"A job search is a test of your fortitude. The struggling economy doesn't make it easy, and an even bigger challenge is the dysfunctional recruiting process used by nearly every medium-sized and large employer."
We've all been in those nerve-wracking interviews, after staying up all night practising your monologue long answers to every scenario possible. But what really gets me is after all of the rehearsing, and worrying - they start asking foolish or irrelevant questions just to throw you off your game and waste time. Almost like they're using a script or just don't know what to ask for the job description...The article is quite long and in-depth but I thought I would share the jist of it for you.
First off the article explains various ways to turn the tides on the interviewer and merge in your own questions - this throws them off and sometimes even into a panic when they know their script is disrupted. Many interviews have two clear roles... the interviewer & the victim; many don't like to switch roles or turn the interview into a casual or pleasant conversation (those are the people that should consider switching jobs, companies or retiring...)
1. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
Hmmm, probably some kind of wild cat, like a jaguar - I enjoy the hunt.
2. With all the talented candidates, why should we hire you?
I love this field and I'm excited to keep growing muscles in it. That being said, I haven't met the other candidates and I'm sure there are smart and capable people in that group. That's going to be your challenge, to consider what's ahead for you and which person can best fill that role. I have total faith that if we're supposed to be working together, we'll figure that out.
3. What's your greatest weakness?
I used to obsess about my weaknesses when I was younger. I took classes and read books like you wouldn't believe, and then over time it occurred to me that I should be focusing on the things I do well, like designing financial reports. Other things like graphic design, for instance - aren't for me, so I steer myself toward the work that jazzes me and where I can make the biggest impact.
4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I love Finance, and I don't have plans to move out of it but then again you never know what influences will hit you. I'm interested in getting my MBA, so five years from now I could be one year out of school and I may think totally differently at that point than I do now. The things I can say for sure are that if I'm alive five years from now, I'll be working hard at something I love and supporting the people around me. For me, the team is as important as the work.
Reading the full article is a bit more comical and it even gives examples of better questions to ask whether your the interviewer or victim.
How do you handle tricky or irrelevant job interview situations? What are some of the craziest questions you have had asked upon you?
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