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Job interview - how do you answer this question?

S

slackerinabox

Lifer
I have an interview with a small non-profit's COO today (3rd interview for the position) for a web management position and am always asked this question (my resume includes a lot of job hopping in my 20s): "you seem like an intelligent guy but how can I know that you won't be bored in a few years?"

My honest answer would be that I now have an infant and a slew of responsibilities (including a mortgage), I don't have the luxury of boredom and providing stability is my one objective in my life, BUT I've read that it's a major taboo to mention children or even being married... I'm also switching from a commission only field because of the baby- I'm sure I'll be asked my reasons for that as well... Make something up or drop the B bomb?

**Update**
Got an offer today! Thanks guys!
 
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Answer honestly and don't worry about it. If the employer feels that wife and children are taboo, you probably don't want to work for them anyway.
 
I think mentioning being married and kid is a plus, for men. I've heard it can be seen as a negative for women. For you, assuming you're a guy, I think it's a fine answer.

Since it's a non-profit, you can say something about how you're sympathetic to the cause and work off that
 
I don't think its should be such a big deal. Its very common for people in their 20s to job hop. The older a person gets, the less they job hop unless you are in silicon valley.

Its also a strength not a weakness. Seeing how many other businesses run gives you way more knowledge and experience.
 
freedomsbeat212 said:
I have an interview with a small non-profit's COO today (3rd interview for the position) for a web management position and am always asked this question (my resume includes a lot of job hopping in my 20s): "you seem like an intelligent guy but how can I know that you won't be bored in a few years?"
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This, my friends, is exactly why you don't jump around too much and if you do, never tell people you were "bored" at those positions and that's why you left. I have to ask, did you actually tell these guys in an earlier interview that you left because you were bored? If so, that was a very, very bad idea. When you leave jobs, here are acceptable reasons to give:

1. New and better opportunity with increased responsibility, pay, benefits, etc.
2. Stability -- existing position/department was in danger of being cut and you needed to find another position.


My honest answer would be that I now have an infant and a slew of responsibilities (including a mortgage), I don't have the luxury of boredom and providing stability is my one objective in my life, BUT I've read that it's a major taboo to mention children or even being married... I'm also switching from a commission only field because of the baby- I'm sure I'll be asked my reasons for that as well... Make something up or drop the B bomb?
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No offense, but that is a terrible, terrible answer and it has nothing to do with the fact that you have a wife and kid. The bolded will cause them to drill down with more questions about this "boredom."
 
IndyColtsFan said:
This, my friends, is exactly why you don't jump around too much and if you do, never tell people you were "bored" at those positions and that's why you left. I have to ask, did you actually tell these guys in an earlier interview that you left because you were bored? If so, that was a very, very bad idea. When you leave jobs, here are acceptable reasons to give:

1. New and better opportunity with increased responsibility, pay, benefits, etc.
2. Stability -- existing position/department was in danger of being cut and you needed to find another position.




No offense, but that is a terrible, terrible answer and it has nothing to do with the fact that you have a wife and kid. The bolded will cause them to drill down with more questions about this "boredom."
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Of course not- I never use the word bored and, honestly, I've been laid off from every job I'm no longer at and boredom had nothing to do with anything. I'm just repeating the wording that interviewers have used (level 1 interview for this job asked 'most of your job will involve updating content and housekeeping, you seem to have a lot of experience developing and marketing - will you be bored just updating a site?'). I'm thinking my resume (new job every 2 to 3 years including a recent 2 year stint in real estate, a foreign field to me but something I did because no one was hiring back in 2009) makes me seem unstable but every job I lost was due to departments merging or assignments just ending.

Will not say "luxury of boredom," note taken.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
This, my friends, is exactly why you don't jump around too much and if you do, never tell people you were "bored" at those positions and that's why you left. I have to ask, did you actually tell these guys in an earlier interview that you left because you were bored? If so, that was a very, very bad idea. When you leave jobs, here are acceptable reasons to give:

1. New and better opportunity with increased responsibility, pay, benefits, etc.
2. Stability -- existing position/department was in danger of being cut and you needed to find another position.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

IndyColtsFan said:
No offense, but that is a terrible, terrible answer and it has nothing to do with the fact that you have a wife and kid. The bolded will cause them to drill down with more questions about this "boredom."
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I don't agree with this. The optimal answer here is something about why this job is absolutely perfect and you will never want to leave, but his answer isn't terrible. The only time disclosing that he has a wife kid would hurt him is if the job required very long hours or a lot of travel.
 
