Because I’m not sure what the motivations behind asking trivia questions are, I don’t know for sure how your answer would be perceived. That is likely how I would answer a question about an API I wasn’t familiar with, though filters are more of a structural aspect of .NET MVC than an API (though it’s still all functions at the bottom). Not knowing an important structural aspect of a framework you claim to be proficient in can be a red flag—though in my case I knew what they were, but did not know what they were called. (I looked them up after the first interview where I was asked about them, which was a good thing, because I was asked about them again in my last interview.) Another good lesson!
I agree that making the interview pleasant for the interviewer is a good idea. It does seem like a “too obvious to be said” sort of thing, which probably means it needs to be said more often. The question that follows is how to do that, especially if you don’t have an instinct for it.
I’ve also read the advice to practice answering questions on a whiteboard. It’s good advice, but in the interview that got me hired I didn’t actually do any whiteboarding, so I didn’t think to list it.
Because I’m not sure what the motivations behind asking trivia questions are, I don’t know for sure how your answer would be perceived. That is likely how I would answer a question about an API I wasn’t familiar with, though filters are more of a structural aspect of .NET MVC than an API (though it’s still all functions at the bottom). Not knowing an important structural aspect of a framework you claim to be proficient in can be a red flag—though in my case I knew what they were, but did not know what they were called. (I looked them up after the first interview where I was asked about them, which was a good thing, because I was asked about them again in my last interview.) Another good lesson!
I agree that making the interview pleasant for the interviewer is a good idea. It does seem like a “too obvious to be said” sort of thing, which probably means it needs to be said more often. The question that follows is how to do that, especially if you don’t have an instinct for it.
I’ve also read the advice to practice answering questions on a whiteboard. It’s good advice, but in the interview that got me hired I didn’t actually do any whiteboarding, so I didn’t think to list it.
Thanks!