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QUESTION 1: What have you been criticized for during the last four years?
Kurt Einstein: It's interesting to know what the candidate would admit to.
Harvey Mackay: You must provide something that isn't so serious as to be disqualifying yet not so trivial as to appear that you're either concealing your flaws or raking the questions too lightly.
Harry Hardjono: The answer would be none. I don't think of them as "criticism", but as "advice". I always encourage people to notice something wrong about me, and when they do, I will not punish them by being angry. How am I to know what I lack if nobody ever tells me? I, being me, cannot judge myself. If someone would give me advice, I would thank them. I may or may not listen to them, but I always thank them.
QUESTION 2: Did you agree or disagree and why?
HH: This question is inappropriate follow up to my answer, but basically, I follow the advice if it will make me a better person, and I disregard the advice if it does not. Usually, what happens is that people do not usually consider all factors in deciding something. This does not mean they want to hurt, it's just that they do not know all the factors that I am considering. Therefore, they may miss a few important details that they don't know about. There is nothing wrong about it at all. It is wrong to say that if I can't speak English well, then I will never improve. Once that is identified as a weakness, I can improve it, by taking lessons for example.
QUESTION 3: Where would you like to be in 3-5 years?
KE: Observe whether candidate plans ahead and sets goals.
HM: Bag this answer: "I'd like your job." It's been overworked more than "Officer, I didn't know I was speeding."
HH: I would like to retire tomorrow, don't we all? :) I don't really set time frame to my goals. They will be done when they are done. A consideration about time frame is that suppose there are 2 steps in a plan. Step one is to get some money, and step two is to execute the plan. If step one results with little money, I may delay step two until sufficient capital is secured. If step one results with overflowing money, then I may accelerate step two by hiring more people. Thus, I don't think in terms of time frame, but accomplishments.
The NATURAL progression for a career is that promotion will come in 2-5 years. Therefore, it's not unreasonable that the answer will be "your job." If you want some initiative, you can ask "You mean I will not be promoted to your job!?" This is risky, though, as the interviewer may be insecure in his position.
QUESTION 3a: And how do you expect to get there?
KE: This will indicate whether the previous answer was truthful or programmed. Ask them to explain in detail.
HH: I have several things I want to do. I do them as opportunity permits. That makes me an "Opportunist". This means, that things may get slow in doing, but as long as I maneuver myself into situations where there would be plenty of opportunity, they will get done, eventually. In this case, I'm trading time for cost. It doesn't cost me a lot, other than time. Sometimes this means waiting until technology becomes commonplace. Depending on the project, that may or may not be okay. Of course, I have to be sensitive that I will know how to apply brute-force technique in order to get something done quickly.
As someone who is restless, though, I always want to do more things than I have time for. When I accomplished something, usually a few more worthwhile projects are already waiting in the wing.
Another note about goal-making: A lot of times, you need other people's cooperation. You want to be promoted? You need someone to promote you. You want to win a contest? You need contest organizer, and other competitors. That is factor beyond your control. Unless you mention those factors, I would be wary of the person, and will consider the person to be "Too Optimistic", meaning they don't know what they're talking about. Sadly, the old school management do not usually consider such sales pitch to be too optimistic.
QUESTION 4: What would you like to change in this job to make it ideal?
KE: Why would he want to change it?
HM: "I don't think it should be changed. I do think it has to be mastered, and..."
HH: Why would I want to change it? Why would you want to hire me if you don't think I haven't mastered the skills necessary to do it, already? I think in this case HM made a mistake. It's true that a candidate is incapable to do the job when he first comes in, but it is not a question of mastery, but a question of synchronization. The details for each job are different, and until all the details are known, the work done will be suboptimal. Synchronization is a new term, although the concept itself is quite old.
QUESTION 4a: How would you describe the most and least ideal boss you could choose?
KE: Indicates personality preferences. Indicates "would he or she fit with future boss."
HH: If the boss is any good, any personality differences would be irrelevant. Another old school thinking. The ideal boss would be one who maximizes my potential, minimizes my weakness, and strive to make me a better person overall, both in personal and professional capacity. The worst one is the reverse, plus he stole your work and not give you any credit whatsoever. I've had both.
QUESTION 5: What activities in your position do you enjoy most?
KE: Indirect way of ascertaining areas of weakness.
HM: If you have strong feelings about what you like best, you're also revealing the opposite ... what you like least.
