best interview question

Mike Maslanka · June 2001

i'm moving law firms and have been interviewing...one mananging partner asked me:"Mike,if the associate lawyers you work with were to say what they don't like about doing so,what would it be?"...whoa...good question because *how* you answer it tells a lot about you,the content of the answer aside...i'll tell you how i answered it in a bit,but i'm curious on your favorite questions,whether those you pose or those posed to you...reagrds from texas,mike maslanka

Margaret Morford · June 2001

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Tell me about the last time you broke the rules? (This will give you some idea about his/her flexibility).

2. Tell me about the last time you had to tell someone something you knew they didn't want to hear? (It will give you an idea about his/her ability to be tactful, to handle people, to face tough situations, etc.)

3. Tell me about the last project/team you were a part of where someone was not pulling his/her weight, what did you do?

4. Tell me about the last thing you disagreed with your boss on. How did you handle it?

5. Tell me who has been most influencial in your life? (Usually you will get one of their parents, but listen to what they say that influence was. It will give you some idea of his/her value system.)

6. Tell me about your biggest career triumph. Tell me about your greatest career mistake?

7. What is the most innovative thing you have done in your career?

8. I always ask at the end, "What else do you want me to know about you that isn't on your resume or we haven't talked about?" See what he/she thinks is important for you to know about them.

Hope these help. I want to know what your answer was to your question.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge

Gar · June 2001

One that breaks me up is: "What are your defencies?" Yeah, right! Like I'm really going to tell an interviewer my job-related weaknesses to have them used against me as reasons why I'm not suitable for the position.

Mike Maslanka · June 2001

my response was honest...(1)i tend to be disorganized;(2)i will take too long to decide something--usually a minor issue in the scheme of things;(3)i don't delegate minor matters and don't end up doing them myself and end up just delegating to someone what i should have delegated in the first place...you have to be honest--as mark twain said,"when in doubt,resort to the truth."...by the way,i read an article where the writer said that he asked two candidates why they went to a state university...the first praised its programs in his degree area,and went on and on about how good a school it was;the second replied simply,"i couldn't get into harvard."...the second got the job...regards from texas,mike maslanka

Theresa Gegen TX · June 2001

Mike, This is a good topic for discussion. But if they really wanted to know your weaknesses, they should have asked me.

Your humble associate.

Mike Maslanka · June 2001

>Mike, This is a good topic for discussion. But if they really wanted
>to know your weaknesses, they should have asked me.
>
>Your humble associate.

you're fired. mike maslanka

ljba · August 2001

I ask about shortcomings not as something to hol against the individual but rather to determine if he/she recognizes he/she has some weaknessses. The follow up questions to that one are: What do you do to overcome your weaknesses? How does your weakness impact your work?

I had one sharp young lady interviewing one day and when I asked, "What is your one weakness?" She said, "Oh, I don't have any." I said, "Really? There is nothing that you need to work to improve upon?" She became frustrated and flipply replied, "Oh, all right then, I suppose CHOCOLATE!" There is not a right and wrong answer to most interview questions. However, how you respond and the manner in which you present your answer is very telling. So, I LOVE the "deficiencies" questions.

FJN · June 2001

I recently was interviewing a candidate and asked him if I could answer any questions. He asked me why I came to work for our company. I thought that was a great question, and it gave me the opportunity to tell him how it worked out for me and that the same could happen for him.

xsafford · June 2001

Try "Why do you want this job?". You get the darnedest answers.
Of course, the best answer is "I want this job because I love to ......."(the job you are trying to fill).

sonny · June 2001

"What was the best job related criticism you ever received, did you agree with it, and what did you do with it?"

"How did you prepare for this interview?" (One guy actually said, showered and shaved

I once interviewed and was asked FIRST, "What questions do you have for or about us?" Caught me off guard as I was expecting it at the end and boy was I glad I had done my homework about the agency.

And finally, while I totally support the honesty route.. contemplate this true story. I worked with agency that provided services to persons with mental health and developmental disabilites. We asked a candidate who was applying to be a group home worker what one area he thought he could improve on as a worker. .He truly answered, "Not be so mean to the clients." Appreciated the honesty but he did NOT get the job.

