When you are called for a personal interview, many types of questions spring
across your mind, especially if you are an inexperienced job seeker. Here are
some tips on answering the most frequently asked questions in a personal
interview:
1. Tell me something about your self.
Go prepared for this question, as this is the most frequently asked question in the
interview. Answer it covering your work experience, educational qualifications and a
little information about your family background. Try to focus on key areas of your
work while talking about your professional experience. This is an open ended
question and can help you in taking the interview in which ever direction you want it
to go. You should know where to put a full stop to provoke the desired question from
the interviewer.
2. Why does this role interest you? Or why have you applied for this job?
Keep the focus of the answer to this question on your skills, experience and personal
qualities. Link the job requirement to your skills rather than talking about the
challenges, career and progression.
3. Why do you think should we take you for this job?
Don't panic if you are asked this question. Make sure that you have understood the
job profile well before you go for the interview. Relate your qualifications and work
experience with the job requirements. If there are any new things that you are
expected to perform in the new job, say that you are always open to learn the new
things and take up the new challenges.
4. What motivates you at work?
You can say that competition and new challenges motivate you at work.
5. Why do you want to leave your present job or why did you leave your last
job?
The reasons for switching the job could be numerous. The best answer to offer for
this question is to say, "for better prospects". Now they can ask you another
question, what do you mean by better prospects? To this you can say, better
prospects in terms of experience, and exposure.
If you have been made redundant, put your words across very carefully. Your wrong
words can give an impression that only you were the one whose position was made
redundant, which hardly might be the case. May be you can say something like,
"Over last 8 months a lot of restructuring was going on in the company and 40
positions became surplus. One of them was mine. I have learnt a lot during my
tenure at XYZ Company and I am sure I can add a lot of value to a position like the
one we are discussing about".
6. What is your greatest strength?
Interpret this question as, what is your greatest relevant strength? Or Why should
we hire you? Tell them a strength that they want to buy. For this you will need to
properly understand the job profile and keep your answer ready. For example, if the
job needs you to have convincing answers ready for the any type customer's
questions, you can sell "your presence of mind" or if you are required to change you
sector or industry you can offer "your adaptability" as an answer. It is important to
keep ready at least 2 examples of the mentioned strength.
7. What is your greatest weakness?
There are 3 ways to tackle this question. Judge the situation and use one of them.
First way: Use your sense of humor. If the interview is proceeding in the light way
and you have built up a good rapport with the interviewer, you can get out of it by
saying "Ice-cream".
Second Way: If you have to answer this question seriously, give a weakness which
doesn't relate to the job under discussion. For example, you can say, I have been
using a camera since childhood but I still don't know how to mend it. If it is spoiled, I
will need to take it to an expert.
Third way: Understand the requirement of the role under discussion and say that
your friends accuse you of having that weakness but you think that it is important for
you to perform your work effectively. For example, if the job needs a detailed study
and leaving a single step might need you to re-run the whole process say that "My
colleagues accuse me of having a too much eye for detail but I have experienced
that to do this work you need to go into details rather than cutting corners. I have
worked with people following a shorter
8. What is your greatest achievement?
The underlying agenda is to know what personal qualities were required to achieve
it. Don't go back too far to answer this question as this might give an impression
that you have not achieved anything since then. Find a relevant answer in the recent
past for this question. If you are a fresher and have been a topper of your college or
university, you can say that during the interview.
9. Are you ambitious?
You can say that I am very ambitious in the way that I don't like to get a feeling of
stagnancy. I want that I should always be getting new experiences and learning new
things.
10. What qualities would you look for in a candidate for this position?
To answer this question, you need to analyze the requirements of the job profile
before appearing for the interview. The answer to this question would estimate your
understanding of the role under discussion.
11. Have you appeared for an interview with other companies? Or how is
your job search going on?
This question gives you an opportunity to let the interviewer know that other
companies are also interested in hiring you and gives you leverage while negotiating
the salary. You can say, Yes, I am in the final round of discussion with two other
companies. Approach the interviewer as a "Problem Solver" and not as a "Job
Beggar".
12. Can you name the companies to whom you are talking?
You can maintain your integrity by refusing to disclose the names. You can simply
say, they haven't notified these openings so I believe they would not like their
names to be revealed. At times, taking the competitor's names might increase your
chances of being hired. Analyze the situation and answer accordingly.
13. Are you ready to relocate?
You can say, for a right position and right company relocation should not be a
problem. Do not close the discussion at the earlier stage by saying "No".
14. You have stayed for a long time with your last company-Why?
Staying with the same company for too long may be considered as the candidate
being un-ambitious. While answering this question you can say, "Yes, I preferred to
stay with them all this while because I was regularly adding value to my experience
there and I was growing as a professional".
15. You have switched many jobs-why?
Too much job hopping gives an impression that the candidate is unstable and
unreliable but you can put this query to ease by saying that you switched jobs to
broaden your experience.
16. What was your biggest mistake?
There's nothing wrong in admitting a mistake. A human being is bound to commit
mistakes. This time it is advantageous to go back as far as possible in the past and
find an answer. The advantage of doing this is that a youngster is expected to
commit more mistakes than a mature and seasoned person. This would give an
impression that since that time you have committed mistakes but not that big. Take
the word "mistake" as liberally as possible and go back to your student life to answer
this question. Probably you can say, if I could go back to my student life, I would
have studied Biology instead of Math.