HH: That's not so easy for me. I like way too many activities. I don't have a favorite movie, I have several. I don't have a favorite song, I have several. I don't have a favorite activity, I have several. In regard to professional work, however, I would like my work to challenge my creative talent and problem-solving skills. Who wants to do dull and boring work? HM's answers continues with "Being part of a winning team", but that shifts the focus from something you can affect to something entirely due to luck. I'm an opportunistic, but that's way too dependent upon other people for my taste. And "being" is not an active word.
QUESTION 6: How would you describe yourself with three adjectives?
KE: Delve for three negative adjectives.
HM: Here's another loaded gun. Obviously, no negative adjectives need apply, but even positive ones can have negative implications if they're grouped in a way that suggests a weakness.
HH: This highlights the thinking of positive/negative. Strength/weakness. The trouble is, nobody's perfect. Therefore, a perfect answer by itself is a problem. Furthermore, I have way too many adjectives to choose from. These are all given by other people, and they're sometime contradictory! Actually, this is an easy one for me, although it may not be so easy for you. You see, some time in my life, I have sworn, "Truth, Justice, Honor." Therefore, the adjectives that apply to me are "Honest, Fair, and Loyal." Being honorable may not mean loyal, but being disloyal means being dishonorable. Therefore, I'm quite a loyal person, and my actions shows that I have upheld these oaths quite well.
A little note about honor. Some people think that "Honor is a thin cloak to shield the grave," and behaves dishonorably. I think that if everybody is going to have to die someday, may as well die with honor than without.
QUESTION 6a: How would your subordinates describe you with three adjectives?
KE: What are the differences?
HM: In my opinion, the correct response is to give the same answer you gave for number 6, and then smile sweetly and wait for the next question.
HH: There's nothing wrong with HM's answer, but there's nothing right there either. As for me, take your pick: "Honest/Liar", "Hard-working/Lazy-bum", "Modest/Boastful", "Kind/Violent", "Generous/Tightwad", "Smart/Stupid", etc. They all have been applied to me at one time or another. I do notice that people tend to evaluate me as they themselves should have been evaluated, like a perceptual mirror. This means two things: 1) I'm actually neutral 2) I can judge people quite easily by the way they perceive me.
The unasked question, then, is how do YOU perceive me? Do you perceive me in positive light or negative light?
QUESTION 7: Do you think you praise enough?
KE: Secure people have less problems giving praise than insecure people.
HM: "I love to get it, so I love to give it."
HH: Secure people also have less problem apologizing for other people's mistake, but this is hard to ask in an interview. Some people work well with praise, others just want hard cash. I praise people when they do good work, and criticize them when they do bad work. Do I think I praise enough? I don't think of it that way. I give crucial feedback information. Lack of feedback is always bad management, whether the feedback is positive or negative. I'll have no trouble giving praise as long as the workers are good. As you will see from my later answer, I go far beyond a simple praise giving. As for me, I don't seek praise. Too much of it will make my head bigger that it already is. :)
QUESTION 8: What would you do if you detected a peer falsifying expense record?
KE: Indicates passive or active approach.
HM: That's easy. I'd report it. Depending on the urgency of the matter, either I report it right away, or during my weekly report. I'd advice the criminal to confess before the report gets to the boss. There's malice and there's stupidity. Napoleon said to not assume malice, activities that can be explained by stupidity. This is malice, pure and simple. For what it's worth, either malice or stupidity isn't good for business.
QUESTION 9: What would you do if the company you just joined gave you three thousand dollars to spend during the first year in any way you felt appropriate?
HM: The obvious answer is the right one: a job-related use, such as taking courses.
HH: Taking courses isn't a proper job-related use for me. Letting your subordinates take courses, that is a proper job-related use. Being a manager means taking care of your people. Unless 100% of the money goes to your subordinates, you're not being a good manager. Job-related, yes, but if you spend the money on yourself, you're being conceited, no matter how necessary that is. An exception would be equipment, but you still have to make sure that the equipment is usable by other people. Otherwise, just get it from the regular budget, not this special money purse.
Incidentally, this is such a powerful tool, that if I'm not being given this option, I will ask for it at the end of the interview. Let's say the pay is $85,000. I will ask that my salary be reduced to $80,000 and that I have $5,000 to be spent in any way I can, no question asked. This way, the company benefits from reduced payroll. I benefit from tax free budget, and have the freedom to train and reward my people without hassles of paperwork. The second the company question its use, such as giving value employee all-paid vacation to Hawaii, I'd ask for full salary compensation, and that costs the company more money, with less benefit.
QUESTION 10: If you had a choice, would you rather draw up plans or implement them?
HM: Don't choose "implement" unless the major piece of equipment used in the job you are applying for is a broom.
