Interview questions that you hate...

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TheChort

Originally posted by: Cabages
I have an interview Monday. Im fairly confident that i'll get the job, and there were some cuties I saw working there when I went in.

Whats your ways of getting around the biggest flaw question?

"I tend to work late hours, and try to go beyond what's expected of me. It tends to make it difficult to have a good relationship with my peers/family/friends"

"I will go out of my way to watch out for my peers and on one occasion that led me to trouble in not finishing my own work."

Not the best answers, but you get the idea... say something that could be interpreted as both positive and negative.

Not to slam..

#1:
Relationships with your peers/family/friends is more important than anything else you do. This statement portrays an isolationist that is difficult to work with.

#2:
that's a positive, you always watch out for your own.

some companies try to encourage the work-life balance.

 

[pontifex]

all of them?

just hire me!

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
If I'm every hiring again, I'll think of asking:

"What's the interview question you hate the most?"

"What's your answer to that?"

No bonus marks for smartasses who answer my questions with my questions..

But the answer to the first one IS a question.

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Cabages
I have an interview Monday. Im fairly confident that i'll get the job, and there were some cuties I saw working there when I went in.

Whats your ways of getting around the biggest flaw question?

Using a positive and flipping it as a flaw.

yes like "sometimes I am told I work too hard."

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: her209
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: In your position, biatch!

I was going to post this questions. It also comes up on annual review questionairs. It irks me. Cause I want to write "five paid grades higher" but write something tottaly differnet and stupid.

 

[Robert Munch]

"What are your weaknesses?"
uhhm.. women

 

[Clockwerk]

"If you weren't hired today, what would be the reason?"

I stumbled on this one, but got the job anyways.

 

[DangerAardvark]

I hate interviews. The cocksuckers ask questions that would get them punched in the balls in any other situation. It's like an extended exercise in careful lying.

 

[jjones]

Listen you SOB, if I give you the job, you'll give me the original photos and all copies?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TheChort

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TheChort

Originally posted by: Cabages
I have an interview Monday. Im fairly confident that i'll get the job, and there were some cuties I saw working there when I went in.

Whats your ways of getting around the biggest flaw question?

"I tend to work late hours, and try to go beyond what's expected of me. It tends to make it difficult to have a good relationship with my peers/family/friends"

"I will go out of my way to watch out for my peers and on one occasion that led me to trouble in not finishing my own work."

Not the best answers, but you get the idea... say something that could be interpreted as both positive and negative.

Not to slam..

#1:
Relationships with your peers/family/friends is more important than anything else you do. This statement portrays an isolationist that is difficult to work with.

#2:
that's a positive, you always watch out for your own.

again, it's a matter of interpretation
If you worst trait can be interpreted as a positive thing, then that shows the employer that you have high standards for yourself.
As far as #1, some employers might be happy that you are willing to work extra hard for you job, even if it's at the expense of friends.

Not really IMHO. You're portraying a "doesn't work well with others" and premedonna attitude. Relationships are everything.

Your worst trait cannot be turned into a positive if you are truly honest with yourself. It's not a matter of interpretation, it's a matter of perception. Perception is reality.

So what about the guys that make it to the top by working 80+ hours per week, at the total expense of their family (if they have one)?

What about people who go through 1 or more divorces because they put in so much time at work?

Wouldn't you say it's expected that you sacrifice your relationships in some positions or fields, regardless of what BS you give them during the interview?

 

[Pheran]

Originally posted by: energydan

Originally posted by: spidey07

NEVER give a number. EVER. Just give the stock answer.

questions I hate:
1) describe a scenario where you failed and what you learned
2) A peer level's personell is blowing you off, how do you handle them? What channels would you employ?

Does "Tire iron to the ribs" qualify as an acceptable answer for #2?

You laugh, but I swear I was part of an interview group where we were interviewing this guy for an IT support position. At one point someone asked him, "How do you deal with an irate user?" His reply, "Well I carry a gun."

I thought it was damn funny, but really not something you should say at an interview.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Clockwerk
"If you weren't hired today, what would be the reason?"

I stumbled on this one, but got the job anyways.

That one is easy:
"The hiring manager was an idiot douche."

 

[coolred]

Hope nobody has said it yet, haven't read the whole post. But back to the
"Whats your biggest flaw?" question, just tell them
"Not knowing how to answer that question without shooting myself in the foot or lying".

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Mrvile

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Cabages
I have an interview Monday. Im fairly confident that i'll get the job, and there were some cuties I saw working there when I went in.

Whats your ways of getting around the biggest flaw question?

Using a positive and flipping it as a flaw.

That's a pretty good suggestion...

If I asked you that question and you answered that way, you definitely wouldn't get the job.

If you gave me a REAL flaw and told me what you do to overcome it, I might consider you.

If you went off on a 5 minute rant about how that's the worst interview question ever, I'd give you the job on the spot.

Thank you! Finally, a good response to the "biggest flaw" question.

Don't take a positive and flip it as a flaw. Ask yourself, would I buy that response as an interviewer? Honestly, if I told you my biggest flaw is that I'm too much of a perfectionist, would you believe me?

As much as we like to poke fun, the interviewer probably isn't an idiot and has gone through plenty of interviews before you arrived. When you give them a "I work too hard..." or "I am sometimes too ambitious..." response, the interviewer can smell the BS before you finish the sentence. It tells the interviewer that you not only lied on this question, but you spent time crafting the BS response beforehand. If you're a solid candidate, they may chalk it up to the fact that it really is a hard question. But you've put yourself in a bad position.

Take mugs's suggestion and tell them a REAL flaw. It doesn't have to be your biggest flaw ("I like to steal office supplies") and it shouldn't be something that is crucial to the position you're applying for ("I don't understand object-oriented programming"), but it should be something that can't be mistaken to be a positive thing. Then follow it up with how you are trying to overcome this flaw. It shows that you are able to reflect upon your own work habits pragmatically and that you are ambitious enough to try to overcome it.

As a real-life example, I interviewed for an IT position at a major investment firm right out of college:
interviewer: What would you say is your biggest flaw?
me: Oh, that's a tough one. Hmm... If you look at my resume, you'll notice I left out skills on databases. I'm familiar with databases enough, but I haven't had as much direct exposure working directly with SQL and Oracle databases as I would like. But I'm hoping that this will change after this semester, since I'm taking two database courses right now.
interviewer: I appreciate your honesty, I really do. I wouldn't worry too much about...

 

[Steve]

I hate showing up and having to fill in paperwork where the questions are already answered on my resume, etc.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: her209
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: Doing your ... (don't say wife, don't say wife) ... son?

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq48eXO6d3k