Just be honest about it. If your resume shows a bunch of short job stints, the hiring manager will already assume that you're a job hopper. Asking about it is his way of giving you an opportunity to provide a plausible explanation for the behavior. If you try to give a canned "perfect answer" that the interviewer has heard a million times before, he's going to assume that you're blowing smoke up his ass and will go with his instincts.
 
pcgeek11 said:
Answer honestly and don't worry about it. If the employer feels that wife and children are taboo, you probably don't want to work for them anyway.
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I say always be honest too.
It's a quality not everyone has, and its a good quality indeed. (Being honest)
 
Thanks guys - will go into this interview aiming to be as honest as possible and will not say just what they want to hear. Appreciate the advice, I can see how my canned response ("I just love what your company is about!") on it's own can seem insincere without being honest about my motivation.
 
Where did you read that it was taboo to mention you are married and have a baby? That's completely wrong. Everyone will see those as positives.
 
DougK62 said:
Where did you read that it was taboo to mention you are married and have a baby? That's completely wrong. Everyone will see those as positives.
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Advice like this isn't uncommon: http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/shouldnt-talk-kids-job-interview/

Also, maybe it's a NYC thing or maybe I'm totally off base, but I've always heard the preconception that parents don't have the same focus or ability to work after hours that a single person does. Of course an interviewer won't say any of those things but I'm a bit worried that I've made it through 2 stages and I'll blow it by mentioning the little one to the person directly responsible for hiring.
 
the DRIZZLE said:
I don't agree with this. The optimal answer here is something about why this job is absolutely perfect and you will never want to leave, but his answer isn't terrible. The only time disclosing that he has a wife kid would hurt him is if the job required very long hours or a lot of travel.
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I think you misunderstand. I don't think telling someone that you have a family is bad; I think saying "I don't have the luxury of boredom" is a bad idea and will cause the interviewers to drill down more. Your advice above (bolded) is the exact response that should be given.
 
freedomsbeat212 said:
Advice like this isn't uncommon: http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/shouldnt-talk-kids-job-interview/

Also, maybe it's a NYC thing or maybe I'm totally off base, but I've always heard the preconception that parents don't have the same focus or ability to work after hours that a single person does. Of course an interviewer won't say any of those things but I'm a bit worried that I've made it through 2 stages and I'll blow it by mentioning the little one to the person directly responsible for hiring.
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Many companies will look at people with families as having responsibilities and therefore, they're more likely to be stable and long-term employees. Unfortunately, I think there is a double-standard where it might be looked at more negatively for women than for men.
 
I usually reply with something saying that I applied for a career not a job and I want an employer who is going to challenge me and expect me to grow over the years. I then tell them that I'm looking for a chance to grow and advance and that I don't want to be doing what I'm doing now when I'm 50.

If they just want a code monkey forever, I really don't want to work for them.
 
freedomsbeat212 said:
Thanks guys - will go into this interview aiming to be as honest as possible and will not say just what they want to hear. Appreciate the advice, I can see how my canned response ("I just love what your company is about!") on it's own can seem insincere without being honest about my motivation.
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You shouldn't say what they want to hear, BUT you should spin what you say into something positive that they'd like to hear. Remember, you're selling yourself to the company. Here are some other things to avoid:

1. "What's your greatest weakness?" Never say something like "I work too much" or "I put in lots and lots of hours until a problem is solved." Pick a weakness that maybe you've had in a past opportunity but won't really be relevant or important to this opportunity and explain it. In my case, I always mention public speaking to large groups of people because my roles generally don't entail too much of that. I always do mention, however, the steps I've taken to improve.

2. "Why have you jumped around so much?" We've already covered that; just be sure to spin it properly. Being laid off is an acceptable answer for switching jobs. The problem occurs, however, if you've been laid off too much; if you've had lots and lots of jobs and been laid off from every one, that might be a red flag.

3. Many times, interviewers will try to force you to say bad things about your previous companies or bosses. Don't fall for this. Never say anything negative about previous bosses or companies. Always say things like "They gave me a great opportunity" and "I learned a lot of things from my boss."
 
IndyColtsFan said:
*snip*
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IndyColtsFan has really good suggestions.

TBH, you could almost turn the question around on the interviewer and ask him how the job will prevent you from becoming bored. You don't ask it outright, but you go down the "I am looking forward to growing into new roles, and am always looking for opportunities to expand the scope of my work and find new ways to add value once I have gotten comfortable doing with where I am."

You like the role and are excited.

You are looking to grow and find new ways to add value.

Give an example of this from your past if you can.

Mentioning family is not a bad thing.
 
Just say your track record speaks for itself (assuming you're not a serial job hopper), mention one position in the past that you've been at for 3+ years, and that you are never "bored" because you are always trying to improve your skillset on the job.
 
Your answer is a good one. I'd think people would understand providing for an infant... I don't see how you can not get bored with a job after a while. Hopping from job to job is just not practical though when you have a child and mortgage.
 
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