Covid has created a backlog of people stymied in seeking new opportunities. Companies are finding it harder to hire and retain employees. Hiring bonuses are rising. Every day it seems a major company announces a higher minimum hourly wage it is willing to pay to attract applicants.
The vaccines promise to break this logjam for job seekers. Especially with organizations paying up and willing to offer flexible work environments.
Providing insight into this situation is a recent article by writer Jeffrey Harvey about how interviewees might to respond to five common interview questions.
He describes the challenge as follows:
You likely stride into your subsequent interview with a belly full of fire, and a brain stuffed full of all the right words to say, and the right ways to say them. You’ve carefully crafted your pitch so as to embody the can’t miss candidate; the person who will blend seamlessly into the corporate culture from day one.
And then you never hear back.
Five Likely Interview FAQ’s and Unforgettable Answers
His essay then describes how a job seeker should handle these questions so as to be memorable. I will not spoil his insights by sharing his advice which is both humorous and spot on. Question number 2 is a sample of his approach that is sure to land your application on the top of the resume pile.
Even if you have no interest in seeking another job, this advice will enlighten your day!
Question #2: “Where do you see yourself in five years?”Answer: “Well, the parole ends in three, so provided we’ve survived the zombie apocalypse…” And the explanation. . .
This question has torpedoed more first dates than The Rules, and it’s even worse in a job interview. In a world where companies and entire industries are changing moment to moment, not to mention the looming threat of the flesh-eating undead, it’s presumptuous to assume that the human race will still be solvent in five years, let alone a mobility aggregation start-up in Hoboken.
What you really want to convey is that you envision an upward trajectory for yourself, and anticipate the type of personal growth that will make you a greater asset to the company as time passes. Re-gaining the ability to travel out of state is a concrete example of how the attainment of a tangible personal goal will also make you a more valuable employee.
Your somber acknowledgment of the zombie apocalypse will demonstrate your willingness to grapple with unpleasant possibilities — an inevitability in every business. As the old saying goes, hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and stock up on canned meats and fish antibiotics for impending Armageddon.
Or they’ll think you’re joking and remember you for your irreverent sense of humor. At least until a zombie is munching their cerebral cortex.
The other four Q & A’s are just as irreverent.