I feel like a "fake person" in job interviews!!

[Rift]

I can relate to all of what you have said OP. The world is full of BS that is for sure. It's really about playing "the game" in order to get a job or fit in. You are not alone my man. Unfortunatley, you have to be fake. It's not fun and is painful at times, but this is the way of the world. Just be true to yourself outside of these interviews and be yourself. The interview "game" is BS and always will be. Run with the sheep. That is the only option unless you can come up with another way to support yourself through an entire lifetime. Good Luck and I mean that sincerely bro!

[statisticsnerd]

How do "what are your strengths and weaknesses?," "why should I hire you?," and truly stupid questions like "what is your favorite book?" have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with your ability to do the job?

That is what I don't get. Most interviews I've been on have been chock full of these open-ended, nonsensical, completely irrelevant questions that tell the interviewer absolutely nothing about the candidate's work ethic or potential job performance. They have nothing at all to do with what you will be doing on a daily basis. The few relevant questions can usually be BS-ed as well. People will talk up their experience to the nth degree, making up all sorts of stuff.

Most "interviews" are nothing but fluff and a complete waste of time for both the interviewer and the candidate. If I were in charge of hiring, I would do the following:

a.) First, give the candidate a skills test.
b.) If he passes, talk to him about the position a bit more and see if he is still interested. If yes, then I would make an offer.