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General > > 55 most frequent ly asked int erview quest ions

55 most frequently asked interview questions

By adm in | A u g u st 1 8 , 2 0 0 5

Dan Johnston from PPR Career shared the following list of frequently asked questions on a job interv iew, as well as adv ice on what to be prepared for. 1 . Tell me about y ourself. Use Pict ure Frame Approach Answer in about two m inutes. Av oid details, don t ram ble. Touch on these four areas: How m any y ears, doing what function Education credentials Major responsibility and accom plishm ents Personal sum m ary of work sty le (plus career goals if applicable)
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Prepare in adv ance using this form ula: 1 . My nam e is 2 . I v e worked for X y ears as a [title] 3 . Currently , I m a [title] at [com pany ]

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3 . Currently , I m a [title] at [com pany ] 4 . Before that, I was a [title] at [com pany ] 5. I lov e the challenge of m y work, especially the m ajor strengths it allows m e to offer, including [A, B, and C]. 6 . Second, help the interv iewer by focusing the question with a question of y our own: What about m e would be m ost relev ant to y ou and what this com pany needs? 2 . Did y ou bring y our resume? Yes. Be prepared with two or three extra copies. Do not offer them unless y ou re asked for one.

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3 . What do y ou know Research the target com pany before the interv iew. Basic research about our organizat ion? is the only way to prepare for this question. Do y our hom ework, and y ou ll score big on this question. Talk about products, serv ices, history and people, especially any friends that work there. But I would lov e to know m ore, particularly from y our point of v iew. Do we hav e tim e to cov er that now? 4 . What experience Pre-interv iew research and PPR Career will help y ou here. Try do y ou have? to cite experience relev ant to the com pany s concerns. Also, try answering this questions with a question: Are y ou looking for ov erall experience or experience in som e specific area of special interest to y ou? Let the interv iewer s response guide y our answer. 5. According t o y our Be prepared to define success, and then respond (consistent record definit ion of of responsibility ) success, how successful have y ou been so far? (Is this person m ature and self aware?) 6 . In y our current or Giv e one or two accom plishm ent statem ents last posit ion, what were y our most significant accomplishment s? In y our career so far?

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7 . Had y ou t hought of leaving y our present posit ion before? If y es, what do y ou t hink held y ou t here? 8. Would y ou describe a few sit uat ions in which y our work was crit icized? 9 . If I spoke wit h y our previous boss, what would he or she say are y our great est st rengt hs and weaknesses? 1 0. How would y ou describe y our personalit y ? 1 1 . What are y our st rong point s? 1 2 . What are y our weak point s?

Refer to positiv e aspects of the job, adv ancem ent opportunities, and what y ou learned.

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AJAX Tutorials Giv e only one, and tell how y ou hav e corrected or plan to correct y our work. Dealing with y our job Getting a job Jav aScript tutorials Job interv iew tips from Yahoo! HotJobs My SQL tutorials Retiring from y our job Ruby on Rails tutorials Be consistent with what y ou think the boss would say . Position the weakness in a positiv e way (refer to #1 2 ) Salary guide for IT jobs Self-em ploy m ent TechInterv iews guides in PDF Understanding pointers XML Tutorials XUL tutorials

Keep y our answer short and relev ant to the job and the organization s culture.

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Present three. Relate them to that particular com pany and job opening. Don t say y ou hav e one, but giv e one that is really a positiv e in disguise. I am som etim es im patient and do to m uch work m y self when we are working against tight deadlines. Or I com plim ent and praise m y staff, but feel I can im prov e.

Em phasize y our best and fav orite subjects. If grades were av erage, 1 3 . How did y ou do in talk about leadership or jobs y ou took to finance y our education. school? Talk about extra-curricular activ ities (clubs, sports, v olunteer (Is the person m otiv ated? What are his/her v alues, attitudes? Is there a fit?) 1 4 . In y our current or Refer to y our satisfiers for likes. Be careful with dislikes, giv e only work)

