Memorable Answers to Cliché Questions
There’s a big lie that’s been circulating the job market for decades, one that’s incredibly pernicious to employees across the globe. Want to know what that big lie is?
Employers are human beings.
Ok, that’s a bit inflammatory, but it certainly gets my point across. Let me explain: When in the middle of an interview, employees often fail them for a series of simple reasons. A prevalent one is the idea that interviewees often feel the need to over-explain themselves, attempting to justify their decisions to other people, such as gaps in their resumés, or apparent lack of expertise in one area.
The truth is - employees don’t really care much about your personal history. They just want someone who is agreeable, who doesn’t need much training - and most importantly - knows how to do the job.
So I’m going to take that statement and reframe it, just for you. It’s time to talk about job interview questions. Namely, the boring ones that disqualify you almost immediately.
Nailing a Memorable Answer to a Cliché Question
Your main priority when dealing with a routine question is to always remember: Which qualities do you have to offer? How can you reframe them in order to sell the correct persona to an employer? Don’t focus on what you don’t have or inexplicable justifications: you’re here to do a job, and find out if the employer finds you useful and agreeable enough.
Let’s look at some common scenarios:
“What’s your greatest weakness?”
I dislike this one,as most people fall into the trap of listing a non-threatening weakness in an attempt to appear harmless. In short? A non-answer. What’s actually useful is to say something along the lines of “Sometimes, I focus on getting my point across so much, it may appear as if I don’t care about other people’s opinions”, instead of relying on the old “I’m too blunt”.
This reframes you as someone interested in other people’s opinions while still being direct.
“Where do you see yourself in Five Years?”
While not as common as it once was, the main point of this question is that the employer wants to know how ambitious you are, without knowing whether you’re problematic or not.
The key here is to make this question as individualistic as possible. Don’t give a generic answer, think of a genuine and personal answer, and use it to be truthful. Stick to something that speaks to you - maybe you want to learn from your manager for a bit before turning to manage your own teams. The idea is that the employer learns what he wants to actually learn without discarding you because you gave a clichéd answer.
“Why should we hire you?”
Values, values, values.
Employers want someone who already reflects the company’s values, without finding someone who doesn’t stand apart. A good idea is to write down answers for questions like this beforehand, in order to create a persona that appeals to potential employers.
I hope this type of information helps you out. I went deep into this topic the other day, so if you want access to this info, along with several other strategies, you know you can check our Youtube Channel for more information.
Until the next time,
Rolf.
