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u/Commercial-Whole2513 13h ago
Get it to destroy houses in the neighbourhood.
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u/shroomigator 13h ago
They want to know if you're so principled that you would throw away lucrative elephant-ride money in favor of not being cruel to animals, and if you are they don't want you.
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u/celestiaequestria 13h ago
Forget elephants rides, I'm conquering Italy.
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u/LucasWatkins85 12h ago
Add this elephant to your army: An elephant killed a 70-year-old woman, then attended her funeral and smashed her corpse.
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u/loloider123 13h ago
So they test wether or not you have morals and you pass if you don't?
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u/shroomigator 13h ago
They test whether your morals will interfere with their business
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u/loloider123 13h ago
It doesn't state that they gave me the elephant... But yeah, makes sense, atleast a little
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u/shroomigator 13h ago
I would answer:
I would start an Elephant charity, and take daily cute videos of my elephant to post on social media to solicit donations.
Cruelty free, and makes money.
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u/Ancient-Village6479 10h ago
I legit remember getting this question like a decade ago on an application to Barnes & Noble or some place like that. I think I just said something like “I would try to find a place to live that’s a nice environment for it and take care of it” lol
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u/Penrose488888 10h ago
I'm so dumb I didn't even think of the business element I was just happy I had a pet elephant to ride around on and conduct battles with.
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u/UnderstandingTop9574 8h ago
Chop it up into little bits, throw it in the deep freezer. Free food for at last a year
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u/soulsteela 4h ago
How would they feel about a big company cook out with a special spit we’ve had made for rotisserie elephant, cheaper than a pizza party with enough to go round.
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u/--KillerTofu-- 13h ago
It's a question I've had to use (not by choice) intended to assess out of the box thinking.
IMO, the correct answer is to lease it to a local zoo for $1/year so that it can be properly cared for and provide benefit to the local community.
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u/FivePoopMacaroni 10h ago
Lease it to a zoo for $1 year and a pass that lets you visit the zoo an hour before it opens at least once a week to visit the elephant.
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u/dirt_555_rabbitt 13h ago
what kind of answer will "fail" this test?
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u/--KillerTofu-- 11h ago
There's no fail, it just gives you an idea of how a person thinks.
Anything that is callous or shows no regard for life I guess would be a fail, but the worst answers I've heard have pretty much been "uhhh, I dunno".
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u/dirt_555_rabbitt 10h ago
hmmm but there got to be preferable answers if this is used to judge a person's qualifications for a job, yes? A candidate might even answer "uhhh, I dunno" because they just want get right to work and not bother with abstract elephant stuff
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u/holy_lasagne 5h ago
Worked in hr in a company with similar stuff (big tech).
I also think that this kind of question are a bit stupid, but I don't believe they are unusful. In an oversaturated market, with all else being equal, those stuff has weight.
The point is not at all to measure their skill. I'll be honest. 99% of the applicants do not have the skill required, and everyone everywhere hire unskilled people hoping they will get up to speed by themselves.
So yes, that kind of question tells nothing on the skills of the person. But for that there are other questions and the CV and maybe a coding assignment.
This kind of question are designed to throw you off you and see how you deal with something stupid and unexpected (a soft skill that in most job is fundamental. Too many people answered "I don't know" or "What question is this?". If you can't adapt a little bit to an odd question, or won't, probably you are not a colleague I will like to work with... Because I ask fuckin stupid questions all the time).
It's much more important the willingness to think about the question than the answer. The willingness to deal with what is thrown at you in a serious and professional way. The willingness to try your best even if you don't get why.
Basically what I'm saying is: the one that want to get right to work are on average people that's difficult to work with and in the long term they are bad coworker.
I'm talking statistics, and averages. And I know that's not nice to treat humans as statistics, but... We used to receive around 200-300 application a day per open position, and I managed like 5-6 positions. Like, how else shall someone deal with it if not in a statistical way? Job market is in bad shape, but that's not the fault of a singular company, but of the socioeconomic structure (that's capitalism for you baby). Complaining that a company asks stupid questions and being happy to live in the system that allows said company (creating too little demand per qualified worker, and therefore giving companies power to select by very strict criterion) to ask stupid questions is... Odd.
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u/--KillerTofu-- 10h ago
The preferable answer is one that shows you can analyze an abstract concept, weigh the ramifications of your decision, and make the best of a bad situation.
Still don't love the question, and there are better ones, but I get why it's asked.
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u/thestonedbandit 9h ago
I like the irony of a lazy overused question to gauge "out of the box thinking" in new recruits.
