COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Why do you want this job?
Think about this question carefully and stress upon the positive aspects that attracted you to apply for this post. Be careful in not mentioning the negative points of your present job as a reason for why u want this job.
What according to you are the pre-requisites for this job?
The advertisement placed by them for the job can help you to some extent of answer this question. These may include leadership ability, supervisory skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc.
What do you think you can contribute to the success of the company?
This is a chance for you to form an impression. Explain about your past achievements in your previous job(s) relevant to the new position you are applying for.
Why do you want to work with this company?
Your answer should be emphasizing all the positive aspects about why you want to join the company but Carefully avoiding answers like for more money or for shorter working hours. They will leave bad Impression to your prospective employer.
What do you know about this company?
This is a great chance for you to impress the interviewer with the knowledge you have gained about the company. Give them a run down of their products/services, sales figures, news, company figures, customers, etc.
What is the feature that interests you about our product/service?
The research you have done about the company should help you a lot here.
What do you think we can offer you that your previous company has offered you?
Stride with utmost care here. Don’t mention money aspects. You could Stress on opportunities for personal growth, new challenges, etc.
Why do you think we should employ you?
You can answer this question based on your previous experience and achievements relating to the position and company. As a conclusion you could mention that you can fit into the position comfortably with the supporting reason. You can also ask the employers opinion about this.
How long would it take for you to make a significant contribution to the success of the company/project?
You can mention that you can make the contribution from day one. You can also ask the employer how much time are you expecting for me to make a significant contribution.How competitive are you for this job/ Depending on the position you are applying for you may want to sound fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the interviewer's position.
What do you like and dislike the most about your job?
Likes: here you can stress things like new challenges, opportunity to bring a new experience to the company
Dislikes: mention that you do not dislike anything in particular which is the reason why you liked the job.
Why did you choose a career in this field?
Your answer should be very positive with appropriate reasoning and advantages of this field. If you have been changing careers give logical reasoning why you have done so.
What according to you are the similarities and differences between your previous job and your present job?
The interviewer is trying to visualize how well you could fit into the position so try to focus more on the similarities rather than the differences. Coming to the point of differences it will help you if you can demonstrate that you have done similar task before or you could pick up the new skill quickly.
What is your opinion about the previous company you have worked for?
Stress upon the positive points about your company with a few words of praise for the company. You can
mention about the training you have received or the work experience you have gained.
Did your previous company live up to your expectations? Why do you want to leave that
company?
Your answer should be always about joining or leaving a company. Do not mention anything negative about your present employer. Instead you could say that you are looking for new challenges and mention that the company who is interviewing you fits into that very well.
What is the organisation structure in your previous company and how well did you fit in it?
These kinds of questions are usually used to know wether your old job is at comparable level to your new job. If the new job is at a level more than your previous one, you should be able to demonstrate that you will be able take up a more demanding position. You should try to tell that you have already been handling most of the responsibilities and posses the needed skills for this job.
What is the size of the company you would prefer to work with? Small, medium or large?
Before answering this question bear in mind the company size where you are attending the interview. If it is a medium or small sized company you could say that you like to work in a close atmosphere with a good team spirit. If it is a large company you can say that you enjoy the stability of working in a large company and established company.
What are your expectations in the new job?
The most appropriate reply would be that you are looking for a job where you can apply your present skills and learn new ones.
What would be your ideal job?
For this question you can describe your ideal job in a similar way as their job description given in the advertisement. An ideal job can include challenging work environment, good team spirit, opportunity to learn new skills, apply your existing skills, etc.
Are you thinking of considering any other jobs at the moment?
If you are considering, but be careful not to give too many details as it may weaken you negotiating
position later. If you are not considering any just say that you have a few irons in the fire.
How would you describe yourself?
Take this chance to describe about your personal and professional attributes and achievements.
Do you think that you are successful?
Your answer should be positive. You can explain about some of your past work related achievements that will suit the position you desire for.
What has been your greatest success? How did you achieve it?
Describe about an achievement, which best suits, their needs.
What has been your greatest failure?
Tell about a failure, which you have rectified in later stages, or something, which is not very important.
What do you think about improving yourself?
Be careful in not mentioning any of your negative points as the interviewer is waiting to find a flaw in you. Instead stress on things like learning new things.
Did you have any chance for growth in your previous jobs?
If you had successful chances for growth then mention that, if you did not have any satisfactory
opportunities for growth be careful about the words you use.
Are you a leader?
Explain about your previous experiences where you have successfully demonstrated your leadership
qualities.
Are you a loner or do you get along well with others?
Some jobs mean that you have to work in a team and for some jobs you need to be on your own. You can
say that you are comfortable in both the situations.
Are you self motivated or you need someone to motivate you?
You should answer that you are self-motivated.
Will you be able to work on your own initiative?
You should answer positively asking how much responsibility will I be required to handle.
What are the motivational factors for you?
You can say good career growth, opportunities to learn new skills, a congenial work environment etc.
Are you competitive?
Your answer should depend on the type of job offered. If you are working in a team then you should say that you would work in the best interest of team and not just for your own benefit.
Will you be able to work under pressure?
Your answer should be affirmative but ensure that you ask under how much pressure?
What are your career goals?
Mention the goals, which are in common interest of the company requirements.
Are you prepared to relocate?
If you are, say so. If you do not want to move then you do not have to accept the job - try and come
across as someone who is positive.
Are you willing to travel?
Again if you are, say so. You want to sound positive, so find out how much travelling is involved before you turn down the job.
How often are you off sick?
This can be a difficult question to answer if you are frequently off sick or you have just recovered from a prolonged period of illness. If you have generally enjoyed good health And this period of illness is not typical then you should say so.
What did you earn in your last job?
You have to be very careful when answering this question because once an interviewer knows your current salary they will try and fix your next remuneration based on this figure. This may be satisfactory if you only wanted a modest rise in salary and your current salary is in line with their salary range, but, what if your current salary is substantially lower than the rate for the job, or if you want a substantial salary rise? In
these cases you would be best advised to say that you do not really want to prejudice yourself by being too high or too low. Ask if you can discuss this later after the responsibilities for the job have been discussed; you may also want to ask them what the range for the job is (if you do not already know).
What level of salary are you looking for now?
Be very careful when you answer this question - you do not want to appear to be greedy. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is. Once they have answered you could say "I think my experience would place me at the top end of your range, don't you?" If they ask you this question fairly early on in the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities."
What will your referees say about you?
Say that you expect excellent references.
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Difficult questions
If you cannot answer a question you might reply with "That's an interesting question - how would you tackle it?"
Fantasy questions
These sorts of questions can be very difficult to answer. Such questions might include: "What would you do if you won the National Lottery?" You should give the answer, which in your opinion will give you the best chance of getting the job.
Questions you may want to ask an interviewer
The interview is a two-way process. The company interviewing you will want to find out whether you are suitable for the position and you will want to find out if the company and position are right for you. You should therefore ensure that you have enough information to make up your mind whether you want the job.
For example:
What will be my responsibilities?
Where will I fit into the overall organizational structure?
Who will I report to?
Where does he/she fit in the structure?
Who will report to me? How experienced are they?
What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months?
What level of performance do you expect from me?
Who are your customers?
Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans?
What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? When?
What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up too early in the interview - wait until they are sold on you.]
Will traveling be required in this position?
Will relocation be required now or in the future?
What training do you provide?
When will you decide on the appointment?
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