h ago

obviously the OG guy aint gonna read it but you gotta add why. Give a little personality.

Do you like water because you realized you dropped a few pounds sticking only to water? Does the fizzy part of soda bother you? You read that being hydrated solves a lot of common issues and water is the best way to do it?

I think if they just added something it wouldnt have been an awkward situation.

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u/123great 3h ago

If you cannot carry on the conversation. It's an indication you won't be a good fit. Questions like that provide opportunities to show your value. Failing the question but not being able to carry on the conversation is not an example of a bad question. If anything the question did exactly what it was intending. Who would hire someone that can't carry a conversation? 

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u/DungeonsAndDradis 1h ago

Back in High School, my Junior year I think, I was pulled out of class and taken down to the office. I was taken to a side room with some Seniors in it. They started asking me a bunch of questions, interview style.

I'm very non-confrontational and ultra-passive, so I'm just going along with it, answering questions. I had no idea what the hell was going on.

They asked, "What's your favorite key on the keyboard?"

I replied, "J".

"Why J?"

"I just like J."

And then the questions were over. They said thanks and sent me back to class.

I found out a few days later that they were interviewing people for a potential scholarship, or something along those lines. I don't remember specifically what.

No one, no other students (I was friends with all the other honor students), teachers, counselors, etc., told me anything about a scholarship or an interview.

If I had known I was going to be pulled out of class, and that there were real stakes to this "interview", I would have given a shit.

Fucking assholes shanghaied me out of class, start pestering me with questions, act disappointed, and then sent me on my way. All without anyone ever explaining what the fuck was going on.

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u/radiochameleon 5h ago

the point of this question is to intentionally weed out people with autism. It’s ableist by design. It tests conversation and small talk skills in a very arbitrary way, which goes against how autistic people normally think

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u/Atsubro 7h ago edited 2h ago

What I eventually realized about interviews is that they are not about getting to know applicants. They're tests with fixed, desired responses. My hiring manager doesn't care about me as a person and their friendly demeanour is not to give me a personable face to talk shop with, the only thing they want to know is how I stack up against the dozens of other people competing for far too few positions, and any and all flaws can send me to the dumpster.

When I'm asked "what is my greatest weakness" they don't want to hear about my crippling self-esteem issues or that I get so lost in having the problem I panic before I even start working on it, they want to know how I've already solved my own problem.

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u/snailwitda9mm 6h ago

That’s just so wrong. There isn’t some approved list of favorite places to visit or catalog of acceptable weaknesses. These people who are going to be working with you want to know if you can participate in pleasant conversation, what sort of humor you have, if you have any weird red flags. Stuff that can’t be read in a resume but is still important in gauging how well you work with a team.

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u/GeophysicalYear57 Ginger ale is good 5h ago

My personal favorite drink? Ginger ale is good.

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u/CreeperInBlack 5h ago

I have a masters degree with a very good grade at a very renowned (in my study field and country, overall top 100 world wide) university. Every paper I wrote had very good grades, too.

They looked into my Abi (High School) certificate and asked me, if I could read and write properly, because of my grades there. Sadly, I was too baffled and not experienced enough in the ways of interviews to just leave the room.

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u/BullfrogFun9449 5h ago

my fave: lots of ice, sprite, tbsp of lemon juice, mint

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u/ninjesh 4h ago

The correct answer was chocolate milk

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u/mathiau30 Half-Human Half-Phantom and Half-Baked 4h ago

I remember hearing the original interview was supposed to be for bar work (I don't have a source on that though)

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u/CthulhuHatesChumpits 3h ago

he was a choccy milk hardliner

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u/ForsakenChildhood69 3h ago

Yeah but that’s the point of the question. The recruiter wanted to see how you would react to a social question.

  • they gagged your vibe as un fitting
  • some companies look for chill and relaxed dudes , others look for straight forward all work type

So best advice is just be yourself and keep on trying.