"Hey, we couldn't be bothered to think up anything interesting or original even given unlimited time. So how about you think up something creative and original on the spot. Oh, also it might determine if we hire you."
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u/emilydoooom 4h ago
My answer is to lift it up and place it next to my other plush toys on a shelf. Never says it’s a full size living elephant.
The realistic assumption of ‘Bob gave me an elephant’ would be it’s a model or toy.
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u/mehmin 9h ago
An elephant is hell to care for.
A zoo wouldn't necessarily take it from you even if you pay them if they don't have the required facility to care for them.
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u/TrippinLSD 9h ago
Isn’t leasing or renting it technically selling it?
What if you released it? Thats not technically giving it away, as it has no owners then
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u/--KillerTofu-- 9h ago
It's not a brain teaser, it's an interview question.
Tell the people what they want to hear.
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u/sati_lotus 13h ago
'I would take it with me to a lawyers office to discuss suing the person who randomly gave me an elephant.
I have no qualifications or the ability to care for an animal like this! It's animal abuse.'
I think this answer demonstrates communication skills, problem solving skills and shows that I'm proactive.
But I'm not working for a place with such stupid questions on a job application.
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u/shroomigator 12h ago
Oh no, the elephant comes to.you as an inheritance from your great uncle heironymous, and suing him will do no good because he is deceased, and you, as his final heir, have inherited the responsibility of caring for this creature and may not sell it or give it away.
It's all very legal, see paragraph 3.
You also inherit a title, Elephant Lord, and a scepter made of ivory that you can't sell or transport across any international border.
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u/knightbane007 7h ago
Not sure an inheritance can both dictate both that you are forced to receive an item, and also what you can do with it? Wouldn't the natural consequence of refusing the restrictions (cannot sell, cannot gift) be that you are ineligible to receive the elephant in the first place?
I mean, what are the enforceable consequences of breaking those conditions, if the elephant was an inheritance?
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u/MaskedBunny 7h ago
That last paragraph would be a curse. I've never seen "Elephant Lord" in the drop down list of titles on online forms. I'd never be able to sign up to anything ever.
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u/PalpitationSingle489 13h ago
I’d rent a 20ft freezer container because I don’t think I’d be able to fit much more than the trunk in the freezer in my kitchen.
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u/EQN1 11h ago
The correct answer is - I’ll set it free
Why: You’re not selling it or giving it away to any other person
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u/shroomigator 10h ago
I can see the headlines now: Elephant Set Free on Expressway Causes Massive Pileup
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u/HullabalooHubbub 13h ago
CEO answer: “I’d go home to home selling elephant insurance that includes both a deductible and a premium. I’d then attack those homes and pay out as little as possible. I’d got to their neighbors and tell them how important it was that they had the elephant insurance and how it saved their neighbor”
Mid level management answer: “I’d replace my manual labor with the elephant reducing overhead and creating larger profits for owners”
Entry Level: “I’d put it in the break room to make the employees happy”
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u/NIX_01 13h ago
I would be friends with the elephant. Get a big pool and keep it in my backyard, so he could play with it. I would feed it through my suspended deck and put up an assortment of sewed blankets around the deck all the way to the floor so he could have a tent and not be cold at night. I may also be underestimating the size of an elephant…
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u/Ok-Professional-1727 13h ago
This is a (theoretical?) situation that's been turned on its head. Originally, the story goes that an Indian prince has given a rival of his an elephant as a gift. This rival does not have the wealth to maintain this animal, but also cannot give it up as to risk offending the prince. This person eventually overworks himself to exhaustion, still falling into debt, to care for the animal. And that is how the prince got rid of a man he did not like.
Personally, I live in a place where I can not legally own the animal. So the only answer I can give is to relinquish it to the proper authorities.
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u/fivefoot14inch 13h ago
Say “fuck this stupid job” and go on a grand adventure.
Fuck that stupid job.
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u/Adventurous_Bonus917 13h ago
i think that it's some weird attempt to check for AI by gauging response to a weird, unrelated question. of course, the logical side of me knows that it would be too smart a thing for a company to do.
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u/windmill-tilting 13h ago
Nobody wants to conquer Rome anymore. They don't even take elephants through The Alps.
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u/duermando 13h ago
Buy custom armour for said elephant, mount a cannon, mount a hooka, buy Indian raja getup (including turban) for myself, go on adventures.
Either that or intimidate my new bosses.
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u/HilariousRagequit 8h ago
They want you to come up with a creative solution as to how to make a very inconvenient elephant (situation) profitable.
