So far this year I’ve had three job interviews. One the one hand, I’m being picky because I can afford to be–I’m not miserable, but I am growing increasingly more unhappy. On the other hand, I suck at interviews, and though I revel in the opportunity to compete for a position, I also loathe having to talk about myself because I feel that I talk too much and can’t strike a good balance between being humble and being cocky.
My first interview of the year was with a law firm; I first spoke with the staff recruiter, a meeting that I thought went very well, but when I met with the Marketing Director, I tripped over my tongue left and right and left the interview feeling pretty depressed about my chances. If I’d been offered the position, I obviously wouldn’t be writing this self-loathing bit of tripe, but I do take some comfort in knowing that I was one of two candidates out of 20+ who was seriously considered for the position.
My next two interviews were wastes of time, mostly because I learned during the interview that these were jobs I did not want. No big deal–it happens–but that doesn’t erase the fact that I blew chunks during the process. In fact, at the very beginning of one of these interviews, one gentleman asked me why he should hire me, and I couldn’t answer him. It’s not that I had no answer; it’s that I couldn’t organize my thoughts into a coherent and useful sentence. Instead, I just babbled.
I guess I’ve known for a lot of years that I don’t interview well, but I’ve never done anything about it. I just kept hoping that I would get lucky, as if my mouth were some kind of an appliance that sometimes works really well and other times does not. I need practice, and I finally realized that the best practice for me is to develop a script based on the interview questions, especially the toughest, that I’ve answered over the years. So for the last few weeks I’ve been developing a list that includes some traditional and some not-so-traditional interview questions. I’ve also been reading articles about preparing for interviews and have come across some interesting perspectives on interview questions. Take, for example, the following: What is your greatest weakness? Several authors have suggested, as you may expect, that the best approach this question is to “spin” your answer so that your weakness becomes a strength. Other authors suggest that you be honest and describe your weakness as a weakness but spin your answer by illustrating what you’ve learned and the steps you’ve taken to correct your weakness. I think I prefer that approach. So as I sit here and write about my greatest weakness, I’d like to ask you a question: what is the toughest (or best/worst) interview question you’ve ever been asked?
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Interview is one of the events for decathlon. One of the hardest questions I heard asked was, "what’s the hardest question we could ask you, and answer it."
On a slightly more helpful note, we were often asked to select 5 adjectives to describe ourselves and why we chose those particular words. Another hard question was, "if you could put your life’s slogan on a t-shirt, what would it say?"
I have a list of typical questions we were asked in these interviews which were basically job interviews without a specific job in mind if you’re interested. I was the highest interview scorer in my category at every level of competition, and I used those for practice.
For some reason, I did not get the usual email alert that someone had posted a comment. Grr.
Yes, I would love the list of questions you have. The more practice, the better!
Please share!
I suck at interviews too, though I am told that I am just too hard on myself!
I suck in interviews too but lately I guess I did well because I got all the job that I applied for. And I picked the best one.
I learned that if you are hard on yourself or so concious if you answer it correctly or that you are presentable enough, then you will stumble. It’s better to be yourself and express yourself the best you can.
This approach will impress the interviewers — "spin" your answer so that your weakness becomes a strength. But do this only if it is true.
Some are good in interviews but they cannot handle the real job. People that suck in interviews actually knows the job.
If you know the job you are applying, there is nothing to fear. Just be yourself.
Not all will be entirely relevant, but here you go!
Possible Interview Questions
1. How has your day been going so far?
2. What are the five best adjectives to describe yourself and why?
3. What is your favorite book (fiction, nonfiction) and why?
4. Who is your favorite author (fiction, nonfiction) and why?
5. Who is your favorite actor/actress and why?
6. What is your favorite movie and why?
7. What is your favorite work of art and why?
8. Who is your favorite artist and why?
9. What kind of music do you like?
10. Who is your favorite musical artist and why?
11. Who is your hero/role model and why? (one male, one female)
12. Which of your relatives do you look up to most and why?
13. What single person in your life do you respect the most and why?
14. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
15. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
16. What is your favorite part of Decathlon and why?
17. What is your least favorite part of Decathlon and why?
18. What is your favorite Decathlon subject and why?
19. What is your least favorite Decathlon subject and why?
20. Which Decathlon subject is hardest/easiest for you and why?
21. If you could add an 11th subject to the Decathlon curriculum, what would it be and why?
22. Why did you decide to do Decathlon?
23. Have you learned anything about yourself from your participation in Decathlon?
24. Are there any changes you would like to see made to the Decathlon competition?
25. Would you recommend participating in the Decathlon to your peers? Why or why not?
26. Had Decathlon been a personally meaningful experience for you? Why or why not?
27. What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in order to be successful in Decathlon?
28. What do you like to do in your spare time (excluding Decathlon)?
29. What is your most important activity or interest outside of school (excluding Decathlon) and why?
30. What is your hardest/easiest class in school and why?
31. What is your favorite/least favorite subject or class in school and why?
32. What is the most interesting thing you have learned about in high school? Why does it appeal to you so much?
33. Tell us a project you had to do in school this year that was particularly interesting.
34. Have you ever held a job? What was/is it and how did it go or how is it going?
35. If you could have any job in high school, what would it be and why?
36. If you could have any job as an adult, what would it be and why?
37. What career field do you see yourself pursuing and why?
38. What are your plans for higher education?
39. If you were given one million dollars, what would you do with it?
40. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and why?
41. If you could travel to any time in history, what period would you travel to and why?
42. If you could meet any historical figure from any time, who would it be and why?
43. What are the three things you are most afraid of and why?
44. What is your biggest life goal or dream and why?
45. Tell us about an experience you had that was personally meaningful for you.
46. Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself or tell us before we end this interview?
Wow, lots of great questions! Thanks Peach!
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