Pasted below are some of the tough interview questions that you may be asked in a job interview. There aren’t any right or wrong answers, but carefully consider the job you are applying for, your abilities, and the company culture before you respond.
Question 1: Tell me something about yourself?
ANSWER: Start with your present and tell why you are best fitment for the position. The key to successful interview is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking out for.
You should say: “I have a number of noteworthy credits I’d like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of this time & address your needs. Therefore, could you please throw some light on this position?
Once answered, the follow-up question can be “Is there anything else you see as Critical Success factor” in this position? Once you are clear on what employer is looking out for, tell him why the role/responsibilities are in sync with what you have been handling successfully in your previous organizations. It would be good to back your statement with specific examples, along with your achievement so that you present yourself as a best in, all of which are geared to present yourself as a best fitment for the role.
Question 2: What are your greatest strengths?
ANSWER: Before any interview, one should do his/her SWOT analysis & should be prepared of greatest strengths. Best would be to have appropriate examples highlighting each strength.
Continuing from question 1, once you are clear on interviewers need, you can then select these achievements from your list that matches up nearly to role requirement.
Few of the traits that all employers would like to see in their employees are:
1. A proven track record as an achiever;
2. Honesty & Integrity;
3. Good fit with corporate culture, someone to feel comfortable with…a team player who jells well with interviewing panel;
4. Positive Attitude, good sense of humor;
5. Good communication skills;
6. Willingness to walk an extra mile to achieve excellence
Question 3: What are your weaknesses?
ANSWER: Disguise strength as a weakness.
Instead of telling a weakness, describe what you ‘LIKE MOST’ and ‘LIKE LEAST’ ensuring that what you like most matches up with the CSF for the position and what you like least is not material enough.
Question 4: Push or pull factors for exploring outside your organization?
ANSWER: Please make sure that you have done your homework well before applying your candidature. Prepare a brief on reason for leaving. Best answers can be: more money, good opportunity (scope perspective), responsibility or growth.
Question 5: Why should I hire you?
ANSWER: This is the question in the interviewers mind before the actual interview. Since you are aware by now what the perspective employer is looking out for. Therefore your reasons for hiring should be tied directly to his immediate needs.
You need to quote examples wherein employer’s needs should be matched to your qualifications which would give you an edge over others.
Question 6: Where do you see yourself five years from now?
ANSWER: Every employer looks out for a long-term commitment & hence this question. Please reassure your interviewer that you’re looking for a long-term commitment because the role is something you have been looking out for.
Example: I am very much interested in making a long-term commitment with your esteemed Organization. Considering what you’ve told me about this position, it’s something that I have been looking out for & are aligned to my skill set & I am sure of making visible contribution to
company’s overall growth objectives. I am confident if I do my work with par excellence, opportunities will open up for me. It’s always been the same in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here as well.
Question 7: Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
ANSWERS: Start by emphasizing the positive feedback you’ve been getting all through your career and then try answering this tricky question.
No one is perfect and you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance. After this, give an example of a learning experience from early days in your career and relate it to the ways it has helped you. This would demonstrate that you have learned from your experience.
Another way to answer this question would be to describe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing importance in your field.
For example, this might be a computer program you’ve been meaning to sit down and learn… a new management technique you’ve read about…or perhaps attending a seminar on some cutting-edge branch of your profession.
The key here is to focus on something not essential to your brilliant performance but has added another dimension to your knowledge.
Question 8: Can you work under pressure?
ANSWER: Absolutely. Prove it with an example from your earlier organization where the project/task was completed within stipulated TAT under severe pressure.
Question 9: What makes you angry?
Examples: If you are a reserved person:
“I’m an even-tempered and positive person by nature, and I believe this helps me a great deal in keeping my department running smoothly. I believe in communicating clearly what’s expected, getting people’s commitment aligned towards those goals, and then following up
continuously to check progress.”
“If anything is going off track, I want to know about it in early days. If, after that kind of open communication and follow up, someone isn’t getting the job done, I’ll want to know why. If there’s no good reason, then I’ll get impatient and angry…and take appropriate steps from there.
If you are feisty by nature:
“You know what makes me angry? People who (the fill in the blanks with the most objectionable traits for this type of position)…people who don’t pull their own weight, who are negative, people wa particular manner ho lie…etc.”
Question 10: What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
ANSWER: Be prepared with a good example, explaining why the decision was difficult…the process you followed in reaching it…the courageous or effective way you carried it out…and the great results.
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