Live data from Hacker News

FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

beseen.com

11–20 of 69 posts

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#11
Hearing “What’s your biggest weakness?” from an interviewer should be a strong red flag for a candidate that they don’t know what they’re doing.

Not only is it a manipulative question, the response is basically meaningless if the candidate knows the game, because you’ll get back a scripted answer. Those who don’t know the game and answer honestly will only hurt their chances at getting the job.

The only question I think it worse is “what would your former manager say about you?”

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#12
As someone who has social anxiety and depression I don't think I can be honest with a lot of these questions. My real weakness would be inability to connect with people and constant fear of doing something wrong or being terrible at what I do.

I usually think up some random weaknesses that I consider irrelevant and speak about those just to prove that I can be self aware.

Also I think very big portion what I am saying is bullshit because I don't even particularly remember a lot of the details of the stories that would match those questions. So I have to come up with new stories or think up details for the stories I don't quite remember.

I passed Amazon interview process and all the other behavioral interviews I have ever attended so I must be doing something right despite my constant feeling of terror and anxiety.

I do think that I want to find a completely remote job now, I hate being in the office around people and I feel so much better when I can work from home. However I am afraid this might worsen the issue since I am not putting myself out there. But it doesn't seem to me as if putting myself out there has also helped my anxiety.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#14

Hearing “What’s your biggest weakness?” from an interviewer should be a strong red flag for a candidate that they don’t know what they’re doing. Not only is it a manipulative question, the response is basically meaningless if the candidate knows the game, because you’ll get back a scripted answer. Those who don’t know the game and answer honestly will only hurt their chances at getting the job. The only question I th…

What's funny is apparently these managers know and want a scripted ("rehearsed") answer. It's a mating dance.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#15
Mostly these aren't really behavioral interview questions.

Behavioral interview questions typically sound something like "tell me about a time when you..."

There's lots of value in a real, well crafted behavioral interview question, but most of these examples are just run-of-the-mill low-value interview questions.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#16
post #10

>Please don’t take the Michael Scott approach and turn this into a backhanded compliment (‘My biggest weakness is that I care too much’). I’d highly recommend giving an honest answer, and one that is as specific as possible and not handwavy. This shows that you’re self-aware and are able to independently identify areas for personal growth I disagree. People should be aware of the downsides to their strengths when the…

The question is really testing whether you can tell someone what they want to hear while making it seem like you’re being honest, which is a very useful skill both for internal politics and customer interactions.

Yeah I think so too. I wonder if they themselves also believe that. The ones who are asking you to be honest. It could be just likely that this is a bullshit media answer demonstrating the exact same dishonest way to answer questions. It is a terrible irony and joke, really. I do not know a much better solution for it though.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#17
"What's your biggest weakness?"

"Well, I tend to think about things that may be interesting and even have implications for work at hand for a given organization, but may turn out to be impolitic. For example: to what degree do behavioral interview questions either resemble on the job activity, or correlate with performance? If that degree is small, what's the real function of behavioral interview questions? Now, I'm sure you'll agree, that's an interesting question, maybe even one that could be used to generate productive insights for the right company. But on the other hand, it may not be very well directed to my immediate interests and goals -- there may be a much more productive answer that's more likely to result in concrete positives, like a job offer. So, you know, probably something for me to work on."

(This supersedes my previous nose-thumbing answer, which was "Fire.")

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#18

Mostly these aren't really behavioral interview questions. Behavioral interview questions typically sound something like "tell me about a time when you..." There's lots of value in a real, well crafted behavioral interview question, but most of these examples are just run-of-the-mill low-value interview questions.

Tell me about the time questions still make me think up bullshit answers as I have to adapt my existing stories to the question etc. I also don't have the best memory so I have to think up some details and sometimes I just say something plain wrong by mistake and I have to keep going with it in order to save face. I do feel like a Michael Scott actually.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#19

Hearing “What’s your biggest weakness?” from an interviewer should be a strong red flag for a candidate that they don’t know what they’re doing. Not only is it a manipulative question, the response is basically meaningless if the candidate knows the game, because you’ll get back a scripted answer. Those who don’t know the game and answer honestly will only hurt their chances at getting the job. The only question I th…

I recently interviewed at a place where TWO different people asked me that and I was flabbergasted. Then they weren't sure so wanted a follow up phone screen where they asked it AGAIN.

Re: FAANG hiring managers share how to answer behavioral interview questions

#20

Hearing “What’s your biggest weakness?” from an interviewer should be a strong red flag for a candidate that they don’t know what they’re doing. Not only is it a manipulative question, the response is basically meaningless if the candidate knows the game, because you’ll get back a scripted answer. Those who don’t know the game and answer honestly will only hurt their chances at getting the job. The only question I th…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN