When preparing to go on an interview, most of us will launch full throttle into researching everything about the corporation--from memorizing mission statements to stalking its Facebook.com page--only to find ourselves stumped by the simplest of questions when our timid tushes are actually placed on the hot seat.
These dubious questions have the power to topple even the most confident of interviewees in one fell swoop; some of the most notorious of these (and the subsequent panicked responses that'll ruin the interview) include:
1. "Why do you want to work here?"
...Because it has always been my dream to work here/my friend said it was awesome/It's close to where I live...
2. "Why should we hire you over someone else?"
...I really feel like I could contribute more than another person...because...I am a hard worker. Yeah.
3. "What is your greatest weakness."
I have no weakness...I am invincible. By day I am just an unassuming intern, but by night I am Dr. Spin Doctor! Faster than a forwarded press release and equipped with super speech-giving and crisis-management capablities. Bwahahaha!
On second thought, that might not be such a bad response...
For me, the question was: "What is public relations?"
This dasterdly query arrived at the very end of the interview and it stopped me in my tracks. All I could think about was how horrible and bemusing it would be if I couldn't even define the field I have been aspiring to go into for the past three years--and then my mind went completely blank and my mouth ran off without it.
Instead of having a concise, comprehendable answer at the ready, I took the interviewer for a ride on the scenic route of every aspect of PR and what it meant to me. By the time my jaws stoppped jammering, I had no idea if I had even answered her question.
The result: Did not get the job.
Here is a link to a Wisebread.com article that discusses 23 of the most generic interview questions (including the dreaded "weaknesses" one) and how you should answer.
http://http//www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions
These dubious questions have the power to topple even the most confident of interviewees in one fell swoop; some of the most notorious of these (and the subsequent panicked responses that'll ruin the interview) include:
1. "Why do you want to work here?"
...Because it has always been my dream to work here/my friend said it was awesome/It's close to where I live...
2. "Why should we hire you over someone else?"
...I really feel like I could contribute more than another person...because...I am a hard worker. Yeah.
3. "What is your greatest weakness."
I have no weakness...I am invincible. By day I am just an unassuming intern, but by night I am Dr. Spin Doctor! Faster than a forwarded press release and equipped with super speech-giving and crisis-management capablities. Bwahahaha!
On second thought, that might not be such a bad response...
For me, the question was: "What is public relations?"
This dasterdly query arrived at the very end of the interview and it stopped me in my tracks. All I could think about was how horrible and bemusing it would be if I couldn't even define the field I have been aspiring to go into for the past three years--and then my mind went completely blank and my mouth ran off without it.
Instead of having a concise, comprehendable answer at the ready, I took the interviewer for a ride on the scenic route of every aspect of PR and what it meant to me. By the time my jaws stoppped jammering, I had no idea if I had even answered her question.
The result: Did not get the job.
Here is a link to a Wisebread.com article that discusses 23 of the most generic interview questions (including the dreaded "weaknesses" one) and how you should answer.
http://http//www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions
2 comments:
A friend once gave what he called a "Zen answer" to the "What are your weaknesses?" question, telling them, "My weaknesses are my strengths," and then talked about being reluctant to do anything but his best, anal about fact-checking ... whatever was appropriate for the particular gig.
Everybody hates that Q and everybody asks it.
My favorite thing to ask in an interview when given the opportunity is to ask the interviewer to describe a day in the life of the job you are applying for. Granted, I've only been in one interview since learning this move, but it was greeted with the "deer in the headlights" look,followed by, "great question."
Post a Comment