![What Are Your Pet Peeves?: Why It Is Asked & How To Answer [With Sample Answers]](https://www.myjobsearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/what_are_your_pet_peeves_header_1-1920x1080.webp)
Do you feel nervous about your next interview? You’ve probably heard your friends talk about interview questions they’ve been asked and are looking to find good ways to respond. A common question that comes up during interviews is, “what are your pet peeves.”
The question is simple but difficult to answer because of how personal it is. What if you say the wrong thing? What if the interviewer judges you too much? Don’t worry. We’ll answer all the questions and help you answer this question and more.
Why Do Interviewers Ask, “What Are Your Pet Peeves?”
It’s essentially a question to get to know someone. Interviewers will ask what your pet peeves are to get to know you better as a person, not just as an employee or someone here to do a job. There is no right or wrong answer, but there are good ways to answer this question.
What is the Interviewer Looking For?
Generally, you can expect the interviewer to look for personality traits or an idea of what gets to you mentally or emotionally. Depending on what you say may contribute to whether or not you get the position. While the success of your interviewer doesn’t entirely hang on this question, consider these things the interviewer may be looking for:
- What annoys you: First, it’s not a trick question. The interviewer is genuinely curious about what annoys you, so you should answer in kind with what does annoy you.
- How will it affect the organization: The next thing the interviewer is looking at is how it affects the organization. Does this pet peeve you have a conflict with the organization? For example, do collaborative projects annoy you? If so, they may know you’re not a fit for their company.
- How extreme is your pet peeve: Some people have pet peeves that are extremely difficult to work around. For example, someone’s pet peeve might be going to work early in the morning. That pet peeve may be a big problem if the position involves covering early shifts sometimes.
How To Answer “What Are Your Pet Peeves?”
Since the question is personal to each person, there are multiple ways to answer it, but generally, you can follow a structure to help you answer the question better. You want to answer the question fast and mostly with honesty, but only to a certain degree.
Additionally, it’s important to ensure that your pet peeve isn’t hindering the organization. For example, if the pet peeves you have really bother you, downplay how much it actually bothers you. Make it seem more like an inconvenience instead of a life-ending event.
What to Focus On When Answering This Question
There are plenty of things to focus on, but the two most important things to focus on when answering this question are your tone and the context of the job.
- Your tone: Make sure your tone is right, don’t sound like the pet peeve annoys you too much, and don’t give attitude. Sometimes, when people talk about things that bother them, their tones naturally shift into a more aggressive one.
- Pet peeve context: Make sure that the pet peeve you use in your interview does not actively hinder your performance or relationship with the organization. For example, not working well with others in a team-based environment.
What to Avoid When Answering This Question
Besides your tone and the context of the pet peeve, there isn’t much else to avoid, but there are two other things to keep in mind.
- Don’t overshare: Avoid going into too much detail about your pet peeve, and ensure you’re not listing off every pet peeve you have. The interviewer only wants to know about one or two of your main pet peeves, not everything that bothers you.
- Don’t share too little: While oversharing is a problem, so is not sharing. If you don’t give a pet peeve to the interviewer, that tells them more than you think. For example, it says you either hide things or don’t interact with your surroundings enough to explore what bothers you.
Examples: How to Answer “What Are Your Pet Peeves?”
This question is a bit complex to answer because it’s pretty subjective. Each person has different things that actually bother them, but your goal is to vocalize your pet peeves that aren’t seen as too intrusive or out of the blue. While having a quirky pet peeve can benefit you, it’s better to play it safe for more interviews. Here are some examples.
“My biggest pet peeve is when people talk extremely loud. I understand there’s a time and place to be loud and get your voice across, but it’s not 24/7. I don’t usually mind what the person is saying, but their volume irks me a bit.”
Why This Answer Works
This response works because it sounds honest and genuine, which increases the chance the interviewer of the interviewer understanding this pet peeve better. The speaker has emotion behind what they’re saying, which adds to their genuine nature. Along with the emotion, the speaker includes a reflective perspective.
