I won’t talk about my current job, mostly because what I want to share here is what lead me to this job and the lessons about work-life balance that I have learned along the way. Today I’m writing about the job interview process. And it’s a process. Over my 26 year career I have dabbled in general office work, project management, I even did a stint at a sewing factory sewing little squares together as swatches to send out to customers. I’ve dealt with difficult executives, difficult coworkers, and some truly amazing people but the one thing I think all of these had in common is that they didn’t serve a purpose. They were just placeholders to keep me housed, fed, and entertained. I remember when I was first joining the working force, I would stumble over those three dreaded questions “why did you apply”, “why did you leave your last job”, and “where do you see yourself in five years”.
Question: When you’re in your early twenties and still unclear on what you want to be when you grow up so the answer to the “Why did you apply?” question was most likely “because I need a job”. There are those rare cases where you take a job because it’s the family business or you were in the right place at the right time and got noticed by the right person, but for most of us, that’s not the case. I can understand from the interviewer’s standpoint just how unhelpful that is as an answer. “Because I need a job” is a no-brainer but underneath that vanilla question, they were asking, “what was it about our job posting that made you want to apply for a position with this company?”
Suggestion: Telling a prospective employer “because I need a job” is the easy way out. Discovering who you are and what you’re passionate about is all part of the job search process. They don’t tell you this after you’ve earned your $80K degree. Finding a job that not only fills your bank account but fills your spirit is the key. Finding a job that fills you can lead to statements like “I have to work tomorrow” you find yourself saying “I GET to work tomorrow!”
Question: As for the “what did you leave your last job” is sometimes asked as “why are you looking for a new opportunity”. There are those legit answers like “I or my significant other got a job elsewhere and we moved” or “I’m looking to grow my career” but to be honest, most employees, the really good ones who know their job and do it well, and it comes as a shock when they do resign; they don’t leave bad jobs. They leave bad managers and environments. If you find yourself in a situation with a manager who can’t manage or who fosters an attitude of bullying, sometimes it indirectly permits co-workers to exhibit the same attitude of bullying and it keeps everyone down from growing professionally. If you’ve been around long enough, like me, you recognize those signs right away. Signs like dismissing you when you have an idea that could bring in more revenue, not allowing you to take on those tougher assignments or if they do, offering no support, or my favorite Pigeon holing you because they can’t be bothered to retrain someone in your current role.
Suggestion: Anyone in an interview situation (especially if it’s a panel interview) isn’t going to come out and tell you that your last, or current, the supervisor doesn’t treat you well. But what can be shared is “that the environment wasn’t conducive to my values. I’m grateful for all that I learned but I’d like to become part of an organization that values employees” interviewers can read between the lines. But at the same time, they aren’t going to come right out and tell you that the person who would be your direct report is a micromanager.
Question: Then we come to the “where do you see yourself in five years” question. Pre-pandemic this was a cringe-worthy question, and I get why they ask it. They want to know if you are planning on sticking around, it takes a lot of time to train and onboard someone and to have them leave for another opportunity in 6-12 months isn’t conducive to their business plan.
Suggestion: However, since 2019, this question has become obsolete, at least to me it is, no one ever thought the entire world would be shut down. Lives have been lost in a blink of an eye and organizations have been forced to restructure how they do businesses. Industries such as Healthcare have been hit the hardest as potential employees looking for healthcare positions see seasoned co-workers become disenchanted and look for jobs outside of healthcare. Five years ago, no one thought we’d be here! We aren’t fortune tellers this question no longer applies to today’s world. What might be a better option? How flexible/adaptable to change are you?
These three interview questions are a necessary evil but they aren’t the end all be all of an interview. How you answer them and what you don’t say speak louder than the questions themselves.
Balancing Cat 