Open-ended behavioural questions can be some of the toughest questions to answer during interviews. Unlike questions about our work experiences, these can be harder to predict what exactly will be the right answer.
To overcome this interview challenge, Rooftop Slushie reached out to hiring managers from top tech firms such as Google, Facebook and more to understand the best ways to answer these questions.
Why do you want to leave your company?
Better pay and job prospects are probably the pull factors that draw us to a new opportunity, but these are the reasons that are left unmentioned during the interview.
One way to tackle this question is to focus on the company such as their values and vision or how the job description interests you to make that jump.
By externalising your answers, it shows that you are not just looking for personal gains and have team-minded thinking.
What is your biggest weakness?
If you are likely to respond with “I am a perfectionist” or “I don’t leave the office until I’m satisfied with my work” – it might be time to rethink your answers.
This is a fun and interesting question for you to share your weaknesses and areas you wish to improve. It can be a weakness that has arise from competing responsibilities.
For example, you can mention that your weakness is delegating tasks to team members as you prefer to manage with a hands-on approach.
What do you do when you disagree with your boss?
This could be a question asked to see how you respond to criticism or rejection in a respectful or tactful manner, and highlight your people skills.
If your idea for a proposal has been rejected, how would you react if you are sure of its potential and yet at the same time acknowledge your boss’s point of view?
One way of doing so is to ask for permission to carry out a sample or a mini-campaign of your idea to test the market and use the data collected to convince your boss of the best approach moving on.
By taking your free time to test an idea, it not only shows your initiative, but it may also lead to future opportunities or new markets to explore.
Likewise, you can always offer up a scenario that has happened during your previous jobs and show how you overcame those work challenges.
