With all of my interview preparation, I anticipated many questions. Except one:
Tell me about a political situation within your current role you successfully navigated.
It is a great question that reveals a lot considering politics are everywhere (yes, even in the nonprofit world – sometimes more so), and collaborations have numerous political implications. Still, I didn’t anticipate it. However, because I did prepare for so many questions and reflected on many diverse experiences before each interview, I was able to quickly reply to the question with an appropriate work story reflecting my strengths and pleasing the interviewer.
Yet another reason to prepare, prepare, prepare.
John Knowles
June 23, 2011 8:15 amI absolutely agree with you that preparation for an interview is vital. However, I also believe that, when presented with an unanticipated question, you must allow yourself time to consider the question before you begin answering. A silent pause before answering may make you feel a bit awkward, but you owe it to yourself and your interviewer to really consider your answer before you start speaking. That will help you avoid long, drawn out, rambling responses that go nowhere. Your interviewer (or manager, patient, client, etc.) will appreciate a well thought out response after a pause much more than a knee jerk response that doesn’t really answer the question.
nursetopia
June 23, 2011 8:21 amDefinitely agree with you, John. By “quick” I certainly don’t mean knee-jerk reaction; preparation allows you (or at least it allows me) the opportunity to already have a thoughtful, sincere, and appropriate response ready.