Interview

Preparation v 1.1 

Common Interview Question:

Why do you want this job?

Think about this question carefully and stress upon the positive aspects that attracted
you to apply for this post. Be careful in not mentioning the negative points of your
present job as a reason for why u wants this job.

What according to you are the pre‐requisites for this job?

The advertisement placed by them for the job can help you to some extent of answer
this question. These may include leadership ability, supervisory skills, communication
skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc.

What do you think you can contribute to the success of the company?

This is a chance for you to form an impression. Explain about your past achievements in
your previous job(s) relevant to the new position you are applying for.

Why do you want to work with this company?

Your answer should be emphasizing all the positive aspects about why you want to join
the company but Carefully avoiding answers like for more money or for shorter
working hours. They will leave bad Impression to your prospective employer.

What do you know about this company?

This is a great chance for you to impress the interviewer with the knowledge you have
gained about the company. Give them a run‐down of their products/services, sales
figures, news, company figures, customers, etc.

What is the feature that interests you about our product/service?

The research you have done about the company should help you a lot here.

What do you think we can offer you that your previous company has offered you?

Stride with utmost care here. Don’t mention money aspects. You could Stress on
opportunities for personal growth, new challenges, etc.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

Why do you think we should employ you?

You can answer this question based on your previous experience and achievements
relating to the position and company. As a conclusion you could mention that you can fit
into the position comfortably with the supporting reason. You can also ask the
employers opinion about this.

How long would it take for you to make a significant contribution to the success of
the company/project?

You can mention that you can make the contribution from day one. You can also ask the
employer how much time you are expecting for me to make a significant contribution.
How competitive are you for this job/ Depending on the position you are applying for
you may want to sound fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the
interviewer's position.

What do you like and dislike the most about your job?

Likes: here you can stress things like new challenges, opportunity to bring a new
experience to the company

Dislikes: mention that you do not dislike anything in particular which is the reason why
you liked the job.

Why did you choose a career in this field?

Your answer should be very positive with appropriate reasoning and advantages of this
field. If you have been changing careers give logical reasoning why you have done so.

What according to you are the similarities and differences between your previous
job and your present job?

The interviewer is trying to visualize how well you could fit into the position so try to
focus more on the similarities rather than the differences. Coming to the point of
differences it will help you if you can demonstrate that you have done similar task
before or you could pick up the new skill quickly.

What is your opinion about the previous company you have worked for?

Stress upon the positive points about your company with a few words of praise for the
company. You can mention about the training you have received or the work experience
you have gained.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

Did your previous company live up to your expectations? Why do you want to
leave that company?

Your answer should be always about joining or leaving a company. Do not mention
anything negative about your present employer. Instead you could say that you are
looking for new challenges and mention that the company who is interviewing you fits
into that very well.

What is the organization structure in your previous company and how well did
you fit in it?

These kinds of questions are usually used to know wither your old job is at comparable
level to your new job. If the new job is at a level more than your previous one, you
should be able to demonstrate that you will be able take up a more demanding position.
You should try to tell that you have already been handling most of the responsibilities
and posses the needed skills for this job.

What is the size of the company you would prefer to work with? Small, medium or
large?

Before answering this question bear in mind the company size where you are attending
the interview. If it is a medium or small sized company you could say that you like to
work in a close atmosphere with a good team spirit. If it is a large company you can say
that you enjoy the stability of working in a large company and established company.

What are your expectations in the new job?

The most appropriate reply would be that you are looking for a job where you can apply
your present skills and learn new ones.

What would be your ideal job?

For this question you can describe your ideal job in a similar way as their job
description given in the advertisement. An ideal job can include challenging work
environment, good team spirit, opportunity to learn new skills, apply your existing
skills, etc.

Are you thinking of considering any other jobs at the moment?

If you are considering, but be careful not to give too many details as it may weaken you
negotiating position later. If you are not considering any just say that you have a few
irons in the fire.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

How would you describe yourself?

Take this chance to describe about your personal and professional attributes and
achievements.

