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These tests are so odd. But maybe, as you've pointed out, they are simply screening for people who are aware of when and how they need to lie. It used to be f

by geebee 11y ago

These tests are so odd. But maybe, as you've pointed out, they are simply screening for people who are aware of when and how they need to lie. It used to be fashionable to ask "what is your greatest weakness" in interviews. I always considered it an unfair question, but I was on an interview panel once with a guy who loved to ask it, and I couldn't stop him. I slowly realized that it does reveal show a person handles an unfair question that he or she absolutely should not answer truthfully, but without stammering or being obviously evasive. Like I said, I wouldn't ever ask this question, I consider it to be a bit of a trap. But maybe the people who are asking it are simply more cynical people who are checking to see if the candidate is an equally aware cynic? Just a bit more interview hazing, I guess.

logfromblammo 11y ago
INTERVIEWER: What's your greatest weakness? INTERVIEWEE: My greatest weakness is that my canned response to that question probably won't satisfy any interviewer that asks it. Even with unlimited preparation time, knowing that someone, somewhere will ask it of me eventually, this is the best I can come up with. So now you have to ask a follow-up question to try to peel back a layer of canned response. INTERVIEWER: Is there anything about you that you think you could improve? INTERVIEWEE: Well, yes. There is a severe bug in the inner layers of my canned response that I was never able to get rid of. It has an infinite loop. INTERVIEWER: So you have trouble debugging? INTERVIEWEE: There is a severe bug in the inner layers of my canned response that I was never able to get rid of. It has an infinite loop. INTERVIEWER: I'll just mark you down for "smartass".
slgeorge 11y ago
If you're interviewing someone at a professional level who has more than 5? years worth of experience then commonly a problem in an interview is that the candidate thinks they should "win" by answering correctly. They've done enough interviews at this point that they know 80% of the useful questions you can ask. Sometimes it feels like 'winning' has become ingrained - since mostly people don't need the specific role ... it will be one role they are interviewing for amongst a few - instead they should be trying to understand whether the role/company will really be a good fit for them (and vice versa). The 'what is your greatest weakness' question can be quite a good indicator of that mentality - the candidate will give you a carefully chosen weakness that they think you will think is a strength (if that makes sense). I do use it from time to time, but mostly towards the end of an interview where I've (hopefully) built up a picture of the person so have some ideas on areas I'm concerned about. If I get the obvious 'marketing' answer then I'll probably try and gently point out it will do neither of us any good to land-up in a situation where the person is in a role they can't do or won't be satisfied with. In a way the nature of the response is of interest - it should be an opportunity to discuss why it's an area of weakness and what sort of development they are considering, and for the interviewer to consider how important that area is within the role or culture.

by geebee 11y ago

logfromblammo 11y ago

INTERVIEWER: What's your greatest weakness? INTERVIEWEE: My greatest weakness is that my canned response to that question probably won't satisfy any interviewer that asks it. Even with unlimited preparation time, knowing that someone, somewhere will ask it of me eventually, this is the best I can come up with. So now you have to ask a follow-up question to try to peel back a layer of canned response. INTERVIEWER: Is there anything about you that you think you could improve? INTERVIEWEE: Well, yes. There is a severe bug in the inner layers of my canned response that I was never able to get rid of. It has an infinite loop. INTERVIEWER: So you have trouble debugging? INTERVIEWEE: There is a severe bug in the inner layers of my canned response that I was never able to get rid of. It has an infinite loop. INTERVIEWER: I'll just mark you down for "smartass".

slgeorge 11y ago

If you're interviewing someone at a professional level who has more than 5? years worth of experience then commonly a problem in an interview is that the candidate thinks they should "win" by answering correctly. They've done enough interviews at this point that they know 80% of the useful questions you can ask. Sometimes it feels like 'winning' has become ingrained - since mostly people don't need the specific role ... it will be one role they are interviewing for amongst a few - instead they should be trying to understand whether the role/company will really be a good fit for them (and vice versa). The 'what is your greatest weakness' question can be quite a good indicator of that mentality - the candidate will give you a carefully chosen weakness that they think you will think is a strength (if that makes sense). I do use it from time to time, but mostly towards the end of an interview where I've (hopefully) built up a picture of the person so have some ideas on areas I'm concerned about. If I get the obvious 'marketing' answer then I'll probably try and gently point out it will do neither of us any good to land-up in a situation where the person is in a role they can't do or won't be satisfied with. In a way the nature of the response is of interest - it should be an opportunity to discuss why it's an area of weakness and what sort of development they are considering, and for the interviewer to consider how important that area is within the role or culture.