The interview process requires us to answer a lot of complicated questions, making us feel that we may not be ready for the work after all.
It is just a ploy to sweep you off your feet, to determine how well you keep your balance. One such question that is designed to make you think twice is the oh so popular how would your previous supervisor describe you?
It is one of the most challenging questions to answer as you cannot go into a long list of how your supervisor thinks highly of you.
While technically, you do need some adjectives to tell the new employer or hiring manager how well you were seen by a previous one, selling yourself at this point may become a bit dodgy, even though the answer to this particular question may be your key to success.
So how does one handle it?
There are a few ways in which this question can be responded to with perfection. You have first to understand what the hiring manager expects to gain from asking this question.
Typically, interviewers ask this question to see how vain you are. It is evident that you as a candidate cannot possibly know what your supervisor thinks of you.
But you can pretty much judge how much he or she likes you by going back to what your evaluation had been a specific time ago. If it were a good one, you could outline how your supervisor put you on top. If you are unaware of what went into your evaluation, you will need to get back to the drawing board and think.
Has your supervisor ever said anything good about your abilities and accomplishments?
If the answer is yes, you can refer to the situation in which you were commended for your work, and tell the interviewer what it was that your supervisor said about you. If you want to be direct, there are many ways of answering this question, but you should only do this if the situation warrants it.
Some responses that an interviewer may expect to hear the how would your past supervisor question are provided below:
How Would Your Past Supervisor Describe You? 4 Best Answers
1. I believe that my recent supervisor would call me a problem solver, and boast of my ability to handle even the most complex of situations with great diligence.
2. My previous supervisor would say that he and I make a great team since he is great at thinking up strategies, and my implementation skills are exceptional.
3. I am confident that my past supervisor would say that I came up to speed quite quickly, and handled the department with great professionalism while he was away.
4. I am confident that my past supervisor will tell you that I pick up my work well, and execute it with great excellence, leaving her to do her job efficiently.