If you are about to sit for an interview for one of those spots you have wanted to fill in so bad, and if you are already in search of the most common questions asked during an interview and how you should handle them, then your efforts will definitely see you through the only obstacle which is keeping you miles away from finding the job of your dreams.
One of the most important reasons as to why several candidates make silly and ridiculous mistakes during an interview is simply because they do not do any interview preparation themselves. But you don’t have to feel like that.
In this article, the most common interpersonal skills interview questions have been stated that should definitely help you the have a better understanding on how interviews work. Before that, let us first see,
What are Interpersonal Skills?
Interpersonal skills can be defined as the skill that helps people to communicate and interact with other people in the finest way. Having good interpersonal skills always helps you in the long run.
Types of Interpersonal Skills:
Interpersonal skill is an important trait that every successful person should possess. It is this skill which helps employees to interact and communicate with other co-workers or colleagues in the workplace.
Some of the types of interpersonal skills are,
- Verbal communication
- Non – verbal communication
- Problem-solving skills
- Negotiation skills
- Decision making
- Listening skills
- Assertiveness
Importance of Interpersonal Skills:
Interpersonal skills are a type of soft skills that every employer looks for while recruiting candidates. As per experts, it is a type of skills which you get by birth and one cannot acquire by reading any books.
This is a basic skill for communicating with others, you need to work on it and improvise accordingly.
Examples of valuable interpersonal skill at the workplace:
- Effective communication
- Sensitivity
- Understand others’ emotions
- Conflict resolving system
- Positive attitude
- Good manners. etc
Tips for Answering Interpersonal Questions:
- Practice and prepare answers in advance
- Make Us of specific or particular examples
- Demonstrate your skills
Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions and Answers:
You should rehearse some of the answers over and over again before you attend one because there is a huge possibility you will be asked some of the questions enlisted below. On that note, here are some of the communication and interpersonal skills interview questions you should definitely learn to answer before the interview date arrives.
1. Who was your Best and Worst Boss? And Why?
To answer this interview question correctly, remember to give illustrations. This will add more depth to your thoughts. Also, keep in mind that your worst boss had a few admirable qualities too which kept him going so far. Here is a sneak-peak on how you should tackle a difficult question like this
To answer this interview question correctly, remember to give illustrations. This will add more depth to your thoughts. Also, keep in mind that your worst boss had a few admirable qualities too which kept him going so far. Here is a sneak-peak on how you should tackle a difficult question like this
“The best boss I have had the opportunity to work under was Mr.____. He was the CEO of my previous company ______. Mr. ____ was someone I looked up to. His interpersonal communication skills were always a notch higher than all of his. He was also a dynamic personality with great leadership qualities. Also had a strong sense of empathy towards his workers and employees and had a strong understanding towards products. The support he provides to his team on a regular basis is great and conduct meetings where motivational speeches were addressed by him. He has done and is still doing his best to maintain the growth of his company. We speak often too”
“The worst boss… It is actually quite difficult to speak like this about him…but there is always something we all need to learn from our work experiences. In my previous company, I felt my boss could have established a better line of communication with us. He came across a little too stoic at times and disclosed important pieces of information to only those who belonged to the upper levels. However the company is still flourishing because of his ability to tackle their rivals and the excellent tactics he used to lock up useful chunks of information from them”
2. What Expectations do you have from your Supervisor?
You could answer this question in three different ways. Here is an idea and best job interview tips to answer.
- I always feel respected when the supervisor takes the initiative of speaking to those around him. This includes his subordinates, co-workers and employees. That would be the perfect environment for me to start off.
- The supervisor should have amiable qualities. I should be able to approach them whenever I have a few doubts or questions in mind. It would be great if he/she is always willing to listen to my problems and is honest about his opinions. In that way, we can work and grow together.
- What I appreciated the most in my previous job was that my supervisor never showed any signs of biased behaviour. He treated everyone equally and always tried to understand his employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
3. How Do you Resolve Conflicts at your Work Place?
When your interviewer asks you a question like this, remember they are trying to understand your abilities and how you deal with difficult issues that could any time arise between you and the customers. So when you answer this, try to give them an idea on how calm and composed you are as a person. Say that you can handle situations rationally and that you don’t allow emotions to come in between.
