Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Negativity: This question isn’t an invitation to vent. Avoid focusing on the annoyance of your pet peeve and resist the urge to complain about specific colleagues or past workplaces. Keep your tone positive and professional.
- Irrelevance: Choose pet peeves related to the job or company culture. Mentioning you hate loud chewing gum might seem personal and irrelevant in a professional setting.
- Personal and unprofessional choices: Stay away from pet peeves related to personal habits, physical appearances, or specific social groups. It can be perceived as judgmental or biased.
- Passive-aggressive venting: Don’t use this question as a veiled way to criticize the company or the role. If you have concerns, raise them directly and professionally in appropriate situations.
- Inflexibility and rigidity: While it’s okay to mention your pet peeves, avoid framing them as absolute dealbreakers. Show your willingness to adapt and find solutions in collaboration with others.
Avoid these common mistakes, to turn a potentially trick question into a chance to impress the interviewer by demonstrating your professionalism, adaptability, and positive attitude.
How to answer – “What are your Pet Peeves?”
In the high competition of job interviews, among the polished resumes and practiced answers, one question can throw even the most prepared candidate into a loop of the question “What are your pet peeves?” This tricky query, often considered as a casual icebreaker, can hold a hidden treasure full of insights for the interviewer as your pet peeves offer a glimpse into the real you, beyond the carefully curated interview personality. But answering this question requires more than just rattling off a list of annoyances and a mistake here can create an unintended portrait of negativity or inflexibility, dimming your chances of landing the job.