Perfect job doesn’t exist and hiring managers do not expect you to like everything about your new job. Your attitude matters for them though–how you look at tasks which you do not enjoy doing, and whether you will eventually take care of them. They also wonder if you see the job realistically, with everything that belongs to it. And obviously each and every job has some drawbacks, things people do not enjoy doing.
Let’s have a look at seven sample answers to this interesting interview question. I tried to include both conventional and unconventional answers in my selection. Below the answers you will find my analysis of a question, and a few things you should remember when interviewing for a job, to make sure you avoid the same mistakes many people make while facing this type of interview questions.
7 sample answers to “What tasks do you do not particularly enjoy doing?” interview question
- I do not particularly enjoy the administrative work, the countless forms we have to complete weekly about all special needs students. When one doesn’t do it effectively, it eats to much of their time. However, I understand why paperwork is important, how it helps us to evaluate our progress, and how we can easily forward it to other counselors and professionals for their evaluation. Even if I do not like it, I plan to do it responsibly.
- Making cold calls isn’t my favorite part of the job. But who likes it? I do not know a single sales employee who does. At the same time, however, cold call is a first step in the process of acquiring a new client. These calls belong to an agenda of each successful salesman, and I am well aware of it. Therefor I do not find it hard to step out of my comfort zone and make a cold call.
* May also interest you: Why shouldn’t we hire you?
- This is my first job application and therefor it is hard to tell whether I particularly dislike any tasks. At school, I enjoyed mostly the creative work, and didn’t like when we had to learn something from word to word. It’s one of the reasons why I decided for marketing, and applied for the job with you. However, I am sure that I will be responsible for some repetitive work as well. It’s a part of a job, and I am ready to handle it. At the end of the day, 99% of jobs involve some repetition, administrative work, and other rather boring tasks. But it is our responsibility to take care of them, and I am ready to do that.
- I would say that I dislike replying to emails. In my previous job I used to get dozens or even hundreds of emails a day, and sometimes I spent all my time just replying to emails. I do not consider it the most productive part of my work, and it is also one of the reasons why I left my last job. I was looking for a company in which communication channels work more efficiently, and employees can focus on the core of their work. Because you can hardly meet your deadlines when you spend 70% of your time answering emails.
- Cleaning is the thing I do not enjoy doing. Not at all. I did it for five years in my last job, and I believe that I did a quality work and there were never any complaints, but at the same time I needed a change. I gave up on my job of a maid and here I am, applying for a cashier job with you. Hopefully no cleaning for me anymore, at least not outside of my home.
- Honestly, I enjoyed doing almost everything in my job. I love programming, and I can sit at a computer and work on the code all day long, without getting bored. What I do not like, however, are conflicts with people. It’s not a task, but still, they belong to every workplace, and I am an emotional person and can get distracted by a conflict with a colleague. This is something I must work on, because I understand that one cannot avoid conflicts in the workplace.
- I’m not in a best shape at the moment. That’s the reason why I don’t like physical labor. I did it in my last job, but my back ached and overall I understood that it’s not something for me, at least not at the moment. But as far as I know there’s no physical labor involved in this administrative position, and it’s one of the reasons why I applied with you.
* Do not forget to check also: 15 most common interview questions & answers.
Show responsible attitude to your work
Job descriptions are not created by people who do not know what they are doing. At least most of the time they have a reason for including this or that task. Each task on your job description makes sense, and helps you to fulfill the main purpose of your job–whatever it might be.
You should ensure your interviewers that you do not plan to choose what you will and won’t do in work. Understanding the complexity of the job, the primary, secondary, and tertiary tasks, and how everything relates to everything, you will take care of all your duties.
And if you do not enjoy doing something, it doesn’t matter. Because this is your job and not your leisure time activity. You may dislike some duties, but they are part of the contract, and you are getting paid for taking care of them as well. Show them that you understand all these things.
* Special Tip: This isn’t the only tricky question you will face while interviewing for any decent job. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, dealing with ambiguity, and other situations that can happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!
You should not dislike the primary tasks
Each job has some primary and secondary duties. You can dislike the secondary stuff, but you should never say that you dislike your primary roles. Let me give you a few examples:
- If you work as a teacher, your primary role is teaching.
- Working as a janitor, your main task is cleaning.
- Office clerk’s main work consists in data entry, and administrative work.
- Operations manager’s main duty is overseeing the daily operations in a building or business.
Some tasks that are primary for a clerk, are secondary for a teacher (for example administrative work). You should not apply for a job in which you’d dislike your primary responsibilities.
And when you apply for such a job, because you have no other option at the moment, or need money and will accept anything temporarily, you should not say that you do not enjoy your primary duties. In this case it is all right to tell a little lie to your interviewers…
Everyone dislikes something
Remember that it is completely normal to dislike doing something. Life is no walk in a park, and we often have to take care of things we do not enjoy doing, or even spend time with people we dislike.
Do not try to convince the employer that you like everything, that you will enjoy your day in work from morning to evening, that you do not see any negative aspects of your new job.
Hiring managers are not stupid, and rather than for perfection they look for honesty. Be honest, show them that you are a human being, and have your favorite and less favorite activities, just like everyone else…
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Alternatively you may check answers to the following questions:
- What is the most difficult situation you’ve ever faced at work?
- What is your greatest professional achievement?
- Tell us about the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career.
