The most crucial part of the job seeking process is surely the job interview. Individuals often clear tests and preliminary rounds but fail to clear through the job interview. A person cannot be hired into a firm unless he clears the interview with success. Knowledge of the questions that would be asked in job interviews helps candidates go prepared for the interview. Here we have listed out a few of the most commonly asked questions in job interviews. Read along to know the best way to answer these questions and impress your interviewer.
16 Important Questions to Expect in an Interview and Answers:
1. Why do you wish to join this company?
Recruiters often ask these questions in the job interview to experienced candidates as well as to freshers. They wish to know if you know about the company and its work culture. They wish to know whether you have special reasons or liking for the company.
Whenever you attend an interview for a particular company, make sure you do a study about the company. Read about the company’s year of establishment, its owner, its work ethics, its progress in the past few years and other facts. These facts help you assess whether you should join the firm. It also helps you answer all the questions related to the firm and why you wish to be its part.
2. What is your Career Goal?
Every individual has a career goal. Some individuals wish to be the director of a firm someday while others wish to start their own company. A career goal reveals how ambitious and determined you are. If an interviewer asks you about your career goal, be frank with your answer. The interviewers always seek honest answers in interviews.
3. What is your ambition in life?
Ambition in life can sometimes be different from your career goal. If you are a workaholic and your life ends at your workplace, your ambition may be the same as your career goal. Do not hesitate to speak up if your ambition is simply to lead a peaceful life with friends and family. There are several employees who toil all life to just get hold of a few months with the family and dear ones.
4. What are your hobbies and interests?
You must always keep in mind that the recruiters are seeking candidates who possess the skills and abilities that may prove useful in their industry. When they ask you about your skills and abilities or hobbies and interests, try to stick to skills that may be useful in the professional life. Avoid mentioning hobbies like dancing and singing when you are applying for a managerial position in a sales organization.
5. Are you a good leader?
Leadership qualities are a must if you wish to ascend the ladder of success. You may be asked questions about your leadership qualities during interviews. Answer in the affirmative giving examples of different occasions in school, college or career where your leadership skills proved to be useful.
It is possible that you possess leadership skills but you have not shown these in school and college. If you have shown these skills on other occasions like during events in the colony, mention that to the interviewers. While the event may not be significant, your skills could be.
6. Do you possess negotiation skills?
Very few people possess good negotiation skills. These skills are vital especially in jobs related to marketing and sales. A good negotiator has the ability to convince clients. He also possesses the ability to make people understand and get work done from people. Individuals who appear for managerial positions should also possess negotiation skills.
An affirmative answer is always desired for such questions but make sure you have a reason supporting your answer. You may quote events in your life when you have used negotiation skills to resolve conflicts in the team.
7. What is your salary expectation? Why?
This is one question that is sure to be asked during the interview. You need to set an expectation in mind so that you can answer confidently when this question is asked to you. You may refer the different job portals and see the present salary trends to get an idea what salary you should expect.
You must highlight on your qualifications, skills and abilities that make you deserve the salary you have quoted. If the interviewers are pleased with your answer, they may pay you what you have asked.
8. Why do you wish to change your job?
If you are switching the job, interviewers are sure to be curious why you are planning to switch. They may ask you the reason for the job change. You must have a believable answer. It could be a desire for growth and better opportunities. You may even change if you think you can achieve greater success in a new firm. It is best to have some statistical data to support your answer.
9. Who is an ideal boss in your opinion?
Every individual has an imagination of a perfect boss. It could be a boss who ensures job stability or emotional security. It could even be a boss under whose guidance the company is sure to succeed rapidly. You may be asked about your expectations from an ideal boss. Answer this question wisely so that it conveys your opinion without hurting the emotions of the interviewers.
10. Who is your mentor?
A mentor is a person you look upto. He is often the person you idealise and wish to be like. The recruiters ask questions about your mentor because they wish to know what kind of principles you believe in. They wish to dig into your mind and find out the way your brain functions.
You may pick any of the great leaders as your mentor. You may even mention anyone you have met in your personal life as your mentor. When you answer this question, make sure you tell the interviewers why the person is your mentor. Tell them clearly what aspects in the mentor you appreciate and idealize.
11. What are your core competencies?
Most individuals possess certain special skills that others do not possess. These are the core competencies in individuals. If you are asked about your core competencies, you may elaborate about your special skills or gifted abilities. You must also tell the interviewers how these skills can help the company’s work.
12. What is your weakness?
This is a very tricky question that is commonly asked during job interviews. When you are asked regarding your weakness, do not be too honest and reveal your weakness. Instead frame an answer regarding your abilities in a manner that it can be stated as a weakness.
You may say answers like ‘I do not get sleep unless the entire work assigned to me is complete, that is my weakness’ or ‘I cannot resist challenges, it is a great weakness I possess’. These answers are sure to impress your interviewers.
13. What is your strength?
Tackling the questions in the right manner is an ability very few people possess. There are many individuals who blurt out answers like ‘my mother is my strength’ during interviews. These answers are not impressive. You must remember that since you are here for a job, you need to speak of strengths that will help you perform better in the job. Speak of some ability that is useful for the select profile. You may say ‘I am a good negotiator, that is my strength’ and it will help your profile gain more strength.
14. What is your political ideology?
You need to be careful while answering questions like these. Some people are biased towards people with a certain political ideology and your answer may act against you. You may instead choose to answer neutrally where you say there are different aspects of the different political ideologies that you like. There are pros and cons in each ideology and you prefer to choose the good from each ideology. Such an answer could be helpful in most occasions.
15. Do you read books? Which is the last author you read?
This was a question commonly asked in interviews in the past. Today, there are very few who read books yet you may be asked this question in some interview. They try to understand your language prowess and your vocabulary skills by asking this question. The question is frequently asked to candidates in the writing profession. Interviewers may further ask questions about the author too or the reason why you liked the book you read.
16. Why should we hire you?
You want the company to hire you because you think the company offers you growth or better opportunity. The company should also have an equally viable reason to hire you. When they ask you why they should hire you, you can speak of the benefits the company will have by hiring you for the specific job profile. Highlight your pluses and show them the merits of hiring you for the position. Be confident when you answer this question. Your confidence is a major factor that helps them make their decision.
These are a few questions that you may commonly expect in any job interview. If you are prepared for these questions, you will be able to handle the interview session easily. Make sure you go well dressed and well groomed so that the first impression is also cast well.
