Interview Questions That Should Make You Cringe.
I’d made it to the last round!
My final interview to join Microsoft. I was told it was merely a formality. Exposure to a larger part of the business. I’d prepared really well, or so I thought…
Ushered into the meeting room, I was offered a glass of water and a seat. The layout of the room reminded me of the scene from Van Wilder where Van is looking for an assistant.
After the formalities they asked the first question:
“So, who is Paul? I mean at your core, who is the real Paul Slade?”
It felt like I should really be answering that question with some Eminem rap lyrics, but there was no way that room would have appreciated my artistic flair.
Since that meeting I can’t help but cringe when I hear some of the questions asked in interviews. Not the outliers. I’m talking about the ones that almost everyone asks:
So, why do you want a new job?
Can you tell me something about you that I don’t know?
What is your greatest acheivement?
What things are you proud of?
Can you give me an example of when you solved a difficult problem?
Do you read a lot?
Do these questions make you cringe? They should. Especially if you’ve asked them before.
Frankly, I can’t blame people for asking them. It’s a byproduct of two things:
- CV’s (and LinkedIn profiles) are crap! They don’t do a good job of giving real insight.
- People are busy (*ahem* lazy) and don’t have time to prep interview questions well.
Either way, if the CV process is fixed, then a lot of these superficial questions can be moved out of the way before the interview. Which means we can actually have a quality conversation to understand the individal nuances of the interviewee and whether they would really be a good hire or not.
At Techfolio we’ve been working on really showcasing a persons achievements, interests and skills. For example if you visited my techfolio you’d be able to see:
You could click on the achievements and learn more about what it’s all about. How I contributed. Challenges I faced. For example:
The WWF Donor Management Solution that I worked on with Liquid CRM while at Microsoft.
Or
The work I’ve done with Khensani’s Collection, where I get to mentor an awesome young guy named Xoli (he’s going to university this year. Really proud of that guy!).
You could also learn things about me that you might not know, like:
By transforming the way that people showcase themselves and their achievements, anyone with a techfolio will never need a CV again. Better yet, anyone who reviews a persons techfolio should never have to ask those cringeworthy questions in an interview again.
If you do:
Shame on you!
