contact1 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 The title above is probably one of the hardest questions I ever encounter when doing an interview. I just got word and am set to do an in-person interview in the next few days, which would be for my dream job. I'm looking for insight on how to best answer this question and if you have been in the hiring process, what type of answers are you looking for when you ask this. Thanks! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Usually this means you tell them your interests as far as your career goes. For example, I've said "I am a recent college graduate with a major in business management, I am looking to gain experience in x, y, z or I have x many of years of experience in x, y, z and looking to further my career because of x, y, z." Hope that helps. Remember to sound confident! Link to post Share on other sites
lauren13 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I think this depends on the company culture a bit; if they are more "old fashioned" you should probably answer by summarizing what your CV already says, however if they are more "creative types" (e.g. google) you might need a more original approach. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
KatZee Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Every time I've had this question asked of me, the employer wanted to know ABOUT ME outside of the work situation. They wanted to know what my interests were, what my hobbies were, etc. I had one employer say that he really liked getting to know potential candidates as people while also screening for job qualifications. You can start off with your educational background, and your work experience, but this is the "blah blah blah" that tends to make people zone out and get glazed eyes. Especially since the employer should already have a copy of your resume and has already read these things, and it's why you're on the interview in the first place. When you sit down for the interview, you also hand them a fresh copy of the resume just in case they misplaced the first. Who are you as a person? Why would you be qualified for that job? What made you apply with them? With one company I went on an interview with I told my now current boss a childhood story of me writing my own book and it tied into the job I was applying for. Show them you're a passionate person and passionate about the job you're applying for. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
smg15 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 It means explains how your personality helped you work well in previous work environments and give examples Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Every time I've had this question asked of me, the employer wanted to know ABOUT ME outside of the work situation. They wanted to know what my interests were, what my hobbies were, etc. I had one employer say that he really liked getting to know potential candidates as people while also screening for job qualifications. You can start off with your educational background, and your work experience, but this is the "blah blah blah" that tends to make people zone out and get glazed eyes. Especially since the employer should already have a copy of your resume and has already read these things, and it's why you're on the interview in the first place. When you sit down for the interview, you also hand them a fresh copy of the resume just in case they misplaced the first. Who are you as a person? Why would you be qualified for that job? What made you apply with them? With one company I went on an interview with I told my now current boss a childhood story of me writing my own book and it tied into the job I was applying for. Show them you're a passionate person and passionate about the job you're applying for. This, but it should really end up relating to your career aspirations. Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Usually they want to see how you are with other people. Can your outside interests contribute to your job? In terms of being social. Any oddities you bring to the table. But hopefully it won`t be like this..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author contact1 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Every time I've had this question asked of me, the employer wanted to know ABOUT ME outside of the work situation. They wanted to know what my interests were, what my hobbies were, etc. I had one employer say that he really liked getting to know potential candidates as people while also screening for job qualifications. You can start off with your educational background, and your work experience, but this is the "blah blah blah" that tends to make people zone out and get glazed eyes. Especially since the employer should already have a copy of your resume and has already read these things, and it's why you're on the interview in the first place. When you sit down for the interview, you also hand them a fresh copy of the resume just in case they misplaced the first. Who are you as a person? Why would you be qualified for that job? What made you apply with them? With one company I went on an interview with I told my now current boss a childhood story of me writing my own book and it tied into the job I was applying for. Show them you're a passionate person and passionate about the job you're applying for. This is always my issue, it is hard to tell if the employer wants to know about you personally, or professionally. I think I'm going to have to go with something that is mainly job related, but also shows something of me in the past that lead up to wanting the position / career I am going for. Link to post Share on other sites
Krytie TV Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I wouldn't be afraid to follow-up and ask if they are interested in you personally or professionally. We've been conditioned by the last 6 years of being told by the "job-givers" that every single answer you give places you on the edge of employed/unemployed. Screw that. My answer to your question, as well as every other question you would ask about, is just to be yourself. Every answer is an opportunity to shed light into who you are in the way you want a prospective employer to know you. For example, and this is not to say it's foolproof, very recently I just went through an interview process. My answer to the "5 year plan" question was that life has taught me that 5 year plans aren't realistic. When asked how much I made at my previous employer, I responded that while I appreciate their interest, what I made previously has no bearing on this job as they likely apply a value to the skills they need and whomever they choose to hire for the job will be worth that no matter if they made $25k or $90k last year. This and some other honest answer to ridiculously outdated questions got me to the second interview and, ultimately, the job offer. Be yourself. Answer how you want and don't let others tell you what the right answers are. You'd be surprised how many employers you actually WANT to work for will appreciate it, and you for doing it. Link to post Share on other sites
karmasama Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 What he said: "I wouldn't be afraid to follow-up and ask if they are interested in you personally or professionally. We've been conditioned by the last 6 years of being told by the "job-givers" that every single answer you give places you on the edge of employed/unemployed. Screw that. My answer to your question, as well as every other question you would ask about, is just to be yourself. Every answer is an opportunity to shed light into who you are in the way you want a prospective employer to know you." Just be yourself. Ask the employer what he wants to hear about, and if it's anything besides your job CV experience, just try to talk with him like with a friend. Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Learn as much as you can about the company & the person who will interview you. Answer the Q to highlight those qualities in yourself that best the job description. Then add in something personal but not too personal. I usually tell people I have a Dalmatian. Pet ownership shows compassion and responsibility. It's personal but not over sharing. Another good personal tidbit might be some unusual job you had when you were younger, that's not resume material but could be fodder for further discussion. These personal touches show that you are an individual. Link to post Share on other sites
