trumpet and use ‘I’ to start every sentence. Max Eggert (2003)
suggests that although it may be more powerful to say ‘I did’
rather than ‘We did’, it is possible to reduce the impression of
egotism by using phrases such as ‘My experience shows that
I...’, ‘Colleagues tell me that...’, ‘My boss once remarked that...’
or ‘The team I was leading were able to...’.
One of the trickiest questions you may be asked is about your
weaknesses. You cannot claim that you have none (no one will
believe you). However, because negative information carries
more weight with interviewers than positive information, Max
Eggert recommends that although interviewers usually ask
about weaknesses (plural), you should only ever admit to one.
He suggest that interviewees should respond to questions, not
answer them, by which he means you should control the infor-
mation you release about yourself. To illustrate this approach he
suggests that the answer to a question about weaknesses should
be along the following lines:
■ Choose a trait about your character or personality which is
obviously true.
■ Extend that trait until it becomes a fault.
■ Put it back in the distant past.
■ Show how you have overcome it.
■ Confirm that it is no longer a problem.
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE
You will often be asked if you have any questions at the end of an
interview. Do not bore the interviewer with trivial questions
about the organization or the job. Instead ask positive questions
which tacitly assume that the job is yours, such as, ‘What would
be my priorities when (not if) I join you?’ and ‘What would you
expect me to achieve in my first year?’
120 How to be an Even Better Manager