Wanky interview questions

[CaptainCarrotsBigSword]

I've got an interview next week and as it's through an agency, they've sent me some prep materials.

One of the listed examples of questions they might ask is this:

• Tell me about a time when you feel you have missed an opportunity to do something you wanted to in life?

Is it me or is that a bit too bloody personal?? I don't particularly want to tell a stranger my life regrets, unless I'm in a therapy session! And what is that going to tell you about how good or not I'm likely to be at doing the job?!

I wouldn't take that as a personal question. I'd relate it to work. So like a qualification I wanted but didn't get, however I'd also spin it to say I regretted it for a while so I went out years later and got the qualification etc (all true).

YANBU.
I've interviewed hundreds of people over the years and I can't think of any reason why I'd need to ask that question to find out what I need to know for a role.
I also think questions like this don't actually reveal anything about the person and just encourage them to make up an a story. I would. Pointless.

It's all bollocks but just tell them what they want to hear. Make it about work and tell them about a time you had the opportunity to do some fabulous project but turned it down to deliver something you had a prior commitment to complete.

Make it up if you have to - outdo their bullshit with your own. Corporate recruiting is all a game you just have to know how to play it. Good luck!

Does the job have a person spec? Most interview questions are tied closely to something on that. I'd try to find something on the person spec to tie it to (resilience? Ability to learn from mistakes? Critical thinking? Responding to feedback?)

I would do as Halzie suggests, make it work related and flip it to how you overcame it / what you did instead.

I didn't finish my first degree and had to leave at the end of the second year for personal reasons so I regretted it for a while and was concerned for my future employment prospects and then when the time was right enrolled with the OU and did X and had Y, Z experiences.

Or missing job opportunities I would have loved to do because I didn't drive, I didn't drive because when I was having lessons I had been first on scene at a multiple person fatal crash and that had put me off, so I had enough of that limiting me and passed my test at 30.

Covid would be a good reason here as something outside your control...

Relate it to work or something that happened at school / college

I'd say something like I always wanted to do a bungee jump but when I got to the front of the queue the bungee broke and (fortunately) I was unable to do it which was a miraculous escape.

If they want more details, say it is too traumatic to continue talking about it, (ask for a glass of water at this point).

As people have mentioned above, relate it to work. I hate these type questions whereby wanting you to focus on negatives, try and turn it round so that you're not ending on a negative connotation. So you didn't do a training course, instead you enhanced your skills via xyz. Think it's trying to show you overcoming adversity

I just think it's wank. I'm going to have to make something up that ticks the right boxes and what is the point in that?

Maybe I'll say I wanted to have three children but after a traumatic second pregnancy and labour I am unable to have any more children. That'll shut them up from any follow up questions and neatly tick the invisible "not going to be going on maternity leave" box at the same time.

It shows your creativity, your ability to respond to a difficult question, your judgement in how to talk about your personal life...

Lots of things

Or it shows that I'm willing to spout bullshit lies to please my bosses and will let work trample over my personal boundaries.

It has no bearing on the job description, btw.

I got asked what my values are once, and really didn't know how to respond! What does that even mean? I value people being nice to each other and trying to make the world a better place. But then who doesn't?

@SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter they'll have wanted you to say something that mirrors the organisational values.

For what it’s worth, I think the question is a bit too personal but I quite like questions that make people reflect and think a bit about when things haven’t gone so well. I’d re-word it if I was using it myself especially because it could be indirect discrimination (eg lots of women will have missed out on things because of children).

Your answers on here come across like you're unsure on how to be creative with your answer, and show you know how to adapt to something they ask, whether it's bullshit or not. So to me, your answer would be very telling if you came in trying to "shut them up" with an answer about not being able to have kids.

Telling of what, though? That I don't like being asked personal questions? Yes, correct, I don't!!

This isn't a job where I am required to do some kind of high level creative problem solving by the way. It's answering phones for a flipping insurance company.

It's not a personal question. They will be looking for a career related answer. It would show me that you don't know how to read what's being asked and are getting offended by it. At an interview it's your hour to stand out. You don't need to use that time to show them you potentially get offended at unnecessary things.

I'm not offended, I just think it's irrelevant to my ability to handle incoming customer service calls to an insurance company.

Got to love a Sales interview...

"Sell me this pen"

🤦🏼‍♀️

I’ve only ever used these as a sift. If you’ve got dozens of candidates per job and I want the ones who yes, will go along with these kind of questions because they really want the job.

I’m currently recruiting a more technical role and the interview for that is much more me selling the company so we don’t ask this kind of question.

It's the "in life" that makes it personal. If it was 'in your career" or "in your work history " that would be fine.

Anyway, I'll make up some bullshit and spout all the right crap that makes me seem resilient and adaptable and able to bounce back from mis-steps, as I'm sure that's what they are getting at. But a better question would be to ask for an example of showing resilience or adaptability.

It's not personal, no interview question is ever personal even if it might sound like it. They will want a career/education based answer.

Then they should ask an education or careers based question.

It shouldn't be on the candidate to make up for or interpret the interviewers poor choice of questions. Because then all you are doing is hiring people who are good at bullshitting in interviews.

Anyway, as I've said, I'll make up some bright and breezy bullshit and say it with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.