Using story about saving someone from suicide in competency question answer?
Would this been seen as the wrong vibe or would it come off well (i.e. can cope in stress situations.)
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I'd avoid doing that. If you helped me get through a time when I was planning on ending my life and then heard that you used that to get a job I'd be like what the heck man. That was an insanely personal and challenging experience we went through together, I'd rather not have you use it as an example for a job.
Okay fair enough but it was in a different context i.e. saw a complete stranger standing on railings of bridge and approached them and talked them down.
No. Interviews are for professional examples only. Such a bad risk/reward here.
So I thought about my response a bit longer and wanted to share a more detailed thought process with some empathy attached. You're asking this question because you don't see the way things more senior folks do when we're interviewing, so let me share what's going on in our minds.
When I was at the beginning of my career interviewing, I once thought "I should really stand out and shine with unique, outstanding answers". So I might think of something similar to what you've thought of.
The reality is, the person across from you 99% of the time won't be able to relate to your answer. In fact, we don't want to hear something like that at all. We just want to know you can reply to emails, take instructions and be a regular human. This answer won't signal any of the basic confirmations we are looking for regarding competence unless we are recruiting you to be an Emergency Medical Response employee.
So really, and I know this might sound super obvious but I neglected it myself - this is an interview. Answer every question in a professional context that relates to the job you are talking about. Don't try to sound like superman.
-Be relatable (read: not insufferable),
-Be trustworthy (read: human),
-Share examples of problem solving that relate as closely to the problems you anticipate in this role (read: useful).
Make me believe you're a good fit for the role we're talking about & make me believe I won't hate working with you. That's all I look for in an interview man.
110% - I’ve heard “If they’re stuck with a long layover for a business trip they should be glad it’s with you” and “they should be able to see themselves working with you everyday and enjoying it” and stuff like that - positive / respectful / genuine / hardworking goes a long way, I think finding the right fit both ways is super important for everyone to be happy in the end
Too morbid and flippant
It’s a nuclear answer with a 1/1,000 success ratio at best. Coming from someone who has lost friends and family to suicide, the odds of it coming off how you hope for are pretty slim and the odds of it coming off as inexperienced or insensitive to the topic are really high. I would stick to professional examples within past roles or coursework. You never know what the people you are talking to have lived through and the last thing you want to do is bring that energy to the table, in my opinion.
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