How to Navigate Diplomacy and Truth in Interviews?

[ank_gl]

How do you go about in an interview when asked a question which has both a morally correct & a true answer? For example, let's say if asked of an opinion about a person X whom you don't like at all(it might be that X is a good person, just has been bad to you), & happens to be, let's say, a buddy of the interviewer. What does he want to hear, your experience with X or his own views of X? Should you be truthful or be diplomatic?

 

[kote]

How do you go about in an interview when asked a question which has both a morally correct & a true answer? For example, let's say if asked of an opinion about a person X whom you don't like at all(it might be that X is a good person, just has been bad to you), & happens to be, let's say, a buddy of the interviewer. What does he want to hear, your experience with X or his own views of X? Should you be truthful or be diplomatic?

Did someone actually ask you to give an opinion on a person they know as part of an interview? I find that unlikely and at least highly inappropriate. Do you have a more concrete example?

In general interviews are all about proving that you have tact and some ability to deal diplomatically. Of course you should never lie outright, but you never want to be negative either.

 

[ank_gl]

Did someone actually ask you to give an opinion on a person they know as part of an interview? I find that unlikely and at least highly inappropriate. Do you have a more concrete example?

No, not any person directly.

In general interviews are all about proving that you have tact and some ability to deal diplomatically. Of course you should never lie outright, but you never want to be negative either.

Yes, right.
Generally, here interviews are done in two stages, technical & HR. Technical is all about proving oneself, which is pretty easy, coz it requires facts, not opinions. I don't like HR interviews, coz it invariably gets to questions like, what do you feel about XYZ? In one HR interview, I was asked how do I feel about the HOD of my department, i told her that he is pretty stupid, & doesn't take decisions like he should. Obviously I had a bad feeling about it later, but anyways I was selected.

Anyways, I wanted to know which is more better to do. Suppose you face this question, if you let the interviewer know what you think, he/she might think that you are blaming others for own's failures or might think that you are just being honest., or if you answer diplomatically, I don't know what then.

I really don't know what I am asking, its sort of confusing myself now