February 28, 2011 at 12:31 pm
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
But then you're missing the point of the question. It's indirect. It's a personality question. The specifics of their answer are pointless. I don't care specifically what they say.
Which renders the whole question pointless, in my opinion.
You actually welcome people lying to you and misdirecting you, and consider it worthwhile? I don't.
You feel fine with opening yourself up to conflict-creating situations in an interview? I don't.
You're okay with potentially getting sued if the question is taken at face value? I'm not.
We have different priorities, obviously.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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February 28, 2011 at 12:35 pm
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
But then you're missing the point of the question. It's indirect. It's a personality question. The specifics of their answer are pointless. I don't care specifically what they say.
You may see it that way, but I think most people correctly understand that it is a question designed to trip them up by getting them to say something bad about themselves. A big part of interviewing is finding reasons to reject people.
Everyone has shortcomings, but a job interview is not the place to put them on display.
Saying you don’t care about the answer is just self deception. Of course you care about the answer, or you wouldn’t ask it in an interview. If I told you that I drink a lot, miss a lot of work, and get violent when drunk you would obviously care about that.
February 28, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Michael Valentine Jones (2/28/2011)
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
But then you're missing the point of the question. It's indirect. It's a personality question. The specifics of their answer are pointless. I don't care specifically what they say.You may see it that way, but I think most people correctly understand that it is a question designed to trip them up by getting them to say something bad about themselves. A big part of interviewing is finding reasons to reject people.
Everyone has shortcomings, but a job interview is not the place to put them on display.
Saying you don’t care about the answer is just self deception. Of course you care about the answer, or you wouldn’t ask it in an interview. If I told you that I drink a lot, miss a lot of work, and get violent when drunk you would obviously care about that.
The correct response IS to say something bad about yourself. Everyone has flaws. Not everyone can admit them. Being able to admit them, take responsibility for them, and not feel bad about having them is what the question is supposed to show.
My three worst qualities as it pertains to work are:
1. I get bored easily, which can make it difficult for me to finish menial projects or projects which I have already 'solved'
2. I can get a little OCD about 'doing things the right way', although I'm getting a lot better about 'doing it the way management tells me to'
3. There have been times I've had a rough time gelling with the team upon first being hired, until the natural pecking order settles. After that no problems.
These are the honest answers I give. I try to answer as if I was the one doing the interviewing (golden rule basically). I answer bluntly and honestly. If after being honest they like me, and I get the job, great. If they don't like those answers, and I don't get the job, that's fine too.
There's a lot to say about people who know their flaws, can admit them, and work on fixing them (again their work related flaws - In the absense of explicitly saying it's non-work related, it seems obvious to me a given question is in the context of employment).
*edit for grammar
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February 28, 2011 at 2:18 pm
My three worst qualities as it pertains to work are:
I think this is the point of the dispute with GSquared. The question as normally asked is not qualified with "as it pertains to work", the question as asked is "What are your three worst qualities?" Once the question is limited to work then it can become a legitimate interview question.
Some people assume the "as it pertains to work" part because it is a job interview, but it really ought to be explicitly stated for those who don't. (Unless you think not assuming that is an important personality element, perhaps.)
--
JimFive
February 28, 2011 at 2:57 pm
James Goodwin (2/28/2011)
My three worst qualities as it pertains to work are:
I think this is the point of the dispute with GSquared. The question as normally asked is not qualified with "as it pertains to work", the question as asked is "What are your three worst qualities?" Once the question is limited to work then it can become a legitimate interview question.
Some people assume the "as it pertains to work" part because it is a job interview, but it really ought to be explicitly stated for those who don't. (Unless you think not assuming that is an important personality element, perhaps.)
--
JimFive
The original question, as posted in this forum is:
In one interview with a potential analyst I asked my standard question, "What are your three worst qualities".
(emphasis added)
It is not limited to work/career or anything else.
Also, a question about "qualities" does NOT ask about "what are the mistakes you've made and can you own up to them?" It asks about qualities.
That's what's flawed about the question. The intent behind it is just fine. The implementation of that intent is flawed. That implementation is the only thing I'm challenging.
The question, as asked, is based on a long list of assumptions which it doesn't test for. As evidenced by the same person who posted the question, posting answers to "My three worst qualities as it pertains to work are...". The question doesn't ask about work. That's an assumption, one of many built into it.
It makes assumptions, doesn't communicate them, and presumes to fail a person for violating those unstated rules. That's why I call it a political game. I don't like to play political games in the workplace, so I don't like the question. "Yes or no, do you still beat your wife?" is a better question, since it's at least up-front about being unfair and gamed against you.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
February 28, 2011 at 3:29 pm
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
Michael Valentine Jones (2/28/2011)
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
But then you're missing the point of the question. It's indirect. It's a personality question. The specifics of their answer are pointless. I don't care specifically what they say.You may see it that way, but I think most people correctly understand that it is a question designed to trip them up by getting them to say something bad about themselves. A big part of interviewing is finding reasons to reject people.
Everyone has shortcomings, but a job interview is not the place to put them on display.
Saying you don’t care about the answer is just self deception. Of course you care about the answer, or you wouldn’t ask it in an interview. If I told you that I drink a lot, miss a lot of work, and get violent when drunk you would obviously care about that.
