How to Respond if the Interviewer Wants you to be Nice

Sometimes, employers will ask you this question because they want to hire "nice" people. If this is the case, the best way you can answer the question is to provide a personal anecdote about a time you demonstrated "niceness" at a previous job.

There are many kinds of "niceness" - being compassionate towards others, being a team player, being respectful of your boss or your staff, etc. Think of the job at hand, and what kind of "niceness" would be important at that job. Then provide an anecdote about how you have demonstrated that kind of "niceness" at work in the past, and how it helped you achieve something at work. Here is an example of a response to this question:

• Yes, I do consider myself to be nice: I consider myself to be compassionate towards others, and am always willing to help others. For example, while working on a complex team project, one team member was frustrated and having trouble completing her tasks. I worked hard to complete my tasks ahead of time so that I could then help her. I listened to her frustrations, and helped her come up with a solution. My niceness thus helped our team successfully complete the project.

You can balance this response by also describing how you use kindness to set high expectations for yourself and your staff, and hold your colleagues accountable. This will prove that you can also be tough and demanding. Below as an example response:

• I consider myself to be extremely nice. However, rather than making me an ineffective leader, my niceness helps me be a more effective leader. For example, whenever my staff members struggle with their performance, I sit down with them and listen to their concerns first. Then, I work with them to come up with a solution to improve their work. I believe my compassion is what has led my previous employees to achieve consistently high sales numbers.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-25