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Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? — The Job Interview Question That Misses the Point

Yet another annoying job interview question. Honestly, it is none of your business. I am here for the job that is available now. Can we please focus on that? And even if you meant to say, “Where do you see yourself in this company in five years?” — well, for a start, I would need to actually get the job. Then I would need to see if this company is even worth staying with for that long. Why is the burden on me to create a five-year dream plan when I do not even know if your workplace culture is toxic? Why do interviewers assume that job seekers should be filled with ambition about the next five years when they themselves often have no plan for the person they are hiring? That is the real question. What is your plan for me? Do you have a clear career progression pathway? Training support? Internal promotions? That is what I want to know. This question makes no sense in most cases. It sounds like someone read it off a script from a management seminar in the 90s and thought it still makes ...
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Tell Me About Yourself — The Interview Question That Makes No Sense

Tell me about yourself. Yet another idiotic job interview question. What exactly is the point of this? If you had taken even a passing glance at my CV, you would already know who I am, what I have done, and why I am sitting in front of you. Isn’t that what the CV is for? If you did not know me, how did I make it past the first cut and land this interview? The most annoying part? The question is not specific. It is vague and open-ended. For this very question, I once replied, “Did you go through my CV? There are a lot of things I can say about myself. Be specific. Everything pertinent to the job is in the CV. What else would you like to know?” As you can imagine, that did not go down well. If looks could kill… But honestly, if you are being interviewed by people who could not be bothered to read your CV before speaking to you, is that even an interview worth attending? This question gets thrown around like some golden opener, but it tells you more about the interviewer than it does abou...
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What Are Your Weaknesses? The Dumbest Interview Question Ever

What are your weaknesses? If you have ever been to a job interview, chances are this question popped up. Who invented this question, and what is it supposed to achieve? Do interviewers honestly expect you to open up and tell them your flaws, as if that is going to help you land the job? I once replied during an interview, “Do you expect me to tell you my weaknesses?” As you may have guessed, that interview did not go well. But I stand by that response. It is a ridiculous question. No one is going to say something that actually puts them in a bad light. Everyone knows this. Interviewers know it. Candidates know it. Yet the charade continues. Go ahead and search online. There are entire websites, forums, and videos dedicated to giving you the “best answers” to this question. You know what those answers are? Lies. Carefully scripted lines designed to satisfy the interviewer without giving away anything real. “I work too hard.” “I care too much.” “I am a perfectionist.” Please. Who are we ...
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When People Ask Questions but Ignore the Answer

Have you ever been in a position where someone asked you a question, and you gave the most accurate and honest answer you could, only to be completely ignored? It stings. You do not even expect applause or recognition. You just expect a fair hearing. But what happens instead? Someone else, often from the inner circle, gives a completely off-track answer, and suddenly that becomes the gospel truth. It feels like there is a quiet kind of narcissism involved. Some people do not actually want an answer. They just want to hear what they already believe or to confirm something from someone they already favor. The actual facts do not matter. The quality of the answer does not matter. It is all about who says it. This happens in offices, families, meetings, even casual conversations. You stay quiet, mind your own business, but when someone looks you in the eye and asks a direct question, you feel obligated to give a thoughtful response. Then, your answer gets brushed aside as if it was never s...
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If You Cannot Handle an Honest Opinion, Please Do Not Ask

Have you ever been in a meeting or even a family chat where someone asked for your opinion — and then got upset the moment you gave one? Welcome to my world. I have a very bad habit of calling a spade a spade. Apparently, in today’s world, that is offensive. I usually try to keep quiet during most meetings or conversations. I sit, I listen, I nod politely. But then someone decides to say, “What do you think?” Out of respect, I respond honestly. I do not sugarcoat. I do not twist things to please people. I just say what I believe. And then, all of a sudden, the room changes. The same person who asked for my opinion now looks like I attacked them. They forget that I did not volunteer my thoughts — I was asked. Instead of agreeing, disagreeing, or simply moving on, they take it personally. Some even treat it as a challenge to their authority or position. From that point on, I become the problem. It becomes awkward. Sometimes, I even pay a price for simply answering a question truthfully. ...
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Meetings About Meetings: A Modern Workplace Comedy

