How To Handle The Question "Are You Competitive" In Interviews

How do I handle the question, "Are you competitive"?

The question "Are you competitive?" is another trick question in an interview. It's one of those you're darned if you do and you're darned if you don't, because if you say, "Well, I'm very competitive," then you may be perceived as being highly aggressive and someone who may not have good people skills. If you say, "No, I'm not competitive," then the interviewer may think that you are weak and that you're not going to be proactive about getting the job done. So, once again, put a positive spin on how you answer this question. You can say things like, "I love the word 'competitive' in the realm of business, because I think that's a very important component in terms of being successful. However, I would never be competitive to the point where it injured someone else or impacted someone else's life negatively. Competition is fine in its place, but I prefer to refer to myself as being very excellence-oriented and performance oriented," and that will really get the interviewer's attention.