If you are going to appear for a personal interview, following are some of the most expected questions you will be asked. Although these are simple and straight questions yet the way you answer them says a lot about your appropriateness for the position.
While most of the times we talk about how one should answer the questions in a personal interview, it is also important to know how one should not answer these questions.
The right answer to a question is absolutely dependent on the situation and cannot be carved in stone but knowing the right and wrong approach to answer these questions will help you in dealing with the situation.
This article tells you the wrong/ right approach to answer some of the most frequently asked tricky questions:
Why does this role interest you? Or why have you applied for this job?
Wrong approach: This role interests me because I believe it will offer me a lot of challenges which I love to face and I’ll get to learn a lot in this role & progress in my career.
Right approach: Rather than discussing about what the job can do for you, match your skills, experience and personal qualities with the requirements of the job and tell the interviewer that since you have all these qualities, you have applied for this position.
What is your greatest weakness?
Wrong approach 1: I don’t have any weakness.
Wrong approach 2: I can’t take pressure (if you have applied for a position where you know pressure is always going to exist, for e.g. if you have applied for a position in sales)
Right approach: Every human being has weaknesses. The key to answer this question lies in admitting that you too have weaknesses and offer either a completely unrelated weakness which wouldn’t have an impact on the role you have applied for or present one of your strengths as weaknesses.
You can also analyse the situation and if the interview is going in a light environment, you can also give a light answer to this question for e.g. ‘My son is my biggest weakness’.
What is your greatest achievement?
Wrong approach: I stood first in the merit list for my class Xth board exams. This says that you didn’t achieve anything as big as that after class Xth.
Right approach: Find an answer to this question in recent past and highlight the personal qualities you needed to achieve it.
Why do you want to quit your present job?
Wrong approach: I am not liking the work environment or my boss is not good or the salary they are paying is too less.
Right approach: The reasons for you to leave a job could be numerous but ensure that you do not badmouth your boss or the company during a job interview.
You have not come to discuss a problem in the interview rather your purpose is to find a solution to your problem in the form of a new employer. So, focus your answer on ‘better prospects’.
You do not have all the experience we are seeking for this position.
Wrong approach: Getting nervous and saying ‘I’ll learn, sir’.
Right approach: Do not get uncomfortable if you do not have all the experience required for the position and also it is important that you do not behave as a ‘Job Beggar’.
The recruiter has a ‘need’ and you could be a ‘possible solution’. Match you skills and personal qualities with the job requirement and say that you have most of what it takes to perform this job.
However, every new job needs a person to learn something new and you are quite good at picking up new things fast. You can back this up with an example from your previous jobs where you picked up new things.
Your expected salary?
Wrong approach: I expect 17.5 K for this job or a 10-15 percent increase from my last job.
Right approach: Do not jump at a figure when asked about expected salary. Ask the interviewer about the salary they would offer for this position.
There’s a possibility that the company has fixed salary for each level. If at all you have to be the one to spell out the figure first, mention a range which is not too broad.
For e.g. “I expect something around mid-forties for this position”. Keeping the range too broad may get you something towards the lower end.
Do you want to ask us something about the company?
Wrong approach: No, I don’t have any questions.
Right approach: It is important that you read about the company before you go for the interview and ask some intelligent questions about the business.
This shows your level of interest in the position and your preparation for the interview. If you do not have questions related to business, you can ask about your growth prospects in the organization.
Interviewer: Tell us something about yourself
Candidate: Sir, as you know, my name is Mohan. My father Mr. XYZ works as senior manager for Company 1 and my mother is a house maker. I have completed my BE – Electronics and Communication with 72% marks from Mumbai University. I have been a part of the team representing the college in various state level paper presentation competitions.
Interviewer: So, have you won any accolades for your college from these competitions?
Candidate: Yes, I have been the winner of the two competitions I participated in during my last year of engineering.
Interviewer : Fantastic. This sounds interesting to me.
Interviewer: Ok. Why have you applied for this particular job?
Candidate : Sir, this position requires someone who has an academic background in electronics and communication, has the confidence to face the clients and possesses good communication skills. I believe, I have all the desired skills and hence I think, I am a good fit for this position.
Interviewer: But you don’t seem to have any experience in developing presentations which is required for this position.
Candidate: Sir, I agree that I do not have any working experience on developing presentations but I am quite creative, have good analytical and writing skills. I am quite comfortable with working on power point. Apart from these, I am a very quick learner.
I am sure, with a little guidance from my seniors I will pick up this skill very quickly.
Interviewer: Hmmm….well, we usually impart training to new employees to fit into our work culture. I can think over it.
Interviewer: Can you tell me your two weaknesses?
Candidate: Sir, I have been staying in a hostel for last 4 years but I have not yet been able to develop an interest in cooking.
Secondly, my friends often accuse me of being too punctual and disciplined but I believe that time is money and you must respect it. Also, I like to finish all my work on time as I believe that any incomplete assignment drains your energy and finished task gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
Interviewer: Interesting!
Interviewer: Ok, can you tell me your two strengths now?
Candidate : Sir, my biggest strength is the ability to listen to people patiently before I give them any advice related to their problems.
Secondly, I have a “can-do” attitude. For anything that needs to be done, I believe, it might be difficult but it is possible and I manage to find my way out.
Interviewer (Thinking to himself): These are the qualities I need in the person I would like to hire for this position.
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Candidate: 5 years from now, I would like to grow to a level where my company treats me as its asset and can rely on me for making some important decisions for it.
Interviewer: Are you comfortable working in a team?
Candidate : Yes, pretty comfortable!
Interviewer: What is your expected salary?
Candidate: Sir, what is the salary that the company offers to the fresh graduates?
Interviewer: For this position, we are pretty open. It depends on the type of candidate we finalize. What is your expectation?
Candidate: Something in mid- twenties.
Interviewer: What will you do if you are offered a job with higher salary?
Candidate : Sir, I know the attraction of money but I am just going to begin my career where learning and growing is extremely important. So, if I am offered a job with higher salary, I’ll compare the learning and growth opportunities at two places and discuss with my senior. If I see that I have the prospects of growing in this company itself, I will continue with the same job.
Interviewer : Great!
Interviewer: Would you like to ask us some questions?
Candidate : Sir, I read some days back in the newspaper about the new product your company has launched. Which segment does it target? Also, if I am hired for this position, what will be my growth path here?
Interviewer answers the questions. He is pretty impressed with the candidate and tells him that he will get back to him with his decision day after tomorrow when he has seen all the candidates.
The candidate gets up, shakes hand with the interviewer, says thank you and leaves the interview room confidently.