1 4 . In y our current or Refer to y our satisfiers for likes. Be careful with dislikes, giv e only last posit ion, what one (if any ) and m ake it brief. Refuse to answer negativ ely . feat ures did y ou Respond that y ou like ev ery thing about m y current position and like most ? Least ? hav e acquired and dev eloped a great m any skills, but I m now ready for a new set of challenges and greater responsibilities. 1 5. What do y ou look Flip this one ov er. Despite the question, the em ploy er isn for in a job? t really interested in what y ou are looking for. He s interested in what he is looking for. Address his interests, rather than y ours. Use words like contribute, enhance, im prov e, and team env ironm ent. Fit y our answer to their needs Relate y our preferences and satisfiers/dissatisfiers to the job opening. 1 6 . How long would it Not long, because of m y experience, transferable skills and t ake y ou t o make ability to learn. a meaningful cont ribut ion t o our firm? 1 7 . How long would As long as I feel that I m contributing, and that m y

y ou st ay wit h us? contribution is recognized. I m looking to m ake a long term com m itm ent. 1 8. If y ou have never If y ou want to superv ise, say so, and be enthusiastic. supervised, how do y ou feel about assuming t hose responsibilit ies? 1 9 . Why do y ou want To grow and dev elop professionally , to help others dev elop, to t o become a build a team and to share what I hav e learned. supervisor? 2 0. What do y ou see as t he most difficult t ask in being a supervisor? 2 1 . Y ouve been wit h y our quit e a while. Let s assum e the interv iewer has a point here. That doesn t m ean y ou hav e to agree with the negativ e term s that it s both stable and challenging. But it s Getting things planned and done through others and dealing with different personalities. Show how y ou hav e done this in the past.

current employ er of the question. Answer: What I like about m y present position is

quit e a while. Why haven t y ou advanced wit h him? 2 2 . Why are y ou leaving y our

that it s both stable and challenging. But it s true that I v e grown about as m uch as I can in m y current position. (This response also turns the issue of salary on its head, transform ing it from What more can I get? to What more can I offer?) Nev er answer with negativ e reasons, ev en if they are true. Howev er, som e com panies hav e financial problem s which m ay positiv ely by answering why y ou want to m ov e to the target com pany instead of why y ou left or want to leav e y our m ost recent job. For exam ple, instead of answering, I don t get enough challenges at [com pany ], respond, I am eager to take on m ore challenges, and I believ e I will find them at [hiring com pany ]. I m not unhappy (at m y present em ploy er). Howev er, this opportunity seem s to be particularly interesting and I am interested in pursuing it further. Nev er personalize or be negativ e. Keep it short, giv e a group answer (e.g. our office is closing, the whole organization is being reduced in size). Stick to one response; don t change answers during the interv iew. When applicable; best response is: I was not on the m arket when PPR Career contacted m e and explained what y ou are doing, it peaked m y interest.

present posit ion? preclude y ou from stay ing with them . Fram e y our answer

2 3 . Describe what would be an ideal working environment ? 2 4 . How would y ou evaluat e y our present firm? 2 5. Do y ou prefer working wit h figures, or wit h words?

Team work is the key .

Be positiv e. Refer to the v aluable experience y ou hav e gained. Don t m ention negativ es.

Be aware of what the job requires and position your answer in that context. I n many cases it would be both.

2 6 . What kinds of Use this question as a chance to show that y ou are a team play er: people do y ou find The only people I hav e trouble with are those who aren t difficult t o work team play ers, who just don t perform , who com plain

difficult t o work wit h?

team play ers, who just don t perform , who com plain constantly , and who fail to respond to any efforts to m otiv ate them . The interv iewer is expecting a response focused on personality and personal dislikes. Surprise her by deliv ering an answer that reflects com pany v alues.

2 7 . How would y our co-workers describe y ou? 2 8. What do y ou t hink of y our boss?

Refer to y our strengths and skills.

If y ou like him or her, say so and tell why . If y ou don t like him or her, find som ething positiv e to say .

2 9 . Why do y ou want Explain how this size or ty pe of com pany works well for y ou, using t o work in a exam ples from the past if possible. company of t his size. Or t his t y pe? 3 0. If y ou had y our companies, where would y ou go? 3 1 . Why do y ou want You feel y ou can help achiev e the com panies objectiv es, especially t o work for us? in the short run. You like what y ou v e learned about the com pany , its policies, goals and m anagem ent: I v e researched the com pany and people tell m e it s a good place to work. 3 2 . What was t he last Think this through. Your answer should be com patible with book y ou read? accepted norm s. Movie y ou saw? Sport ing event y ou at t ended? 3 3 . What are y ou doing, or what have y ou done t o reach y our career object ives? 3 4 . What was wrong Again, choose y our words carefully . Don t be negativ e. Talk about form al courses and training program s. Refer to job preferences. Say that this job and this com pany are

choice of jobs and v ery close to what best suits y ou.

3 4 . What was wrong wit h y our last company ? 3 5. What kind of hours are y ou used t o working?
( DO ES T H E P ER S O N MA T C H J O B A N D C R IT ER IA ? )

Again, choose y our words carefully . Don t be negativ e. Say that no com pany is perfect, it had both strengths and weaknesses. As m any hours as it takes to get the job done.

