Question: Do you consider yourself to be lucky?

Traps: This is a question that typically is asked at the beginning of an interview soon after rapport has been established.  At first thought, one might think that the question is intended to shed light on the candidate’s attitude; positive or not.  A response such as, “I considered myself to be lucky until I got laid-off and since then things have been tough, but are getting better,”  means that the interview will soon be over and the candidate will be told that if he is lucky he will considered along with the other 20 candidates.

The other mistake is for the person who won $3 on last night’s lottery to think that the question has anything to do with gaming, good health, being born on the “right” side of the tracks, etc.  Even a story about how lucky you were on your last fishing trip might demonstrate God’s blessings, but if the recruiter lost his favorite reel on his last outing, you could generate some jealousy and at the same time have missed the point.

Strategy: Realize that this question is geared to the job for which the candidate has applied.  Think about how luck has impacted the candidate in previous undertakings.  Bill Cosby once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I become.”   If you aren’t lucky, maybe you haven’t worked hard enough.  A good response would be to describe something that you did on a job that brought you success, (luck).  If you know what skill or experience is the top requirement for the search, describing what you did that includes the key skill and how you succeeded would really hit the bull’s eye.  Any response should relate hard work to luck

Possible Response: Yes, I do consider myself to be lucky, but I also believe that hard work and good luck are close allies.  As you can see from my work experience, I was promoted at my last position, after I multitasked in a stressful environment and accomplished beating three production deadlines allowing the company to generate revenues earlier than had been expected.  I would like to bring that kind of luck here …

NOTE

Like all questions, the best response depends on the preparation done before the interview.  The more you learn about the company, the job and its requirements, the individual to whom the new hire would report, and any issues that may exist, the better you will be to analyze the question and respond appropriately.  Another source for researching questions is to google the question.