Don't Get Screened-Out
How do you ace these tricky assessment interviews? It's done not by telling companies what they want to hear, but by simply being honest, says Stern.
How would you answer questions like, "In the past, what approach have you chosen to solve difficult problems?"
- I have thoroughly investigated all aspects of the job.
- I have felt overwhelmed and asked someone for help.
- I have requested guidance from my supervisor or professor to find the solution.
- I have given up and moved on to a new task.
- I don't know.
Or, "How do you feel about making unpopular decisions?"
- I like to make decisions I know will be unpopular.
- I have no problem making unpopular decisions.
- I don't like to make unpopular decisions, but I can if necessary.
- I prefer not to make unpopular decisions.
- I can't make unpopular decisions.
- I have never made an unpopular decision.
I bet you'd pick "1" for the first question and "2" for the second. But you could be making a big mistake. Why? Because "companies are looking for a good fit," Stern explains, "by fitting jobs to people." They identify traits for a particular job, i.e. project manager or systems analyst, and then try to find people with matching traits. In the first question, for example, the job may not require someone who stays with a problem until doomsday, but someone who asks for help and moves to the next problem. In the second one, the company may be looking for a manager who can build rapport. Number "3" might be the answer they're looking for.
"It's important to be candid," Stern advises. "There are trap questions that are designed to see if you are responding in an overly socially responsible manner." In a word, fudging. "The last thing you want to do is paint a picture that's not you," Stern adds.
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