Generic, inane questions in e.g. job interviews

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Job interviews aren't about right answers - they are about learning about the people you are interviewing. Your resume and a reference check can ensure you have the skills but a job isn't only about your skills. Most jobs also feature other people in the workplace. You cannot get away from that fact - you will have to work with other people. How someone will or will not get along with a team can affect productivity, morale and the general feel of a workplace. Yes, it is a personality interview. Which is why disability accommodation is so important especially for ASD. It's a social disability.

Best thing you can do is either look for assistance through the Occupational Rehabilitation Program or find/create a job for yourself that does not involve alot of people. you can teach yourself the social skills to navigate these sorts of things. And yes, it does involve challenging alot of things that are very uncomfortable. You will have to 'lie'. You will have to sell yourself. All this 'drama' is regular life to them. It may never become comfortable and it may always be forced but it can be done. It takes a pretty serious perspective shift to make it work.

You probably won't want to try this answer then.

"Five years, hmmmm..... Well, Agent S-29, which is a biological agent that causes complete subordinance to to someone who is exuding Pheremone D-83, should be ready for use in about two years, and I figure that dispersing it in the water supply by region should take about nine months to accomplish worldwide coverage, and I am the only one who has access to the formula for Pheremone D-83 which doesn't occur in nature, I guess.... I'd say....... Ruler of the entire world. But I have to have a job until then. Whaddya say? I'll give you a good middle management position in my court when the time comes."

That must be it.

Anyway.. give the answers they want to hear. Have you ever seen a salesman do anything else?


-I told a classmate to help him with homework and missed it. So we spent the weekend to catch up.


-Many years of a successful accomplishment in this position.


-I like work, I usually find the tasks interesting. (or??)


-Never!


-Finishing all my responsibilities to my former employee. I can't talk about it however as the work is classified government work.

If anyone has better answers. Tell me

@costransform - i think those suggested answers are brilliant, how can I learn to come up with resposes like those?

But what does the ability to answer questions like "Why do you want this job?", "What can you offer this company?" and "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" have to do with the ability to speak politely to colleagues and customers? They are 2 different skills. The first is bullshitting (particularly if its an entry-level job where you obviously want the job for the money, and the skills you can offer include being at least as competent as a trained monkey); the second is teamwork/politeness. The only overlap I see is that they both include the ability to learn the correct scripts.

Aspies must fail oral exams too

Think of how an ideal employee would answer, then follow that profile. Hint: a sallary slave that cause no fuss. Most human resources department is just gate keeper. Just "hack" them.



It looks more like trick questions to make people reveal themselfes and to differentiate otherwise equal CVs. Remember NTs will look for oppertunities to gain partners and up their social status at any oppertunity.


-I found the company a company culture I like and I find the tasks X, Y, Z really interesting!


-My dedication, and the my deep skills in A, B, and C.


-I found a much better paid work without an a**hole for boss like you.
(joke!!)



What do you mean ?

"How would your friends describe you?"

Such a ret*d question. If you ask me to describe myself in one or two words, I can't, so I don't know how you expect me to know what words my friends would choose to describe me. If you want to know that, ask my damn friends...

I have no idea how my friends would describe me and if they are honest it probably wouldn't be anything an interviewer would think was good.

I also have few to no friends depending on how you define friend.

Ugh, I had to go through the job hunt routine last month. Horrible, doing those interviews. And those stupid personality tests, where you have to read some statement and rate your level of agreement: Mildly agree, strongly agree, somewhat disagree, couldn't give a damn if I tried. So on.

One woman who interviewed me said, "I notice you don't look me in the eye when you're talking to me. That's going to be a big problem for me. Is there some reason you're not looking me in the eye?" I mumbled something about being a little nervous and that it was easier for me to think if I kept my eyes on the table. Of course, what I really wanted to say was "People's eyes burn a hole through my f**king soul!! !"

Didn't get that job. Thankfully, I found a better one anyway.

What a moron!

Anyway deport her to Japan.. and she will be out of work. Supposedly it is very offensive to look into someones eyes there..

Job interviews... hell on earth, without the built-in entertainment factor.

One thing I have found very effective is getting through about 10 minutes and then asking "You're considering seriously offering me the job, aren't you?". It's worked on many occasions, showing confidence in my abilities. So every so often I was faced with a shrivelled-ego-pimp who didn't like me having more confidence than him? Move on to the next one.

Why interview for the job in the first place if your intention is to one up your interviewer? Seems a bit juvenile...if im called for an interview i take it 100 % serious especially with this present job market.

My favorite hated stupid pointless question is "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" I have NO CLUE what they're looking to hear, so I just invent something. I don't know where I'll be in 10 years, and in fact I don't know where I'll be 10 minutes from now (anything from richer, poorer to dead), so I make the best of it.

Charles

They dont care either...all they want to hear is that you don't think that long down the road and are only concerned with the present job opportunity at hand. If they sense you have bigger plans or job prospects elsewhere, they see it as something they dont want to invest the effort and time to train you for the job...its a subtle question about what your mindset is when it comes to the job being presented.

True! But, I read in an article not long ago that some Japanese business firms have begun "schooling" employees to overcome this tradition in order to improve international business relationships. That made me feel sad, somehow.

I've always admired the Japanese. For instance: Wouldn't it be much nicer to bow to someone you've just met, instead of shaking hands? Handshaking is just...revolting. I've seen far too many men walk out of restrooms without washing their hands...