What do you say in a job interview...

SueC_2

Cup of tea and a bar of chocolate in front of Corrie... I know it's bad for me, but I just can't resist!

Bufger

put a spin on it. My example matches a truth thats obvious in the interview so i give them a negative and hide the big fat positive in the sentance too. (you may see that 'hide' is a strong word for this blatant example)

Example
'As a pragmatic and driven individual I can sometimes be seen as too keen or arrogant by certain personality types. This is something i recognise so when faced with a more introverted individual i try to change and mirror their attributes so we can start the working relationship with good impressions'

Thats the kind of thing i usually come out with. Obviously it depends on the company and job role - i wouldnt bother if going for a job at Tesco for example but in the kind of job i do they love the Myers Briggs personality types to fill certain roles so i show that i understand and play the game.

14/14 successful interviews by the way. Not bragging, just showing that i do have a good understanding of how the game should be played

My boss said i should have been a politician. LOL

westv

Reverbe wrote: »

I hate that ppl use the Im a perfectionist and work really hard thing cos tbh I really am like that so now if I say it it seems like im lying or unimaginative..

Obviously not that much of a perfectionist. :rotfl:

Errata

Never admit to a weakness! Put some spin on it and talk about how you need to improve your tenacity / sums / whatever. Emphasise improve.

morganedge

everyone in the world says 'im a perfectionist' so just use that, lol.
Job interviews are funny. Just a test in how good you are at bullsh!tting convincingly!

Reverbe

westv wrote: »

Obviously not that much of a perfectionist. :rotfl:

Pardon me my eyesight is bad at the moment as I am on eye drops and we have a black keyboard... by the way there is nothing imperfect about the use of TBh abbreviation of to be honest......

InsideInsurance

As TBh there is though

The trick with the question is always to spin it into a positive. At the very least go on to talk about your awareness of it, what you've done to overcome it and what you'll do going forward. If you ever go to a coach they will also tell you to refer to it as "an area of opportunity" rather than a weakness.

Personally I dont like the perfectionist or overly driven type answers as (1) they are far too common and (2) I actually dont like people like that. My answer is normally about coming across as very calm and how this can be perceived as not passionate/ caring by team members. Go on to say how I remedy that in those cases but then add the positive of saying that in crysis situation (which my role type frequently has to deal with) being perceived as calm is actually positive, people believe your in control etc and its good for the team etc.

Claytone

I like to say that I get impatient when I'm working with people who don't care about deadlines. I try to come across as a little obsessive. Bosses care about deadlines.

Person_one

Its a shocking question, but if you do get asked it...

DO NOT talk about a character flaw! Talk about a knowledge or experience gap and how you will fill that gap in the new role.

Don't say anything that sounds designed to make you sound good, no "I'm a perfectionist, I get impatient with slackers, I'm too calm" because I'm sorry, but they just sound like obvious BS.

Go with "In my previous roles, while I have had some contact with customers it was limited, I'm very much looking forward to gaining more experience of interacting in person with members of the public" or "I haven't had the opportunity to use the most up to date programmes in previous jobs, so I'm very excited that your company will provide training so that I can add X programme to my list of strengths."

Word it better though, my oven just pinged so I'm rushing!

Person_one

cakey wrote: »

Hi, i actually have done some interviews where i have asked this question, a weakness isnt necessarily something negative. I would be impressed if you turned it on its head and said something like 'my weakness is sometimes i can be over thorough or that i am a perfectionist and this means you will not allow a task to be finished until it has met your standards etc...

You're kidding right? You seriously ask the 'weakness' question and think 'I'm a perfectionist' is a good answer? :eek:

Where do you work?