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picky · Newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

I have failed most of the interview questions I have been to lately and am unsure why I did. Can anyone share with me some of the difficult Interview questions they faced at an interview and how did they respond to succeed. One of the most Difficult Interview Question I came across is "What are some criticisms people have of you?" How would you respond to this? Any thoughts?
Thanks###

lexa10881 · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:27 am Post subject:

Difficult interview questions can be best dealt with if you can anticipate them before the interview. While you cannot anticipate every question that is given to you, preparation can help.

http://www.cvtips.com/hard_interview_questions.html

ResumeWriter · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:58 am Post subject: Difficult Interview Questions

There's no good way to answer the question. You could reveal real criticisms, somewhat tarnishing your shot at the position, or you could spin it to something positive that includes your solid work ethic ... or some other characteristic that somehow answers the question.

Here's a third option. How about asking, "Is there something specific you'd like me to touch on?" I've never seen much purpose to these questions; and from my interviewing sessions with clients, it sometimes feels like hiring personnel are given the same Interview 101 handbook. Open-ended questions are asked somewhat haphazardly with no clear purpose of the end result for jobseekers.

Probably the best way to handle this question in the future is by using one of the above suggestions, utilizing the one you're most comfortable with. Make a note of your typical answer, finetune it, and then practice it.

careerpro · New User Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 9 Career Advice: +0/-0

Everybody dreads the "Can you tell me something about yourself?"... but it always comes up in interviews.

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote recently about this question. Maybe it will help.

No interview is complete until the interviewer ask this question. It is silly to go to an interview without preparing to respond to this questions, because it is almost certain to be asked.

Before you decide how to respond to this question, it is important to consider why it is usually asked during job interviews. Most job interviewers believe that they can learn a great deal about applicants based on the way they respond to this questions.

The first thing that you say in response to this question is generally believed to be a true indication of your self-concept. Whatever you choose to use to describe yourself to an interviewer tends to be the defining characteristic of how you see yourself.

If you respond to this job interview question by stating that you get along well with just about everybody, then the employer is likely to conclude that you have an extraverted, social personality. If you respond to the question by saying that you are very career minded and are focused on moving up in your career as quickly as possible, the interviewer will likely interpret your response to indicate that you are very ambitious.

Either of these responses can be viewed in positive or negative light, depending on the specifics of the job for which you are applying. Your response should be honest, but you do need to be careful that what you are saying is sending the right message to a prospective employer.

Keep in mind that if you aren’t prepared to answer this question, your lack of preparation sends a message to the prospective employer. No matter what job you are applying for, being unable to answer this question that everyone expects sends a very clear message to the employer that you aren’t really interested in the job and that you don’t prepare properly for business situations.

lilo · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject:

It's because you are afraid of what the employer might think that you fail to turn what sounds bad into something favorable for you. You have to twist things up when you're facing such a question. How? Well don't say bad things about you yourself. Just say something "They say I'm a workaholic" or they say "I'm too picky". In this way, you will actually say something good about you. Picky means selective and someone who pays attention to details. Correct?

It's just like when listing your weaknesses in the cv. The same thing:

http://www.cvtips.com/personal_strengths_weaknesses_interview.html

mphcoach · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:56 pm Post subject: Turn It Around

There is a skill that can be learnt quite easily to spin an apparent fault finding question into a positive.

All questions of this sort require tactics, not knowing all the answers, so that you have a technique which can be turned on at any time.

If anyone tries to 'learn' answers to questions, it can be way more stressful (trying to remember the right one) and also make you appear worse than you want to be (the answer doesn't seem to reflect the real you).

Try to see what positively can be spun out of any question, practice the technique and you will be well on your way.

So with the "What are some criticisms people have of you?" question, would they expect you to say none? That would be unrealistic!

*Yes, I have some and I've turned them to the advantage of the organization by...

**Well one thing that a few people said about me a few months ago was...and so I...

***Well, I know that I..., so to get around that slight flaw in me I have always...

...are all possibilities that would work in the moment. You are honestly saying that you are not Mr/Miss Perfect. If you try that on, they will really have fun with you!

Regards

Martin
http://www.HowToWinAtAssessmentCenters.com

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