Curveball/High-Pressure Interview?

[Cville24]

Good evening, all! Reading through another interview thread earlier today, I noticed that Old Navy BGO had this to say about MOC interviews:

Of course, they might ask you something to see how you think on your feet, but I'm sure that anyone serving on a MOC panel isn't out to get you or throw you a curve.

I don't doubt that this is generally a true statement -- it held true for my first interview. However, I had my second interview recently, and the experience was somewhat contradictory to that experience and every other indicator I've been able to find.

I believe that much of the interview went well. I was prepared for the questions I was asked. However, from the outset, the pressure was much higher. "You have 45 seconds to a minute to tell me about yourself. Go." Ok, I guess. I thought that was pretty odd, but I gave my elevator pitch. We discussed my grades for a while, why the Navy instead of the Peace Corps if my goal is service, then leadership. That's where things got weird. My interviewer wrapped up the leadership section by asking who my favorite leader was. Admittedly, that's not something I had given thought to, and this may be on me for not being prepared for the question.

After brief internal deliberation, I stated that my band director was my favorite leader -- I thought that made sense, since I have lots of interaction with him and I admire his leadership style. The interviewer, though, told me (I won't quote directly here to maintain some shred of anonymity, if possible) to think bigger and not mention family members, friends, or famous figures. Again, this may be my fault for not being prepared for the question, but I froze. Giving an answer (a subjective one at that) and then being asked to change it was nowhere near my list of things to prepare for. I really should have thought quicker, but I just sat there, struggling to formulate an answer -- and the interviewer mentioned several times that Naval officers and plebes need to be able to think quickly.

The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm wondering if this was fairly normal and I'm (in the most polite terms) simply whining about the process or if this really was a weird and nonstandard interview -- I don't mean to complain, but to firm up my expectations of what the remaining interview should be like.

 

[MidCakePa]

Don’t worry about it, because it’s done. Nothing else you can do, so move on.

As someone who has interviewed job candidates for three decades — including young people straight out of college — I can tell you that I’ve thrown curve balls to see how the candidate reacts. There wasn’t necessarily a “right” answer. I just wanted to check the candidate’s ability to think on their feet, rather than provide a canned or rehearsed or obvious answer. I’ve also challenged candidates in a slightly edgy manner, to see if they’d get rattled. Again, not looking for a particular response. Just trying to see their reaction.

Learn from this experience. Every interview, no matter the outcome, provides this opportunity. You’ll be better prepared next time.

 

[USMCGrunt]

+1 @MidCakePa

I,too, have interviewed hundreds of candidates and used those tactics when: the answers seem too rehearsed and I want to check spontaneity or if the candidate is so good I am testing how well they can do.

The OP’s post brought to mind those famous questions Drill Instructors are known for. Imagine a tough DI standing nose to nose with you and asking: “Do you like me”? There is obviously no good answer!

 

[A1Janitor]

The correct answer is the MOC/Senator. Or George Washington, who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Can’t beat that.

Can’t add anything to USMCGrunt and MidcakePA.

 

[Capt MJ]

Interviewers are also evaluating your ability to think on your feet, develop a reply, defend your thoughts, be honest and respond coherently and articulately. Perhaps they are not do much looking at what you know about an answer but how you respond in the moment.

Asked a fact-type question about which you have zero knowledge? Take a breath, then: “As the Israel-Hamas conflict started, I realized I did not understand the history of the conflict, the political climate and the issues involved. I have done some initial reading on the Palestine issue and intend to ask my history teacher more about this complex issue. As to the question about U.S. involvement, I believe the U.S. should honor its commitments. Clearly, I have much to learn, and I hopefully look forward to USXA challenging me to look outward and grow my knowledge and world view.”

The band director as a leader. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! Next time, if it happens again on a personal opinion question like that, unfreeze yourself and respectfully support your opinion, “With respect, sir/ma’am, I see Mr. Jones every day. He inspires us, develops clear goals, creates a vision to strive for, respects and listens to band members and sets a professional example. He is a coach, a mentor, a subject matter expert, and the finest teacher I have had. I have learned many things from him, not just the subject material, but how to behave as an adult who knows how to influence others to achieve a goal without resorting to raising his voice. He knows how to train, prioritize, strategize, deconfluct, communicate and take responsibility. As I am hopefully learning to be a leader at USXA, I will not forget the leadership lessons I learned from this early leader in my life.”