The correct response IS to say something bad about yourself. Everyone has flaws. Not everyone can admit them. Being able to admit them, take responsibility for them, and not feel bad about having them is what the question is supposed to show.
My three worst qualities as it pertains to work are:
1. I get bored easily, which can make it difficult for me to finish menial projects or projects which I have already 'solved'
2. I can get a little OCD about 'doing things the right way', although I'm getting a lot better about 'doing it the way management tells me to'
3. There have been times I've had a rough time gelling with the team upon first being hired, until the natural pecking order settles. After that no problems.
These are the honest answers I give. I try to answer as if I was the one doing the interviewing (golden rule basically). I answer bluntly and honestly. If after being honest they like me, and I get the job, great. If they don't like those answers, and I don't get the job, that's fine too.
There's a lot to say about people who know their flaws, can admit them, and work on fixing them (again their work related flaws - In the absense of explicitly saying it's non-work related, it seems obvious to me a given question is in the context of employment).
*edit for grammar
For the original question, "What are your three worst qualities", a really truthful answer would probably be far worse than the three items you mentioned.
Can you honestly say that those are actually your three worst qualities? If not, then we are just talking about different degrees of avoiding the question, or about how successful you are in deluding yourself.
I think that I personally have qualities that are far worse than that that I hate to admit even to myself, and I think that is probably the case with most people.
By the way, a recruiter specifically coached me on these types of questions years ago, and said you should always turn it around into something positive, and I have never regretted taking that advice.
February 28, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Any question in an interview where your first gut feeling is "That is none of your business." Go with your gut, that is not a good question, and ask the interviewer "What is the point of asking that question?" If you don't get a good answer, terminate the interview and report it to your attorney. I did, and man, did it work.:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
February 28, 2011 at 3:33 pm
I think the "3 worst qualities" type questions are asked by lazy interviewers. Instead of asking numerous questions about your talents and specific job requirements the interviewer just decides to let you do the work for them. It's not totally unfair, though, when you consider that that's what they are basically hiring you for in the first place.
I've been asked this type of question when it seems the interviewer doesn't know that much about the technical details of a position. The interviewer may not even know as much about the position/skillset as you do. In a way it's kind of flattering that you are being asked for a honest appraisal of yourself in this way. The interviewer is assuming that you are more concerned about finding a job that fits rather than just getting the job.
BTW--I've always read that any question asked in a job interview should be interpreted as relating to the job, not your personality or private life no matter how open-ended it appears.
The three biggest mistakes in life...thinking that power = freedom, sex = love, and data = information.
February 28, 2011 at 3:46 pm
So it boils down to semantics. I worded my question wrong. lol The intent is still the same. You know what I am getting at. That's the real debate here, not that I messed up the wording of the question.
It still stands if you gave any of those answers, G, it would be a negative mark in an interview. Doing a job is not just the technical aspects, but also social, as in can you admit when you're wrong (and even worse do you come across as arrogant). This applies one hundred fold in an IT or other similarly 'intelligent' industry. Much easier to work as a team when people are: not pointing fingers at each other, acting like they're better than everyone else, honest and forthcoming with their mistakes. How is that political? Sounds exactly opposite.
Anyway agree to disagree if you can't agree with the reasoning. The debate is a dead horse.
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February 28, 2011 at 4:05 pm
amenjonathan (2/28/2011)
So it boils down to semantics..
Yes, it does, and it could be the difference of whether or not someone's attorney contacts your company afterwards too.:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
February 28, 2011 at 4:32 pm
bradmcgehee@hotmail.com (2/25/2011)
When I get questions that are not related to an interview, I ask what their point is, and if I don't get a good answer, I walk out of the interview. This has happened twice to me. I am not interested in working for a company that doesn't focus directly on who I am and what I can do for them.
I like that point of view.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
February 28, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Worst / strangest question was "how many of _______ can fit in a bus?" The interviewer wanted to argue with my answer - which I thought was somewhat bizarre.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
February 28, 2011 at 11:25 pm
TravisDBA (2/28/2011)
Any question in an interview where your first gut feeling is "That is none of your business." Go with your gut, that is not a good question, and ask the interviewer "What is the point of asking that question?" If you don't get a good answer, terminate the interview and report it to your attorney. I did, and man, did it work.:-D
And that's why the rest of the world thinks all US citizens like to sue the heck out of each other 😀
Need an answer? No, you need a question
My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP
February 28, 2011 at 11:26 pm
CirquedeSQLeil (2/28/2011)
Worst / strangest question was "how many of _______ can fit in a bus?" The interviewer wanted to argue with my answer - which I thought was somewhat bizarre.
We all know, as with every question in this industry, that the only correct answer is:
It depends.
Need an answer? No, you need a question
My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP
March 1, 2011 at 6:08 am
Koen Verbeeck (2/28/2011)
CirquedeSQLeil (2/28/2011)
Worst / strangest question was "how many of _______ can fit in a bus?" The interviewer wanted to argue with my answer - which I thought was somewhat bizarre.We all know, as with every question in this industry, that the only correct answer is:
It depends.
42?
😛
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