Interview Question: How Would Your Boss And Coworkers Describe You?
During the interviewing process, recruitment agencies, potential employers, and interviewers often asked a series of questions related to you as an individual. Therefore, it is essential to prepare adequately to answer technical and unique questions with regard to your workplace relationships and personality. Amongst such questions is- How will your boss and coworkers describe you? Although the question may seem cumbersome and complicated, interviewers simply sought to find out how good your relationship with your boss and colleagues is both on a personal and professional level. Answering this question impressively will invariably boost your chances of getting hired. Hence, this article will help inundate applicants and job seekers and serve as a guide on how to answer the question.
Reasons for asking the question; How would your boss and coworkers describe you?
Being an open-minded question, employers ask how your boss and coworkers would describe you for a plethora of reasons. Enumerated below are some of the reasons why employers ask the question;
- To find out how good of a team player you are or can be.
- To ascertain if you will fit into the working culture of the company.
- To determine if you will be able to develop and expand both your and the company’s professional network.
- To test and compare the accuracy of your referees’ or references’ description of your personality and self-assessment.
- To know your unique personality traits, perceptiveness, and interpersonal skills, and how such traits will help you adjust to different roles in the company.
- To get a true sense of your strength and weakness from your previous employer.
- To have a general picture of your honesty and self-awareness.
Answering The Question- How Would Your Boss And Coworkers Describe You?
The following are steps to answering the aforementioned question;
- Brainstorm your strengths
- Talk to your boss and coworkers
- Consider past conversations
- Reference performance reviews.
- Match actions with description
- Brainstorm Your Strengths; knowing your strengths is essential when it comes to answering this question. The strengths may include but are not restricted to strong work ethics, ability to work under pressure, endurance, resilience, adaptability, and teamwork. Before going for your interview, draft a list of these qualities and try to create a picture of how you apply them to work. However, it is crucial and important that you display positivity when answering the question. In other words, you should stick and focus more on your positive traits, that will enable you to contribute meaningfully to work and the organization as a whole. Also, use words and adjectives that denote your work ethic and sense of responsibility, whilst highlighting skills and expertise that make you stand out among others. Relatively, make sure that you do not give answers that are scripted or fake; this will deter the potential employer from hiring or trusting you.
- Talk to your Boss and Coworkers; Brainstorming about your special and unique qualities can be difficult sometimes, hence the need to talk to your boss or coworkers. You can ask them how they would describe you to professionals in your field or sector. In addition, you can ask them to highlight or mention specific qualities that make you unique in the role. By asking your boss and coworkers to give their perspectives about you professionally, you have an idea of the type of work relationship you have in the organization. This will enable you to build excellent content to use in answering the question of how would your boss and coworkers describe you during interviews.
- Consider Past Conversations; In every organization, different conversations take place between bosses and workers or among coworkers. This can be through work-related emails, text messages, and even one on one meetings depending on the organization. Therefore, always endeavour to keep such conversations in mind, look through your emails, and try to decipher how you stand out at work. Concentrate on compliments, praises, accolades, and everything positive from such conversations with your boss and coworkers. This will aid you when faced with the dilemma of answering the interview question being discussed.
- Reference performance reviews; An important means of knowing how your boss or coworkers would describe you is through previous feedback and performance reviews. Depending on the organization, such reviews can be annually, monthly, or even weekly. Therefore, when preparing for an interview, source for specific themes from the feedback from your boss and coworkers, which describes you and your performance at work. When asked how your boss and coworkers would describe you during interviews, make reference to such peer reviews and highlight positive facts and statements which give an outstanding description of your professionalism and strong work ethic. The best way of referencing reviews is by paraphrasing a recent positive performance review. Referencing specifically the source of your information makes it easier to present yourself as dedicated, creative, and trustworthy without cringing. You should also give a bigger picture context about your role, tasks, and responsibilities to fill in the gaps around your answer.
- Match Actions with Description; When answering this interview question, it is crucial, vital, and essential that your actions and body language match your description. In other words, your action should always depict what you are portraying. This will give interviewers, and your future employers a clear vision of your honesty, sincerity, and consistency. Every company or organization wants employees who are honest, true, and sincere regardless of the situation or circumstances. For example, if your answer says your coworkers and boss would say you are calm, cool, relaxed, and always confident under pressure, and you’re sitting in the interview looking extremely nervous, trembling, and low on confidence, then it could cast some doubts in the interviewer.
Examples Of Answers To The Interview Question- How Would Your Boss Or Coworkers Describe You?
- My boss would describe me as a thoughtful and organized person who works well under pressure. My colleagues and boss regularly praise my positivity, goal-oriented nature, and problem-solving skills whenever we are faced with difficult situations and clients.
- My boss and the team have told me severally that I am a team-oriented leader. One of my standout moments was when one of my coworkers voluntarily wrote me a recommendation letter because he was impressed by my leadership and empathy during a difficult project. He enthused that I had interest and investment in every team member’s personal and professional success.
- My boss and colleagues always tell me that they are in awe of my punctuality, reliability, and analytical mindset. In my last performance review dated April 30, 2021, my boss emphasized that my ability to think outside the box consistently has aided the growth and development of the company.
