Tough Interview Questions and Answers

What's your sickness record like?

Alternative and related questions:

How many days did you take off sick last year and why?
What would your current employer say if I asked them about your sickness record?
How’s your health?

The meaning behind the question:

Time is money or, more particularly, your time is your employer’s money. No employer likes to lose money through staff being off sick. By directly questioning you on this topic the interviewer can gauge whether you are likely to be reliable in your attendance at work – or whether you might pose a liability.

Your answer:

It may well be tempting to give the interviewer a glowing account of your complete lack of illness. However, it is important to remember that the interviewer will most likely be seeking a reference from your last boss – and this is just the kind of fact that they may well check up on!

If you have been absent from work as a result of a significant illness or a major accident then you will have to disclose this – but do not be embarrassed or defensive about it. The interviewer should appreciate that these things do happen and, as long as they are not given any reason to suspect that you were ‘faking it’, you should have nothing at all to be worried about. And if they’re not understanding about this then do you really want to work for them anyway? If the incident was recent then it’s obviously important to emphasise that the issue is now completely resolved and you are fully fit for work.

Example:

Generally, I have a very good sickness record. I’m rarely off work as a result of illness. I was unfortunate last year to catch flu and also to suffer a bout of food poisoning. These both kept me off work for a few days – but only a few days. I’m fit and healthy and I recover quickly. A year can easily go by without my taking a single day off sick.

The Interview Question & Answer Book

Take the fear out of your interview and never be stuck for the right answer to even the toughest questions with The Interview Question & Answer Book. The job market is fierce, competition has never been greater and it's important that you can grab every opportunity for competitive advantage and stay one step ahead. Written by one of the world's leading careers experts and bestselling author of The Interview Book, this definitive guide to questions and answers encourages every job-hunter to think on your feet and express your individuality while supplying ideal responses to interview questions so that you’re seen as the ideal candidate for the job.

Order The Interview Question & Answer Book from Amazon

More tough interview questions and answers

You must surely have more than one weakness?

What character flaws do you have?

How do you handle being criticised?

What really makes you lose your rag?

How did you cope with the most difficult colleague you've ever had?

Are you able to make difficult decisions and tough choices?

Why haven't you achieved more in your career?

What don't you like about this line of work?

Where does your current employer think you are at the moment?

What are your current boss's weaknesses?

What are your current employer's plans for the year ahead?

What reservations do you have about working for us?

You've been out of work for a while. Has it been difficult finding a job?

What's your sickness record like?

What do you think of me as an interviewer?

If you were in my position, what questions would you be asking?

What would be the toughest question I could ask you?

What makes you better than any of the other candidates I'm interviewing?

I think you're overqualified for this job. Don't you?

What will you do if I decide not to hire you?

See this pen? Can you sell it to me?

If you were an animal at the zoo, which animal would you be and why?

If there was a monkey hanging from a chandelier, how would you get it down?

Why don't polar bears eat penguins?

How much water would it take to fill St. Paul's Cathedral?