How Would Your Friends Describe You?

Earlier on, you had an interview question where you are asked to describe yourself.

On the other hand, this is an  interview question that require someone else to describe you.

This question could also take the form of:

• What do your friends think about you?

• How do friends describe you?

• How do your colleagues describe you?

• What do other people think of you?

• If I were to ask your co-workers to list 3 points that describe you, what would they say?

How do you deal with these questions? 

Well, first of all let us see how these  interview questions are DIFFERENT from the basic question where you get to describe yourself:

The fundamental differences are:

• The interviewer has a chance to evaluate whether you have the ability to be unbiased.

• The interviewee has an opportunity to present strong positive opinions about oneself that modesty might have otherwise prohibited.

So to answer this question well, make sure your answer includes a well-rounded appraisal of yourself and also something insightful - something that ONLY a close third person would be able to say.

 The key point is this: If your friends are only going to say EXACTLY what your resume and you have said, then the opportunity afforded by this interview question will go WASTED.

So use this question to bring up a listing of some other facet of your personality that would otherwise be difficult or embarrassing to bring up in your resume or in the other questions.

Who Is Your Role Model?*

There are three kinds of answers most commonly used to answer this interview question."

• The first common interview answer maintains that the interviewee has no role model, though there are several people that she admires.

• The second common interview answer lists a very prominent personality. In all likelihood, the interviewer will know a good deal about the "role model."

• The third approach that interview candidates take is to list someone close and personal. In this case, they construct the person as they like, as it is quite unlikely that the interviewee knows the "role model".

All three approaches are fine. Your choice of your role model (or lack of one) does say a lot about you.

Personally, I would go with an answer that said:

• at different points of time, I have had different role models

• at this point of time, such-and-such person is my role model

• almost anyone I would list would be personally known

So am I saying that this is a good interview answer?

Yes, it is for me.

But no, it may not be for you. I choose this specific answer because it is the truth for me. I have trouble constructing a person out of media reports and commonly known facts. I need a real person to be my role model.

 And you?