When you apply for a job and you are called for an interview, there are various questions that are asked and the better prepared you are, the more successful your interview would be.
Well, you might have come across various articles on the internet that talk about the most common interview question and answers. This article would be completely different because it’s not just about the questions and answers, we are gonna talk. I’ll also provide complete details with an explanation that what exactly is would be happening in the interviewer mind when he’s asking certain questions. What exact answers he’s looking for? And the common mistakes that you generally do.
01. Tell Me About Yourself?
The first most common question asked by the interviewer is, so tell me something about yourself or he/she might also ask that run me through your CV?
Now here the interviewer is not really interested in your answer. He is just observing that how much you are confident, enthusiastic and the passionate in your words. So, it’s the best time to interact in a very natural way to show off your communication skills. Most people just end up saying,
“I’m a funny person, I love watching movies, I think I love partying. I have so many friends. So, I really enjoy partying”
Obviously, these are not the correct manners to answer as you are sitting in front of an interviewer, not in your friends. What you need to talk about is your Education, where you grew up or you can also talk about your past work experience, if you have any and your personal interest. For example, you can say,
Ahh well, I grew up in the USA and studied accounting. I also worked for an accounting firm for about eight months or so, and really enjoy numbers. So maybe that exactly the reason I love to solve them. It just becomes my hobby to solve accounting problems in my spare time, I really like reading and also go out jogging only if the weather allows me too. So that’s the way you should answer that question.
02. What are Your Strengths?
The second most popular question that he asks is that what are your strengths? Now this time he is looking to check your mind positivity, how much you are a positive minded person. These are very familiar questions, there is nothing decisive whether right or wrong, but here if you just put a one line, such as I’m a friendly person, people love my company or I’m loveable among them, well this is not enough sentence for an interview as you are here for your future.
So, what I suggest is you should state this, I’m a detail-oriented person, I totally believe in management, planning and then execution. In fact, when I was in college, I was the great planner of my days and many people think that this person is very approachable in his goals. So, I believe these are my strengths.
03. What are your Weaknesses?
This is important in fact very cunning question that has been asked by almost every interviewer. Oh, most people I know become emotional on such question and become detail oriented this time. Well, do not do so and avoid representing yourself a negative person. As I have heard people saying, I’m an angry and arrogant man, I have little patience etc.
Oh man, this is not the right way you do. Maybe this would be true but this is not the time to bring it up front with the interviewer.
At this point, the interviewer is just trying to evaluate the skills that can you find your weakness and their remedies.
Well, the best example that you can quote as your answer is amm I’m way too detail oriented and try to perform a task with deep interest by looking so many aspects of it and thinking with different angles makes me a little late in submitting to my boss. So, that thing I feel is my biggest weakness. At that time, however, you are putting a light on your weakness but also, on the other hand, you are going to make them feel that how much you are perfect in your deeds.
So, according to my point of view, this would be the right answer to this question.
04. Where do you See Yourself in Five Years? Or what is your Future?
This is also a common question that may come in his/ her mind as he would be going to hire you for is an organized company. What will be your output in the next five years? And on these bases what will be your position in the company?
In fact, a point is the interviewer is just wanted to know about how much you will put your efforts, struggle and time for the job to get long-term goals. This would be a very tricky situation for you while answering this question as for how would you know what will be gonna happen next. Many people straightly end up by saying this as I will be the CEO of this company, Right? Or will be a member of a board of directors.
Oh, this is not sounding good right, the possible and more suitable answer to this question would be, as an interviewer is looking at you that how much dedication and efforts you are going to put in this company? You know these days the market has a variety of opportunities and in fact saturation. Did he want to know how much you time you will stick with this company?
A sensible answer is that in the upcoming five years I would like to be in the management position. I will gain experience in the practical scenario and finally will get manager post. I’m as stated earlier is a friendly person and totally believe in teamwork, So, will learn a lot of things from my colleagues.
05. What do You Know about our Company?
The next most common question that would arise in interviewer mind might be What do you know about our company? Now here he obviously knows all about his company, Right?
Because he is part of it. But what he is trying to evaluate in you is, how much you are serious about that particular job or not. Or this interview is just a formality for you. Many people fail to sum up with this answer because of the lack of pre-research about the company.
What you need to do is? Just open the Google search about the company, gather enough knowledge, at least company past five years background, the name of the board of directors, position of the company, and keen knowledge about the product and services provided by this company. Make notes of all this and jump into the interview.
By getting this handful knowledge you can put a positive impact and can prove yourself a strong candidate for that company without replacement.