RE: Advice for Job Seekers

[Melanie Shook <mshook -at- com2001 -dot- com>]

Mark Baker wrote:
<snip>
Lydia Wong wrote

> One of our favorite questions to ask interviewees is "what are the three
> best and the three worst traits of your former managers?"

I am disturbed by question of this sort being used in interviews. (I don't
mean to pick in this example or on Lydia in particular, my compliant is
against the whole genre of such questions. "What is your greatest weakness?"
is a classic of the genre. Their use is very widespread.)</snip>

I agree! If anyone ever asks me one of those questions again, I'll just walk
out.  I have never gotten a job when the interviewer asks such a question -
I guess I don't know how to answer them.  Ask me to DO something, how would
I document such and such, what would be the questions I would ask, etc. Not
some silly question out of a silly book meant to put me on the spot.
Presumably, my job is not to evaluate my managers, and I resent someone
asking me what my greatest weakness is.  Everyone knows you're supposed to
say something like "I'm too much of a perfectionist" or something that isn't
really a weakness.  Bleahch. Stick to job-related questions.  If you want to
know how I get along with others, ask me about the PROCESS at my last job -
who did I get information from? What kinds of challenges did I face? What
was difficult or easy or fun, etc. The answers will reveal any biases or
problems more clearly than when you put the interviewee on his/her guard, so
they try to sound clever. </rambling on>