Interview Question: Looking Back On Your Last Position, Have You Done Your Best?

 Best Interview QuestionDo you think you did your very best in your last job? If so, is it wise to tell the interviewer directly?

Most HR managers or recruiters use this as a trick question to gauge your abilities. It’s also used to evaluate how you react upon hearing this question.

Answering tricky interview questions should never be tricky in the first place. As long as you know how to handle interview questions, you’ll do just fine.

Here are some tips to consider when preparing for this type of question:

Reflect. You can’t just confidently say you’ve been nothing but amazing for the past few years as an employee. Find quiet time alone and reflect on what you’ve done in your previous workplace. Were you excelling at an unexpected pace? Have you done something that benefitted others?

On the other hand, if you think you didn’t do well (perhaps you didn’t like your previous job),all you can do is encourage yourself. You have no reason to stick with your failures. Motivate yourself to do better in your next job in order to get a step closer to success.

Make a list. After reflecting on your past actions, make a list of your achievements and failures. This will help you decide if you really did put in all your effort in order to deliver a successful project to your superiors.

If you think you’ve made a lot of mistakes, don’t be upset. Those experiences will be put to good use in the future when you are faced with a difficult situation. Keep in mind that failures exist to make you stronger.

Conclude. If you have done something great, share it, but don’t brag about it during the interview. Otherwise, the interviewer may misinterpret your answer. It’s better to be humble and let the facts speak for themselves.

For those who think they can do better, don’t be afraid to tell that to the recruiter. Put yourself in the shoes of an athlete, and think about what can happen if you train properly. Of course, don’t be naïve if you’re still a newbie. (Show enthusiasm and willingness, but don’t overemphasize humility.)

Don’t dwell on past mistakes or lack of experience. Shift the conversation and focus on your strongest qualifications instead.

What now? The key is to get your point across that you’re always at your best when you’re doing something that you love to do, and you continue to yearn for more success as you perfect your craft.

Read 5886 times Last modified on Friday, 12 February 2016 10:47
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.