My Favorite Interview Question

I know this may seem like cheating since I already wrote a post about my favorite question, but this one is different. It’s my favorite INTERVIEW question. See? Much, much different. Honestly, though, the idea came into my head, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to dive into this. I’ll take any sassy looks I get for it.

Interviews are probably some of the most stressful experiences you can be a part of for most people. And that goes for both sides. The interviewee, for one, obviously is looking for an opportunity and is being judged to see if they can have it. We don’t know what this person went through to get to this point. Whether they’re trying to get into a field that they’ve gone through years of school for, it’s the one call back they got out of the 13 they applied to, or need this job so their family doesn’t starve. For the interviewer, picking the right person can be a challenge. You may have a good thing going with the team you have and are worried about bringing the wrong person in and ruining the dynamic, or you may have had a string of bad hires and are looking for the person to help turn things around. Both sides are taking a chance, which doesn’t help the experience.

I would love to tell you all that I’m a boss when it comes to interviews, but that would be a lie. I’m much better at them now because of my experience interviewing people instead, but there was a point where I was terrible. In 2007, I was hired by a hospitality company. A funny story that I’ve told a number of people is that I got the job by accident. My cousin was engaged at the time and was looking for a second job to help pay for the wedding. I took him over to the company that my sister was working for at the time to apply for a job. When he was applying, I was bored and ended up applying for a job, too, while I waited. I ended up getting the callback and getting hired by a company I would stay with for almost 14 years. Throughout my time there, I would hold a few different positions and slowly work my way up. This was good as I was able to transfer to different positions, but it was bad as I would go through prolonged periods of not interviewing because of complacency. This ended up backfiring on me as when I tried to go for two positions that I finally wanted or thought I was ready for, I would bomb both because I didn’t prepare, thought I was a shoo-in because I knew someone, or was already doing the job partially. These experiences woke me up, and I made sure that the next time I went for something, I would do my absolute best in the interview.

The next time I had an interview, I did exactly that. I prepared, I dressed the part, and I wanted it. I went into the interview, and even though I was nervous due to my prior failures, the preparation made sure I was able to push through it. I don’t know how to explain it, but I knew I had killed the interview, and the elation I felt in my heart after was well worth the disappointments I felt before. I didn’t know if I was going to get that job, but it didn’t matter to me at the time because I had killed something that I had sincerely sucked ass at before, and that was enough. It gave me the confidence of knowing that even if I didn’t get it, I would be ok because I did my best. I did end up getting offered the position, but I ended up turning it down as my current department offered me a management position, which I carried my new confidence toward interviewing into.

At this point, being in management, I switched from being the interviewee to the interviewer. I would have some great managers who would help me build my interviewing style. One manager in particular, Tom Mix, had a big impact on the way I view interviews. To clear things up, the company I worked for used the S.T.A.R. interview format, where you basically have to respond in the form of a story, where you explain the problem, the resolution, and the result.

I won’t go too in-depth with it, so no one dies of boredom today. This manager intrigued me as instead of just saying tell me about a time, blah blah blah, he would actually describe the question in a manner that would relate to the job and, at the end, present the question as part of the description. It was something kind of subtle, but it blew my mind because, to me, it changed the dynamic of the interview. It made the interview sound like more of a conversation than a formal, stressful experience. I could tell it made a difference with the interviewee, too, as they loosened up a smidge and would answer the questions more aligned with what we were looking for. It’s weird how such an easy adjustment can change how we perceive and respond to something that’s usually meh.

Look at it like Brussels sprouts. Growing up, I imagine most kids my age couldn’t stand them. My mother would always steam them and give them to us. I thought they were disgusting and spent most of the time while eating, plotting how I was going to “eat” them and have a clean plate. Fast forward to the 2020s, and I eat that shit all the time. I toss them in oil with some salt and pepper. I roast them, and depending on how I feel, I may toss them in some glaze. The plate is always clean, with no plotting on how to “eat” it. Preparing and presenting something differently made it more enjoyable, even though it’s still the same Brussel sprouts I hated. Same thing with the interview. He took a series of questions and prepared and presented them in a manner that made them more enjoyable.

