Describe yourself in three words

[Calrid]

They don't want to philosophise with you - they want to determine whether you'd be a good financial asset / risk to their organisation.

God no?!

I got fired from a Financial Assistant job for being honest.

Perhaps I should of mentioned integrity?

The only thing I would be an asset to is an organisation that encourages you to think, not do without thinking. More fool me. I'd be still working now if that was the case. Meh life's like that.

Massive risk to any financial organisation. Finance is a mirky business at the best of times. Overall organisation: kinda depends if it isn't trying too hard and quantity matters over quality and quantity therefore?

It is a question where there is no wrong answer, as the OP shows it's more important how you answer the question than what it is. These are interview questions I like as they tend to analyse creativity if of course you are not prepared for them.

Like

"What would you do if two customers were asking for help and the phone rang?"

No wrong answer here, except maybe gun down the two customers and then pick up the phone and loudly proclaim "I am dead inside!"

Careful about being too honest at interview though, or in some cases after.

Good bit of advice if someone asks you an unexpected question. Ask if they mean in the work environment or generally. Give yourself thinking time. And don't panic!

 

[AlephZero]

Intolerant of arbitrary and pointless restrictions.

Think about it ...

 

[Calrid]

Intolerant of arbitrary and pointless restrictions.

Think about it ...

In the work place or generally?

:tongue:

You wouldn't get the job, but you'd score marks in unexpected answers.

 

[Jack21222]

Very wrong. Presumably, they're a profit making organisation. Not a benevolent society. They are entitled to ask you that and a whole lot more.

The three killer responses for me, used to be;

- Tenacious
- Punctual
- Lateral thinker

Anyone who could say those things and mean them, was WAY ahead in my books.

Well, it was for a 10 week internship with NASA, so their goal isn't profit in the normal sense.

The two I came up with were:

Motivated - I explained what I had sacrificed to get to where I am, and how I'm not just applying for "something to do this summer," I'm applying because this might be something I want to do for the rest of my life.

Curious - I'm never content to not know the answer to something, I always have to look it up. And even then, I'm often not content to learn it on a superficial level, I want to understand things more deeply

Then, my mind went blank. There were no more adjectives in the English language. Then my mind went to how awkward I must sound, and it was a downward spiral for now. I apologized and said I couldn't think of another word at the moment.

After the interview, I realized I should have said "analytical," because I'm always dissecting things in my mind, but I suppose that would have sounded ironic after such a long pause.

 

[Calrid]

You kinda failed the test then, your answer wasn't so much important but how you answered it was.

Specifying 3 words is not that hard, justifying them is. Hence the question: you knew you would have to make them justifiable even if they never asked you to. They do that on purpose, any decent interview has a question that you couldn't possibly of prepared for. What they are looking for is how you think on your feet.

Ask yourself if you can't then how will you handle the job when it demands that?

You could of said:

Clown shoes are comfortable
An appreciation for Jazz
and the square route of -1 = i

and it would of been a better answer. Well not really but you get the point. Hell if you could justify those three you would of been hired on the spot.

 

[Jack21222]

You kinda failed the test then, your answer wasn't so much important but how you answered it was.

Yes, that's exactly what I said in my OP.

What they are looking for is how you think on your feet.

Ask yourself if you can't then how will you handle the job when it demands that?

The job won't require thinking on my feet. I can't imagine any split-second decisions occurring when analyzing year-old satellite data. Even if there were, I'd be better at split-second math decisions as opposed to split-second introspection. I don't see how the two compare.

 

[Mihael]

I can as simple as these for my whole life. And, live the way that I am.
Physics, Math, & English.
(my knowledge, my thought, & my words.)

 

[Astronuc]

That's all folks!

 

[rootX]

dogs peppers beach!

 

[Pyrrhus]

Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder

 

[Lacy33]

Intolerant of arbitrary and pointless restrictions.

Think about it ...

Thanks!
I was going to write
"Thinking about it."

But came back to the thread with
Never on time.

 

[Calrid]

Yes, that's exactly what I said in my OP.