Paul · June 2001

We are strong believers is behaviorally based interview questions, as we feel the best "predicter" on what/how someone will act in the future is based on how they acted in the past. As a result, some of the questions that we use are as follows:
1. Question: Describe a time on any job that you held in which you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills.
2. Question: Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
3. Question: What is the most difficult problem or situation that you have faced and had to resolve as a supervisor/manager?

Make sure to wait for them to respond (you may have a dead silence for 30-45 seconds while they dredge up the specifics of a situation), and then probe their answer for additional detail.

Paul in Cannon Beach · June 2001

I think a good question is "What do you expect to be your greatest challenge in this job?" This question usually evokes a fairly honest answer. Its something the applicant has thought about beforehand and the focus is on the job not on the applicant. Since the applicant feels he or she is talking about the job, they tend to be fairly forthcoming in discussing their concerns about their fitness for the position.

If you hire the applicant, their answer will give you direction in how best to help them be successful in their new position.

Paul in Cannon Beach
[email]paulknoch@hotmail.com[/email]

Mike Maslanka · July 2001

let's flip this...what is the best question an applicant ever asked you about the job he or she was applying for?

Margaret Morford · July 2001

I have two questions that I thought were very good:

1. The person was going to be working for me, but interviewed with everybody in the department. He asked each person, what it was like to work for me and how I was different from the bosses they have had in the past, both positively and negatively.

2. I was asked to describe the the company's "personality." What made it different from any other place I'd ever worked, both positively and negatively.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge

David · August 2001

At the end of conducting a PHONE interview for an Skilled Nursing Facility Administrator's position, I asked the applicant the infamous final HR question that often begins a whole new discussion, "Is there anything else we should know?"

To this he responded, "Well, I'm tall and good looking and that goes a long way!"

Hmm, OK then, Thanks,...Next.

Margaret Morford · August 2001

I hope you didn't hire this person. He/she may be tall and good looking, but his/her professional judgment leaves a lot to be desired!

We couldn't make this stuff up!

Margaret Morford
theHRedge

Earendil · August 2001

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-03-01 AT 09:43AM (CST)[/font][p]Margaret, those are really excellent questions--they demonstrate to me, at least, that the people weren't just "looking for a job" but were looking for a place to continue their careers. A lot of thought goes into that type of question--and they're not questions asked by someone who isn't truly interested in your company.

Did you hire them?

~Steve~

Margaret Morford · August 2001

Yes, both of them. Both turned out to be excellent employees. One I still stay in touch with and am helping him with a new job search, not to leave my old company but to leave his current company.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge

WOCO Frank · August 2001

This has been a great thread for me, as I tend to have a hard time getting away from very simplistic questions.

I thought this might be a good time to share the WORST interview question I've ever been asked

I was interviewing for a summer job during college, basically taking a manufacturing company's interoffice mail and small packages from building to building during the night. I was being interviewed by the owner, who appeared to be in his 70s. After a dozen 'typical' interview questions, he leaned forward, pointed his pen at me, and asked "Have you ever had sex with a co-worker?" Well, whenever I've been faced with a question-and-answer situation where I needed to buy time, I ask a 'clarifying' question. So my response was simply "Do you mean at work?"

Needless to say, the interview was officially over. I found out later from another employee of the company why the question was asked. There were two positions open for night interoffice delivery. I was interviewing for one, the other was held by the owner's granddaughter!

So... what are some of the other absolute worst questions you folks have heard?

Mike Maslanka · August 2001

woco,that is priceless...thanks for a kick start to my monday...regards from texas,mike maslanka,214-659-4668...

Paul · August 2001

Worst questions - eh? The absolute worst question has to be "Tell me about yourself." Once they get done telling you about their being a single parent with four children at home, their recent experince in drug rehab (they are now clean and sober [supposedly]), their need for accommodations for their unusual religious practices, etc., you very quickly realize why you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ask this question.

WOCO Frank · August 2001

Those ultra-open-ended questions like "Tell me about yourself" don't give me guidance as to who to hire... they tell me who NOT to hire.

Paul · August 2001

Bingo!

Earendil · August 2001

It would not surprise me one day to see a Court of Appeals decision outlawing the use of the question, "Tell me about yourself" because it can't help but elicit protected information.

(Besides, most of that stuff comes out anyway: Why do you want this position? Ans: Because I'm a single parent of 4 kids and I just got out of rehab and if I don't wanna go back I have to get a job...et cetera.)

Steve in SD

best interview question

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