menstrual_sweatpants_disco said

[orig][quote]

Yup, the key is to be truthful, but think it through and anticipate what they want to hear for an answer. For the biggest fault/weakness question I always give them some sappy line like "I'm a perfectionist" (fuck it, it's a sappy question, right?). I then immediately explain how I don't let that quality hinder my productivity. I can still focus on the big picture and prioritize my work tasks all while remaining detail-oriented.

Also, I did hate that "where do you see yourself in x amount of years" question when I was entry level. It's like they're asking you to lie because there's no way in fuck you want to be entry level in 5 years. I overthink EVERYTHING always. Sometimes it gets me in trouble and sometimes it's good. With this situation it's usually good. I think 1 of 2 things is happening here:
1) The interviewer is just an idiot and read about this question in a magazine. If that's the case, give them your honest answer and if they don't like it and don't hire you, then you won't be working for a company that hires idiots. No big deal. 2) The interviewer KNOWS this is a tricky question and wants to see how you handle it. If you outright lie and say you're going to be there at that job, then that will show that you have no ambition and are a giant kissass with no personality professional attitute. It may also tell them that you are answering some of the questions untruthfully. They won't trust you. When I got this question I would always just tell them I want to learn as much as possible and do everything in my power to become better within my field. I hoped to move up the ladder and excel at each position. I would then drop hints about inquiring as to whether the position I was applying for had room for advancement. They want you to show ambition but at the same time don't want you to be careless and unprofessional enough to just fuck them over and leave them high and dry for another company/position.