How to tackle - What excites you the most fears you the most?

A thought which sends you the chills along with the excitement!

"What excites you the most and what scares you the most?" While answering the first part of the question is easy, the second part can be a bit tricky. The reason is simple: what excites you the most often coincides with what you fear the most. After all, the greater the excitement, the greater the risk, and the greater the risk, the greater the fear. So, how do you tackle this question? Here are some tips to help you navigate this challenging question.

Acknowledge your fear

The first step in tackling this question is acknowledging your fear. There's no need to pretend that you're fearless, as that will come across as insincere. Instead, be honest about what you're afraid of. Maybe it's failure, rejection, or public speaking. Whatever it is, acknowledge it and accept that it's a part of who you are.

Emphasize the positive

Once you've acknowledged your fear, it's important to emphasize the positive. In other words, focus on how your fear motivates you to succeed. For example, if you're afraid of failure, you could explain how that fear drives you to work harder and strive for excellence. By emphasizing the positive aspects of your fear, you'll come across as a resilient and determined individual.

Provide examples

To make your answer more convincing, provide examples of times when your fear has motivated you to succeed. For instance, you could talk about a time when you were afraid of speaking in front of a large audience, but you pushed yourself to do it anyway and received positive feedback. Providing examples will show the interviewer that you're not just paying lip service to the idea of overcoming your fears but have actually done so in the past.

Highlight your strengths

Finally, use this question as an opportunity to highlight your strengths. For instance, if your fear is public speaking, you could talk about how you've developed excellent communication and presentation skills over time. This will demonstrate to the interviewer that you're not just someone who's afraid of something but someone who's actively working to overcome their fears and improve their skills.

Be authentic:

While it's important to present your strengths and positive attributes, it's equally important to be authentic and genuine in your response. Don't try to present yourself as someone you're not or pretend to be fearless if you have fears. Interviewers can easily spot insincerity, and it could harm your chances of getting the job.

Practice your response:

Before the interview, practice your response to this question with a friend or family member. This will help you get comfortable with the answer and allow you to refine your response if needed.

Show self-awareness:

Interviewers appreciate candidates who have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. So, when answering this question, show that you have self-awareness and are actively working to overcome your fears and improve your skills.

Be concise:

While it's important to provide examples to support your answer, make sure that you're not rambling or going off-topic. Be concise and to-the-point in your response.

Focus on how you're addressing your fears:

In addition to highlighting your strengths, make sure to focus on how you're addressing your fears. Talk about the steps you're taking to overcome your fears, such as taking public speaking classes, seeking feedback from others, or practicing your skills regularly.

In conclusion, answering the question of what excites you the most and what scares you the most can be a bit daunting. However, by acknowledging your fear, emphasizing the positive, providing examples, and highlighting your strengths, you can tackle this question with confidence and demonstrate your resilience and determination to the interviewer. Remember, everyone has fears, but it's how you respond to them that counts.