About Me
- Ishtiaque
- I am a dreamer, procrastinator, last-minute worker. Music is my passion--I am an obsessive music collector. Often I collect gigabytes of music only with the hope to listen to'em "someday". I like writing, reading, and I also cherish to learn to play the guitar someday...
Sunday, October 07, 2012
The Most Challenging Question That I've Ever Been Asked in a Job Interview?
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| Haha, not mine, but an interesting image nonetheless! |
The question that baffled me terribly wasn't really an unusual one, but it came as a complete surprise to me. Without any introductions or any other questions, the interviewer just told me that he is giving me 10 minutes to sell myself to the interview board.
It was a disaster. Instead of talking about myself, I ended up stating my opinions on the organization, bashing the company's strategy and predicting that the entrance of any competent global competitor would decrease their market share significantly.
I didn't get the job, but my prediction came out to be true after almost 10 years
If I was ever asked the question again, this is how I would respond:
If you ask me now, I'd say that any business owner or top executive would want me to be in their team because of the following things:
I am cold blooded, and not in a negative way. I am almost always calm and cool; I never panic and I always take crisis situations with a pacifying mood. Sometimes people misunderstand me by thinking that I cannot fathom the gravity of the situation and thus I can remain calm, but they change their opinion when I am the first to devise and implement the right strategy to eliminate the crisis.
I am confident, but not arrogant. Yes, I know my limitations and I also know the extent of my abilities, which gives me a strong sense of ownership and control. If I don't know the solution to a problem and lack expertise, I don't hesitate in admitting it. However, when someone else tries to do my job or tries to ridicule me, I handle the situation with utmost confidence and I prove my abilities to them.
I am a great team player. I know how to bring the best out of my team mates--I know the ways of combining my skills and expertise with the same of the other members of the team to get the best output.
I am open minded, and I often think out of the box. Yes, proven and tested workflows and formulas can get the job done, but new ideas can do a better job, or replace the job in hand with something better that will yield bigger and better results!
I look at the big picture and I also think ahead. I consider work and life as a grand game of chess; one needs to anticipate the next 3 or more moves from the opponent, and one also needs to keep on creating, evaluating and updating the game plan for each type of resources. Focusing only on the pawns or rooks won't win you the game; you have to keep your eyes open for everything.
I am cold blooded, and not in a negative way. I am almost always calm and cool; I never panic and I always take crisis situations with a pacifying mood. Sometimes people misunderstand me by thinking that I cannot fathom the gravity of the situation and thus I can remain calm, but they change their opinion when I am the first to devise and implement the right strategy to eliminate the crisis.
I am confident, but not arrogant. Yes, I know my limitations and I also know the extent of my abilities, which gives me a strong sense of ownership and control. If I don't know the solution to a problem and lack expertise, I don't hesitate in admitting it. However, when someone else tries to do my job or tries to ridicule me, I handle the situation with utmost confidence and I prove my abilities to them.
I am a great team player. I know how to bring the best out of my team mates--I know the ways of combining my skills and expertise with the same of the other members of the team to get the best output.
I am open minded, and I often think out of the box. Yes, proven and tested workflows and formulas can get the job done, but new ideas can do a better job, or replace the job in hand with something better that will yield bigger and better results!
I look at the big picture and I also think ahead. I consider work and life as a grand game of chess; one needs to anticipate the next 3 or more moves from the opponent, and one also needs to keep on creating, evaluating and updating the game plan for each type of resources. Focusing only on the pawns or rooks won't win you the game; you have to keep your eyes open for everything.
Background:
Just like a number of my recent blog entries, this comes from Quora. My answer did not get many up-votes, but I consider it to be important (for me).
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