This Job Interview question is pure gold!

I’ve had many interviews over the course of my career, but one is particularly memorable because of the interview question that completely stumped me.

I was in the third and final phase of an interview, having already met with a team of potential peers and the person I would report to. The last interview was with the team that would report directly to me. I always think being interviewed by potential direct reports is the most difficult of all interviews, probably because while you think you know what peers and the boss are looking for, you have no idea what the staff is looking for.

Everything was rolling along well, and as that final hour was ending I could feel the relief of a runner being able to see the finish line. Then came the stumble:

What do people assume about you that would be wrong?

Wow! That was a loaded question in so many ways. With 5 pairs of eyes fixed on me, I scrambled for an answer. What do people assume about me? I don’t really know. So how could I say they were wrong? Should I admit I’ve never thought about that before and see if they would let me off the hook? Should I make something up that people might assume about me, or should I pick a terrible characteristic and deny it? No, that would be wrong because then I would be admitting that there is a reason why people would assume that. Yikes! This was an impossible trick question. I took a deep breath and looked inward, asking myself if I was really interested in this position after all.

Then it came to me. One of the greatest challenges of my managerial career has been curbing my natural tendency to give people every possible chance right up until the moment when they cross the line for the last time and I yank them off their feet. In other words, nice…nice…nice…nice…nice…nice…mean. That might not describe it completely, but you probably understand. Someone advised me once to “start off mean, you can always get nicer,” but that’s just not me. So, through the years I have tried to let people know that while I would do everything to help them succeed in their position, I don’t believe that every person is a fit for every position.

In essence, the challenge of the stumper question is basically: how honest can you be while still trying to promote yourself as a good fit? It would be extremely easy to tell if the person was giving a response designed to make themselves look good (e.g. “People assume that because I’m beautiful, I’m not intelligent!”)

The best answer to this question is the most honest one. By taking a deep breath and looking inward, I was able to come to that conclusion. If a question of any kind ever stumps you, remember your experience and who you are as a person has ultimately prepared you for this moment. Even if you get initially stumped, there is a place inside of you that has the answer you need.

What was my answer?

People assume that just because I am nice, I’m a doormat.”

The next week they offered me the job.

Mary Pat Whaley is a Physician Advocate and Consultant who blogs at Manage My Practice; her LinkedIn Group by the same name is for those interested in healthcare management. You can contact her at marypat@managemypractice.com.

Ivana Agapiou RESUME Writer
Eather Recruitment and Labour Hire

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“Thank you for your application, unfortunately in this instance you have been unsuccessful” Wondering why you keep receiving the same notice???  The following may help.

Recruitment agencies tend to have a terrible reputation with job seekers. We are not saying that in some cases we don’t deserve a bit of angst from our candidates as sometimes it is easy to forget how much time and hard work a candidate has put into their application. But recruitment is a hard job. The candidate might be extremely good at the role, but unfortunately it does not mean they are always the right fit for job.

Most of the time, it is not about the candidate but the client.  There are applicants out there who are clearly not right for a client, but there are just as many clients who are just not the right fit for the candidate. For example, let’s say you hate being micro-managed and the idea of working for a manager who routinely calls his staff “the girls” makes you cringe.  Well, those managers are out there, and sometimes they work for the company that on paper looks ideal for you.  If we ignored his management style and encouraged you to take the role, what would happen?  You got it – you would be running as fast as you could before the trial period was up. Sometimes, it IS about the candidate.  We want to put the best person forward to the client.  It’s in our best interest to do so! And the best person is not going be someone who:

• Fails to turn up or is late for an interview without a reasonable explanation.
• Attends an interview dressed inappropriately – if a candidate wants to work in a corporate environment then demonstrating they can dress professionally from the very first interview with their consultant is a must.
• Talks badly of their current or previous employer – This is very unprofessional
• Is dismissive or aggressive with their consultant – we are going to look at that behaviour and ask ourselves how we can present this candidate to a client at all.
• Doesn’t understand the role they are applying for.  There are lot of candidates who don’t appear to have read the advertisement before they apply.  They see the Title and Location and neglect to read the finer details of what is expected in the role. I.E 3+years’ experience in MYOB software … but they have never used the program.

Many times candidates are unsuccessful because the client is not the right fit for them, sometimes they won’t get the job because they did not present themselves appropriately to the recruiter.  And sometimes – the recruiter is totally wrong in their decision…but not as often as people think.

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