I look way too young to be interviewing people, so I personally would not use that one; it would indeed “smell fishy,” and, seeing as I actually don’t interview people, I would not be able to do it naturally. Otherwise, it would be fairly normal to talk about interview candidates if they’re on your mind; just a few months ago, a professor called me as I walked by his office and started wondering aloud whether to hire a guy (though the professor was very much not a stranger).
On the other hand, it’s actually true that I hear people talking about joining a rationality club or being rationalists, so I could probably use the other two off fairly naturally.
I’d agree though with your overall concerns; these might work better as the first thing you say after “Hi, I’m Ray” (in a context where that’s appropriate) than as true openers. I’ve nonetheless definitely seen these kinds of lines work in starting conversations with random strangers.
I look way too young to be interviewing people, so I personally would not use that one; it would indeed “smell fishy,” and, seeing as I actually don’t interview people, I would not be able to do it naturally. Otherwise, it would be fairly normal to talk about interview candidates if they’re on your mind; just a few months ago, a professor called me as I walked by his office and started wondering aloud whether to hire a guy (though the professor was very much not a stranger).
On the other hand, it’s actually true that I hear people talking about joining a rationality club or being rationalists, so I could probably use the other two off fairly naturally.
I’d agree though with your overall concerns; these might work better as the first thing you say after “Hi, I’m Ray” (in a context where that’s appropriate) than as true openers. I’ve nonetheless definitely seen these kinds of lines work in starting conversations with random strangers.