On the heels of Sherry’s great post that included discussion of employer perception during interviews (i.e., how are tattoos and piercings perceived during an interview?), I was intrigued by this article over at QZ.com: awkward questions asked during Korean job interview, including:
- Are you dating anyone?
- How long does it take you to do your makeup?
- How much alcohol can you handle?
- What do you plan on spending your first paycheck on?
Although the article notes that such personal questions are no longer typically asked in interviews at Korean companies, the reason they were ever asked in the first place is illuminating: to get a sense of the job applicant as a person and determine whether he or she would fit into company culture.
Working in a small organization with a staff of only four, I’m keenly aware that personal fit matters. When we hire, we’re looking for someone who is not only smart and skilled and accomplished, someone who can get the job done, but also someone who will mesh well with the team. We don’t all have to be best friends, but it is important that we are cohesive both professionally and personally. Our performance as an organization depends on it.
And thus our interviews reflect this fact. We ask questions that are not awkwardly personal or borderline inappropriate, like those listed in the article, but ones that are meant to draw out personal interests and activities, especially those related to our industry. Talk about a particularly meaningful experience during your time studying abroad. Where did you go on your most recent international trip? If you could study one language you don’t currently speak, what would it be? What’s the last book you read and would you recommend it? (That last one’s not international, but I think it’s an interesting conversation starter anyway.)
The point is that anyone prepping for an interview would do well to prepare for some personal discussion. No need to disclose your dating history or your drinking prowess—but if you can talk compellingly about some of your personal interests, and paint a fuller picture of yourself as a person beyond the professional realm, you’re more likely to make an impression in an employer’s mind as someone they want to work with.