Seeing this made me adopt the style of how he would tee up the questions and add them to my style of interviewing. Two things that I think I can comfortably say that people who know me would agree on are that I’m laid back, and I’m very personable. My niece once told me that I have a very calming voice, and I make things sound like they’re going to be ok. That’s kind of how I wanted to have my interviews go. I recall all of the times when I was deadly nervous. I wondered what question was going to be asked, if it was one I was practicing and if I would forget a response. My heart wouldn’t allow me to put other people through this misery, regardless of if it was my job. So, I would loosen up and treat the interview as a conversation, which would cause them to do the same. To some, this may be wrong and defeat the purpose of the interview, but I would much rather break down these walls and get a feel for who I’m truly interviewing and how they’ll fit in with my team than keep the formal walls up and roll the dice on someone who interviews well but may be a cancer to the crew.

That brings me now to the question itself. I’m not sure if it is the same for other companies as it was for mine, but we would print out a sheet with the questions on it. The sheets would have competencies, like time management, teamwork, working under stress, etc., and a list of questions to choose from for that given competency. Usually, before the interview, you would mark which questions you would ask so you have them ready when the interview starts. I can’t recall which competency it belonged to, but there is a question that stood out. It was “Tell me something you’ve done recently that you are proud of.” Or at least that’s how I think it was written, but you get the gist. It was so different from the other bland questions of what did you do when you were busy or how did you work with someone difficult and gave you a glance of who the person behind the interview was.

It called out to me, and I would ask the question every time I interviewed someone. Even when they revised our interviews and removed the question from what we could select, I made sure I still asked it every time because I liked it so much. I would literally tell them that the question was not part of the list but that I just liked asking it in every interview, and I was so lucky that I would always get an answer. Few and far between, I would get an answer that was bland or an “I’m not sure.” What I would receive, though, are people who would take the time to reflect and give a great answer or those who would answer immediately because the accomplishment was so prevalent to them. I’ve had great answers over the years, even from people who didn’t answer too well on the actual interview questions. I’ve had people who moved from foreign countries and were proud that they came to America to go after their dream, and I’ve had people be the first of their families to go to college. I even had a girl who was proud because she had just gotten full custody of her little brother from her dysfunctional family. Even though she was young, she was so happy that she could finally find a proper environment to thrive, regardless of whether it was going to be hard. Moments like these made me ask the question over and over from people I had never met before.

But as much as the question did for me, I know it did something for them, too. I always made sure I thanked and encouraged everyone I asked this of. These people had no obligation to share a piece of themselves but did, and I made sure they knew I appreciated it and that they should be proud regardless of what the answer was. Life is hard, and sometimes you just need an extra push to let you know I can do this. Even if it’s from some big dude with a name you can’t pronounce who just interviewed you. I did my best to make sure that regardless of whether they would end up getting the job or not, everyone left feeling prouder. I’ve actually had people compliment me when leaving, saying that it was the best interview they’ve experienced, which made me feel good because I know how hard they can be.

But why bring this up now? Why think of a question I haven’t asked in a couple of years? 1. I think it’s a great conversation starter, and 2. Maybe because we shouldn’t wait for an interview to think about this. In theme with the little things, sometimes we get so caught up with winning the war that we forget to celebrate the small victories. I have a big vision for what I want this blog to be and the ideas I have associated with it, but for now, those things will take time and seem far off. But when I think about it, I’m just proud of myself for even starting and putting my fingers on the keyboard. And that’s what my response to the question would be if I was asked this today. And hopefully, in a month, I’ll have even more to be proud of.

So, what’s something you’ve done recently that you’re proud of? Is it a new promotion? Did you finally nail that recipe your grandma taught you? Did you beat Baldur’s Gate 3 on Honour mode? (You are a god amongst mortals if you have.) Whatever it is, take that feeling that’s building up in your heart and be proud. And here’s a toast to you because I’m proud of you, too.