Three words about you...?
I've had numerous job interviews and nearly all of them have asked the godawful question: "Give us three words that best describe you".
I read somewhere that any interviewer who asks this question isn't a particularly good one, as it's a lazy question and you shouldn't need this question to come to any useful decision about the candidate.
Even though I've thought about it and been asked about it numerous times, I can't come up with any answer that doesn't sound tacky "enthusiastic, positive, analytical" or some such similar bollocks. Once fairly recently I drew a complete blank and just said that I can't answer that question :D
So 1) what answer are they looking for and;
2) why?
I read somewhere that any interviewer who asks this question isn't a particularly good one, as it's a lazy question and you shouldn't need this question to come to any useful decision about the candidate.
Even though I've thought about it and been asked about it numerous times, I can't come up with any answer that doesn't sound tacky "enthusiastic, positive, analytical" or some such similar bollocks. Once fairly recently I drew a complete blank and just said that I can't answer that question :D
So 1) what answer are they looking for and;
2) why?
Post edited by Vertigo on
Comments
just pick three positive words. its not that difficult, if you start arguing with the interviewer about the quality of his/her question you prolly aren't gonna get the job, no matter how clever you think you are being.
saying you can't answer it isn't the end of the world, they may have been just trying to put you on the spot and seeing how you react. most people prepare for the questions, so sometimes they throw something random at you to gauge your reaction. No interviewee will ever answer with 'lazy, thick, psychotic'
Human
Male
Adult
Which would certainly not be wrong with you and most other of us here on WOS. But you never know if the interviewer might be a humourless asshole, and most likely it's not the answer they want ...
"Winner and" extended pause
"Winner".
Then give them a big cliched business metaphor for success. If its that sort of '3 words' interview they will love it. You can even feed them a line from a cheesy pop song and see if they notice.
I might go with the first one if it turns out the interview is a bit crap and I work out halfway through that I don't really want it.
It is a shit question though, right?
yes but so is, 'why do you want the job?'
to which the correct truthful answer would be . because in a capitialist country i need money to live a decent life, i don't want to be a tramp.
"Why do you want the job" is possibly an even more lazy and stupid question.
Although perhaps with the 3 word question I should give my answer and then say "and you?"
"Short and skinny"
"Nine inch willy"
There are many possible answers, but few correct ones.
great minds think alike.
... or just a coincidence in our case.
One was 'What is your greatest achievement?'
One of the funniest answers I got was (and he said it straight faced serious).
'I had a 40 year old woman when I was 18'
are you sure you weren't interviewing borat?
Energetic
Keen
or in my case
Lazy
Arrogant
anti-authority
Bored,
Gone.
misteaksmistrakesmisyaleserrurs— oh, sod it.Awww.
Surely, it should be "Do you swallow?"
*gets coat*
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!
(paradox)
Technically that's four words :-P:D
Yes, I guess so. And also it's the title of a song. And it's a quote from John Wayne (but I'm not a fan of him). By the way, "y" means "and", so you can take it as feo (ugly), fuerte (strong), formal (reliable).
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!
LMAO :)
I never had a conventional job with job interviews (just years ago contracts by mail sorta thing on a few things) but I wonder what hey'd say if I was honest and said Broken, Loyal, and Nuts (like completely), haha :D
Veni, Vidi, Vici
...which more describes what you do rather than what you are - "I came, I saw, I conquered" (which is what Julius Caesar was reputed to say about 2000 years ago after annihilating another country).
cognito ergo sum
then...
Extra letter taken care of...
I have to agree that this would be a stumper for many and one would either be hired for being a know-it-all ... or not hired ... for being a know-it-all.