Right out of the gate…BAM!
“Give me 8 strenghts and 8 weaknesses!”
My reaction:
a) Eight? Who the heck asks for eight!
b) OK, eight strengths isn’t so hard
c) But, eight weaknesses? I’m drawing a blank here!
What would you do?
- Jinx
I agree 8 is a strange number for something like that. I guess they want to see how you deal with having to answer a question that most people would feel was asking for too much.
They way I handled those weakness questions ( usually they only asked for 3) was to mention something I was currently working on and making progress on, followed up with real work situations to back up the improvement.
“Public Speaking. In my previous position, I was very uncomfortable with having to make speeches to large groups. That was something I hadn’t done much of, and felt it was a weakness. So I joined Toastmasters and learned how to be a better speaker, and then had a chance to practice at meetings. Now I am much more confident, and actually enjoy the chance to speak in public.”
“Not being able to do as much as I would like to do using computers. I didn’t take any computer classes in college, and found I was way behind younger people who grew up using them. So I took several basic classes at the JC, and am now learning spreadsheets and have found that to really be helpful when talking to clients. I can now make spreadsheets with their actual information plugged in to show them exactly what kind of improvement in sales they can expect. I am next going to learn how to make newsletters, because I think that will be a good way for me to get new information out to my clients on a regular basis.”
Answering the weakness question like that has always worked well for me.
I once had a programmer manager get a job once with the following question. He heard that the guy he was interviewing was tough and no nonsense. Knowing this guy, it seems believable.
Interviewer: “Tell me why I should hire you?”
“Him”: “Because I am the fucking best there is.”
I’ve actually used approaches similar to this - didn’t use “fucking,” but basically said the same thing. I once used a line - I’ll repeat it as best I can…
“Why should I have this job? Well, let me tell you; some people are really smart and learn fast. Some people just have good business sense. Some people are really good at managing and working with others. But people who’re good at one of those things usually are not so good at the others. I, on the other hand, am all three. You can interview a hundred other people and you won’t find a better combination of smarts, business acumen, and people skills. I’m simply the most talented person to come down this company’s pike in a long time. If you hire me you’re hiring the best.”
It works.
Wow. That’s good. May I steal it, for future use?
It’s easier to come up with responses about why they should hire you vs. pressing you to describe multiple weaknesses. This company is known for grilling the interviewee. So, how do you counter this kind of question? This kind of aggressive interview, in general? - Jinx
Go for the standard job-interview judo – present your strengths as weaknesses – “I’m a perfectionist – I work too hard – I can be kind of nose-to-the-grindstone” etc. If you need eight, have a couple of “real” flaws ready, like “I’m a messy-desk person; tend to leave active projects out on my desk, and on those days when I’m doing three or four things at once, this isn’t always efficient.”
What kind of job is this? I can see asking something like that if you’re interviewing for a position where you frequently get obnoxious or asinine requests. But otherwise? I’d really have to wonder if I wanted to work for a company that expected me to worry about eight weaknesses! Who’s that down on themself that they can think of eight?
If asked (and I did want the job–hard to fathom at this point), I’d have to be honest and say that I have indentified a couple areas for improvement (and I’d mention what they are and how I’m addressing them). However, there aren’t EIGHT. If I had eight weaknesses that are so apparent I could readily identify them, there’s no way I’d have had the success I’ve experienced.
Sure, once I’ve addressed those areas, I’ll likely find other things to work on. No one is ever perfect. But I don’t worry about those other areas right now. I prefer to focus on the things that will most improve my performance. Doing otherwise would only sap my confidence and lessen that focus on the important things.
Depending on how confident I felt, I’d love to turn it around later in the interview and ask them the eight things they don’t like about working there!
It works if the interviewer is a simpleton. I would immediately think that this person was an arrogant ass (no offense). I would then proceed to punch holes in their theory:
Give me an example of when you demonstrated that you were the best in each of the following disciplines…
I would expect that “the best” would have scored higher grade in their major.
Does your current employer view you as the best…how will they react to “the best” leaving?
You must think that interviewers are idiots (a lot are).
My standard response to this question is “I consider hard work and perfectionism to be traits essential to this position…why do you consider them weaknesses?” And then I just grill them until they give me actual weaknesses.
Thank you, we’ll be in touch (to inform you of our decission to pass). Arrogant and innapropriate response.
This is good answer. It demonstrates that you have insight into your abilities and limitations. You have identified an area for improvement and taken tangible steps to work it. No blustering or bravado that an experienced interviewer will see through.
The reason for 8 weaknesses is that most people can BS 3 or 4. Eight makes you really think to come up with something.
A couple of tough ones I use:
“What would you do if a client asked you do do something unethical or illegal or they would pull their business”. This is kind of a ‘Kobyashi Maru’ question. I modify it or add to it to make it a no-win scenario. ie “I would ask my manager” “he says use your best judgement”.