HH: You need to give better answer than that. If you choose "plan", you're a lazy bum. If you choose "implement", you're an idiot. Lose/lose either way. You can say, "I'm a doer, but I find it's best if I'm the one doing the planning." Or you can say, "I'm a planner, but like any good planner, I develop contingencies plan where I can implement the plan if I have to."
As for me, I'm a lazy bum. So, I like planning best. However, when my subordinates is having trouble, I do not hesitate to "lead by example" and "get my hands dirty." Work smart, not hard.
QUESTION 11: State three situations in which you did not succeed. Why?
KE: Does he or she admit to any? Blame others? Is the candidate self-assured? Has he or she learned from it, and if so, what?
HH: Three things come to my mind immediately. They are: 1) Somebody else screws up. 2) Out of time. 3) Bad luck. Notice, out of money didn't factor in failure. If I ran out of money doing something, then the project gets delayed, but it didn't really fail. Also, my making mistakes doesn't account to project failures because I always anticipate my mistakes and having made them, I always have a backup plan to bail me out and continue with the project. Since I'm a good project manager, the most common reason for project failure would be item 1. This doesn't apply in competition, say marathon. Maybe there's just somebody better out there who can run faster than you do. Learn to be better, in my opinion, is an invalid answer. In competition, you are doing your best. Knowing how to do better is no guarantee to be able to do better. If you can do better, why not do it already?
QUESTION 12: When you fire somebody, what would be your key objective? Why?
KE: Look for: "It was deserved." "It's beyond my control." "Protect myself legally." "Keep company image clean." Or Considers employee's feeling, shows sympathy.
HH: HM has an automatic answer that I think is old school. The best answer can be found in W. Steven Brown's 13 Fatal Errors Managers Make and How You Can Avoid Them. My own answer somewhat differs, but not contradictory with Steven Brown's answer. That is, "I don't fire somebody. I relocate them to a job that highlights their strengths and hide their weaknesses. Their strengths and weaknesses may not correspond with their resume or work experience, but I always keep their welfare in mind." A company who worry more about their image than their employees is not a good company to work for.
QUESTION 13: What need do you expect to satisfy by accepting this position?
HM: Your needs better track the company's need pretty closely, or what you're still going to be needing is a job.
HH: I don't have a good answer for this one, so I guess HM's answer is fine. In my view, my needs is irrelevant. The company's need is "Making money." That means making money for the company, not for you. You don't have a need to make money for the company. That's what you'll do, but you don't have a need to do that. My problem is, some high-ranking managers, sometimes even VP, forgets this. They worry about image, politics, and all the common business "prestige points" trappings. Hence they don't work as team member. My question is, do you want to work for such company?
As for me, I can answer truthfully that I expect to exercise my creative talent and problem-solving skills to the max. If I don't get that opportunity, then I'd rather work elsewhere anyway. Who wants to do dull and boring job? Not me.
QUESTION 14: What would you like to change in this job to make it ideal?
KE: How does the candidate respond when an authority figure makes an error?
HM: Here's the trick question of all time: question 4 is repeated here as question 14. Did you notice? If so, now what?
HH: If you're honest about your answer before, you'll just answer the same way. If you're intelligent, you'll probably notice it sometime during answering. So you end the answer with, "Didn't you ask this question before?" The interviewer will answer affirmatively, and you just say, "No problem."
QUESTION 15: We all fib occasionally. Would you say something that is not entirely true? Give me three examples when you did.
KE: Discuss: Significant, insignificant, borderline lies.
HH: I don't fib. Read my answer about my oath of "Truth, Justice, Honor." If the the interviewer went ahead with this question, I simply remind him of that. HM didn't take that oath, however, and he gives some examples of good fibs.
If I'm feeling frisky, I may counter by asking what fibs are acceptable? Whatever he answered, I would say (coldly), "Too bad I don't fib." and stare him right in the eye. Nobody messes with me. Not even my boss.
QUESTION 16: What benefits can be expected from threatening an employee to do better?
KE: If answer is other than none, probe further for candidate management and motivation style.
HH: HM gives good answer in his book. As for me, I don't threaten people to do better. I'm simply being honest and discuss the situation with employee. What do they need to do better? If I can't give it to them, then I will relocated the employee to work for someone else who can give them what they need to do better. I always take care of my people, even non-performing ones.
On another note, you have to be careful to realize the difference between sub-par performance and unrealistic expectation. Just because you rank high in management, doesn't mean you're realistic. It's important to know what you know and what you don't know. It's more important the higher you go. At the highest level, it's important to know not only yourself, but also those of your people. Otherwise, even a brilliant team can get destroyed with improper management. Of course, if you say this during the interview, you probably won't get the job. Nobody likes to be told they're a slave driver, even if they are.
