Lipitor11 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Every interview that I've been to in the last 6 months have all been behavioral interview questions. Its always, "Tell me about a time, describe a time" etc, etc, etc. And they always ask, "Describe a time when you a difficult situation you had to face and how did you overcome it?" So, I answer that question as honestly as possible about my current job and that it was difficult to learn a new system at first and after the 6 month learning period, I was a pro at it...that's usually what I say along those lines. Anyway, the person who is interviewing me-the supervisor/manager interrogates me about it and starts doubting if I could do the job that I'm applying for. I'm like wth? They asked that question and I answer honestly. These behavioral interviews are just silly! Like who in the world can ace these questions? They blind side you and you don't even know how to answer them-its hard enough as it is to remember about the past. If they really want to know about my past performance they could call my supervisor and ask them, not ask me 50 of these questions. Link to post Share on other sites
MidwestUSA Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 They're pretty standard questions, whether we like it or not. Why not have your answer rehearsed and ready. 'Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult coworker', or whatever. Just be ready for it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 It's really more about your future performance that concerns a future employer, the questions no matter how silly have a purpose, some are just to get to know the person more personally.. some are geared to look into a persons ability to do the job they are trying to hire for. We use them at my place of business.. they work and we almost always hire the right person for the job... We might ask a person who has to deal with clients one set of questions and someone who only has to work long hours with 2 other people another set of questions... Don't you want to be hired for the right position ? it's a 2-way street.. you may think you want and can do the job but they also are trying to fill the position and only want to do it once. Good Luck 2 Link to post Share on other sites
whichwayisup Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Every interview that I've been to in the last 6 months have all been behavioral interview questions. Its always, "Tell me about a time, describe a time" etc, etc, etc. And they always ask, "Describe a time when you a difficult situation you had to face and how did you overcome it?" So, I answer that question as honestly as possible about my current job and that it was difficult to learn a new system at first and after the 6 month learning period, I was a pro at it...that's usually what I say along those lines. Anyway, the person who is interviewing me-the supervisor/manager interrogates me about it and starts doubting if I could do the job that I'm applying for. I'm like wth? They asked that question and I answer honestly. These behavioral interviews are just silly! Like who in the world can ace these questions? They blind side you and you don't even know how to answer them-its hard enough as it is to remember about the past. If they really want to know about my past performance they could call my supervisor and ask them, not ask me 50 of these questions. It isn't silly to them. That's how they decide who is right for the job, to test and see how the person they are interviewing handles stress, how they handle deadlines, learning capability etc.. Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 The only ones I find pointless are the online questions that take an hour...a lot of good candidates get weeded out. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lipitor11 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 The only ones I find pointless are the online questions that take an hour...a lot of good candidates get weeded out. Yeah, those online assessments are really a waste of time. I took a few which lasted a good hour, which 90% of the time I never got an interview after completing it. Some of those personality questions are hilarious. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Competency based interview questions exist so that candidates can be compared on an objective basis as they respond to the same ones. I can see why they are convenient for an organisation and I would probably do the same too. At the same time, they are extremely irritating because they are about the same thing and you have to come up with responses that are not too obvious. I also think they exist for HR's benefit who have no idea what you do if your job is even vaguely complex. A senior manager that runs your department will never ask you competency based questions because he will have a thorough understanding of what the role is. Once you get more senior, you'll have to deal less with this BS. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Yeah, those online assessments are really a waste of time. I took a few which lasted a good hour, which 90% of the time I never got an interview after completing it. Some of those personality questions are hilarious. I never bother with those, they are for HR for large organisations and they just do a very basic: 'did she go to the right university/got the right qualifications/has the expected career path'. If no, you won't get through. Waste of time. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ASG Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Competency based interview questions exist so that candidates can be compared on an objective basis as they respond to the same ones. I can see why they are convenient for an organisation and I would probably do the same too. At the same time, they are extremely irritating because they are about the same thing and you have to come up with responses that are not too obvious. I also think they exist for HR's benefit who have no idea what you do if your job is even vaguely complex. A senior manager that runs your department will never ask you competency based questions because he will have a thorough understanding of what the role is. Once you get more senior, you'll have to deal less with this BS. This makes sense. I was thinking... I never ever got asked anything remotely similar to this. But then again, my area of expertise is very technical, so I tend to be interviewed by technical people who know what they want/need in a candidate. I have also never been interviewed by HR. Always by a technical manager of some kind. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Tayla Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Quick wit is key when having these styles of questions thrown your way. In high pressed careers, it is a given that a person carry that trait. I learned to pause, carry my thoughts and then proceed with a realistic answer. Sometimes its not the one they want to hear, but need to hear. I garnered more feedback after the interview was over on how I managed to maneuver thru the POP questions. They weren't looking for a BS"r they wanted someone real and genuine. Somethings can't be pre- considered, particularly when its a natural honest answer. Be genuine is key. Link to post Share on other sites
Got it Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I never bother with those, they are for HR for large organisations and they just do a very basic: 'did she go to the right university/got the right qualifications/has the expected career path'. If no, you won't get through. Waste of time. I disagree. We still ask these questions because we want to understand one's thought process on how they handled things. And, no, these are not there for HR because there is a lack of understanding. These are there for managers to glean information on said candidate. You have to go into an interview having an idea of what they are looking for. This is going to take researching the company, the position, etc. Then prepare yourself with answers to a range of expected questions. Use your answers as a way to show them why you are a good fit for said position/company. If you do a google search online you can find a host of potential questions. Start prepping yourself. Instead of just answering about a software program that you struggled with. I would find another situation where you really overcame something and how you did it. I think six months learning a program is not something I would necessarily highlight. The point to an employer to interview is more about learning why they shouldn't hire you than why they should. It is like dating and you are working aggressively to cull the herd. If you don't feel you have been successful interviewing, get a coach. It is a skill that anyone can learn, just takes practice. Sell them why you are exactly what they are looking for. But first you need to do the leg work to discover who that might be. Link to post Share on other sites
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