An Interview is a goal-oriented, two-way communication process wherein, both the candidate and the employer strive to ascertain whether it is the right match or not. Most of the candidates feel that once they have cracked the written test, they can easily drive the job in hand. On the contrary, knowing how to bring forth strong answers is the hidden key to unlock a job. Thus, to master as an interviewee, comprehending the significance of the interview and bracing up with all the possible questions can go miles for candidates to prove themselves as the right fit for the company.
Revealed are the top 10 common interview questions faced by candidates; the answers to which have been given below:
1. "Give a brief introduction about yourself?" This question comes up commonly in almost every job interview. Many candidates might hate to answer this question but it can be taken as an opportunity to provide a relevant pitch that will quickly help the interviewer know about who you are. Instead of giving a long-tail story, provide a concise answer summarizing your strengths, achievements and skills, which in turn could leave the interviewer compelled to consider you for the job.
2. "Why are you looking out for a job change?" The reasons given by candidates for leaving their past job are essential for every employer in order to judge if they are loyal, stable, or reasonable. The best way of tailoring the response to master this question is by being focused about the future. Instead of talking bad about previous employer/s, try to emphasize on the positive side.
For instance- "I enjoyed my previous work and gained new skills but I feel that my capabilities can be utilised where there is better scope of growth."
3. "How do you define your strengths?" This seamlessly common question gives a fair chance to candidates to reveal the best of themselves. The advice here is to play with their words artfully because through this question the employer needs to know about the relevant candidate's strengths, which can align with the company. When answering this question, it is recommended to be accurate with the true strengths only not those, which the interviewer will be delighted with.
For example- 'creative writing skills', 'persuasive communication', and 'multi-tasking skills'.
4. "Where do you see your career graph after next five years?" The interviewer in this question attempts to know if the potential candidate is motivated and has realistic expectations about his or her future. The best bet for candidates is to give a truthful answer about how they perceive about their career growth.
For example- "I am always ready to take challenges and look forward to every year of my life as a challenge and opportunity to grow in my career."
5. "How your past employers and co-workers describe you?" Most interviewers take the judgement for hiring on what the candidates speak about themselves. This common question appears easy to describe but giving only the relevant answer is the key master it. The advice here is to value the interviewer's time by avoiding to describe long stories about your nature. Instead, give some qualities such as- 'hard-working', 'trustworthy', 'positive & easy-going' that will directly affect the decision-making process of the recruitment team.
6. "What are some of your greatest weaknesses?" This question is often placed in front of candidates, which leaves them in a confusing situation about revealing their weak areas. However, the key to conquer this question is simply by portraying the weak zones as areas of improvement. Potential candidates can respond to this question by mentioning about skills they have improved so far and how these will help them in paving a new way to their careers.
7. "How do you tackle with stressful situations?" Through this question, the interviewer does not intend to listen that the potential candidate never encountered stress in life. Instead, the employer needs to assess how the aspirant gets affected by it and how he or she deals with it. The best answer for this question can be given with an example where the candidate encountered a particular stressful situation and how well s/he got the job done with poise.
8. "What salary are you expecting?" This question gives an opportunity to employers to know the priorities of potential candidates. On the contrary, when responding to this question it is advisable to give a reasonable idea of what one requires. Candidates, in this question, must not be rigid with the monetary benefits if they are aware of their skills. What is wise to look forward is, if it is the job they are going to love in future and offering several benefits they wished for.
9. "Why should we hire you?" In order to lock the job, candidates must be prepared to answer this question in a concise way. It is recommended to tailor the best response for this question by giving one line answers that will help them gain the job more easily. Choose to say something such as, "I possess a blend of skills, which will help me take your company to an elevated level.", "My XYZ skills allow me to stand apart from the rest of the crowd."
10. "Do you have any questions?" For candidates, the opportunity to ask questions usually arrives at the end of the job interview. This is why, candidates must appear for the same with well-prepared questions, which either reflect their key interest in the particular role or open-ended questions that can be asked about the company. For instance, "What are the major qualities you expect to have for this specific role?" or "How is the work culture of the company?" and similar.
Keeping these questions in mind, the candidates can prepare themselves to conquer the race of the toughest of interview and making a lasting impression on the employers, recruiters, or interviewers in no time.