Blog Post: It's Not Your Imagination--The Questions are Getting More Negative

Those of you that have had an interview recently are noticing the trend towards negative interview questions.  The trend didn't start overnight, but those of you interviewing for the first time in years are seeing this for the first time.

"Tell me about the biggest mistake you made in the last 3 years."  "What are your 3 biggest weaknesses?"  "Tell me about a time when you were not sucessful at a project or assignment.  What happened?"

There's a method to the madness, trust me.  Negative questions are designed to see what you're not good at, what your weaknesses are, and what you have learned during your experience.  That's obvious, right?  Additionally, they let the recruiter see how you handle stress, how you deal with negativity, and (to put it one way) how you have made lemonade from the lemons.

When answering question, never say that you've never experienced that particular situation.  We've all made big mistakes.  We've all been late for something.  Choose an answer that is not critical to the role you're applying for.  A computer programmer may talk about their blunder when they were speaking publicly (not a core role of a computer programmer), for example. 

Then, package your answer.  Let the recruiter know why, if you are selected for the position, they will never know that you have that particular weakness.  Let the recruiter know what corrective steps you have taken to ensure that mistakes like that never happen again.  This "packaging" is a critical part of the answer to a negative question.

This Saturday's seminar (www.careerdevelopmentaz.com/seminar.html) will cover this and more questions on what to expect during interviews and how to write a solid resume.  9am - 12pm, $35, and a small-sized group to ensure you get your questions answered.

Good luck in your search!