Interviews: Is honesty the best policy? by zsoolt

I am not the best interviewee. I believe honesty is always best. I sticking to my principles and humbly tell the interviewer how I feel, and what my real thoughts and strengths are.

I know I’m good at what I do because I love what I do for a living. I am passionate and very excited about the work at hand. I’m ready to get my hands dirty and show what I can do, yet this doesn’t seem to be enough and when in comes to interviews for possible jobs I’m often at a loss. There are questions that can kill my possibilities just because I don’t have some rehearsed right answer they want to hear.

When interviewers ask me the terrifying question: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? My straight answer is the same. Doing exactly this, no less, no more. This is often seen as lack of ambition. But isn’t doing what you love ambitious enough? Not trying to become a manager at a company because you like to be in the front lines getting your hands dirty, even if it’s for a meager pay?

Another question that kills me is: ‘What are your weaknesses?’, which in fact means: ‘tell me something negative which is actually positive.’ Isn’t this a bit farfetched? And often the real answers wouldn’t get you the job. But this doesn’t mean you are not up to the task.

I believe the most important quality of an interviewer is to be a good judge of character and be ready to see the person in action. Words are just words, and so many people rehearse the lines about what they think the interviewer wants to hear that all authenticity is lost, becoming someone you are not. The problem is that if you are hired you might end up in a place that is far from your true match.