 

[Cville24]

Don’t worry about it, because it’s done. Nothing else you can do, so move on.

As someone who has interviewed job candidates for three decades — including young people straight out of college — I can tell you that I’ve thrown curve balls to see how the candidate reacts. There wasn’t necessarily a “right” answer. I just wanted to check the candidate’s ability to think on their feet, rather than provide a canned or rehearsed or obvious answer. I’ve also challenged candidates in a slightly edgy manner, to see if they’d get rattled. Again, not looking for a particular response. Just trying to see their reaction.

Learn from this experience. Every interview, no matter the outcome, provides this opportunity. You’ll be better prepared next time.

100% agreed on your point about moving on. Just glad to have it behind me at this point!

I appreciate the insight from the interviewer perspective! It's somewhat reassuring (even though the response is where I dropped the ball) to know that what matters more may be the response instead of the answer itself. I absolutely will use this experience in preparing for future interviews, and I'm glad I learned this lesson early on.

+1 @MidCakePa

I,too, have interviewed hundreds of candidates and used those tactics when: the answers seem too rehearsed and I want to check spontaneity or if the candidate is so good I am testing how well they can do.

The OP’s post brought to mind those famous questions Drill Instructors are known for. Imagine a tough DI standing nose to nose with you and asking: “Do you like me”? There is obviously no good answer!

Good to know what caused you to use those kinds of tactics! I'll take a while to think about my overall interview strategy and try to loosen up beforehand - on further reflection, that's definitely something that wasn't constant between the interviews. I felt much more like the "normal" me in my first interview.

The correct answer is the MOC/Senator. Or George Washington, who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Can’t beat that.

Can’t add anything to USMCGrunt and MidcakePA.

Noted and appreciated! I'll do some deeper research into my third and final MoC beforehand to be prepared for that. Funnily enough, the interviewer specifically ruled out George Washington. Absolutely tough to beat the MoC as long as I can avoid sounding like I'm sucking up to the board.

Interviewers are also evaluating your ability to think on your feet, develop a reply, defend your thoughts, be honest and respond coherently and articulately. Perhaps they are not do much looking at what you know about an answer but how you respond in the moment.

Asked a fact-type question about which you have zero knowledge? Take a breath, then: “As the Israel-Hamas conflict started, I realized I did not understand the history of the conflict, the political climate and the issues involved. I have done some initial reading on the Palestine issue and intend to ask my history teacher more about this complex issue. As to the question about U.S. involvement, I believe the U.S. should honor its commitments. Clearly, I have much to learn, and I hopefully look forward to USXA challenging me to look outward and grow my knowledge and world view.”

The band director as a leader. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! Next time, if it happens again on a personal opinion question like that, unfreeze yourself and respectfully support your opinion, “With respect, sir/ma’am, I see Mr. Jones every day. He inspires us, develops clear goals, creates a vision to strive for, respects and listens to band members and sets a professional example. He is a coach, a mentor, a subject matter expert, and the finest teacher I have had. I have learned many things from him, not just the subject material, but how to behave as an adult who knows how to influence others to achieve a goal without resorting to raising his voice. He knows how to train, prioritize, strategize, deconfluct, communicate and take responsibility. As I am hopefully learning to be a leader at USXA, I will not forget the leadership lessons I learned from this early leader in my life.”

Your advice is, as always, fantastic. I really appreciate the example of a response to a question for which I may be unprepared or underprepared for. That strategy makes a whole lot of sense -- honesty and a desire to learn more won't make anything worse! Your advice on sticking to my response is also greatly appreciated. Glad to know it's ok to stick to my guns and defend the position, and I'll keep that in mind for the upcoming interview.

I really cannot thank any of you enough for your help -- this process has been a learning experience all the way through, and all of your experience and support has made it as painless as I think it could be.

 

[Capt MJ]

100% agreed on your point about moving on. Just glad to have it behind me at this point!

