Page 111 - Oscar Adler - Sell Yourself in Any Interview_ Use Proven Sales Techniques to Land Your Dream Job (2008)

ANSWERING QUESTIONS WITH OUTSTANDING BENEFITS

“My major weakness was that I was not a good
listener. I found out that I was only thinking of what I
wanted to say when someone else was talking. I read
two books on how to listen [Mention them by name],
took a seminar on listening skills, and asked my
friends to help me become more conscious of when I
was interrupting [Feature: Developed a new skill]. This
has been an ongoing learning experience. I have
shown improvement and have a better understand-
ing of listening being vitally important to be a good
manager, getting along with coworkers, and accom-
plishing company goals [Benefit: You bring this new
skill with you, and it will make you a good leader in this
company].”

“Tell Me about Your Former Boss”

The first thing you should know about answering this ques-
tion is that it is never appropriate to bash a former employer.
It is bad form. It makes you look indiscreet, immature, and
whiny. It projects a negative image of you rather than of your
former employer. It also makes people wonder what you
would say behind their backs.
Having said that, I just noted that everyone has strengths
and weaknesses. It would be disingenuous to make your for-
mer employer out to be a saint. This is the time to learn to be
a bit of a tightrope walker. Here is a sample response:
“She had many strengths. She worked hard,
seemed to know her stuff, and always looked for ways
to improve. I would have liked her to give me more
specific directions, review my progress during the
course of our work, not just at the end of a project, and

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