telling intervierwers that I am workaholic, goog or bad?

[67102902]

Sorry for this stupid question. I just want to tell the interviewers that I really work hard. Can I just tell them I am workaholic? If it is a really bad idea, what should I tell them?

[Nimue]

Not goog! -Sorry, couldn't help myself! No, don't do this. Even if it's true it sounds like a cliche. You should get plenty of chances to show off your workaholic tendencies.

[Wigmeister General]

Originally Posted by 67102902

Sorry for this stupid question. I just want to tell the interviewers that I really work hard. Can I just tell them I am workaholic? If it is a really bad idea, what should I tell them?

It will come back to haunt you, and it will be exploited against you. One day you'll want to go home early, and the boss will say, "I thought you were a work-a-holic".

[ElDucky]

Never say workaholic or perfectionist as your weakness. Come up with something that you aren't trying to obviously spin as a positive.

[bdschobel]

I don't believe that the question indicated any intention to spin workaholism as a false weakness. I believe that this person simply wants potential employers to know that he works really hard. The problem is that everybody sends exactly the same message, and employers have no way of knowing who is telling the truth. Moreover, everyone applies a different standard to define what is "hard work." (Anyway, try to imagine someone saying at a job interview, "I really like to leave early and never work on weekends.") It's probably best not to say anything about work habits because anything you say will be taken with a few grains of salt, and the employer will see soon enough how hard you work.

Oh, and don't tell potential employers that you type well. That's obviously false!

Bruce

[tanjinee]

Burn!

I'd like to agree here with Bruce. If anything, actions speak louder than words. It's much better to show them what you're made of, than to say it and then not live up to expectations.

[Beach Bum]

I would use it as a positive trait on some typical behavioral question that asks you to define your positives. So rather than throwing it out there use it to your benefit. Also make sure to mention an anecdote to back your assumption, like "I had a period where I was working 6 days, 70 hrs per week, but still managing to study often to ensure I passed...etc."

I would imagine recruiters/ hiring managers prefer you to be a "workaholic" than the opposite so no doubt use it as leverage. Just try and work it in there appropriately like I stated above. Good luck.

[JMO]

On a phone interview once, I was asked, "How's your work ethic?"
I was totally taken aback, and had no idea what to say. Afterwards, I concluded that it was a dumb interview question, since nobody was going to reply (as Bruce put it), "I really like to leave early and never work on weekends."
Still, I took the opportunity to have a response prepared in case any other interviewer asked something along those lines. Nobody else ever did, of course.

[Maine-iac]

I agree that you don't want to say you are a workaholic. There are too many negative connotations. ("I have no other interests in my life but work. I will obsess about my job and spend all my waking hours here until I burn out or have a coronary.")

If asked about your work habits, feel free to say that you are a hard worker, and believe in working on a task until you get it finished and produce a quality product. And if a particular project occasionally requires more than the standard 40 hour work week, that's fine.

I wouldn't go much beyond that. Employers like hard workers, but they also like people who are well rounded as well.

[Wigmeister General]

Also, some employers love to crack the whip. You don't want to walk into that.