Do you think that you are successful?

Your answer should be positive. You can explain about some of your past work related
achievements that will suit the position you desire for.

What has been your greatest success? How did you achieve it?

Describe about an achievement, which best suits, their needs.

What has been your greatest failure?

Tell about a failure, which you have rectified in later stages, or something, which is not
very important.

What do you think about improving yourself?

Be careful in not mentioning any of your negative points as the interviewer is waiting to
find a flaw in you. Instead stress on things like learning new things.

Did you have any chance for growth in your previous jobs?

If you had successful chances for growth then mention that, if you did not have any
satisfactory opportunities for growth be careful about the words you use.

Are you a leader?

Explain about your previous experiences where you have successfully demonstrated
your leadership qualities.

Are you a loner or do you get along well with others?

Some jobs mean that you have to work in a team and for some jobs you need to be on
your own. You can say that you are comfortable in both the situations.

Are you self‐motivated or you needing someone to motivate you?

You should answer that you are self‐motivated.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

Will you be able to work on your own initiative?

You should answer positively asking how much responsibility I will be required to
handle.

What are the motivational factors for you?

You can say good career growth, opportunities to learn new skills, a congenial work
environment etc.

Are you competitive?

Your answer should depend on the type of job offered. If you are working in a team then
you should say that you would work in the best interest of team and not just for your
own benefit.

Will you be able to work under pressure?

Your answer should be affirmative but ensure that you ask under how much pressure?

What are your career goals?

Mention the goals, which are in common interest of the company requirements.

Are you prepared to relocate?

If you are, say so. If you do not want to move then you do not have to accept the job ‐ try
and come across as someone who is positive.

Are you willing to travel?

Again if you are, say so. You want to sound positive, so find out how much traveling is
involved before you turn down the job.

How often are you off sick?

This can be a difficult question to answer if you are frequently off sick or you have just
recovered from a prolonged period of illness. If you have generally enjoyed good health
and this period of illness is not typical then you should say so.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

What did you earn in your last job?

You have to be very careful when answering this question because once an interviewer
knows your current salary they will try and fix your next remuneration based on this
figure. This may be satisfactory if you only wanted a modest rise in salary and your
current salary is in line with their salary range, but, what if your current salary is
substantially lower than the rate for the job, or if you want a substantial salary rise? In
these cases you would be best advised to say that you do not really want to prejudice
yourself by being too high or too low. Ask if you can discuss this later after. The
responsibilities for the job have been discussed; you may also want to ask them what
the range for the job is (if you do not already know).

What level of salary are you looking for now?

Be very careful when you answer this question ‐ you do not want to appear to be
greedy. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary
range is. Once they have answered you could say "I think my experience would place me
at the top end of your range, don't you?" If they ask you this question fairly early on in
the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without
first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities."

What will your referees say about you?

Say that you expect excellent references. ‐‐‐

Difficult Question

If you cannot answer a question you might reply with "That's an interesting question ‐
how would you tackle it?"

Fantasy Question:

These sorts of questions can be very difficult to answer. Such questions might include:
"What would you do if you won the National Lottery?" You should give the answer,
which in your opinion will give you the best chance of getting the job.

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 Interview Preparation v 1.1 

Questions you may want to ask an interviewer:

The interview is a two‐way process. The company interviewing you will want to find out
whether you are suitable for the position and you will want to find out if the company
and position are right for you. You should therefore ensure that you have enough
information to make up your mind whether you want the job. For Example:

1. What will be my responsibilities?
2. Where will I fit into the overall organizational structure?
3. Who will I report to?
4. Where does he/she fit in the structure?
5. Who will report to me? How experienced are they?
6. What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months?
7. What level of performance do you expect from me?
8. Who are your customers?
9. Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans?
10. What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? When?
11. What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up too early in
the interview ‐ wait until they are sold on you.]
12. Will traveling be required in this position?
13. Will relocation be required now or in the future?
14. What training do you provide?
15. When will you decide on the appointment?

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