Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is that a "so have you stopped beating your wife" questions? The question implies that you have a temper problem.
I would have answered that I don't. Being a professional is all about having control in the work place but if I ever did lose my temper w/someone who was not at fault, I would have cooled down and taken them aside later and apologized. What a lame question.
^^^^ This....
Part of being professional is keeping you're temper in check and knowing how to "cool down"
What so many of you are overlooking, is that when you hire someone it is more than can you do your job. You are bringing someone aboard to be part of a team. If that person does not fit in, you don't hire them. You don't want to hire someone that will be a disruptive influence.
You are trying to ask questions, to see how fast a person thinks, reacts and can solve problems. Some questions are to put a little pressure on you, to see how you react under stress and pressure. If you can't handle it in the interview, you will not be able to handle the pressure and stress on the job. Some questions are just to get you to talk, and find how well you can talk about things, which will be how you can handle discussing problems on the job.
Many of you think it is only about if you could do the work on a technical basis, but it is the overall work environment you are being evaluated for. You say you do practice interviews which you answer questions about your field of work. You get upset because you are asked questions that have nothing to do with the work. What they are doing, is asking questions you cannot have practiced and ready to give canned answers to the questions. They are looking to get to know the real you.
They are hoping you will be exactly the person they need for the job, and are hoping to have you around for a long time. They are going to hire, the person that fits the mold for the ideal person to be around and to do the job.
You ask completely different questions when hiring a janitor, than you do for an office manager to manage 50 people. It is more important that the office manager fits the ideal mold, than it does the janitor who cleans up after hours when he/she is the only one there.
As far as the type interviews held today, they really have not changed very much if any over the last 60 years I have been around the business world.
The question that used to trip me up a little is "What was the worst thing about your last job?" There is no way to really answer that well. One time I remember saying "I noticed your cubicles are larger here (had to walk through an office area on way to interview) than they were at my last job. Yes, it would have been nice to have larger cubicles there like you have here, but the plusses far outweighed the minusses there. I would have stayed if I had not been laid off."
The strengths part of it is easy: punctual, hardworking, work well with others, willing to work occasional OT, etc.
The weaknesses part is a little more of a challenge. Maybe something like: "My work ethic is strong and sometimes I want to just quickly work right through and even skip my lunch break and eat a sandwich at my desk while working. I have realized that it is best to actually take the thirty minutes to eat, relax and recharge, but on seldom occasions I will slip back to that old habit. Most firms want you to take that break these days or at least the ones I have worked at. That would be a weakness I have worked to improve."
Take one small weakness disguised as a strength and explain it with a little detail. Never mention more than one weakness. It is a red flag IMO. If they ask for a specific number, you have no choice. If it is open ended like you phrased, ONLY mention one.
Oh please, give me a break. To "know the real you" so they can turn around and then go after that person for not being a team player later on Goes to show what bs the interview process is nowadays.
What I dislike about interviews is how my actual skills, professionalism, and personable attitude are dismissed in lieu of questions to gauge how social I am. If I wanted to interview for a job to be social, I could be a babysitter instead.
Last edited by Vintage_girl; 02-19-2014 at 03:42 PM..
The question that used to trip me up a little is "What was the worst thing about your last job?" There is no way to really answer that well. One time I remember saying "I noticed your cubicles are larger here (had to walk through an office area on way to interview) than they were at my last job. Yes, it would have been nice to have larger cubicles there like you have here, but the plusses far outweighed the minusses there. I would have stayed if I had not been laid off."
I think that is the best I ever handled it.
It's a trick question. They aren't really asking for what was terrible, but they want to see what your opinion was on a flaw at your last job and more so what you DID to resolve it or adapt. I translate that question as "what was a downside to your last job and what did you do to make things better?"
It's a trick question. They aren't really asking for what was terrible, but they want to see what your opinion was on a flaw at your last job and more so what you DID to resolve it or adapt. I translate that question as "what was a downside to your last job and what did you do to make things better?"
I suppose that is a good way to look at it, too. I played it safe there, because in explaining what you did to resolve it, you could open yourself up to more detailed questions and better be ready to back them up.
Example: So you recommended a different computer program for the accounting function. What was the approximate cost to the company and did it really perform better than the prior and provide specific examples. You could be setting yourself up for a mistake if you don't have quick grasp of the details.
My answer closed the book on it and it can't get too messy if you know what I mean.
Thanks for your input. Only the interviewer really knows on that type of question, but you are probably right many of them mean it the way you interpreted.
It is always great to get another perspective.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Goes to show what bs the interview process is nowadays.