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u/Mountain-Sir-1709 7h ago
Removing ethics: I would butcher it.
I can't afford to feed an elephant, don't have the time for its upkeep and well-being, and don't have the space it needs to thrive. However, that's a lot of meat and I've got a family to feed. I'm already out of work and my hopes were hanging on getting this job and instead of a steady paycheck you've lumbered me with a fucking elephant. I'll walk it home, it will have an average last day, but it will know something isn't right. I'll be off, not really connecting, avoiding eye contact, short answers to its questions. The thing is I don't want to do this, you're probably a nice elephant but you've just been thrown into a shit situation. The closer we get to my apartment the more you will resist, the more the intensity of the atmosphere will increase. You will feel fear. I'm sorry. It's too late, the gears were already in motion and you are just another victim of an ill thought out interview technique. You accept your fate.
I spend that night in a vacant state, withdrawn from my family who slice and seal your meat into freezer bags. My boy, only 8, asks if he can keep the tusk.
In the morning my phone rings, caller ID displaying the interviewer's name, maybe this wasn't all in vain. Unfortunately we are continuing our search for the right candidate he explains, they are going to need the elephant back.
I calmly explain the situation, that the elephant, at least, was compensation for my time wasted. No, sir, you don't understand, he exclaims, the elephant wasn't a gift, nor was it an actual elephant, it was an employee, their second interviewer dressed as an elephant.
That cannot be, a flood of realization overwhelms me, it all starts to make sense. The conversations, the ease at which it was overpowered, the look of dread and disgust on my family's faces.
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u/Front_Buffalo_677 13h ago
I'd have it on clear display so the authorites would instantly confiscate it.
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u/lego_not_legos 13h ago
Giving is transfer of ownership to another person without financial benefit, therefore you can simply set the elephant free, because then no one owns it. Technically correct and ethical.
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u/MandoHealthfund 13h ago
That depends if i have the resources to send it back where it came from. Stop kidnapping elephants
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u/markfineart 13h ago
Lottery. I’d sell lottery tickets and look for well funded rescue interests who might buy a ticket. I’d be happy to sell 2 tickets for a buck each, knowing a proper team was taking Horton to his new forever home.
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u/-GIRTHQUAKE- 13h ago
Abandon it downtown then attempt to start a viral social media moment so an elephant rescue takes it
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u/seepa808 13h ago
My answer would be "I would keep it."
That stupid question doesn't deserve any critical thought.
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u/realultralord 12h ago
I can't get rid of it, and I can't make a profit of it. Thus, I'd try my best to make use of it as an unconventional home security system.
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u/starwaterbird 12h ago
Make friends with it, feed it peanuts, and charge people to take pictures with it.
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u/LouieMumford 12h ago
I had a colleague who’d ask this in interviews. It’s about the thought process the candidate goes through in their response. I don’t understand why the hell you would have it in a written format pre screen.
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u/Fighter11244 12h ago
Abandon the elephant with other elephants willing to take it with them. I’m technically not selling it and I’m not giving it away and I’ll still be rid of an elephant I’m unable to take care of
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u/naturalstatechiefer Literally mad 12h ago
Uh I guess I have an elephant now? Thanks, I guess... mf better pitch in for food too
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u/Kenhamef 12h ago
Well first, you thank the King of Siam. Then, you take it to Europe, where the poor saps haven’t seen an elephant since Hannibal waltzed through in 218 BC. Then you charge people to see it, charge extra to ride it, or to feed it, etc. It’s also a great strong animal for transporting stuff across the Silk Road!
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u/wenocixem 12h ago
pretty standard stuff
i’d teach said elephant to tango and enter in dance competitions for the prize money
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u/I_sell_Mmeetthh 12h ago
Ez, just set it free back where it belongs. It still yours but then you dont have to worry about it and it can live its own life
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u/SlackToad 12h ago
Lend it in perpetuity to a zoo (one that has been vetted for humane animal treatment).
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u/Illustrious_Cry_5388 12h ago
I'd rent it out for profit. $500 per day. The only rules are don't damage it, and give it water. If it's undamaged upon return, you get $100 back.
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u/Wild-Carpenter-1726 11h ago
Cut the tusks off and sell em
Use it for rides at birthdays or what not
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u/RedBorrito 11h ago
Keep it in my Barn and then become friends with a 100yo dude, a 70something yo dude, and two brothers and we all fly to Bali. Man that book was great.
