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This is the easiest question to get to know a persons ability to communicate, whether or not they can assert purpose when they speak or if they get nervous/flustered, if they can articulate what makes them valuable and how it will make them an asset. If someone cant even verbalize talking about their "story" (themselves), most likely the employer will be in a heap of trouble somewhere down the road.
Are you trying to date the candidate or are you trying to hire someone?
Personality? Really?
Yes, really. Working with somebody is much worse than a dating where you can always just walk away.
When you work with somebody you spend more time than with your dates and even more importantly your career / appraisal / bonus is directly tied to quality of work of people you supervise.
Hiring one bad apple can destroy your own career.
Yes, in higher profile jobs with some responsibility or for jobs when you face the customers, personality is "make or break" factor.
What that means for all applicants is they should at least try to look enthusiastic and energetic and when asked about themselves give some details to support that impression.
It's too general which is why so many people I talked to had issues with the question. It sounds better to say, tell me a little bit about your work history or talk a little about your personality. Not just coming out and saying..."tell me about yourself"
It's such a lazy way to find out about a job candidate
I don't mean to insult you or anything, but I've been seeing some of your posts/responses to issues you're having with job hunting, and there's a pattern starting to form in the way you approach not only interviews and job searches, but people as well. If you had done some interview prep (as you're supposed to) you would see that "tell me about yourself" is one of the most common questions asked at interviews. I get asked it exactly that way at almost every interview. It's SUPPOSED to be an open-ended question to gauge how someone responds, whether it's about your personality, work history, or (ideally) a mix of both. A hiring manager is going to want to know how YOU fit in the organization, how your WORK history fits in the organization/job role and whether that job is something you're going to excel at and stick with. It doesn't really matter whether he asks "tell me about your work history...personality" because it's the same question, just worded a little differently.
For the future, just prep an answer for any variation of those. Again, it's a very basic question, and usually reserved for hiring managers who may not be that experienced in interviewing. It's does NOT mean they're lazy or doing it to sabotage you. Hiring managers are looking to fill a job just as much as you want a job, so they're not going to purposefully set up interviewees for failure. Most of the time they want YOU to work out just as badly so they can fill the position.
That's my two cents, it's open to different opinions. I just think your attitude towards these things, given your prior posts and responses, makes me think you're really sabotaging yourself by making it seem like everyone else is at fault or unprepared.
Why is a personality so important? I've worked with people who were so skilled, so intelligent, so good at what they did, but were not spotlights with the small talk.
Personality is not the same as ability to do small talk. What you are looking for in a potential candidate is ability to work as part of the team, ability to interface with coworkers and often customers.
And yes, in some jobs even ability to engage in small talk is critical.
Anyways, big employers go as far as to hire psychologists to evaluate employees, most HR people in big corporations are pretty much industrial psychologists. Keep that in mind and be prepared to deal with somebody who is not that much interested in your education and skill set as in your personality, or to be precise usefulness to organization they represent.
Human dynamics in any large group of people, including employees of any business, are very important to success. Some people work good in a team, some people don't. It's important to make sure you are not hiring somebody how can't perform well within the team.
Let's remember, everybody, from janitors and waitresses to doctors and attorneys go through some interview process so all these comments are very general but some things are the same regardless of position for which you apply: your task as an applicant is to present yourself as useful to the business from any perspective. Nobody will hire you because you have a diploma and even experience but because your knowledge and experience can be useful to the organization. Show the value of your knowledge and experience, show how hiring you will help the business. That's all.
I don't mean to insult you or anything, but I've been seeing some of your posts/responses to issues you're having with job hunting, and there's a pattern starting to form in the way you approach not only interviews and job searches, but people as well. If you had done some interview prep (as you're supposed to) you would see that "tell me about yourself" is one of the most common questions asked at interviews. I get asked it exactly that way at almost every interview. It's SUPPOSED to be an open-ended question to gauge how someone responds, whether it's about your personality, work history, or (ideally) a mix of both. A hiring manager is going to want to know how YOU fit in the organization, how your WORK history fits in the organization/job role and whether that job is something you're going to excel at and stick with. It doesn't really matter whether he asks "tell me about your work history...personality" because it's the same question, just worded a little differently.
For the future, just prep an answer for any variation of those. Again, it's a very basic question, and usually reserved for hiring managers who may not be that experienced in interviewing. It's does NOT mean they're lazy or doing it to sabotage you. Hiring managers are looking to fill a job just as much as you want a job, so they're not going to purposefully set up interviewees for failure. Most of the time they want YOU to work out just as badly so they can fill the position.
That's my two cents, it's open to different opinions. I just think your attitude towards these things, given your prior posts and responses, makes me think you're really sabotaging yourself by making it seem like everyone else is at fault or unprepared.
Just seems like I keep getting these new questions on a interview I never heard before and sometimes it just feels like I being set up to fail. Now I will admit I didn't spend a lot of time preparing for the interview because I felt like I was experienced enough to do well but I was wrong. So now I been preparing for a interview I don't even have yet the past 3 weeks so that when the next opportunity comes I will be better prepared.
In fact, there WAS a time when an "interview" would be to simply see if the person was dressed decently, and standing/walking/breathing normally they came in to fill out an application. If they met the aforementioned "qualifications", they were hired for a wage good enough to support their families.
In Detroit, until the 1980s, it was perfectly normal for a person to leave high school, walk down the street to a factory, and start working the same day making excellent money.
