You
think the interview is going well. You knew the meeting location
ahead of time, and you arrived ten minutes early. You are
dressed sharp and your teeth are clean. You came prepared in
every way-you have three copies of your resume, a few business
cards, two pens and a note pad. You turned off your cell-phone.
You managed to find out before the interview that your
interviewer held the position for which you are now applying and
that you were in choir at the same college. You know the
company's mission statement and have a sense of their structure.
Your interviewer nodded and smiled when you spoke about your
previous accomplishments and your management style. You seem to
have connected with the company culture.
Your reflection, research, and practice have served you so well
that you wonder whether you should become a professional
interviewee rather than a Financial Planner. Then the
interviewer lifts her head from her notes and, pen in hand,
asks: what are your weaknesses?
You have two options: you can squirm and stammer through a
response you develop on the fly, or you can look your
interviewer in the eye and provide a thoughtful response that
still helps you present yourself strongly. When asked difficult
questions, you feel instinctively that they are probing and that
you are under great scrutiny. As you prepare responses before
the interview, consider what information the questions seek: are
there ways in which you would be a liability to the company? If
the company invests in you, what kinds of things would it need
to overcome? Are you the kind of person who can deal with things
when they get rough, or are you pure gloss?
In answering sensitive questions, make sure that your answers
are honest, but reassuring. Use tact and choose your words
carefully so that you show respect for other people in your
responses. You should usually use understatement in your reply
to sensitive questions. When people hear something bad, they
tend to focus on it in a way that is out of proportion to its
significance in everyday life. If you say that you are not
always organized, the interviewer could imagine your desk with
papers strewn everywhere and deadlines missed. But in reality
your conception of disorganization might look a lot like the
interviewer's conception of organization. In addition, most of
the interviewer's questions could be answered honestly in a
variety of ways. You want to choose the version of the truth
that is most appealing and sensitive--the version that helps
support your main message.
Examples:
What are your weaknesses?
Overemphasized:
I am not a good manager.
Avoidant: I always get my work done on time. When
other people drop the ball, sometimes I get frustrated with
them.
Effective: I prioritize continual growth and
improvement. An area on which I would like to focus is
managing others who have different expectations from me.
What needs to be done in order to complete responsibilities
is intuitive for me, so I am learning how to give better
direction to others who are not self-motivated.
Why
did you leave your last job?
Vague
and negative: Law always interested me, and I was
looking for a new challenge. I thought it would be a good
time to go to law school. Besides, I had gotten frustrated
with the lack of support I felt at work.
Dangerous: In the end, my manager and I could not get
along. He was driving me crazy and I needed to leave.
Effective: As I succeeded in financial analysis, I
became increasingly interested in broader issues of managing
money. I wanted to understand how legal regulations and
individuals' goals affect decisions about how to manage
money. When I gained entrance to my top choice in law
school, I seized the opportunity to infuse my financial
training with legal knowledge.
How
do you deal with criticism?
Disrespectful:
When I remember the source, I usually realize that the other
person is in no position to criticize me.
Unbelievable: Criticism does not bother me at all.
Effective: Criticism is vital to my continued growth,
and I welcome constructive criticism that helps a team
operate better together or produce better results. It is
important to me to understand where my critic is coming from
so that I know how to apply the feedback.
Where
do you see yourself in ten years?
Dismissive:
Living in a boat off the coast of Bermuda.
Exploitative: I hope to have gained enough skills
here to start my own company.
Scattered: In ten years, I imagine that I will want a
change of scene. One of my long-term interests has been
ecological protection, and I can see myself working as a
spokesman for a lobbyist organization. First, though, I need
to make some money and I want to contribute to your company.
Effective: In ten years, I endeavor to have refined
my strategic and client relations skills. I intend to be a
leading expert in estate planning. After having proven
myself as a senior manager, I hope to help shape the
strategic direction of estate planning services. I could do
this in any number of official roles. The important thing is
that I will continue contributing my abilities in a
challenging and rewarding environment.
How
do you deal with authority?
Concerning:
I think it is important to question authority from time to
time.
Frightening: In my last job, there was a time when my
boss made a financial decision that I knew would be abysmal.
I went directly to his superior to explain the problem. His
superior agreed that I was right, and my boss had to alter
his plan.
Effective: Respect is very important to me. As an
employee, I try to respect my boss not only by following her
guidance, but also by seeking her guidance. When a trusting
relationship is formed, I have often found that my bosses
have appreciated concerns or options that I raised to them.
They know that I support them, and I know that they respect
me.
What
do you think of your previous manager?
Evasive:
She did her job fine. She was a pretty nice person.
Disrespectful: She knew her stuff, but she did not
give my colleagues or me any real guidance. It is like we
were fending for ourselves. She rarely stood up for us
either. I do not really think she should be a manager.
Effective: My previous manager had excellent
technical skills and was very agreeable as a colleague. I
would have liked more support from her at times, but her
hands-off style meant that I had to become resourceful in
problem solving and negotiating with colleagues.
What
is the riskiest thing you have ever done?
Too
much information: My wife and I conceived our first
child in front of the police department.
Dangerous judgment: I play chicken with trains.
Effective: The greatest calculated risk that I have
taken was to launch my own internet company. My idea was
solid, but I knew the market was volatile. Even though the
venture ended, my investment of time and money paid off in
terms of the skills, perspectives, and contacts that I made
through the process. I feel like I matured-rather than
aged-ten years during that time.
