Job interview (over the phone)

Its been a while since I've had to interview for a job (probably since college). I landed in my last two shops by basically being at the right place at the right time. But Monday, I have an interview with a major media company and just want to get past the gatekeeper. Anyone recently gone through the interview process? Hired someone? How do you answer "What are your weaknesses?" without hurting yourself?

Thanks, I'll hang up and take your comments off the air.

 

I've had several interviews over the phone. Landed a job once over the phone - cross country.

Be honest. My weakness is that I'm not a people person. But I don't come right out and say it that way. I twist it so that it's obvious that I've been working hard on it and improving:

My biggest weakness is overcoming my shyness. I've taken huge strides in this area because I know how important it is to my job to be able to interact with our readers. For example: I started writing the names of the head coaches I cover down so I won't forget them, and I get to games early enough so that I can introduce myself to the coach before the game. I think that's helped me tremendously."

And it has.

 

i'm a lawyer and i've interviewed a lot over the past year because i graduated law school, landed a job at a law firm, then quit and got a new job at a new firm.

my stock answer to "what is your biggest weakness" is "i have a difficult time dealing with close-minded people." everyone seems to love this answer. even if, as i later found out, the interviewer himself is a close-minded person. no one wants to admit he's close-minded or afraid of change.

come to think of it, that might not go over well in a newsroom. but with all the talk about the industry changing, it might be the perfect answer.

 

I can't fix the copy machine.

 

We don't even ask that in our interview process. We ask more involved questions such as 'can you tell us about a time you were involved in a work-place conflict and how did you resolve it' and 'can you tell us about a time when you registered success as part of a team, what was your role and how did it turn out.'

 

Oh yeah, and "Where do you expect to be five years from now?"

Duh. You pay me enough, and I'll be right here where you left me.

 

What a lame question. Everything you do in this business is individual in nature. Rarely are you asked to work cooperatively. It's a BS question used by some places looking for excuses to eliminate candidates.

 

Well, thanks for your input, but considering we're not hiring for 'this business,' we'll stick with the questions that seem to work for us. In a marketing and communications department, you do have to work as a team.

Unfortunately for your argument, I've experienced a team atmosphere at a newspaper and it is a very satisfying experience when an editor, a desker, a writer and a shooter can work together and pound out a product that people will appreciate. I'm sorry you haven't been a part of something like that.

 

As am I.