Author contact1 Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 Go figure, I had my interview with six people and none of them asked this question 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Krytie TV Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 No feedback yet about how it went? Link to post Share on other sites
smg15 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Go figure, I had my interview with six people and none of them asked this question I honestly think it's a lazy question by the interviewer Link to post Share on other sites
Author contact1 Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 No feedback yet about how it went? The whole interview went exceptionally well. They are interviewing four people, or just did rather, for it. They had a large stack of resumes and I was one of the four they selected to come in for the in-person interview. I won't know till sometime next week what the decision is, so all I can do is wait. The only other thing to add is I sent out emails to all six that interviewed me thanking them for their time, I actually had to dig a bit to get their contact information, as none gave out business cards. I'm not too nervous as I have another interview with a different company for the same type of position, this one being one of the biggest in the industry and it does large scale hiring. So in time, hopefully, I will have a job lined up and ready. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I honestly think it's a lazy question by the interviewer When I interview people I ask it because it's one of those Qs where I don't really care about the answer unless the person says something so boneheaded I know I will never hire them. Ex: I actually had one person tell me they enjoy webchatting on cam in the nude. On a personal level, I didn't care. On a professional level, nothing else that person said to me & no matter what their resume said mattered because they had no sense of boundaries or what is appropriate in the work place. Link to post Share on other sites
georgia girl Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I occasionally ask this question and do so under two circumstances: the interview is going badly because I can't seem to find a spark of life or any personality in the interviewee OR I've got a number of good candidates, this is one of them and I'm trying to see what personality fits the best. What am I looking for? Something about you! I want to know if you like to ski and why, for goodness sake. Is it the thrill of going down the mountain, is it something you did with your dad, is it because you grew up in the north and there was nothing else to do in the winter. When interviewers ask this question, they're looking for a hint at your personality. I don't want to hear about how well you did in grad school, what you liked about your last job, or how you volunteer on weekends, unless it says something about YOU. What I'm really trying to gauge is, "will you fit in?" When this question elicits the failed response of, "Well, I really like marketing so I took two extra classes in it in college," well I am going to think you're a dud, even if you do have a great personality. When I get a little personality, I'm likely to really remember you and pick you. The best response I ever got? Someone told me that they loved being a dad and that their favorite part of the day was coming home and having their three-year-old light up when she saw him. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm sorry. You were probably looking for something more work-related or better than that." I told him it was the best answer I've ever heard and I hired him. Good luck, GG Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 The best response I ever got? Someone told me that they loved being a dad and that their favorite part of the day was coming home and having their three-year-old light up when she saw him. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm sorry. You were probably looking for something more work-related or better than that." I told him it was the best answer I've ever heard and I hired him. See that answer would have caused me not to hire the person because his priorities are elsewhere. To me it's also a boundary thing. Why would you tell an interviewer that. It's tricky though because if somebody thought I was not hiring him because he might have needs that entitled him to FMLA time, I would be opening myself up to a lawsuit. Link to post Share on other sites
Krytie TV Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 See that answer would have caused me not to hire the person because his priorities are elsewhere. To me it's also a boundary thing. Why would you tell an interviewer that. It's tricky though because if somebody thought I was not hiring him because he might have needs that entitled him to FMLA time, I would be opening myself up to a lawsuit. I think it's very sad to imply that because someone's greatest priority was his children that he is somehow unsuited for a position in your company. Employers really do want mindless and passionless zombies, don't they? Link to post Share on other sites
Author contact1 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 I think what donnivain is getting it is a lot of employers experience people that try to gain work, just for FMLA and other benefits, rather than being a contributing employee, as this is an actual issue employers do face. The fact that I had both a wife and child did come up several times, but it wasn't because of a "this is my greatest joy" type deal. Rather it was used to explain how I maintained my GPA, worked, took exams outside of the university and had a family, hence showing how much I can do at the same time. That lead into them wanting to know a bit more about my family. It's about your delivery, which is what makes the question I posed in this thread tricky, especially in today's market. Each interview I have had involved being interviewed by 4 to 6 people on average. Back several years ago, maybe two max, times have changed in the labor market. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 See that answer would have caused me not to hire the person because his priorities are elsewhere. To me it's also a boundary thing. Why would you tell an interviewer that. It's tricky though because if somebody thought I was not hiring him because he might have needs that entitled him to FMLA time, I would be opening myself up to a lawsuit. I agree I would consider this information irrelevant to the job and look for someone whose first response to this question in a job interview is to talk about education, areas of work interest, work ethics, work style, whether they are open to travel if needed, reliability, and job interests. If someone goes straight to their personal life at a job interview, their mind isn't even on the job interview and probably won't be on the work either. And I agree that it seems like them preparing you for family-related absences. Link to post Share on other sites
georgia girl Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Interesting observations, dOnnivan and peraph. It shows - likely - that there is no easy, scripted answer to this question and that each interviewer is different. For me, I hired because I thought it was an honest answer and it gave me a sense of who the person was. It also showed a little bit of work/life balance and that's something as an employer I've come to appreciate. As for setting me up for an FMLA or leave? Didn't happen. So, that may be an unfounded fear. Link to post Share on other sites
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