These 2nd/3rd/4th interviews, personality tests, etc. for jobs that don't even pay particularly well are very recent additions to the hiring process.
Exactly, because they were more focused on hiring a good employee. Now, it's being selected to be in someone's fan club. Will you be a good fan? Will you become part of the clique and follow their every move? Will you like milk vs. dark chocolate? Will you watch Dancing With the Stars and come in and talk about it? Will you abhor eating fish? (Several places I've worked, this has actually been an issue. Don't bring any fish in your lunch, including tuna fish, because it upsets someone. NO kidding.)
Personality is not the same as ability to do small talk. What you are looking for in a potential candidate is ability to work as part of the team, ability to interface with coworkers and often customers.
And yes, in some jobs even ability to engage in small talk is critical.
ur education and skill set as in your personality, or to be precise usefulness to organization they represent.
Anyways, big employers go as far as to hire psychologists to evaluate employees, most HR people in big corporations are pretty much industrial psychologists. Keep that in mind and be prepared to deal with somebody who is not that much interested in yo
Human dynamics in any large group of people, including employees of any business, are very important to success. Some people work good in a team, some people don't. It's important to make sure you are not hiring somebody how can't perform well within the team.
Let's remember, everybody, from janitors and waitresses to doctors and attorneys go through some interview process so all these comments are very general but some things are the same regardless of position for which you apply: your task as an applicant is to present yourself as useful to the business from any perspective. Nobody will hire you because you have a diploma and even experience but because your knowledge and experience can be useful to the organization. Show the value of your knowledge and experience, show how hiring you will help the business. That's all.
Nope, that's not "that's all."
Well of course, but any good manager worth his salt, will KNOW how you are going to help them increase business. They aren't stupid. If you have to tell them how you will make them money, unless it's a sales job, then they are clueless to your job function. If they interview you, then they have a good clue that you are going to be "useful to the organization."
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It's important to make sure you are not hiring somebody how can't perform well within the team.
Yep, that's it alright. Work well with the "team". Most "teams" are pretty much people out for themselves and care little about you interfacing with them. Most want you to stay down, so they can look more important. You describe ideal situations, not reality. "Teamplayer" really means you are willing to bend over.
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And yes, in some jobs even ability to engage in small talk is critical.
Yes, most places are political and engaging in small talk is seen as being part of the group. But too much emphasis is placed on this. A really smart guy who is a great worker and can make the company more successful can be shut out because he isn't seen as a small talker.
Anyways, big employers go as far as to hire psychologists to evaluate employees, most HR people in big corporations are pretty much industrial psychologists. Keep that in mind and be prepared to deal with somebody who is not that much interested in your education and skill set as in your personality, or to be precise usefulness to organization they represent.
I'd hardly call an HR clerk "an industrial psychologist". Most can't discern, so they have to resort to application tests, online tests, and other software to filter out candidates. I don't think you can speak for HR people anyway. A lot of places are doing away with HR and are outsourcing their insurance, retirement, and other benefits. Managers take over hiring and such. I've seen this in a lot of places, and they aren't paying people to sit around and act important. I worked for a huge company, and believe it or not, they had ONE HR person. Everything was outsourced and it was very well done.
It sounds like you think anyone being interviewed is just some bum off the street.
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Human dynamics in any large group of people, including employees of any business, are very important to success. Some people work good in a team, some people don't. It's important to make sure you are not hiring somebody how can't perform well within the team.
Sounds like they are more interested in a mindset, the ability to just dissolve the initiative. Conformity. Human beings are far more complex than to say everyone should "interact" in the same ways.
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Let's remember, everybody, from janitors and waitresses to doctors and attorneys go through some interview process so all these comments are very general but some things are the same regardless of position for which you apply: your task as an applicant is to present yourself as useful to the business from any perspective.
Not true. I know in my profession, a real interview is far different than for someone in other professions.
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Your task as an applicant is to present yourself as useful?
What are you interviewing, uneducated bums? As useful?? My gosh, if an HR clerk can't tell if someone would be useful to their organization, why did they bring them in for an interview? You make it sound like everything goes back to first base and neither party knows why they are sitting there.
[b]I'd hardly call an HR clerk "an industrial psychologist". Most can't discern, so they have to resort to application tests, online tests, and other software to filter out candidates. I don't think you can speak for HR people anyway. A lot of places are doing away with HR and are outsourcing their insurance, retirement, and other benefits. Managers take over hiring and such. I've seen this in a lot of places, and they aren't paying people to sit around and act important. I worked for a huge company, and believe it or not, they had ONE HR person. Everything was outsourced and it was very well done.
I dont call them industrial psychologists, many simply have degrees in that field and even if the HR department is outsourced it is outsourced to a company that hires psychologist as well. There is no escape body, who is better than a psychologist to weed out underserables, psychopaths and employess who may come back with AK-47 when let go...
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Originally Posted by nebulous1
What are you interviewing, uneducated bums? As useful?? My gosh, if an HR clerk can't tell if someone would be useful to their organization, why did they bring them in for an interview? You make it sound like everything goes back to first base and neither party knows why they are sitting there.
What can you tell by looking at a resume often written by somebody else? Education? Experience? Most people lie and resumes never tell a full story but just a snapshot.
Every job that I ever landed I had to go through at least three interviews.... It's not easy to find a good fit... You can be the best in your field and still not be a good fit for the position...
PS Why are you so scared of psychologists?
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