I appreciate the insight from the interviewer perspective! It's somewhat reassuring (even though the response is where I dropped the ball) to know that what matters more may be the response instead of the answer itself. I absolutely will use this experience in preparing for future interviews, and I'm glad I learned this lesson early on.


Good to know what caused you to use those kinds of tactics! I'll take a while to think about my overall interview strategy and try to loosen up beforehand - on further reflection, that's definitely something that wasn't constant between the interviews. I felt much more like the "normal" me in my first interview.


Noted and appreciated! I'll do some deeper research into my third and final MoC beforehand to be prepared for that. Funnily enough, the interviewer specifically ruled out George Washington. Absolutely tough to beat the MoC as long as I can avoid sounding like I'm sucking up to the board.


Your advice is, as always, fantastic. I really appreciate the example of a response to a question for which I may be unprepared or underprepared for. That strategy makes a whole lot of sense -- honesty and a desire to learn more won't make anything worse! Your advice on sticking to my response is also greatly appreciated. Glad to know it's ok to stick to my guns and defend the position, and I'll keep that in mind for the upcoming interview.

I really cannot thank any of you enough for your help -- this process has been a learning experience all the way through, and all of your experience and support has made it as painless as I think it could be.

Appreciate the feedback and your willingness to seek it for yourself. There is a bit of a power differential in an interview, where one side holds something you want that is important to a goal of yours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stick by your guns and respectfully and evenly stand by your answer. There are always great and famous leaders you can admire from afar, but there are everyday leaders much closer to home who can and do have enormous impact. Here’s to you, Mrs. Doris Ashton, an unforgettable high school chemistry teacher of mine who broke down barriers to create opportunities for students. Over 50 years later, I still remember her impact on me, how she thought strategically and influenced others to get something done.

 

[WT Door]

Appreciate the feedback and your willingness to seek it for yourself. There is a bit of a power differential in an interview, where one side holds something you want that is important to a goal of yours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stick by your guns and respectfully and evenly stand by your answer. There are always great and famous leaders you can admire from afar, but there are everyday leaders much closer to home who can and do have enormous impact. Here’s to you, Mrs. Doris Ashton, an unforgettable high school chemistry teacher of mine who broke down barriers to create opportunities for students. Over 50 years later, I still remember her impact on me, how she thought strategically and influenced others to get something done.

And here's to Mrs. Rita Prime who caught me at the right time. She was a substitute english teacher that became a full time employee. A tough, older Irish woman, she gave me some counseling. She said: WT you have all the potential in the world. The problem with you is, you're lazy (it stung). I kept up with her till the day she passed at the age of 95. I sent her a minature of my Naval Aviator wings after I got my wings. She taught me how to "fly" in the import things in life and when I needed it most as a high schooler seeking direction. Rita, I still think of you!

 

[StarSon2028]

Well, that sounds like a ridiculous question on the face of it! Captain MJ’s advice to respectfully stick to your guns resonates. DS just completed his final MOC interview and had roughly 2 questions in each interview that he characterized as cage rattlers or leading questions - both types seemed to test the integrity and resolve of a candidate.

DS called them fortitude questions and related them to cross examination questions in debate. Those are tough to prepare for, but essentially you’ve got to know your position, expect it to be challenged, and be prepared to respectfully stick to it.

 

[time2]

I think the MOC NOM interviews wants to look beyond rehearsed/stock answers to questions. Interviews in general are more about your overall knowledge and being able to reply based on what is asked. Some applicants may be overly coached and their answers seem phony or artificial. Some applicants may try to be a politician and regardless of the question, they try to sit on the fence with answers like "yes..........but could also be.......". Thinking about the typical types of questions that might be asked and how you would reply is good preparation, but trying to memorize replies you think will impress the panel is generally a bad idea. Certainly every applicant should think about why they want to attend an SA or be part of the military. Those questions should be no surprise to anyone who has gotten this far in the application process.

Some panels also ask questions you would never have thought about ahead of time. They are looking for how you reply to something you had no way to prepare for and what your thought process is.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Feedback that makes you think/ helps you grow is a gift. In this case, the questions posed provided a window of both introspective reflection, and of reaching out to others to validate your feelings, learnings from this session. It confused you, put you in an awkward spot, and yet helped you Over time, rather than feeling annoyed, hopefully you will come to appreciate this exchange - sounds to me like it will have helped you for future interviews.