17. Why haven't you got a job yet?
This question will usually arise if it has been sometime since you finished your
studies and are still in the market without a job. You can say that, I have been
offered some tempting positions in the last few days but had to turn them down as I
did not find them right for my candidature. You can follow it up with some examples.
18. You do not have all the experience we need for this position.
To answer this question, you again need to analyze the requirements of the role
properly and match them to your candidature. If you meet most of the requirements,
you can say that you have most of the qualities needed for this role and for the
remaining you are always open to learning them. You can follow this up with an
example from your last job where you learnt and did things that you didn't know
earlier. Stay confident while answering this question.
19. Why do you want to quit your present job?
The reasons for you to quit the present job could be numerous, may be you don't get
well along with your boss or your salary is too less but it is not good to make
derogatory remarks about your present company in an interview. You can give a
more practical answer like, my present company is not able to offer me further
growth opportunities and I have a feeling that it is the time for me to grow up in
hierarchy and learn further.
20. Have you ever made a mistake at work? How did you rectify it?
Everybody makes mistakes, there's nothing wrong in admitting it. In the interview
you can say that yes, there have been times when you have made mistakes and
learnt from them. Whatever you could correct yourself, you did that and for the rest
you went back to your senior and took his help to sort it out.
21. What major problems did you face in your last role?
The agenda of this question is to understand if
- You caused the problem
- Could it have been avoided?
- Your attitude to solve it.
It is safer to mention a problem which was caused by an external party rather than
the problems within internal parties. May be you can take an example of the problem
caused by a customer, vendor. Discuss what you did to solve the problem.
22. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
By asking this question, the interviewer wants to see, how ambitious the candidate
is. You can say that, 5 years down the line I would like to see myself in a responsible
position where I can make important decisions in the favor of company and the
company treats me as its asset. I am sure that this company can offer me growth
opportunities like this.
23. How do you feel about doing repetitive work?
You can say that I understand that every job has an element of repetitive work but I
enjoy fulfilling all the aspects of my job with equal enthusiasm and give them my
100%.
24. How did you manage to attend this interview during your working
hours?
Everybody knows that you would not ask permission from your boss to appear for an
interview. You can answer this question by simply saying that you have taken a off
from the office to appear for this interview.
25. Would you like to work in a team or on your own?
The agenda behind this question is to understand if you are a team player or a solo
performer. It might be risky to choose any one of them as the role for which they are
considering you might need you to be a team player but the career progression
which they might consider for you down a year's time may need you to handle a
more autonomous position. It is better to answer this question by saying that "I
don't have any such preference. I can comfortably handle both the situations, as the need arises." Now back it up with examples where you successfully worked in a team
and where you performed an autonomous role.
26. If your boss was present here, what do you think he would say about
you?
This is again a question which can be answered in two ways.
First way: If the situation is light, you can that say, "He would tell you that I am the
diamond of his team and you should not let me go." This needs to be accompanied
by a right body language.
Second way: If the discussion is proceeding in a serious manner, you can pick up a
formal appraisal he gave you and say that I think he would repeat it here.
27. Has your career grown as you had liked?
The agenda behind this question is to understand if there had been times of dip in
your career and if you lay the blame for them on others. There's nothing to be
ashamed of, if there have been short gap in your employment. You can justify it by
giving a convincing reason. Look at your qualifications and social environment and
relate your achievements to them, to answer this question.
28. What would you do if your team ceased to perform?
The agenda behind this question is to understand your management style. A good
answer to this question could be, I will try to establish the reasons for nonperformance of the team and try to eradicate them.
29. Would you take up this job if we offered it to you?
Again there are two ways to handle this question.
First Way: If you have built up a good rapport with the interviewer by now you can
ask a more direct question, Are you offering it to me? (with a smile and right body
language). If they say "Yes", you can say that off course, based on what we have
discussed till now I am enthusiastic in taking up this position. When would you be
able to get me a written offer?
Second Way: Alternatively you can say, based on what we have discussed till now, I
will be happy to take up this position but there are still certain things that need to be
discussed.
30. Your expected salary?
Don't jump at a figure when you are asked this question during the personal
interview. Try to turn the ball back into the interviewerÃs court and ask him the type
of salary the company offers for a position like this. Still, if you are required to
answer this question, mention a range rather than talking about an exact figure but
don't keep the range too vast, you will be offered the one at the lower end. Probably
you can say, I should be comfortable with something in the range of mid fifties.
31. What will you do if you are offered a job with a salary higher than this?
By asking this question the interviewer tries to analyze if the candidate will leave the
job for a couple of thousand Rupees. Recruiting a candidate costs money to the
company so they would like to hire somebody who has some loyalty towards the
company. You can answer this question by saying that though you know the
attraction of money every job offers but you would first try to analyze the growth
opportunities with both the jobs. If your present company can offer you the desired
growth with the industry trend, you would not switch. You will discuss the issue with
your senior and ask his views on your growth in the present job and if you see that
there is a potential to grow in the present job, you will stick otherwise you will
politely inform him about your decision to move ahead in life.
32. Do you want to ask us something about the company?
When you are going for a job interview, go prepared. Try to find out the latest
information about the company. When you are asked this question, you can ask
interesting questions like the opportunities for you to grow in the company, the
expansion plans of the company and the chances for you to grow there. If the
company has been in news recently, you can ask questions related to that also.
