What have you learned recently?
“Tell me something you've learned recently.” This is a great interview question job candidates should be prepared to answer, especially user researchers. Why?
It demonstrates you have a growth mindset. Researchers, at our core, are learners and truth seekers.
How you speak about the topic (whether you are a researcher or not) reveals something about your interests and passion as well as your story telling abilities.
Note: what you talk about doesn’t really matter. It could be related to cooking, sports, or your family, etc.
The person asking this question wants to discover more about YOU, the challenges you are facing, your hobbies, learning style, approach to learning, what inspires you and why, how you communicate, frame a story, and more.
Typically a conversation will unfold and the interviewer will probe on some aspects to keep the conversation going.
I’d love to hear “something you’ve learned lately.” I’ll start!
*My daughter and I love to travel! This weekend I learned more about Chase points and where these points can and cannot be transferred in regard to travel. We explored how we can maximize the points to cover potential flights and lodging. We talked about the pros and cons of certain destinations, the time it takes to get there and back, possible things to do at various places, and the timing and length of a trip. Then we researched local weather, discussed time zones, and the international date line!
Trying to explain the international date line to a nine year old requires some creativity. We laughed a lot about this specific topic. LOL!*
It was super fun to explore this all together. There are a lot of mechanics and considerations to consider. I learned more about myself, about her, a few destinations, and how Chase points work, in the process :)
I imagine this example could lead to conversations about what we decided upon and why, how I tried to explain the international dateline, and more.
Your turn! What did you learn recently? How would you respond to this job interview question?
