If so, the first thing you should do in a similar situation is to ask questions of the manager about the specifics of the situation - if only to give yourself more time to come up with an answer. Or, you can take a page from politicians in debates, who always begin an answer with “that’s a really great question” or something similar, while they think.
In the real world you don’t necessarily do well with the first thing that comes to mind. I had an interview where the questions I was asked involved how I’d do something for a new microprocessor project which was top secret, which I didn’t know anything about, and the details of which they wouldn’t tell me. I responded by asking questions, and saying “if it was like this, I’d do that.” I did get the job.
That explains why I have had so many bad interviews, I’ve only done 2 of the 3. #3 seems to be a little different, thanks! I’ll get on that one right away!
See, I think most people have been given bad advice from HR and guidance counselor idiots who really have no idea. Most interviewers ask vague questions that have no obvious “correct” answer. What is a valid “weakness” or “strength”? What’s a good reason for wanting to leave your last job? So what happens is the interviewer will then use your answers to support whatever picture they have already painted of you in the first 5 minutes.
The best way to deal with any negative question like “why were you let go from your last job” or “what are your weaknesses” is to be short and concise. “My position was eliminated for economic reasons”. But then go into a longer, more positive discussion. “I’m really looking for a position where I really have much more of an impact in driving the success of the group.”
Interviewers are not analyzing your answers in anything but the most superficial way. “He seems confident”. “I found him awkward”. So on and so forth.
a good lline to use near the end of the interview is ‘are you comfortable with me?’ or ‘is there anything I can adress in these last few minutes to make you more comfortable?’
If they are ‘comfortable’ ask what are thwe next steps. ThEN ask their advice / hints on that next step. If you’ve won the interviewer over, then you want them helping you prep for the next interview. If the interviewer is the hiring manager, that person has a vested interest in getting you thru the hiring process.
Again the most important thing to remember is when you’re interviewing at a company, the person talking to you is thinking
“…I am gonna have to see this person at least 40 hours a week for the rest of my time here”
So it’s is very important to be able to make that person understand, not only do you have the skills for the job but YOU WANT to be there and make him/her WANT YOU as well.
With so many people out of work, just getting interviewed means they like your skills and it’s most likely gonna come down to, who the interviewer feels is gonna be a good fit personality wise.
One technique that’s served me well in interviews is “Well, the first thing that springs to mind is…” And then you tell them the first thing that springs to mind. Even if it you can already see the mile-wide flaws in it. You’ve already qualified that this is only your very first idea, you haven’t yet put in the deep thought this problem needs. But nevertheless, you’ve scored a few important points.
One: You’re talking, and few things are worse (for your self-confidence, if nothing else) than extended silences.
Two: The time you spend talking about the first thought answer is time that you’re getting more familiar with the problem and developing your thoughts for the real answer.
Three: You’re on the scoreboard with an answer. Even if you ultimately don’t come up with the ‘right’ answer, the interviewer is going to say “Well, he came up with something”. (This point is deceptively important. Bad interviewers form quick initial impressions, and then look for evidence to confirm them. So if the guy likes you, he’s going to look back at the interview and say “Well, yeah, he didn’t get the best answer - but at least he had something, and it seems like if he had more time he’d probably have gotten there”. On the other hand, having no answer at all would be much harder for him to justify. A poor answer is much better than no answer, particularly if you know why it’s poor, which brings us to…)
Four: Even if your first thought kind of sucked, you can turn that into a positive by being the one to point out its shortcomings. Picking apart a bad answer can give you just as many chances to prove you know your stuff as defending a good answer.
YMMV. As we all know, there are no hard and fast rules, and what works for one person with a particular interviewer does not necessarily repeat successfully.
The line has worked really well for me on the few occaisions I have used it for high level, independent self-start type positions.
Staggering Genius - I’m gonna use “the first thing that springs to mind” line in the future.
Another line I’ve used very successfully is “I have a passport and I’m not afraid to use it.” Of course, that has been with jobs that have international aspects.
I once totally blew an interview question that I was unprepared for. Afterwards when I emailed the hiring manager to thank her, I included a few more important details that I had forgotten to mention in my answer. I thought it was probably a lost cause, so imagine my surprise when I was called in for a second interview and then eventually offered the job. Just something to keep in mind if you feel like you want to answer a particular question more fully.
And I agree that more often than not, the harshest judges are ourselves.