“What do you consider going above the call of duty” Trick question as “working overtime” is not above the call of duty.
And one I’ve never used:
“Give me three reasons why we shouldn’t hire you.”
The best way to counter aggressive interviewing is to maintain your composure, be honest and positive. My last job, they were so aggressive during each round of interviews that a) I didn’t think I would be invited back and b) I was really freakin pissed afterwards.
If I got asked this question, it would really bother me. Red flags would go up all over the place! If a client asked me to do something unethical or illegal, no way would I do it. If you modified it to put the issue into a bit of a grey area, I may think about it. But when you phrase it in such a black and white way, it would bother me. Working for an ethical company is a big deal for me.
After being asked this question, I would absolutely turn it around on the interviewer and (after giving my answer), I’d ask what the company prefers employees to do. If I got any answer other than “we don’t tolerate unethical or illegal behavior and engaging in such would be grounds for possible termination,” I wouldn’t take the job.
Of course, I would say that the first thing I’d do is ask the client if they knew the activity was illegal or unethical. Sometimes they don’t. But I assume you’d say “oh, they know” if you really wanted to push the issue.
However, a lot would depend on the specific example. Something like “a client wants you to market sugary snacks to children” wouldn’t raise red flags (some people consider that unethical, but it’s not illegal and not universally considered unethical). Something like “a client wants you to allow after hours trading” would (pretty much universally considered unethical, definitely illegal, and a very bad idea).
8 weaknesses? I don’t come up with answers to BS questions very well, and can’t count to well. That’s eight, right?
my grammer’s also not too good
What’s the point to sabataging the interviewee? Do you what talented staff in your office, or shifty employees with a negative attitude?
- Jinx
Well, I consider it an idiotic question, deserving of an idiotic answer, yeah.
Eight? Well … I’m lazy … I tend to fall asleep at my desk … after a few weeks, little things start to disappear around the office …
I recently had to watch a video about good interview skills in a class that had a very similar question. The thing was, they never told us what the proper response would be. I mean, come on. Either do the ethical thing and lose the client and piss off the boss, or do the unethical thing and keep the client and make the boss happy and be arrested if you’re found out.
I would not seriously suggest you do this, but I did it once. It was not in response to “Give me 8 freaking weaknesses,” but it would work just the same.
My answer would be, “As for the 8 weaknesses, I am sorry, I can only think of one. And that one is answering bullshit questions like this with a straight face.”
“As for the 8 strengths, I would only say that I do not suffer fools gladly. And, thank you for your time.”
The best answer is to glance around slowly from side to side and then lean in close to the interviewer:
You: “How much jail time we talkin hear?”
His answer
You: “Who else is in on the gig. Do they got a big mouth? I hate bigs mouths?”
His answer
You: “I am sure that we could come to some type of agreement. Know what I mean?”
“I’d report the manager to Security and the client to Security or Special Branch as appropriate.” And if it means that the company goes bust, well, at least I’ll have my reputation intact.
“Going beyond what’s on the contract.” We’re paid to do a job; if we do more, then we’ve exceeded the requirement of the job. And overtime, especially unpaid overtime, is most definitely above the call of duty. Perhaps this is my contractor experience kicking in, but if you contract with me for 40 hours per week and expect an extra 5 hours per week free, you’re going to be disappointed. A statement like, “I expect you to reward me on my work, not on my hours.” should follow soon after.
“We’re here to discuss what we can do for each other, not what we can’t.”
If the questioning got too aggressive, I’d tell them that their aggressive technique had convinced me that theirs was not the company for me, thank them for their time, and walk.
As others have said, an interview is a two-way process.
Do to the nature of our work, we require highly ethical people.
We want talented people who work because they have a sense of wanting to get the job done right. Not people who want to punch a clock and get high-fived for working overtime.
Our consultants are salaried employees, although we do hire contractors. Our clients tend to be very demanding so we try to weed out people who aren’t willing to do what it takes to get the job done.
There are a number of ways to handle this. Another thing this question tells me is if the person is too rigid in their thinking. I might say that my objective would be to keep the client happy but I don’t want to violate my principles or the law or anything. When push comes to shove, I would likely have to act in a way that preserves by job, but I don’t think I would be long for a company that made me comprimise my ethics.
The point is, I want to see that it is an actual dilema for them. That shows they care about such things. That’s why it’s black and white. I’ll tell you the wrong answer is to say “I’ll just do what my manager tells me” or “hey…everyone does it”.
And obviously you wouldn’t get hired for that kind of rudeness…the system works.
Personality and professionalism are at least as important in my job as raw technical skills. I find it amusing that people view these questions with such contempt. They are designed to weed out those very same people. What will you do if a client asks a stupid question? Scoff at them? Those people belong in a software design shop or in the bowels of a corporate IT department, not a consulting firm.