During job interviews, candidates are often surprised when asked questions unrelated to the position, such as “Who is your role model and why?”.
Interviewers and recruiters ask applicants for their role models to help discern prospective employees’ career aspirations and long-term goals. The question also helps them gauge the applicant’s personality, values, and moral compass.
This question is a great opportunity to showcase your career development and communication skills!
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My 3-Step Method to Ace Role Model Questions in a Job Interview
Here’s my secret 3-step method to ace role model interview questions:
1: Choose a Role Model Wisely
Most candidates mention a celebrity or professional athlete as a role model.
However, it might not be easy to tie your own experiences, challenges, and ambitions to someone famous you have never met!
Instead, I would recommend you mention a parent, sibling, relative, classmate, mentor, teacher, or colleague.
It is also possible to choose someone who inspired you in your career, such as an eminent industry figure or a former boss. In this instance, you must ensure that the values and qualities you see in this person align with yours and the requirements of the position you’re seeking.
2: Discuss The Specific Qualities of Your Role Model
In your answer, you should identify and discuss specific qualities or attributes of your role model that you find admirable. These qualities should be relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.
For example, if adaptability is crucial, give a concrete example of how your role model demonstrated exceptional adaptability in challenging situations.
3: Try to Connect Your Answer to Your Current Skills and Values
Clearly articulate how these qualities have influenced your personal and professional development.
Mention specific examples of instances where you applied these lessons or adopted similar behaviors in your own life.
If possible, relate your role model’s qualities to the values of the company.
How I Would Answer Role Model Questions
Here are four examples of how I would answer role model questions in different scenarios:
Example 1 – Your Parent
My mother is my role model. She is hardworking in her career as an accountant while doing her best to care for our family despite busy moments. Her principles in life have guided her in her professional career and in raising her children.
My mother cares about her colleagues and other people around her—a sign of being attentive to anyone’s needs. Her attention to others has taught me valuable skills I can use as an employee of your company who attends to your customers’ needs.
Example 2 – Your Work Colleague
My work colleague, [name], is a role model in my professional life. He has received many accolades in the company where I previously worked for his dedication and competence in fulfilling his job’s duties and responsibilities. I aim to emulate his work ethic if I get selected for the position.
Apart from his professional achievements and dedication to work, he has been actively involved in the company’s corporate social responsibility programs to help those in need. I also would like to do that in this company and follow his steps.
Example 3 – Famous Industry Leader
I have several role models in my life, but if I choose between them, I’d like to select a business person by the name of [name]. He has been a pioneer in the industry, and his company has won several awards for its efficiency in creating new products and services and for its employee engagement activities.
[Name] has outstanding business acumen and has been very insightful in applying customer ideas to his company. He is also spearheading efforts to innovate and conceptualize new business models.
As I step up my corporate career, I would like to emulate his ideas. I want to be a leader someday, and I see his leadership skills as an example of how to run a business.
Example 4 – Fictional Character
I believe Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird is my role model in my legal professional career. He has put his reputation on the line to defend Tom Robinson before the court. The local authorities accused Robinson of raping and assaulting a white woman in the story. Despite knowing that he has an uphill battle to face to defend Robinson, he has done his job with excellence.
Finch believes everyone should be treated fairly and equally in the court of law, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, or heritage. He also highly upholds his principles while respecting the courts.
As I embark on my legal career, I want to become a lawyer like Finch, and being selected to work in this firm is an avenue for me to ensure equality for everyone before the law and to hone my skills further.
The Bottom Line
When answering, you should summarize the positive attributes of your role model and align his values to yours.
You must avoid picking people with negative reputations or controversial stances as your role models so that your chances of being selected for the job do not suffer.