I once as a very young Hermie starting out my career, majorly flubbed a "what is your weakness" question in an interview - panicked, scrambled for an answer, blanked, appealed to my mind to please come up with SOMETHING - ANYTHING... and failed... did not get that job. Floundered like a fish out of water - that experience. I hadn't been programmed so to speak to discuss weaknesses in an interview. Helped me grow. Now I look forward to answering that if asked (though I haven't interviewed in a few years). Now I use that question in most interviews.

WRT standing your guns and pressure, one of the 3 ROTC interviews my DS completed, AFROTC, threw my son a couple of curveballs. DS was on the swimming team and checked the "Swimming and Diving Team" and "Captain" on the AFROTC application - the only option that year at-least, related to swim. In the interview, the AF officer he was meeting with got a bit annoyed, feeling like my DS had embellished and "added" Diving, when he hadn't earned it. Interviewing officer started getting pretty edgy, started going down a rabbit hole with edgy comments like we're not looking for people who make things up... My son just stood his ground and said - Respectfully, Sir, the only option on the application I could select was "Swimming and Diving" - I will email you a copy of the candidate form to clear up any concern (and within an hour of the interview, did). DS also maintained steady eye contact and just stated with a bit of calm resolve / confidence (not arrogance) that he has no interest or need to embellish and that, no matter where the chips fall, he is only presenting the actuals of what he had done, nothing more. He received a 4 year scholarship weeks later at the next board, and the interviewer actually came out and shook my hand in the waiting area and shared with me I should be really proud of my son and how he interviewed (DW and I are blessed with rock star kids and are proud of each of them, but it never gets old/ is always nice to hear).

Sharing in case any of that helps with perspectives.

 

[dddad]

Some random thoughts - having interviewed hundreds if not thousands of people in many different contexts, I don't think you should be bothered by the interviewers efforts to add some extra pressure. For me, the stronger a candidate appears on paper, the harder I push during an interview. After all, I want to see if a strong candidate really lives up to the challenge. And, sometimes, when I'm getting a great answer, I throw the curve just to add a layer of complexity. To me, that is what you are describing. From my perspective, even if you botched that extra layer of difficulty, I doubt it would be disqualifying in an interviewers mind. Now, it might help me differentiate between two outstanding candidates, but who is to say that any of the others managed the pressure better than you. I think, generally, you are getting some great advice in this thread. At the end of the day, I would recommend you go into the interview with confidence in your preparation, and then answer honestly. Preparation and honesty are key. By the way, I hope the Peace Corp issue was easy to handle. Very different missions than the military and if you couldn't handle that, then your preparation was not on point. Sometimes, I get a candidate who looks so good, I spend the interview trying to make sure I don't lose him/her to a competitor. In the instance of MOC interviews, that is generally not a concern of the interviewer as the candidate has nowhere else to turn. That can make for a less balanced interview, which may not speak well of the interviewer, and I suspect that was the bad taste in your mouth. Good luck. I'm rooting for you to get the nomination!

 

[jl123]

OP - you learned a valuable lesson: jackasses come in all shapes and sizes and often appear when you least expect them.

There is a difference between the pressure felt from questioning to further an in depth discussion of a topic and questions of the "got ya" variety. The latter tend to be asked by people overly impressed with themselves. When you encountered, just do your best and move on. Success is determined by the number of hits, not the number of misses.

 

[unkown1961]

OP - you learned a valuable lesson: jackasses come in all shapes and sizes and often appear when you least expect them.

There is a difference between the pressure felt from questioning to further an in depth discussion of a topic and questions of the "got ya" variety. The latter tend to be asked by people overly impressed with themselves. When you encountered, just do your best and move on. Success is determined by the number of hits, not the number of misses.

This was my reaction. I didn't see the f/u as a curve ball but as a jackass move by someone with an ego looking to nail an interviewee as opposed to truly finding out how good a candidate they are. I see this with some instructors at the college I'm at - they go into a class looking for ways to fail students or deduct points.