- So tell me about how you handle disagreements
with your manager.
- Oh, it gets ugly.
- Oh, what do you mean by that?
- Sorry, that was a joke, but my boss and I don't get along.
(record scratch) (crickets chirping)
(upbeat music)
- In any interview,
you can expect to be asked many different types
of questions.
Some will be specific to the role you're applying for
and will test your skills in industry knowledge.
Other questions are behavioral or personality based
and will gauge how you respond to challenges
and what kind of person you are overall.
While no two job interviews will look exactly alike,
many of them will include some of the same questions.
In this video, we're going to review
three common interview questions
that might trip you up if you don't prepare for them,
but don't worry, we got you covered it.
- I'd love to get a sense of how you approach challenges.
Can you tell me about a time you disagreed
with your manager at work?
- Recently, my boss proposed a solution for a key client
of mine that I didn't agree with.
Part of the problem is that my boss likes
to remain big picture and, you know,
doesn't understand the client like I do.
I told him this during an internal meeting
with the team because I wanted others to back me up.
He didn't take too kindly to that.
- Oof.
Adrian was right.
We can't stop disagreements from happening,
but we can't control how we respond to them.
By asking this question,
the interviewer wants to see how you respond to conflict.
They care much less about whether you were right
or even about what your idea was.
They want to see that you have strong communication skills
and high emotional intelligence
but Adrian doesn't seem to have either of those things
based on this story.
Let's rewind and imagine Adrian had done this situation
differently at work.
(record tape whirring)
- So tell me about a time you disagreed
with your manager at work.
What happened?
- Recently, I disagreed with my boss regarding a solution
that he had for a key client.
Rather than question his thinking in front of everyone,
I shared my perspective in private.
- That's so important.
You'd be surprised how many people give feedback in public.
- Totally.
I would never put my manager on the spot like that.
Anyways, when we spoke,
I was sure to back up my opinion with concrete examples.
I also made it clear that I respected his idea
and I just wanted him to have all the information.
- I'm sure your boss appreciated that.
- Now that's a better story for an interview.
First of all, Adrian said he gave the feedback in private
which demonstrates emotional intelligence.
He showed that he was professional
and respectful of his boss's thinking.
It was super smart of Adrian to reference the examples
he gave his boss at the time that backed his thinking.
Whenever possible, you want to show your interviewer
that you know how to back up your strategies
with data or concrete examples.
Well done.
- If you're looking for a new job
and you don't have the Indeed Mobile app,
you're seriously missing out.
Click the link below or search Indeed in the app store.
- So it sounds like you've had a really great experience
at your current company, which is awesome to hear.
But is there anything different
that you'd like to do in your new role?
- I'm just really lucky.
I think I do exactly what I'm doing right now in a new role.
I'm just ready for my next challenge
and I want to recreate the success that I've had here.
- Hmm.
Are you sure nothing comes to mind?
- I totally understand
why Adrian answered the question this way.
He might be worried that his answer will make him seem weak
or bad at his job.
After all, you want to be impressive in an interview
and how can you be impressive when talking about things
you do differently?
Well, let me tell you, none of us are perfect
and hiring managers don't expect us to be.
Adrian missed a valuable opportunity here
to demonstrate self-awareness
and his ability to change.
Next time, I'd love to see Adrian identify a specific lesson
he learned in his career.
Let's run it back and see how he does.
(record tape whirring)
- Is there anything you'd do differently in your new role?
- You know, about six months ago
I had the opportunity to lead an exciting new project.
I was overwhelmed with my current workload at the time
so I turned it down.
- Well, it's good to know your personal limits.
- Really, I'm glad you said that.
Ultimately, I wish I had said yes
and just asked leadership for assistance reprioritizing.
I learned from the experience
and when new leadership opportunities arise,
my boss and I work together to reprioritize my workload.
I'm really looking forward
to bringing this fresh mindset to my next role.
- Well, thank you for sharing.
We're really looking for candidates
who are honest about their areas of improvement
and are always looking for ways to improve in their role.
- Yes!
See how self-aware Adrian seems now?
His commitment to his personal growth is frankly inspiring
and it seems like the hiring manager was also impressed
by his open and honest answer.
While you prepare for this question yourself,
remember to be honest,
focus on the lesson you learned and most importantly,
how you're committed to applying that lesson in the future.
- I'm really enjoying this conversation so far.
Now, onto my favorite question.
What do you think success would look like in this role?
- Success looks like different things on different dates.
It's hard for me to answer that question clearly.
It's definitely something I would connect
with my manager about right away on the first day,
just to make sure we are on the same page.
- Oh, um, sure.
Yeah, I think it's definitely a good idea
to talk with your manager,
but I'd still love to drill into this more
with you right now.
What do you think success would look like in this role?
- I empathize with Adrian,
and this is one of those questions that seems kind of simple
but as soon as you're asked, you get tongue tied.
Next time, I would love to see Adrian get specific.
It's an opportunity to flex his knowledge
and show how he read the job description.
I'd love to see him cite some
of those those key responsibilities
and give examples of how he's crushing them
in his current role.
Let's see Adrian try this again with that in mind.
- What do you think success would look like in this role?
- Right, I've got this.
Based on the job description,
success in this role means bringing in new revenue.
Now, last year I grew my book of business by 25%.
I did this through dedicated outreach,
maintaining relationships with internal stakeholders,
and keeping core values top of mind
during my interactions with clients.
I know hitting numbers is essential to success
in this position,
but I mention collaboration and staying true to my values
because that's how I define success in work and life.
- Sounds good.
- Night and day, what a difference.
It was smart for Adrian to include those sales numbers
and also to tell us about who he is as a person.
All in all, the interviewer is seeing a lot
of green flags right now.
Remember, while no two interviews are exactly alike,
you'd expect some of these common questions to pop up
in most interviews.
For tips on how to answer other common questions
in the interview process,
watch more mock interviews on our YouTube channel.
Good luck.
Like and subscribe for more interview tips and tricks.
(beep) - Sorry,
um, that was a little joke,
um, but my boss and I don't get together.
Wait, my boss and I don't get along.
- Oh.
- [Voice Off-Screen] Let's go back.
Back to the one and then- - It's actually scary.
- Oh good, I wanted it to-