I hate goal questions - partly because I am not terribly ambitious , partly because I need to know the co. culture to know what I can do .

so in the most concrete fashion I try to say some thing along the lines of " I want to keep learning new stuff , more responsibility is better, I am very flexible, an I am willing to wait for the right opportunity". That works really well in the library world. in something like a customer service position it sounds something like " I am really good at customer service and I look forward to learning more about the products. As I know more I'd like to help improve the customers experience , by either planning scripts, testing, or planning for the future. Which way I go really depends on what the company needs and where my talents can be best used "

What's sad is that how you answer questions can be a lousy indicator of how you actually do the job.

SAT = Success in college? NSM.

While I understand how sheer volume dictates a need to generalize... whether it's exams or interview strategies...it just makes me sad how geared we are to promote based on so much OTHER than actual suitability.

Since you have a different relationship with a recruiter (who is technically working for the hiring company in most cases) it may be more to your advantage to be honest with your goals, especially if she's going to put you up for a relocation, she should know if you're really sincere about relocating -- if she sends too many candidates for a relocation job that really don't want to relocate, it reflects back on her.

Interview guru guy said that also, you should be quite honest with recruiters about how much money you're looking for. Since they're compensated on how much you get, they'll not lowball you when there's a spread of possible salaries to negotiate for.

" I am really good at customer service and I look forward to learning more about the products. As I know more I'd like to help improve the customers experience , by either planning scripts, testing, or planning for the future. Which way I go really depends on what the company needs and where my talents can be best used "

Nice one!

(I hope I'm not coming off as Interview Guru myself. I'm trying hard to absorb all this stuff so that I can interview well, and repeating it kind of helps me get my head around it.)

I hate the goal question too. I lack ambition wrt work. I want less responsibility, more structure, a shorter commute, 9-5 hours, and I do not care what industry I work in. The work is not important to me at all, the environment is.

That said, the recruiters I've worked with often ask, in a gently-couched sort of way, what my circumstances are (since I"m looking for a job with relocation)--do I rent or own, do I have someone else who would also need to be relocated, etc etc. Conveniently I've been able to answer that I am footloose and fancy free, but I"m not sure what I'd say otherwise!

Well, something like "I'm very able to relocate" or "I want to relocate" or "I would be unable to relocate". You can answer without getting into your marital and/or home owning status I'd think.

Though that could be fun too...

"Well, my husband and I discussed it... he wants kids next year but I want to wait TWO... so if we move I have a chance to get used to things before I put in for maternity.... Then agin, this is assuming no fertility concerns which is ::knock wood:: is great, you know? My sister Shirley did two rounds of IVF and then got pregnant on her own -- can you IMAGINE, twenty grand down the tubes! We inherited the house from my parents but we really want to sell it anyway, not our taste at ALL. If you relocate us even Aunt Bess will accept the fact that we had to sell."

I think my last answer to the goal question was, "I'd like to stay with the company for a while, as the industry is fascinating, but I've learned that life is a very flexible, unexpected thing, and focusing on goals makes you less able to respond to changing circumstances." IE, "Go ahead and talk to me about your five-year-plan, you 23-year-old twit, when your first child is born prematurely and you're suddenly saddled with $50,000 in medical debt, you'll revise your goals."

I think it is always helpful to here other people's answers to interview questions. a number of books are really helpful - but the stock answers are 1)stock 2) maybe be so wrong for you that you can't pull it off.

The flaw question was one I had to work on an answer. ( what is one of your flaws - and the ideal answer is something that your spouse might think is a flaw (like I never stop until I finish project) but is exactly what an employer wants). I never could find that fake flaw. But I found a real one, that I could use to that purpose.

for those interested: " I am a careful thinker and in this fast paced world customers often find this frustrating . Over time I have learned to share my thought process so that the customer feels a part of the process"

I lack ambition wrt work. I want less responsibility, more structure, a shorter commute, 9-5 hours, and I do not care what industry I work in. The work is not important to me at all, the environment is.

Change that to 10-6 hours, and that's my answer. Because my goals don't really have anything to do with my day job, but that's not something to tell interviewers.