Common Interview Questions and Answers – Part 1

So you have built a darn good resume taking the time and care to close all major lacunae and even managed to secure an interview call! Reason enough to relax now, you think, right? Not so fast, my friend; the final goal is, after all, to secure the job which means that you still need to go through and ace the interview—a process every bit as intense and serious as perfecting your resume, maybe even more so.

It’s all in the open now, no longer can you hide behind eloquent phrases on sheets of paper. What you do or do not say during this dialogue can either spell success or failure at landing that dream assignment.

The good news? Most of the generic questions are common across the board and what’s even better (yes, there is something better) is that this piece tells you why the interviewer is asking that question and also how you should and should not answer. Let’s get started then on the common interview questions and how to respond.

1. “Tell me something about yourself.”

Why are they asking you this?

This is the probably the most common interview question and probably the first question . . . and the most challenging one as it tends to invite quite an open and wide response. However the interviewer is neither interested in learning about your life history nor is the idea to cover your resume from A to Z.

The aim of this question is to assess your personality and qualifications and basically set the stage for the rest of the interview.

How should you answer?

Your response to this query should provide the content necessary to steer the discussion in a direction that makes you look good and the right person for the job. Start with your name and in not more than 5 sentences, summarize

1. your education,
2. your career trajectory,
3. your responsibilities and
4. achievements in your past jobs and
5. your professional strengths.

Conclude (and this is most important) by linking all of this to the position you are interviewing for so that the person on the other side of the table is at least curious, if not convinced, to explore your fitness for the role at hand.

2. “Why do you want to work for this company?” OR “Why do you want this job?”

Why are they asking you this?

JFK once said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Too ‘high up there‘ for a job-interview situation? Maybe . . . maybe not, if you appreciate that it is exactly the latter half of the quote that is driving this question: What do you bring to this job?

If you are not prepared, you may approach this question as another opportunity to talk about your individual goals and aspirations.

How should you answer?

Get off your high horse and identify that one facet of the position being offered that appeals to you; is it the company values, its training process? Or maybe the technology the job involves? Link this to your specific skill set and talk about how you can contribute as you possess x,y,z competencies and believe that this helps you meet your long term goals of a,b,c.

Mind you, sincerity is crucial to this question; if you cannot see beyond the money, you not only run the risk of convincing the recruiter that you have no idea about what the company has to offer but also come across as someone desultory and frivolous—both of which are strict no-no’s for any role.

Say something like:

• I look forward to roles that offer more responsibility and visibility and feel that a close-knit company such as yours will give me a chance to build better working relationships with clients and colleagues.

• I want to be a part of a global company that values eco-friendly industrial processes and actively pursues research projects in this area.

3. “What are Your key strengths? Weaknesses?”

Why are they asking you this?

This is your chance to shine! But don’t go overboard or talk about your top scores on Angry Birds; the interviewer is looking for job-related strengths. And he is quizzing you on your weaknesses not because he is eager to run you down for a chink in your armor but because he is curious to know what you intend to do about it.

This tells them two things: that you are mature enough to know your failings and also smart enough to know how to handle it.

How should you answer?

It is not enough to say “I have great time management skills.” You need to support this statement with the example of a situation in the past where you have demonstrated this situation and were appreciated by a boss or a customer for it. Also correlate the strength to the job that you are applying for.

If you believe that the job would require excellent selling abilities, talk about how good you are at achieving sales targets. The ground is more slippery on weaknesses; a stand of “my weakness is being too darn good at my job and hence making others jealous” means you can kiss your success at the interview goodbye.

Then again, you run pretty much the same risk if you decide to be completely honest and lay open all your fallacies. So pick a small, work-related flaw and explain how you are working to overcome it. Remember: keep it real and positive.

Say something like:

• Being organized was not my strong point, however implementing a time-management system helped me improve in this area.

• I am not comfortable talking to people I don’t know well. Now that I have taken up a weekend job at the library, I feel more at ease talking to anybody.

4. “What did you enjoy most/least about your last job?”

Why are they asking you this?

People can fake a lot of things in their resume (the obvious implication here: please do not!). This question is designed to act as a sieve and identify whether you actually did what you claim to have done, how much you were involved in day-to-day operations and so on.

How should you answer?

When you are talking about things that you enjoyed most, relate it to the important skills required at the position that you are interviewing for. Mention that you are looking forward to furthering the good experience that you had—a subtle hint that you actually enjoy what they are offering.

The other side is more difficult. You cannot say that there was nothing, that’s not practical. Instead you need to convey that you understand the business importance of a task and are committed to finishing it even if you are not particularly fond of a certain aspect.

Say something like:

• The timelines were constrained at my previous project and that created some pressure. The good thing was that our effort to stick to the deadlines helped bag a strategic deal for the organization.

Conclusion

These common interview questions are not easy, are they? Not without some serious introspection and research, at least. An easy way to prepare is to do a self interview in front of the mirror or ask a person you can trust to do it for you. Evaluate the answers that you have prepared and think of your reaction if someone gave you this response. Does it make sense? Does it ring true? Which brings me to another important point. Do not appear or sound rehearsed at the interview as you give these responses.

The idea is not to have a response by rote, rather it is to understand what the interviewer is looking for and provide the same to the best of your ability. When I return, I shall have some more interesting questions that you would do well to prepare for. More common interview questions  and interview tips in Part 2 of the series. Until then, Happy Pondering!