TRAPS: It’sa shame that some interviewers feel the need to ask this question, but manyunderstand the reality that prejudices still exist among some job candidates,and it’s better to try to flush them out beforehand.
The traphere is that in today’s politically sensitized environment, even a well-intentionedanswer can result in planting your foot neatly in your mouth. Avoid anything which smacks of a patronizingor an insensitive attitude, such as “I think they make terrific bosses” or“Hey, some of my best friends are…”
Of course,since almost anyone with an IQ above room temperature will at least try tosteadfastly affirm the right answer here, your interviewer will be judging yoursincerity most of all. “Do you reallyfeel that way?” is what he or she will be wondering.
So you mustmake your answer believable and not just automatic. If the firm is wise enough to have promotedpeopled on the basis of ability alone, they’re likely quite proud of it, andprefer to hire others who will wholeheartedly share their strong sense of fairplay.
BEST ANSWER: You greatly admire a company that hires andpromotes on merit alone and you couldn’t agree more with that philosophy. The age (gender, race, etc.) of the personyou report to would certainly make no difference to you.
Whoever hasthat position has obviously earned it and knows their job well. Both the person and the position are fullydeserving of respect. You believe thatall people in a company, from the receptionist to the Chairman, work best whentheir abilities, efforts and feelings are respected and rewarded fairly, andthat includes you. That’s the best typeof work environment you can hope to find.
