The anticipation is what kills me the most before a job interview. I'm generally okay when I arrive at the location, but the build up is almost enough to make me consider self-medicating. No matter how prepared I am, I still fear the unknown.
As it turns out, that fear of mine is sometimes quite justified. Some job interviews end up being strange encounters. Prepared answers to questions about your skills, successes and experiences can be moot when you're asked some of the bizarre, left-field questions that certain interviewers like to throw at you.
- I once met a 'one-question interviewer'. He just asked me the same question over and over again: "What would this reference say about you?" for each of my references. I finally answered: "They would clearly say that I'm brilliant and a pleasure to work with, but I've listed their contact information so that you could hear it from them directly."
What have we learned? Be prepared, be very prepared, but also be candid, be yourself, and learn to roll with the punches. How you react can be at least as important as what specifically you say. And remember an interview is a two-way street. As much as they're evaluating you for the role, you have to decide if it's in a place you'd actually like to work.
Best of luck with all of your interviews, and if you come across some strange questions or bizarre encounters, let us know. We'd love to share them with our readers.
Jenna Charlton is a Toronto writer and blogger and a regular Workopolis contributor