The job won't require thinking on my feet. I can't imagine any split-second decisions occurring when analyzing year-old satellite data. Even if there were, I'd be better at split-second math decisions as opposed to split-second introspection. I don't see how the two compare.

I don't think I've ever done a job that didn't involve thinking on your feet at some point, and my first job was as a pot washer in a busy restaurant.

 

[Jack21222]

I don't think I've ever done a job that didn't involve thinking on your feet at some point, and my first job was as a pot washer in a busy restaurant.

Well yes, I can imagine needing to think on your feet at that job. It's a busy restaurant.

 

[Calrid]

Well yes, I can imagine needing to think on your feet at that job. It's a busy restaurant.

But you can't imagine any situation where you might in that job. Probably another reason why you didn't get the job. Your boss calls late at night and says he needs you into reach a dead line, x need the data before y and he needs you to pull an overtime shift with him. What do you say? Unless you are working as a brain in a vat, I can't imagine any job that wouldn't require imagination, perhaps with the exception of being a business lawyer or accountant. :tongue:

 

[Jack21222]

But you can't imagine any situation where you might in that job. Probably another reason why you didn't get the job. Your boss calls late at night and says he needs you into reach a dead line, x need the data before y and he needs you to pull an overtime shift with him. What do you say? Unless you are working as a brain in a vat, I can't imagine any job that wouldn't require imagination, perhaps with the exception of being a business lawyer or accountant. :tongue:

First, decisions haven't been made about the job yet, we don't know for sure I didn't get it.

Second, I won't have a "boss," I'll have an "advisor."

Third, I'd say no, and for him or her to never call me late at night again.

 

[Calrid]

First, decisions haven't been made about the job yet, we don't know for sure I didn't get it.

Second, I won't have a "boss," I'll have an "advisor."

Third, I'd say no, and for him or her to never call me late at night again.

And that required no imagination. First of all you had to reason why you wouldn't do over time, then you had to make a decision. That question is no different from the random crap they throw at you in interviews. Although usually it would be asked as how do you feel about overtime? Evening shifts etc. How would you have responded to the question if it came From your potential employer? I mean the first question I asked?

I think the point is do they want to employ a robot or a person who can think. If they wanted a robot surely they could just build one this is NASA. You seem to be making out this is a job a trained chimp could do. NASA are good at that stuff too, or were.

Advisor/Boss whatever everyone has someone who has authority over them with the exception of the company owners or the government.

Ok well I'm no longer saying anything about your chances of getting the job I'm just saying you answered the question badly.

 

[Pythagorean]

Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder

This is probably the one I'd hire from what I've heard so far, honestly. Stereotype being you have an excellent work ethic when it comes to the monotonous tasks that nobody else around the lab can focus long enough to keep up on.

 

[Calrid]

This is probably the one I'd hire from what I've heard so far, honestly. Stereotype being you have an excellent work ethic when it comes to the monotonous tasks that nobody else around the lab can focus long enough to keep up on.

The only problem is of course how severe is it and can you actually leave the house most days?

 

[physics girl phd]

OCD: :rofl: But can you carry on a conversation on the phone or type anything useful on your keyboard before giving into the overwhelming urge to sanitize it? (or lick it? :yuck:)

 

[Calrid]

OCD: :rofl: But can you carry on a conversation on the phone or type anything useful on your keyboard before giving into the overwhelming urge to sanitize it? (or lick it? :yuck:)

That's more OCC obsesseive cleanliness compulsive. There are people who are more obsessed with patterns and superstitions who don't really get all that bothered by germs and people who's only problem seems to be with sanitation, and then there are people who are bothered by everything that is out of their comfort zone. Kind of a spectrum.

 

[chiro]

I'd be tempted to say W T F (you fill in the blanks) because of the question but that's just me.

 

[Pythagorean]

The only problem is of course how severe is it and can you actually leave the house most days?

All good professors should have a couch in their lab so that when their crazy grad students finally get there, it's easier for them to stay there for several days in a row. Extended catch and release program.

 

[Tregg Smith]

Intolerant of arbitrary and pointless restrictions.

Think about it ...

Amen!