The response shows an understanding that it doesn’t bother them in certain scenarios, but it can be unpleasant to the speaker under certain conditions. Remember, never show too much emotion, but show enough to translate your integrity and honesty.
“I’d say one of my peeves is people disorganizing my stuff. I have a system that works for me, and while it’s not always the person’s fault, they’ll mess up my files, desk, or general routine. While I can manage and adapt, it still bothers me at times.”
Why This Answer Works
This answer works because the reader can incorporate a valuable trait while explaining why this is their pet peeve. The response covers every important point, you emphasize your skills, you show honesty, and finally, you turn your pet peeve into a strength.
Watch your tone and choose your words wisely. Depending on the interviewer conveying too much annoyance may rub off the wrong way. You don’t want the interviewer to think you’re petty, spiteful, or unreasonable.
“I generally dislike when people get passive-aggressive with me. I don’t particularly appreciate it when people refuse to communicate what I’ve done to bother them and silently take it out on me. I’d rather resolve the issue immediately, but I understand that sometimes people don’t want to talk about it.”
Why This Answer Works
This is another response that many can relate to, which makes it easy for the interviewer to understand. Additionally, the speaker also turns this peeve into a strength. The speaker emphasizes that they want clarity and are willing to take the initiative to solve whatever conflict. The speaker is also showing understanding even if this pet peeve bothers them.
In this response, it’s important to convey to the interviewer that you understand there’s a time and place for confrontation. Being direct is great, but too direct will cause unnecessary strife within a team environment, and your interviewer may know that.
Additional Tips for Impressing an Interviewer Asking What Are Your Pet Peeves?
Every interview is different, and you have to stay on your toes. While there’s general advice that can get you through the core of the interview, there are other things you should consider. If you want to impress your interviewer, check out these tips. They may help you stand out.
- Make your pet peeve a strength: If there is a way you can hint at your pet peeve being an asset to the interviewer, try your best to do that. For example, if your pet peeve is when people show up late to work.
- Be as honest as possible: The question is meant to say something about you, be honest about your pet peeve, and make sure it’s real. Your interviewer may catch on if you’re lying about your pet peeve.
- Tell a story about your pet peeve: If you can tell a story about your pet peeve, do it. Impress the interviewer with your storytelling abilities and drive home your pet peeve with an example.
- Show some humor: Whether you’re using humor in the story or explaining your pet peeve, have fun with it. Don’t make the situation too serious; laugh about your pet peeve if you can.
- Don’t talk too much: It’s easy to get caught up in answering questions, but remember to keep it short. Don’t go overboard and get to the main points without dragging on the conversation.
Additional Questions to Be Aware Of
Your interview will consist of multiple questions, so prepare yourself in case one of these questions pop up.
- What Areas Need Improvement?: Interviewers ask this question to gauge how much you know about the position and if there’s anything you need to improve on.
- How Do You Handle Stress?: The interviewer is looking to see how you can manage a stressful situation in the work environment.
- Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?: Generally, the interviewer is looking to see if you ended your last job on good terms with your former employer and why you decided to move on from it.
- Tell Me About a Time You Made a Mistake: The interviewer is looking to see how you improve and learn from your mistakes.
- What Does Integrity Mean to You?: This question is pretty personal and is different for everyone, but ensure the interviewer is trying to see if you hold yourself to certain standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to some lingering questions about this interview question.
What are famous pet peeves?
Some common ones are pretty funny but do get under people’s skins. For example, chewing gum with your mouth open, coloring outside the lines, driving too close to a car, and people talking during movies.
Is lying a pet peeve?
Yes, lying can be seen as a pet peeve, as people often do it, and it does bother people when it happens. If you want to use this as your pet peeve during your interview, feel free to do so, it’ll show much you value honesty.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you’re feeling less nervous about answering this interview question. There will be many more, so do your research and practice where you can. Remember, if you can make your pet peeve a strength, do it, but above all, be honest about what your pet peeve is.