3 6 . What would y ou do for us? 3 7 . What has y our experience been in supervising people? 3 8. Are y ou a good supervisor? 3 9 . Did y ou ever fire any one? If so, what were t he reasons and how did y ou handle it ? 4 0. How have y ou helped y our company ?

Relate past success in accom plishing the objectiv es which are sim ilar to those of the prospectiv e em ploy er. Giv e exam ples from accom plishm ents.

Draw from y our successes. Yes, m y people like and respect m e personally and professionally . They often com m ent on how m uch they learn and dev elop under m y superv ision. If y ou hav en t, say so, but add that y ou could do it, if necessary .

Refer to accom plishm ents.

4 1 . What is t he most Refer to accom plishm ents. If y ou hav en t had budget money y ou ever account ed for? Largest budget responsibilit y ? 4 2 . What s Rem em ber, y ou re talking to a prospectiv e em ploy er, not responsibility , say so, but refer to an accom plishm ent that dem onstrates the sam e skill.

4 2 . What s

Rem em ber, y ou re talking to a prospectiv e em ploy er, not

t he most difficult y our best friend. Don t dredge up a catastrophe that sit uat ion y ou ever resulted in a personal or corporate failure. Be ready for this faced on t he job? question by thinking of a story that has a happy ending happy for y ou and y our com pany . Nev er digress into personal or fam ily difficulties, and don t talk about problem s y ou v e had with superv isors or peers. You m ight discuss a difficult situation with a subordinate, prov ided that the issues were resolv ed inv entiv ely and to ev ery one s satisfaction. 4 3 . Describe some sit uat ions in which y ou have worked under pressure or met deadlines? Refer to accom plishm ents. Ev ery one has had a few of these pressure situations in a career. Behav ior-related questions aim at assessing a candidate s character, attitude, and personality traits by asking for an account of how the candidate handled certain challenging situations. Plan for such questions by m aking a list of the desirable traits relev ant to the needs of the industry or prospectiv e em ploy er and by preparing som e jobrelated stories about y our experience that dem onstrate a range of those traits and habits of conduct. Before answering the questions, listen carefully and ask any clarify ing questions y ou think necessary . Tell y our story and conclude by explaining what y ou intended y our story to illustrate. Finally , ask for feedback: Does 4 4 . How do y ou this tell y ou what y ou need to know? Rejection is part of business. People don t alway s buy

handle reject ion? what y ou sell. The tick here is to separate rejection of y our product from rejection of y ourself: I see rejection as an opportunity . I learn from it. When a custom er takes a pass, I ask him what we could do to the product, price or serv ice to m ake it possible for him to say y es. Don t get m e wrong: You v e got to m akes sales. But rejection is v aluable, too. It s a good teacher. 4 5. In y our present posit ion, what problems have y ou ident ified t hat had previously been overlooked? 4 6 . Give an example of y our creat ivit y . Refer to accom plishm ents. Refer to accom plishm ents

4 7 . Give examples of Draw exam ples from accom plishm ents. y our leadership abilit ies. 4 8. What are y our career goals? Talk first about doing the job for which y ou are apply ing. Your career goals should m esh with the hiring com pany goals.

4 9 . What posit ion do Just say y ou wish to exceed objectiv es so well that y ou will be on a y ou expect t o have prom otable track. in t wo y ears? 50. What are y our object ives? (How does the person handle stress? What is their confidence lev el?) 51 . Why should we hire y ou? This m ay sound suspicious, negativ e, or just plain harsh. Actually , it s a call for help. The em ploy er wants y ou to help him /her hire y ou. Keep y our response brief. Recap any job requirem ents the interv iewer m ay hav e m entioned earlier in the interv iew, then, point by point, m atch y our skills, abilities and qualifications to those item s. Relate a past experience which represents success in achiev ing objectiv es which m ay be sim ilar to those of the prospectiv e em ploy er. 52 . Y ou may be over- A strong com pany needs a strong person. An em ploy er will get qualified or t oo experienced for t he posit ion we have t o offer. 53 . Why haven t y ou found a new posit ion before now? 54 . If y ou could st art No need to be self-rev ealing. Hindsight is 2 0/2 0; ev ery one would Finding the right job takes tim e. I m not looking for just any job. faster return on inv estm ent because y ou hav e m ore experience than required. Refer back to question #4 8 on goals.

