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As someone who has social anxiety and depression I don't think I can be honest with a lot of these questions. My real weakness would be inability to connect wit

As someone who has social anxiety and depression I don't think I can be honest with a lot of these questions. My real weakness would be inability to connect with people and constant fear of doing something wrong or being terrible at what I do. I usually think up some random weaknesses that I consider irrelevant and speak about those just to prove that I can be self aware. Also I think very big portion what I am saying is bullshit because I don't even particularly remember a lot of the details of the stories that would match those questions. So I have to come up with new stories or think up details for the stories I don't quite remember. I passed Amazon interview process and all the other behavioral interviews I have ever attended so I must be doing something right despite my constant feeling of terror and anxiety. I do think that I want to find a completely remote job now, I hate being in the office around people and I feel so much better when I can work from home. However I am afraid this might worsen the issue since I am not putting myself out there. But it doesn't seem to me as if putting myself out there has also helped my anxiety.

barry-cotter 7y ago
> As someone who has social anxiety and depression I don't think I can be honest with a lot of these questions. You’re not supposed to be honest. No one expects you to be honest. Everyone knows everyone knows it’s a game. It’s like the algorithm and data structure interview; it shows preparation and intelligence to be able to answer the questions well, whether your answers are based on a real event or pure fiction. If you can pretend to be a fantastic hire with lots of preparation there’s a reasonable chance you can actually show decent judgment if hired.
- 6gvONxR4sf7o 7y ago
  >No one expects you to be honest. From OP: >What’s your weakness? >“Please don’t take the Michael Scott approach and turn this into a backhanded compliment (‘My biggest weakness is that I care too much’). I’d highly recommend giving an honest answer, and one that is as specific as possible and not handwavy. Some people believe in this B.S.
  - mewpmewp2 7y ago
    I remember the quote by Michael Scott when he said that sometimes he starts the sentence unsure of what he is going to say and that he hopes to find out along the way. I can definitely relate to this one during interviews. Especially since it is recommended not to pause and think for too long. It is actually quite often I can relate to Mr. Scott I can't help but to feel entirely sympathetic towards him.
  - barry-cotter 7y ago
    What you do with your mouth or your typing fingers is much less revealing of what you believe than what you do. Revealed preference is king.
- mewpmewp2 7y ago
  Yet managers, advice columns and books keep spouting the "honest" part. But I guess if one believes those columns one is too naive and therefore not qualified for the job. It is actually a bit similar when girls say they want a "sweet, nice and caring" guy. But there are people who think they should follow those rules, fail and become resentful towards society for teaching them wrong things. This is just an observation.
  - keyboardbarista 7y ago
    Ignore barry-cotter. People do expect you to be honest. It's not a trick question, and there is no clandestine cabal of hiring managers who only want to hire people who play a secret interview game well. > It is actually a bit similar when girls say they want a "sweet, nice and caring" guy. In my experience, many women really do want nice, sweet, caring guys. It's just easy for men to think those are the only traits that matter, and that it's also fine to be timid, boring, insecure, clingy, and passive.
    - mewpmewp2 7y ago
      They do want, it is mainly that this is what they keep talking about so it is easy to misunderstand that this is all you have to be. What they are really attracted to is confidence and often during teenage years and beginning of 20s as well, people who don't give a shit about anyone or anything are the most confident. Hence what happens is the girls are with those confident guys and guys who try to have the traits girls talk about are not. It is not easy to realize this if what you keep hearing from girls, media and films about what they look for in a man. But actually we are not disagreeing. This is why it fits with the honest criteria well as it is not clearly so black and white.
      - keyboardbarista 7y ago
        I think it's confirmation bias. If you lack confidence but consider yourself nice and caring, then you'll be more on the look out for instances of women saying that's what they want. It's more comforting to hear that, because it means you're just fine, you don't have to change, and it's the world that's unfair. But let's say you don't have that bias and instead you're taking in ALL the evidence from society, film, books, etc... Well, then it's pretty damn obvious that women tend to like confident men. Look at the hero of pretty much every movie ever. Look at the popular guys in high school and college. The evidence is overwhelming. Men and women alike want partners who make them feel special. Part of that is how you're treated by that person, sure, but part of it is how "valuable" that person is themselves. My dog can worship the ground I walk on, but at the end of the day he's still just a dog so it doesn't mean much :)
- hobbio 7y ago
  If you have a firm background and not depending on the job to save you from death by hunger, then you can enjoy the luxury of being honest. Interestingly, being honest will make you bold and empower to ask questions about sensitive issues you really care about in a job.
  - mewpmewp2 7y ago
    Yeah one of my biggest goals is to have "fuck you" retiring money. I wonder if this will drop my anxiety. I have enough for 6 months for now, but it is not enough. I definitely need to be set for life to not feel that anxiety.
- hc91 7y ago
  Totally agree! You should be clinically insane to give honest answers to those questions.
- downerending 7y ago
  This. You're an actor, and this is your audition. Can you play the part of a sane, reliable person that they can trust not to rock the boat? If you're assigned to a doomed project, are you going to trumpet that fact, or say salute and start digging? I can sympathize. But learn to lie without seeming to.
hyfgfh 7y ago
Yeah.. > What are your weakness? Crippling depression... I mean... I am an perfectionist...