QUESTION 16a: When would you do that?
HM: Threat is often a sign of weakness rather than strength. Why hesitate to take the action announced if you're willing and able to act immediately to achieve your goal?
HH: Because you care about their well-being, and hope for amicable solution. Of course, you only give them this chance once. By the way, if your connection is solid, you don't even have to make this thread. A simple discussion is usually enough to give understanding to problem employee/supplier/customer.
QUESTION 17: If you encountered serious difficulties on this job, what would they be?
KE: Reveals candidate's area of weakness or fear
HM: By now you should be able to ace this kind of probe. What you're concerned about, of course, is not failure but success. You anticipate no difficulties but would hope to work in an environment that values team-work, rewards initiative, provides opportunities for advancement, achieves its goals, and is a congenial place to work.
HH: I don't know what serious difficulties I may encounter. The answer to that would be revealed in my contingency planning anyway, hence no serious difficulties is expected unless the planning step goes to "premature project termination" step. HM's answer is generic, and political. I would be very wary if somebody gives me that kind of answer. It shows that the person is too dependent upon other people in order to succeed. Ergo, not enough initiative on his part. It doesn't really tell you anything, other than "None," albeit in a long-winded, politically correct manner.
A problem that often comes up, is that senior people don't bother to learn new skills, thus having outdated skills. Furthermore, they will insist on doing it their way because they know no better. That's fine until they insists that everybody is doing it their way. Why would I want to do things the slow/hard way if I can do it the fast/effortless way? Histories hold many examples of this.
QUESTION 18: What are three things you are afraid to find in this job?
KE: Explores candidate's fears.
HM: Since you fear nothing, you give the time-honored positive response.
HH: I would take the initiative, and answer "Nothing I can think of. What do I need to fear in this job?" Explore company's expected behavior. HM's answer is a little too compliant to my taste.
QUESTION 19: We all have negative areas we would like to improve. Do you agree? If you do, could you give me three areas in which you would like to improve?
KE: Weakness ... understanding of oneself.
HH: In relevance to the work at hand, other than familiarization with the work at hand, none. As to personal areas to improve, I always want to speak 10 foreign languages fluently, and becoming a chess grandmaster would be nice. :) If I feel something need improving, then either I'm improving it right now, or it's already improved to competence level, and therefore, no longer lacking. None of it is job related.
I don't really dwell on negative or positive. That's really irrelevant. English is my second language, is that negative or positive? Neither or both. It can be positive if you work in a subsidiary where they speak your native language, other than English. :) Any weakness can be turned into strength. Why not focus on that instead? What I lack in youth, I make up with experience..., etc.
QUESTION 20: How do you motivate people?
KE: a) Threat, b) fear, c) example.
HH: HM gives an excellent explanation in his book. I'll add this:
There are several behavior levels to be considered. There is environment, rationalization, and instinctive. HM's answers is on rationalization. Environment goes mostly with office layout, usually beyond a manager's influence. Instinct, however, can be used quite effectively. What I have in mind here is Pavlov Dog. If you can teach a dog to properly behave, why not a person? When a person does something right, the worst thing you can do is punish him. Let's say that a person completes his job early. Give him the rest of the day off. If you simply pile on more work, that's punishment. Why should he work fast when others work slow with the same pay? What kind of manager are you?
This goes back to my answer about taking a pay cut and getting an unquestionable budget disposal. You can give instant reward on the spot. This is a great resource to condition employees to do their very best. You can provide reward for good work, and withhold them for bad work. Given that kind of choice most workers will do their best. A certificate isn't as effective as cold hard cash, even if the certificate is gold plated. In fact, an increased freedom (along with responsibility) is often great enough reward that you don't need to hold recognition award ceremony.
Another issue is manager's pay and subordinates pay. The proper answer regarding this takes too long to explain here. Suffice to say that there better not be any inferences you can take from the job titles.
Needless to say, whenever I give this answer, it usually goes over the head of the interviewer. Unfortunately, I have my oath to uphold. I can do no other than to give this answer, which I think is best.
EXTRA: When do you think you have arrived?
HM: My definition is when you're rich enough to eat the heart of the watermelon and throw the rest away.
HH: When the last item is checked off the list. I have arrived, and I have yet places to go. The trouble with me is that I have too much initiative and creative energy. As soon as one project is completed, I have three more waiting in the wing. That's the way it should be. When do I want to retire? When I'm dying on my death bed.