I’ve coached a couple of clients recently who want to work for themselves, but they aren’t making enough money, and so need to get a job. Sometimes they are too truthful in what they say to the interviewer. Here are a couple of questions, their answer and my reply
Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision
“One of my difficult decisions was choosing to set up my own business after being made redundant. I was worried about not having a stable income and worried whether I would make enough money to cover a comfortable life style. Especially at the age of 29 when a lot of my friends were getting married and looking to buy a house.”
Denise says:
This sounds like a reasonable answer, but it can raise some questions for the interviewer. Are you still interested in working for yourself? Why are you now applying for a job? Will you only be looking to take on a job in the short term and leave once your own business takes off? An additional thing to consider is disclosing your age, which is almost never appropriate to do during an interview.
Are you applying for any other jobs?
“I’m very interested in this job, hence applying. However, I’m not applying for anything else at the moment due to concentrating on my business. I have had a few good jobs that have come in recently which is positive. I’ve been thinking about possibly looking for part-time work so I can run both my business and get further income to support my business and lifestyle.”
Denise says:
Be very careful about telling the interviewer that you are looking to develop your own business. The interviewer will be concerned that too much of your energy will be focused outside of the job that you are being interviewed for. Why mention part time working if the job you are applying for is full time. Keep focused on what will help you get the job.
Need help with interview coaching? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