Do you find yourself stuck in frequent office meetings? I have been in places where meetings were held just to decide when the next meeting should be. Yes, really. Meetings about meetings. Most of these achieve very little. They drag on, full of jargon, while the person running it tries to sound more important than they are. There is usually an agenda, but no one sticks to it. There is often talk of “action items” and “alignment,” but when it ends, everyone walks out with the same question — what was the point? Now, here comes the hilarious part: the meeting after the meeting. You know the one. People hang around just outside the room, blocking the entry and exit, going on and on about what was just discussed. As if the meeting that just ended will change the world. Or worse, they look forward to the next meeting. A never-ending loop. Meetings once had purpose. Important decisions were made. Plans were set. People walked out with clarity. I do not think that can be said about most meet...
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How Likely Am I to Recommend You? Not at All

Yet another survey landed in my inbox. One of those classic ones — “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” You know the type. If you have ever used a product or service, chances are you have seen this line. As if we have nothing better to do. We pay them money, use their service, and instead of thanking us, they ask for a rating. One to five stars. Or worse, a sliding scale. What does it even mean? What happens if I say “never”? Based on past experience, I know what happens. More questions. Why not? Can you explain? What went wrong? And here I am, roped into spending fifteen minutes trying to explain why something was terrible, only to receive a polite auto-response that no one will actually read. And let us be honest — if I do give a low score, someone on the other end might get into trouble. Maybe a poor employee who was just following company rules. Or maybe I will be flagged as a “difficult customer,” blacklisted for daring to say the truth. Recently I got on...
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Strongly Agree That Surveys Are Nonsense? I Do

Recently, I was asked to participate in a survey — one of those lovely long ones with ticking boxes and multiple pages. I assume you know what I mean. The ones where they ask you to indicate if you agree, strongly agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a statement. Seriously? What does strongly agree even mean? You either agree with something or you do not. How strong is your agreement supposed to be? Does adding the word strongly somehow make your opinion more valid? Or does it help the researchers feel they are capturing some hidden depth in your answer? I get that surveys are meant to measure trends and attitudes, but some of these questionnaires feel like they were designed in a bubble. By the time I get to the tenth question with the same meaningless scale, I start ticking randomly just to get it over with. And do not get me started on the ones that try to ask the same thing five times in slightly different ways. Are these surveys actually helping anyone? Or are we all just pr...
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Guilty as Charged: We Gave Kids the Devices, Then Blamed Them

Are you the type of parent who buys the latest phone, computer, gaming console, or full-speed internet package — and then turns around and complains because the kids are always on it? I am. Guilty as charged. You see, parents do silly things. We give them all the gadgets, install everything, even show them how to use it. Then, a few months later, we find ourselves whining about screen time, online games, and how they never go outside anymore. But who set the stage for all this? The same goes for fast food. Who was it that first said yes to the nuggets, the fries, the combo meals? It was us. Parents introduce these things, often out of convenience, or just to keep the peace on a long day. And then later, we point fingers and ask, “Why do they eat junk all the time?” What are the kids supposed to do? Say no to what we put in front of them? Of course not. They do what kids do — they enjoy what they are given. We cannot hand them tools and temptations and then act shocked when they use the...
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Supermarket Recipe Booklets: Free, Useless, and Headed for the Bin

Are you the type who brings home those free recipe booklets from supermarkets? You know the ones — glossy covers, cheerful food photos, and promises of easy weeknight meals. You take one, thinking you might try something new. But let us be honest — you never read it, never make anything from it, and weeks later, it ends up in the trash. The only thing this ritual accomplishes is annoying your partner when it clutters the kitchen bench or the dining table. The question is — why do supermarkets keep printing these? They are not inspiring gourmet meals, and most people do not even glance past the first page. What they actually do is waste paper, ink, and transport energy. Multiply that across every store in the country, and you get tons of useless booklets contributing to landfill and pollution. It is strange. In an age when everything is digital and recipes are one search away, we are still printing paper nobody wants. These booklets are often filled with vague, unoriginal ideas, or wors...
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