The hiring process: your interpersonal skills in the spotlight

Mastery of your profession is not all that matters at the time of hiring: recruiters also want to confirm your interpersonal skills and evaluate you as a person to ensure you fit well within a group. After all, we spend lots of time at work, and managers obviously want to create a climate where employees get along well together.

That’s why you’ll be asked all sorts of questions during an interview to determine if you’re pleasant to be around or more on the grumpy side, whether you stay calm under pressure or you lose your cool, etc.

A tip for “your biggest weakness”
So you’re in the job interview. You’re asked the typical question, “What are one or two of your weak points?” Mention actual points you can improve on. The goal here isn’t to trap you, but to get to know you better. Answering honestly proves that you have good self-perception. Avoid at all costs the old strategy of naming fake flaws that are actually qualities, like “I can’t stop working” or “I care too much about my work.” This type of canned answer comes across as self-righteous, which is a red flag for recruiters.

Don’t be afraid to name a real flaw. Do you find it hard to get to work on time in the morning? You’ll be happy to know that more and more companies offer flexible schedules. Are you somewhat disorganized? You’ll be seated next to a coworker who’s the champion in Outlook alerts and who will remind you about your deadlines and your meetings. The negative points you’ll mention show that you’re human, but also that you want to improve.

Visit the My Career section of the Advice Zone to find more hiring and career-related tips.