Be brief, everybody advises. But how brief, is the question. “Brevity is the soul of wit” as Shakespeare put it. A candidate should no doubt reply a question to the point, but it should not mar clarity. Do not sacrifice clarity on the altar of brevity. A candidate should see the real intention behind a question. A very brief answer may be factually correct, but the candidate can lose an important opportunity to reveal himself. He should reply correctly, and in such details as would satisfy the interviewer too. A candidate, in particular, must grab the opportunity to reveal his traits if the question asked belongs to the field he is well versed with.
Question : You have stated in your CV that you take part in sports to learn discipline. Is it correct that sports teach you discipline?
Answer : Yes sir, it certainly teaches discipline.
Analysis : This kind of question was probably asked to put the candidate at ease in the initial stages of interview because it was a field which the candidate was well-versed with, so that he could be put to more probing questions at a later stage. At the same time, the interviewer did not want to listen a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The candidate has let slip a good chance to show his traits that he could have shown by answering this question in some detail that would have advantageous impact on the final outcome of the interview. He should have rather paraphrased his answer thus :
“Taking part in sports teaches several traits including discipline. Since it is a field event and is played in team, a person learns teamwork, initiative, leadership qualities, cooperation, appreciation of other’s responsibility, tough physical training, healthy competition and such other traits. A sportsman learns to make plans and contingency plans and how to put them into practice in actual situation when confronted with a rival team. A good sportsman has also to organise his teamwork and to put his resources to maximum use. I meant discipline by all this. All these traits are crucial in development of one’s personality even when he is not on the field.”
See how deftly the candidate has given a wide meaning to a single word and attributing all those trais to himself.
A few other examples in this regard can be :
“Defence service/marketing/sales, etc. provide a sense of adventure, doesn't it?” “Sports training/ NCC training, etc. prove beneficial in one’s social life too, do you agree?”
Question : You have stated in your CV that you take part in sports to learn discipline. Is it correct that sports teach you discipline?
Answer : Yes sir, it certainly teaches discipline.
Analysis : This kind of question was probably asked to put the candidate at ease in the initial stages of interview because it was a field which the candidate was well-versed with, so that he could be put to more probing questions at a later stage. At the same time, the interviewer did not want to listen a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The candidate has let slip a good chance to show his traits that he could have shown by answering this question in some detail that would have advantageous impact on the final outcome of the interview. He should have rather paraphrased his answer thus :
“Taking part in sports teaches several traits including discipline. Since it is a field event and is played in team, a person learns teamwork, initiative, leadership qualities, cooperation, appreciation of other’s responsibility, tough physical training, healthy competition and such other traits. A sportsman learns to make plans and contingency plans and how to put them into practice in actual situation when confronted with a rival team. A good sportsman has also to organise his teamwork and to put his resources to maximum use. I meant discipline by all this. All these traits are crucial in development of one’s personality even when he is not on the field.”
See how deftly the candidate has given a wide meaning to a single word and attributing all those trais to himself.
A few other examples in this regard can be :
“Defence service/marketing/sales, etc. provide a sense of adventure, doesn't it?” “Sports training/ NCC training, etc. prove beneficial in one’s social life too, do you agree?”
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