What makes you uncomfortable

Make sure to choose words that reflect your personality as broadly as possible, but without giving too many details. Pro Tip : It is good to focus on traits that are work-related and transferable to the new workplace where you are applying.

This is a tricky question because the temptation to bad-mouth previous employers is nearly irresistible. The thing is, many candidates do not understand that talking trash about their present company or former employer will not win them any points ; it will only give the impression that they are two-faced.

This question is an opportunity to gather what you have learned from the previous job, and how you can use said skills to add value to the prospective job role. Pro Tip : In this case, it is best to tell the interviewer that ambition and a "need for change'' or something of sorts lead you wanting a new job.

Tell the interviewer that you have outgrown your current place of employment and that you are looking for an opportunity to express your ambition.

If you need constant reminders about tasks or turning something in by the deadline, then it is safe to say that you are not the person they are looking for. Pro Tip : Since we are mere people and not supercomputers, you can dodge the question gracefully by saying that you have a good memory, but your advanced knowledge of computer programs like Excel, Microsoft Word, Outlook or other more specific task-managing programs , allow you to work in a more organized and efficient manner.

In this way, you will not only give the interviewer a clear answer, but you will also meet their requirements without necessarily raising their expectations to a ridiculous level. As soon as you hear this question uttered, get up, grab your coat and leave. This question is acutely illegal to ask. Interview questions should be built around the candidate's education, career choices, experience, credentials and others.

If the interview transitions from a fact-based conversation into a friendlier area, the interviewer might make a series veiled comments such as "I do not know if you are married, but my wife'', which might prompt you to answer in one way or another. When this happens, keep a smile and subtly shift the conversation back to the company and prospective job. Having gaps in your employment resume is not ideal, but life happens. You might find yourself out of a job for reasons that are entirely out of your control - the company filing for bankruptcy or firing entire departments, getting sick, family obligations -, or you might have simply taken some personal time off due to burnout.

Pro Tip : If you find yourself in this situation, you can use the spare time to fill the gap by learning new skills or volunteering. Relocating for a job is an entire headache on its own, and the interviewers know this.

As uncomfortable as this question might be because they are essentially forcing you to make a potentially life-altering decision on a whim , its purpose is to test the candidate's reaction to stressful situations. So, naturally, the answer should not be a definitive yes or no. By taking this approach, you can make sure you nail your interview and feel comfortable with your performance.

Like this story? Don't miss: How to answer the interview question, 'How would you fire someone? Skip Navigation. Sometimes a dissenting opinion will make you reconsider. Sometimes it will make your stance stronger. Either way, the exercise of hearing different angles advances your thinking and improves your outcomes. So spit it out. Practice coming at issues from different angles now. The more you present constructive counterpoints the easier it will become, and you'll be more likely to speak up when it matters most.

Periodically we survey our team to get a sense for how each employee is feeling about the company and their own career development. One theme that sometimes comes back is how to get ahead without being self-promotional. Usually the comment goes something like this: "It seems like the company always recognizes the same people.

I do good work, but it seems like no one notices. The honest response to these comments is: You're right. Growing companies are chaotic. They churn with activity: breakthroughs and setbacks, new projects and discoveries.

Keeping up with it all isn't practical, so managers rely on signals, and tasteful self-promotion is a valuable signal. Self-promotion is sometimes misused to serve the ego, but there's a way to pull it off that also also serves the company. We are taught not to be overly self-promotional. We are encouraged to value the achievement rather than the accolades. That message is almost right. It focuses on what matters most but fails to recognize that talking about an achievement can fuel its fire.

Promoting an achievement can galvanize others to bring their ideas to it and ensure future efforts learn from it. And yes, it can get you noticed. The trick here is being judicial. Not everything you do deserves broader attention. But some things do. In those cases, talking about them doesn't make you an attention junkie it makes you a good communicator.

If the personal attention makes you uncomfortable, focus your advocacy on the work itself. Draw attention to the discovery, milestone or lessons uncovered by your effort. The company will be better for it and you will too.

I was a good six months into my job as a product marketer for a software company before I finally owned up to not knowing what an API was. I mean I knew what an API was. I'd Googled it, obviously. API stands "application programming interface" and constitutes a set of "subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software.

I'll hit you up on that next fundraising round , but for all my internet research, I didn't really understand what an API did. Then it came time for me to explain that my company, HubSpot, was opening up more of the helpful little buggers to the public and I did not know where to begin.

So, I went to my product manager and did what any ego-protecting protagonist would do, I tried to fake it. I mean, will you explain it to me? I don't get it.

And thus began my relationship with APIs. I still don't understand all the details of how they work, but I'm much smarter for having gotten over myself and asked the question. Don't fake it until you make it. Get over yourself and ask the question. Who knew there were so many uncomfortable things in the world?

Michael Cera. Michael Cera probably knew. From negotiating salary to reading "some good, heavy, serious books" as Du Bois suggests, this list could go on and on. Hopefully it will, in the comments below. What uncomfortable moment have you conquered as a professional? Which are you still working on that you'd add to this list? Share with us in the comments. Editor's Note: This post was originally published in March and has been updated for freshness and comprehensiveness.

Originally published Jul 6, AM, updated June 25 Logo - Full Color. Contact Sales. Overview of all products. Marketing Hub Marketing automation software. Service Hub Customer service software. CMS Hub Content management system software. Operations Hub Operations software. App Marketplace Connect your favorite apps to HubSpot. Why HubSpot? Marketing Sales Service Website. Subscribe to Our Blog Stay up to date with the latest marketing, sales, and service tips and news.

Thank You! You have been subscribed. Start free or get a demo. Marketing 17 min read. Instead of trying to shield her from them, he asked her to revel in them : Don't shrink from new experiences and custom. Instead, you revert into one of the following : The babbling-response. The self-deprecating response.

The total and complete blackout. That nonsense has to stop. Here's how to take a compliment: Realize that someone is paying you a compliment. Let them finish. Seriously, let them finish. Take a breath. Smile and say "Thank you. Many questions have hidden meaning, but if you are able to recognize what they are getting at, your answer will be even more impressive. Being asked what makes you uncomfortable is one of the most difficult questions to deal with.

You walk a thin line between not answering the question and hurting your chances of being hired. The interviewer wants to know what could potentially affect your performance. This means it is okay to admit that certain things make you uncomfortable, while emphasizing how you are able to function despite discomfort.

It is difficult to tackle this question, but if you choose your words carefully, you can appear as a very calm and reasonable person. There are many pitfalls you can fall into, especially for this question. The aspects you should avoid are more important than the points you should emphasize. Always try to remain positive and collected. Remember, they are not looking for someone completely unaffected by their surroundings.

They want someone that has a healthy relationship with their situation. It was a little uncomfortable to see one person work weekends, while another coworker was leaving early most days.

It never interfered with my work, but it was slightly concerning. A manager finally addressed it, so it did not have any long-term consequences.

Interview What Makes You Uncomfortable. Interview January 4, Read the following text with your tutor. What the Hiring Manager Is Really Asking… When in an interview, it is important that you know what is actually being asked.