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Submitted by US101 on
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What do you think about asking this question in the interview? “What do think would be the biggest challenge for someone with my background coming into this position?”

If I got a straight answer from the interviewer it would accomplish 2 things:

1. ID red flags in my background that I could then address on the spot

2. Tease out the interviewer’s hidden agenda

Jon

tomas's picture

The only problem I see with this question is that you end the interview with the interviewer focusing on your negatives when you really want them focused on the positives. It might be ok if you are able to address any issues they raise. You don't want to talk yourself out of a job.

jhack's picture

It's unlikely they will reveal their "hidden agenda" to you. It's unlikely that they have one. Their agenda is to find the right person and to say No whenever they find a reason to eliminate someone from consideration.

The best way to address "red flags" in your background is to nail the questions about accomplishments, leadership, weakness, etc. Most interviewers won't hesitate to ask direct questions about areas that concern them.

The questions you ask should be about the nature of the position, not about you.

John

bflynn's picture

I have to agree. If they haven't asked you about what you percieve as weak points, its likely they haven't seen them. Don't ask them to start looking.

Drop the phrase "with my background" and I think the question is reasonable and places the focus on you doing the job. You also get a better read on how well you would do.

Brian

US101's picture
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Great points bflynn, jhack, tomas.

Plus, one of the purposes of asking questions is to have the interviewer picture you actually doing the job.

You don't want the interviewer picturing you NOT DOING THE JOB!!

Jon

Mark's picture
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I answered this same question on the main site...?

Here's my answer.

Jon-

I generally look askance at questions designed to ferret out opportunities to sell yourself further. It’s one of the better questions that does this, but it’s still outside the narrow range of really good questions.

Think about how you can contribute to the role, not about the process of interviewing.

Answering questions twice makes my job harder, guys.

Mark