Also, emphasise on how much you value professionalism. Speak about how much you disregard the idea of being drawn into predicaments and that you always avoid them. Do mention that you never forget to take the advice of an expert and that their guidance is very much considered during such cases. You could also show your humble side by mentioning that you do apologise and accept your mistakes when something has gone terribly wrong. That should help you create a good impression.
4. What are the methods you would use to motivate your team?
You can motivate your team by giving them feedback on a regular basis. Secondly, make sure you are paying them the needed amount. Do not delay their payment. An incentive would always do wonders in your favour. Third, make sure that the environment they are working in is good enough. The place should be clean and welcoming. That would definitely stimulate their interests to work hard.
Finally, never punish someone for performing miserably. Instead, explain to them where they went wrong, see if there are serious mistakes or not and encourage them to use different interview techniques the next time. If you mention these points while answering a question, the interviewer will definitely think you know how to motivate your team.
5. How do you Usually Start a Fresh Relationship with a Client? Do you Consider this Important?
When you answer this question, do try and portray yourself as someone who is very sociable and enjoys meeting new people. Establishing new lines of communications and a fresh new relationship is something that you always look forward to. You like meeting new people and fostering new methods of communication. But you always like to ensure that the clients you are meeting will benefit your company in the long run.
6. What Do you Think is Customer Service?
When the interviewer asks you a question like this, he is basically tried to know if you are aware of this term or not. So when you answer this question you could mention something like “Customer service according to me is far more than just helping out customers in need.
It is also about ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the information provided to them” or “Customer service is about handling all doubts and queries of customers without being aggressive. The tone should always be cordial and friendly. Patience is the key to handling customers online”.
7. Would you like to be a part of some team or do you want to be alone while working?
The answer to this question will help the interviewer understand whether you are what they can call a team player or one who would like to work alone. The best answer to this question would be something like “I do not mind working on my own or with a team. Both are comfortable for me. Working with a group of people has its plus points just like working alone does. When I was in school, I was a part of the soccer and swim team. They were different to each other but there was always something to learn from both.
Also when I was working alone I had the opportunity to explore myself. I learnt my strengths and weaknesses and was careful of making mistakes. Both these situations have helped me in life and I do not mind working alone or with a group of people”
8. When People Criticize you, what do they mention the most?
This is one question you should be careful of. You could say something like “I have always been accused of being a perfectionist. I have high expectations from my co-workers and it is something most of them can’t handle”.
Or
“It was very difficult for me to make presentations a decade ago. I was unable to do so at high school as well. But I have started to take a few classes where I am learning about public speaking. And recently I was awarded for my good presentation skills at this year’s award ceremony”. If you think humour would be a good way to intrigue the interviewer, try something good. But make sure it is really good.
SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Here are a set of few sample interpersonal interview questions.
- Do you face any problem when getting along with others, what is it?
- What Sort Of Person Do You Enjoy Working For
- How would you describe your change since high school?
- Tell me about your best subordinate with whom you have worked with
- Tell me about your worst subordinate with whom you have worked with
- What would your ex-boss tell about you
- Name the most influential person in your life and career?
- What are the basic qualities you would in your friend?
- Explain about your close friend’s personality, interests etc
- How do your friend and family brief about you
- Tell me about the challenges that you face when getting along with others
- Name few personal traits which are mandatory to achieve success
- Describe your character
- What idea do your friends have about you
- What would be your reaction, if your credibility is suspected
- How do you manage when people criticize you
- Explain the type of people whom you find difficulty in working with
- What makes you a good team player
- How do you become effective in small groups
- How good you are when effectively connecting with others
- Why do you get sometimes impatient with others
- Tell me about the one thing you would like to change about yourself.
- How would you describe your change since college?
- How was your relationship with all your bosses
- Tell me something about your work style, personal style, management style etc
- Name one of your best colleague you have worked with
- Name one of your worst colleague you have worked with
So. these are few soft skills interview questions and answers. When you are going for an interview, please keep in mind that the interview begins from the time you enter the building until the time you are out of sight.
Conclusion:
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you have left the meeting room, your work is officially over. You need to maintain that positivity and confidence throughout. Everything that you do before, after and during an interview is of vital importance. On that note, good luck!
Here’s hoping you’ve learnt enough on how to improve interpersonal skills, how to handle basic interpersonal relationship skills questions during an interview. If you can tackle these, you can handle any other difficult question asked during an interview.