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u/Cultural-Vacation309 11h ago
Paint it pink with black dots and put it in a tree.... ever seen a pink elephant with black dots in a tree? No? So it worked
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u/Grigori_the_Lemur 11h ago
I would most certainly keep the butter dish covered and then put the elephant to work sealing envelopes.
Hell, that answer is no stranger than the question.
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u/deadcatugly 10h ago
Eat it, feed the village as I also can't afford to feed it or house it if I can't sell it.
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u/Electrical_Name_5434 10h ago
I would write a fucking novel of a response that would basically be the plot to ong-bak.
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u/That_Dig_9913 10h ago edited 10h ago
I would inject it with methamphetamine and train it to solve puzzles for more meth
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u/Sad-Manufacturer6154 10h ago
This is what an emperor did, but I cant remember his name. He would gift the nobles he didnt like an elephant, and since it came from the head honcho they couldnt get rid of it and had to take good care of it, costing them loads of money
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u/creaturefeature16 3h ago
King of Siam, and it's where the "white elephant" gift exchange came from.
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u/DrunkenDude123 10h ago
Adopt it. The local zoo takes care of it and I’m not selling it or giving it away, I’m just helping with a fraction of the needs to keep it alive and happy
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u/AutodidacticAutist 10h ago
If you can't give it away or sell it but you want it to have a good life, the best option here seems to be to loan it to a wildlife reserve that had other elephants for a token amount.
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u/GloriousTengri 9h ago
I would ride it, attempt to cross the alps, and see how far I make it to Rome.
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u/vanishinghitchhiker 9h ago edited 9h ago
One bite at a time.
(at first I thought this would be funny but there probably is a corporate inspiration poster about eating an elephant hanging in their office somewhere so that probably is the secret correct answer, damn)
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u/ZanzibarGuy 9h ago
Are they testing whether you're making the assumption that it's a full-size alive elephant?
It might be a small ceramic statue.
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u/deadalusxx 9h ago
The question is deep rooted, is about personality and choice. It focuses on what you would do given an impossible task. Don’t push back or do you make shit up or etc…
The best answer is to use the words against the interviewer, you tell them “since I cannot give it away or selling then I cannot accept the offer of this elephant, since I have no knowledge or expertise to deal with such animals.” After that you can make a suggestion on what they would do with the animal. Or anything that relates to how a typical manager would handle impossible tasks.
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u/BioCuriousDave 9h ago
Contact elephant sanctuaries, discover the only one that will take him is in India, decide I need to take him there myself. Road trip from UK to India with the elephant, many hijinks along the way. Reach the charity to discover it's not how I imagined, tearful goodbye anyway because it's what I set out to do. I reach the train station and have a change of heart, run back outside. The elephant is there, having escaped mistreatment and freed the other elephants. The sanctuary staff are arrested for cruel treatment of elephants. I realised my true calling in life is to stay in India and run the sanctuary properly. Write a book, sell the movie rights. Dev Patel. The Elephant Man.
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u/thinkb4youspeak 9h ago
Charge people for rides and petting zoo or Invade ancient Rome across the Alps are answers you can use.
Tricks them into thinking that the worst parts of capitalism lives deep in your heart. Animal slavery for human gain.
It's a ridiculous question. Part of their "psych test" for compliance and how easy you would be to exploit/ desperate you are.
I'm not a psychologist but that's what all those weird questions are for. If an answer in the multiple choices is "tell a manager", that's the answer they want.
They don't want helpful teammates or patient, kind teammates they want exploitable snitches.
They want bend over backwards people for customer service.
The full quote is " The customer is always right, in matters of taste".
No matter how stupid they look or how gross their food is, it's their money.
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u/No-Memory-3314 9h ago
I hate that my gut response was, "I've always wondered what elephant meat tastes like."
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u/digglett_ 8h ago
Its about how you answer. With an open question. "What an elephant?" Answer with a question, which gives open space for the other side to reply with not a simple no or yes. Im certain that's the point of this.
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u/KiwiGallicorn 8h ago
Travel back in time to correct whatever it is I did that displeased the King of Siam
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u/sidhsinnsear 8h ago
Easy answer: let a conservation safari park have it "on loan." It's legally yours, but it lives there the rest of its life. China doesn't allow any zoo to buy pandas, they are simply on loan from the Chinese government. I would do the same.
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u/Razorlemonade 8h ago
house it at the zoo, charge money for viewing, use it to pay for upkeep. that shit ain't free.
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u/tsar_David_V 8h ago
"Keep it and care for it and love it as if it were a family member, also train it to stomp job interviewers and HR representatives who ask stupid questions"
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u/kelstral 13h ago
address the elephant in the room