This is a new series where I attempt to answer tough questions that people generally face at job interviews. This is based on my three decades of experience as an interviewer, an interviewee, a career coach and a recruiter. All of these questions have been actually asked during job interviews. What is important to understand here is that there are simply no right or wrong answers that would be applicable all of the time and under all circ*mstances. So, just take this as a guide but formulate your own version of these responses such that it appears to come from a genuine place within you and not as a stock reply or as an expected response.
"How would you describe yourself in one word". This is one of those questions that are seemingly easy to answer but you will be surprised by how strategic the question really is. You need to be prepared with a clear and logical response that you can back up convincingly. Read on...
What you think the question is about
You could be forgiven for thinking that this question is a conversation opener; something to set the ball rolling or you could be thinking that this question is to get to know your personality and you could be wrong. The question goes much further than that and you need to be very careful in answering this question because once you put it out there, you cannot go back on it and indeed, you may need to elaborate further.
What the interviewer wants to know
The intention behind this question is to get a glimpse of how you view yourself from the context of the value that you could add to this position. In other words, the interviewer wants to see if what you consider to be your strongest quality will help you perform effectively in this job and also to ascertain whether this quality comes through during this and your subsequent responses. What the interviewer is watching for is whether you are giving a reply that you think the interviewer wants to hear or do you genuinely have the clarity about and confidence in, your areas of strength.
How not to respond
What you would not want to use are words that you think are "safe" such as 'happy' or 'resilient' but in reality are words that do not afford an opportunity to demonstrate the value you could add to the position itself. Also to be avoided are cliches such as 'go-getter' or 'result-oriented' or 'hard working' as these are over used and generate immediate irritation and skepticism.
How you could respond
The trick here is to be strategic and respond with a word that not only shows you in a positive light but also lends itself to be used to add value to the position or supports your future performance in that role. In other words, instead of thinking about a word that simply describes you, think about what you are, in relation to what the job requires of you; what are you going to bring to the table. Think about the one quality that would be great to have, in order to excel in the role.
Good words that you could use include "Strategic", "Dynamic", "Methodical", "Creative", "Reliable", "Focused" or "Organized". These can be used both to describe who you are as well as what you can bring to the job.
In conclusion
One thing you have to keep in mind and be ready for is that there could be a follow up question based on your response such as "OK, Can you give me an example of that based on your work experience?" So, if you choose a word such as "Performance" or "Successful" you may need to be ready to demonstrate a track record of being successful or bringing results.
Be prepared in advance and you should be able to answer this question confidently that will help build a solid impression about you with the interviewer.
Have you faced this question in your job interviews before and have you responded in a different manner and with what results? Share your experiences in the comments below; share your advise for your fellow job seekers as well. If there is an interview question that you would like me to take up in my next article, let me know in the comments below. If you would like to work with me 1:1 on any aspect of your job search, resume building, interview techniques or personal branding, reach out to me at shivakumar@acquirecoach.com. I also conduct public workshops on all of these topics and more. You can get more details of workshops at www.acquirecoach.com/workshops
