Not that I've been offered any interviews yet, but I've been thinking about them as I've been searching for a new job. And you know how there are always those questions they ask that you hate? Like...
"Tell me about yourself."
This, to me, is like the most intimidating question. What do they want to know? How much do they want to know? What are the important things about me? What if I think the important things about me are not the things THEY think are important to know? How much of this is supposed to be personal information, and how much is supposed to be professional experience and aspirations?
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
Now, if you have a five-year plan, you probably love this question. But I don't even have a five-month plan. Who knows what I'll be doing, where I'll be, or who I'll be with in five years? And what does that say about me? I like to think it says I'm willing to go anywhere and be put to use in the best possible way, without any restrictions. But someone else could see that as saying that I'm not committed to anything or that I don't have any ambition because I don't have any long-term goals set. I don't WANT to have a five-year plan. But if I don't, is that a dealbreaker for employers?
"What's your greatest weakness?"
Why do they even ask this one? It always puts you in this position where you try to think of something that sounds self-depreciating even though it's actually something good, like "I'm too nice" or "I get too invested in my work." Or in the words of Jenna from 30 Rock, a "back-door brag." And you know the interviewer has heard these answers about a zillion times and can see right through what you're doing. But isn't that what they're trying to get you to do? Because if you answered with something like, "Well, I am really sensitive to criticism. You're going to see me cry at least once if you hire me," or "I don't deal with distractions very well; you're going to have to lock my door and unplug my phone if you want me to get anything done," or "I don't do well with last-minute changes; I need an outlined plan at least a day in advance or I won't be able to function," would they hire us? What are they really looking for when they ask us this question -- our honest answer, or just the way we answer?
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts/experiences/advice/funny stories about job interviews. Lord knows we've all been through them, so anything you have to share would be great! :)
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The summer following my freshman year of college I was back in my hometown and really had no desire to go back to work for Chipotle, the job for my last three years of high school. I applied all over the place, in fact I think I filed over 50 applications (its a miracle I didn't have my identity stolen). I was turned down by most places (story of my life) but I did have a few interviews. I remember one of them was with an Eddie Bauer retail store. I had an interview with the manager Danielle (I still have her business card, I won't write her last name, but it starts with F and rhymes with Plum). The interview lasted for about a half and hour. Everything went really well and by the end of the interview, she offered me a job. I said I was interested in taking it. She then told me that she wasn't sure when I would start training, but she did say it would be soon. She also said that I she would call me by the end of the next day to let me know. Well, I didn't hear from her, so I called her the day after she said she would call me. Although she was at the store, she had another manager tell me that she was busy and would call me the next morning. Well I didn't hear from her, I called her and left a message. Never got a response. Quite honestly I don't recall a time when I've been so blatantly deceived. So I guess the moral of the story is Eddie Bauer is not a place where you want to look for a job or even shop. And by the way, I had to go back to the job I had all through high school. It was a rough summer.
I blow at this. I find it mostly best to just be straight forward and occasionally toss in a back door brag.
"It's hard for me to watch American Idol 'cause there's a water bug on my channel changer!"
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