Page 81 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 38

If I were to ask your current boss to tell me one thing you do that
drives them crazy, what would they say?

Even though you’re spending the whole interview singing your praises, the interviewer knows you’re
not perfect. They know you’ve got a wart or two, and want to find it before they hire you—so, they
ask about your flaws. The usual question is, “What is your greatest weakness?” but some interviewers
get creative and ask this one.

As with the weakness question, you need to choose a real weakness that does not directly affect
your success on this job—nothingthat would have a major impact on your performance.

Things to stay far, far away from:
“I ask for too much direction.” - This gives the impression that you don’t know what you’re
doing.
“I run late on projects.” - A manager can’t rely on someone who commits to something and
doesn’t meet it—over and over again.
“My boss was mad because I didn’t tell her about a problem fast enough.”
You might feel justified because you were trying to handle it yourself, but this interviewer doesn’t
want to think that you ignore problems until they are causing a major and maybe unfixable issue.

*******
Whatever you choose to say, follow it up with some statement indicating that you either are taking
steps to improve, or that even though it’s not necessarily a saint-like quality, it does help you
succeed in your job.
For instance, my bosses would have told you that I am very impatient. At times, it causes me a
problem socially and in my family life. But that same impatience is what drove me to be a top sales
rep and helped me climb the ladder to management very quickly.
Maybe your desk is messy and your boss is a neat freak.Unless you are directly dealing with
clients or lose things, it shouldn’t be a problem. This is a case where it might drive your boss crazy