Interview Questions-2

How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions continuation:::

10. Why do you want to work for us (as opposed to the competitor companies)?

Demonstrate that you know something about the company, that you believe they are leaders/ innovators in what they do, or you think their work culture is exactly what you are looking for, or you like their product(s) or you have friends who work there and have always been attracted to the company etc. Flatter the company and show you know something about it.

11.How long will it take you to start making a meaningful contribution?

Show that you are enthusiastic and willing to learn and will put in all the hours and effort necessary to learn the ropes and start making an immediate contribution. Indicate that your past experiences/ skills/ credentials will enable you to make an immediate contribution at some level while you quickly learn all new aspects of the job. An Interviewer wants someone who is willing and able to learn and will make a return on his investment sooner rather than later.

12. What are your strengths?

See 14 below. In addition, keywords such as good team player, work very well under pressure, very creative, very strong quantitative or computer skills, and very strong client relationship skills may be appropriate depending on your chosen field.

13. What are your weaknesses?

Do NOT mention key weaknesses here. This is not the place to say you are bad at meeting deadlines or you never mastered high school mathematics etc. Turn this question around to your benefit. For example, you are 'overambitious' or 'extremely attentive to detail' or 'like to take on too many projects'. Make it sound positive.

14. What are your career goals?

Show you have thought forward and are committed to your career.

15. How would you describe yourself?

Any of these are good examples of attributes employers are looking for: intelligent, hardworking, quick to learn, enthusiastic, honest, efficient, productive, ambitious, successful, and compassionate (in the medical fields)

16. How would your colleagues describe you?

Do not bring up anything negative here.

17. How would your boss describe you?

They will check references anyways so bring up the most positive attribute you can think of about yourself eg hardworking, honest etc. and leave it to your Boss to say anything to the contrary.

18. What did you most like/ dislike about your past job?

Do not use this to badmouth past jobs/ employers. Keep it light and in your favour eg I outgrew the job, there wasn't a clear career progression, I wasn't learning anything new etc. Ideally, you will have loved your last job and would like to achieve the same kind of success and job satisfaction in a more challenging area as you have now 'outgrown' that job and are ready for 'new challenges'.

19. Describe a situation in your past where you showed initiative?

You could describe any new methods you came up with to do your job or to save money for the company or to turn around a bad situation. It can be something as simple as changing a filing system, or establishing a relationship with a vendor that saved your department a lot of money. If you are in sales, you may want to talk about how you brought in that big account. Creatives may talk about how they came up with that cutthroat image or design that brought in the business.

20. What were your main responsibilities in your last job?

Have these ready and list them all. Dwell on the ones that are most relevant to the new job. This answer should be smooth and practiced.

21. What do you consider your greatest accomplishments?

Many of us have one or two milestones in our career that we are very proud of eg. that early promotion, that 'huge' deal we brought in, the design we came up with, the costs we saved, the revenues we increased, the people we trained, a new invention or process we came up with etc. Examples of accomplishments may be: 'Reduced costs by X%; or renamed and repositioned a product at the end of its lifecycle, or organized and led a team to do do XYZ, or achieved sales increase of X% etc. If you are a fresh college graduate, talk about extracurricular activities, leadership roles and grades.

22. Do you work better in teams or independently?

Show that you are a proactive team player and like to bounce ideas off others and get input; however you are very capable of working independently (give examples).

CONTINUE...

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