54 . If y ou could st art No need to be self-rev ealing. Hindsight is 2 0/2 0; ev ery one would again, what would m ake som e changes, but I v e learned and grown from all y ou do different ly ? 55. How much do y ou Be careful. If y ou don t know the m arket v alue, return expect if we offer the question by say ing that y ou would expect a fair salary based t his posit ion t o y ou? on the job responsibilities, y our experience and skills and the m arket v alue of the job. Express y our interest in the job because it fits y our career goals Receptiv e to a reasonable and com petitiv e offer don t talk $ s. It s alway s best to put off discussing salary and let PPR Career handle that. ANSWER: I m open to a com petitiv e offer. I d prefer to discuss the opportunity and allow m y recruiter to handle any salary questions.
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raj
Posted 9/5/2005 at 5:07 am | Pe rmalink

can we run the progs without including header files 1 )copy ing all the contents of relev ant header files then what about library linking: auto? or like pascal all in one default standard header and library file? or by m eans of m acros 2 nd thing can we run program s without operating sy stem ? like on 8085 kit basically what happens about routines or m em ory m anagem ent ov erheads

Rashanda
Posted 5/10/2006 at 11:28 am | Pe rmalink

This is the best sight for intev iew adv ice i hav e been on all day . The inform ation is v ery precise, and exactly what i needed.

Amanda
Posted 11/16/2006 at 5:36 pm | Pe rmalink

These are a good set of basis How tos. I am new to the Job Circuit. 1 0 y ears in the m ilitary , those things dont tend to help y ou hunt for a job. So the questions and answers are a great source of knowledge for those of us just getting out there.

Arushi Shanker
Posted 6/5/2007 at 8:23 am | Pe rmalink

this is just brilliant !!!!!! Good work Dan..i hav e giv en interv iews before and

ev en interv iwed people in the pastand trust m e som e of these questions hav e often giv en m e goosebum ps. Ev en when i knew what i wanted to say ..i just dint know how to put it across to the interv iewer. The questions do sound easy but it really needs som e brains to answer them correctly .These faqs would really do a lot of good to those apply ing for m anagerial jobs, who hav e experience but dont really know how to show it. Thanks

indrani gorti
Posted 6/28/2007 at 11:08 pm | Pe rmalink

This site is an excellent source to face interv iews in today s scenario, especially with the question and answer ty pe m ode, because it m akes us feel so easy to answer in the interv iews. It also boosts up and induces confidence to techies who are just getting out there.

Nicketia
Posted 9/25/2007 at 1:55 pm | Pe rmalink

Hats off to y ou Dan! Youv e done a great job prov iding such details for persons try ing to enter the com petitiv e job m arket. These are the winning 55 questions to help land that dream job. As Indrani Gorti m entioned techies, I m y self am not one, howev er y our Q & A is ideal for any one in any giv en situation. Tah, Nicky

topeka

Posted 10/9/2007 at 5:28 pm | Pe rmalink

Thanks Dan, This site is great. I hav e nev er thought to look at any sight before an interv iew. This site is excellent, because all three interv iews I hav e had I hav e failed due to the lack of knowledge of answering the questions correctly . I really thought that I was leav ing a good im pression, but all the while I was leav ing without the job. I am so glad that I found this site. I hav e an interv iew on the October 1 8, and I am v ery sure that these are som e of the questions that the panel will ask, but now that I know better I will do better, and when I do better I will feel confident with getting the job. Thanks Topeka

akil
Posted 2/28/2008 at 1:57 am | Pe rmalink

I am working in a com pany as a HR m anager. So I need this question to ask to the interv iewee to explore him m ore and m ore. And in other organization as well I am working as a trainer of the students for the interv iew, preparation for the interv iew, personality dev elopm ent aptitude dev elopm ent classes. I hope so that this will help m e m ore and m ore. If y ou can prov ide m e m ore inform ation regarding m y requirem ents then please send m e on the sam e m ail address.

vamanullah
Posted 4/1/2008 at 3:26 pm | Pe rmalink

Great insight Dan , the tips are really helpful. will let y ou know if y ou qualify for a drink If I getr through tom orrow.and y es god bless

Suman Kumar Ghosh

Posted 4/2/2008 at 6:43 am | Pe rmalink

As a senior trainer of IT sector I personally felt the true im portance of all these questions and the answer tips and ev en proposed these questions to m y students. They are also benefited highly in their professional life.

Hassan
Posted 4/23/2008 at 5:26 am | Pe rmalink

Re question 1 2 . No absolutely not! Lam e false negativ es are v ery tried, and any interv iewer worth his salt will see right through it. Be honest and use a real opportunity for im prov em ent, such as I can be better at prioritisation and tim e-m anagem ent then say what y oure doing to im prov e like I now carry a PDA which has m y schedules, tasks, em ails and alarm s/rem inders etc

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