barry-cotter 7y ago

> As someone who has social anxiety and depression I don't think I can be honest with a lot of these questions. You’re not supposed to be honest. No one expects you to be honest. Everyone knows everyone knows it’s a game. It’s like the algorithm and data structure interview; it shows preparation and intelligence to be able to answer the questions well, whether your answers are based on a real event or pure fiction. If you can pretend to be a fantastic hire with lots of preparation there’s a reasonable chance you can actually show decent judgment if hired.

6gvONxR4sf7o 7y ago
>No one expects you to be honest. From OP: >What’s your weakness? >“Please don’t take the Michael Scott approach and turn this into a backhanded compliment (‘My biggest weakness is that I care too much’). I’d highly recommend giving an honest answer, and one that is as specific as possible and not handwavy. Some people believe in this B.S.
- mewpmewp2 7y ago
  I remember the quote by Michael Scott when he said that sometimes he starts the sentence unsure of what he is going to say and that he hopes to find out along the way. I can definitely relate to this one during interviews. Especially since it is recommended not to pause and think for too long. It is actually quite often I can relate to Mr. Scott I can't help but to feel entirely sympathetic towards him.
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  What you do with your mouth or your typing fingers is much less revealing of what you believe than what you do. Revealed preference is king.
mewpmewp2 7y ago
Yet managers, advice columns and books keep spouting the "honest" part. But I guess if one believes those columns one is too naive and therefore not qualified for the job. It is actually a bit similar when girls say they want a "sweet, nice and caring" guy. But there are people who think they should follow those rules, fail and become resentful towards society for teaching them wrong things. This is just an observation.
- keyboardbarista 7y ago
  Ignore barry-cotter. People do expect you to be honest. It's not a trick question, and there is no clandestine cabal of hiring managers who only want to hire people who play a secret interview game well. > It is actually a bit similar when girls say they want a "sweet, nice and caring" guy. In my experience, many women really do want nice, sweet, caring guys. It's just easy for men to think those are the only traits that matter, and that it's also fine to be timid, boring, insecure, clingy, and passive.
  - mewpmewp2 7y ago
    They do want, it is mainly that this is what they keep talking about so it is easy to misunderstand that this is all you have to be. What they are really attracted to is confidence and often during teenage years and beginning of 20s as well, people who don't give a shit about anyone or anything are the most confident. Hence what happens is the girls are with those confident guys and guys who try to have the traits girls talk about are not. It is not easy to realize this if what you keep hearing from girls, media and films about what they look for in a man. But actually we are not disagreeing. This is why it fits with the honest criteria well as it is not clearly so black and white.
    - keyboardbarista 7y ago
      I think it's confirmation bias. If you lack confidence but consider yourself nice and caring, then you'll be more on the look out for instances of women saying that's what they want. It's more comforting to hear that, because it means you're just fine, you don't have to change, and it's the world that's unfair. But let's say you don't have that bias and instead you're taking in ALL the evidence from society, film, books, etc... Well, then it's pretty damn obvious that women tend to like confident men. Look at the hero of pretty much every movie ever. Look at the popular guys in high school and college. The evidence is overwhelming. Men and women alike want partners who make them feel special. Part of that is how you're treated by that person, sure, but part of it is how "valuable" that person is themselves. My dog can worship the ground I walk on, but at the end of the day he's still just a dog so it doesn't mean much :)
hobbio 7y ago
If you have a firm background and not depending on the job to save you from death by hunger, then you can enjoy the luxury of being honest. Interestingly, being honest will make you bold and empower to ask questions about sensitive issues you really care about in a job.
- mewpmewp2 7y ago
  Yeah one of my biggest goals is to have "fuck you" retiring money. I wonder if this will drop my anxiety. I have enough for 6 months for now, but it is not enough. I definitely need to be set for life to not feel that anxiety.
hc91 7y ago
Totally agree! You should be clinically insane to give honest answers to those questions.
downerending 7y ago
This. You're an actor, and this is your audition. Can you play the part of a sane, reliable person that they can trust not to rock the boat? If you're assigned to a doomed project, are you going to trumpet that fact, or say salute and start digging? I can sympathize. But learn to lie without seeming to.

hyfgfh 7y ago

Yeah.. > What are your weakness? Crippling depression... I mean... I am an perfectionist...