Asking about a pen at a job interview? It’s a trap! It may ruin your chances

We can expect unusual questions, so it is worth preparing to answer them in advance. One of them is the question about the theft of a pen from the workplace. It seems insignificant, but it turns out that there is a deeper meaning to it.

This question is often asked during a job interview. Be careful, it’s a trap

“Have you ever stolen a pen from work?” The question seems simple and most candidates will claim that they have never stolen anything, but this is not the way to go at all. Protests of innocence may make the recruiter suspect a lie. So how should you respond?

Job interview How to answer a question about salary and how much to give during a job interview? Photo Edmond Dant?s / Pexels

According to the author of the book “Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again”, you should convince the recruiter that you are not lying, but admit that you are not perfect, because everyone can take something away from you. According to Reed, the correct answer should be:

I’d be lying if I said I never thoughtlessly took a pen with me from work, but it usually ended up back on my desk unless I left it somewhere. But I don’t have a stash at home full of branded paper clips or pens, for that matter.

How to answer the question: sell me this pen? Instead of selling, find out the needs

Another popular task, especially when applying for a sales job, is selling a pen. According to James Reed, the task is to check reactions and knowledge of sales techniques. How to sell a pen correctly? We certainly cannot refuse by saying that we are in a different industry. First, you should research the customer’s needs, instead of jumping straight to listing the advantages of the pen. For example, we can ask how often the customer reaches for a pen, whether what type he likes, and only then we move on to responding to the needs and adapting the answers we have heard.