What are your pet peeves?
⚡ In a Hurry? Quick Answer
Choose one professional pet peeve related to work quality or communication. Keep it light, show how you handle it constructively, and never complain about people or common workplace situations.
💡 The Recruiter's Mind
This is designed to reveal whether you're difficult, petty, or negative. They're testing: Are you going to be the person who complains constantly? Will you clash with the team? Can you handle normal workplace frustrations? The question is a trap because sharing too many pet peeves or the wrong ones makes you look inflexible. The key is showing you have standards without sounding like a complainer.
The Diplomatic Answer Formula
- Choose one professional peeve: Related to work quality, not personality quirks
- Frame it positively: Connect it to your high standards or values
- Show you handle it maturely: Explain how you address it constructively
- Keep it light: Don't sound angry or rigid about it
Example Answers That Work
Communication Breakdowns
"I get frustrated when there's a lack of communication that leads to duplicated work or missed deadlines. For example, if two people are working on the same task without knowing it, that's inefficient. To address this, I'm a big believer in brief check-ins and shared project boards. I'd rather over-communicate at the start of a project than deal with confusion later. It's less of a peeve now because I'm proactive about setting up communication systems early."
Missed Deadlines Without Heads-Up
"My pet peeve is when deadlines are missed without any advance notice. I completely understand that priorities shift and delays happen—that's normal. What bothers me is when someone realizes they can't make a deadline and doesn't communicate it until after it's passed. I address this by building buffer time into my dependencies and checking in proactively when I'm waiting on deliverables. I also try to model the behavior I want to see by always giving advance notice if I need to adjust a timeline."
Meetings Without Agendas
"I find it frustrating when meetings don't have a clear agenda or objective. I value everyone's time, so I believe meetings should have a purpose and end with action items. When I schedule meetings, I always send an agenda beforehand and keep notes of decisions made. If I'm invited to a meeting without an agenda, I'll politely ask the organizer what we're aiming to accomplish, which usually helps keep the discussion focused."
🚫 Red Flags to Avoid
- Listing multiple pet peeves (sounds like a complainer)
- Mentioning anything related to people's personalities or habits
- Complaining about common workplace situations (emails, meetings, questions)
- Saying things like "when people are stupid" or "incompetent coworkers"
- Bringing up personal annoyances (chewing, talking loudly, perfume)
- Sounding rigid or inflexible: "I hate when people don't do things my way"
- Saying "I don't have any pet peeves" (sounds dishonest)
Safe Professional Pet Peeves
- Poor communication: Information gaps or lack of updates
- Missed commitments: Deadlines without notice or follow-through issues
- Inefficient processes: Bureaucracy that slows down work unnecessarily
- Lack of preparation: Coming to important meetings unprepared
- Unclear expectations: Projects starting without defined success criteria
- Taking credit: People claiming others' work as their own
- Unproductive meetings: No agenda, no outcomes, wasted time
Pro Tips for This Trap Question
- Choose just one: Multiple pet peeves make you sound negative
- Make it about work: Never mention personal habits or traits
- Show solutions: Always explain how you constructively handle the peeve
- Smile when you answer: Keep your tone light, not bitter
- Avoid absolutes: Don't say "I hate" or "I can't stand"—use softer language
- Connect to quality: Frame your peeve as caring about doing good work
- Show flexibility: Acknowledge that you can work around your pet peeve