Interview questions and Answers

21 Most Sticky and Tricky Interview Questions
1. Tell Me About Yourself It sounds a bit like the kind of question you get asked on a first date! This is not as straight forward to answer as it might first seem. Don\'t start rambling on about how many siblings you have and your position in your family, or your zodiac sign and temperament. That is not what the interviewer is looking to hear. This is the dreaded, classic, open-ended interview question and likely to be among the first. It is your chance to introduce your name, qualifications, good work habits, etc. Keep it mostly on work and career related.

2. What do you know about this organization?  Now if you have taken any earlier advice you will have done your research and read up about what the company is involved in, its products, turnover and strategy. You will really impress your interviewer if you are able to show that you have done some research about their company. Previously mentioned people like to think if you are really eager to work for them you will have done some research about what they do and how they do it. 

3. What made you apply for this job and why do you want it? This is somewhat a double edge question. Your interviewer is not necessarily looking for an answer here that is straight forward. You know you are applying for the job because you think you would be able to advance your career with this firm, but the interviewer wants to see if there are some specifics that really attract you to it, you could an answer such as  'I am a very well organized person and this role involves  exceptional management skills. I thrive under pressure and it makes me perform to my full ability which makes me think that I would really enjoy it'. Obviously you can tailor this answer to whatever role you are applying for.

4. What do you think this job entails? When you are applying for a new job, you need to know some things about what your new job would entail. For example, if the job is a secretarial role and you are a secretary you will know the sort of work you are going to be engaged with. In any case you will have to give a brief description of the job role and what responsibilities it carries with it so you should be able to make a fairly calculated guess at what the job entails

5. Why do you want to leave your present job? This is a bit stupid question really as the chances of the interviewer getting a straight answer are fairly limited. Let\'s face it if the job you\'re going to be looking for a new job. It might be that your current boss is a complete idiot and you don\'t like him. It could be you can\'t stand working with Hillary in accounts. Let\'s face it, you are not going to say any of these are you? I think a standard response would be in the line of 'I feel that I have outgrown the company I am in and feel my contribution as part of a team could be put to much better use with a larger or more focused company where I can expand my skills further. I am really interested in my current job but my employer does not have the resources to let me advance in this area.' Just try not to be negative about the job you are leaving. 

6. What is the most enjoyable part of your current job? This is a fairly straight forward question but has a bit of a double meaning. Obviously there are going to be parts of your existing job that you don\'t like doing, or you would not be applying for this new position, would you? But your job can\'t be that great either or you would not be applying for this job. Don\'t get down on this route, just answer something along the line of  'your existing job is great and you can\'t really put your finger on any part of your current job that you dislike, that you are just looking to further your career' and leave it at that. It is possible to use this question to your benefit but you need to make sure you pick something that is going to complement the job you are applying for. 

7. Tell us about the biggest challenge you have ever faced in your career. This is a really great question to help you shine! You are more likely to be asked this question and it is a really great opportunity for you to blow your trumpet or to speak. Pick a challenge where you have been successful and explain how you overcame the challenge and the outcome. This question can also be used by the interviewer to gauge what you consider to be challenging so this is a bit of a crafty one as well. 

8. What is your present boss like? Another question posed by interviewers to gauge your loyalty and integrity. It is not a good idea to be critical about any of the employers you have ever worked for. Let\'s face it, very few of us actually like our bosses (well most of us just placate them and tell them what they want to hear), after all why would you possibly want to be best friends with a person who holds your career prospects in their hands? If you get asked this question the most appropriate reply would be 'I like my boss and get on very well with him. I respect his experience and he is good at the job'. You really don\'t need to expand further on this issue at interview stage. You have to remember that the person interviewing you may well, at some point in the near future, become your boss and they may be weighing up your loyalty and integrity.

9. What is your biggest weakness? This is a crafty question because no one would want to show their weaknesses, but we all have them. The most comprehensive way of dealing with this question is to try and turn it into a positive from a negative. So you may say 'my biggest weakness is buying my spouse a jean when she sees and asks for it while driving down the street, but I always feel a deep sense of satisfaction when I do it at last'. 

10. Are you a good leader?  Your interviewer is looking to ascertain whether you can manage or lead well in your job and how you deal with the people who work under you. Perhaps you would answer this question along the line of 'I feel that my team skills are exceptional. I am always firm but fair with the people who work for me and find that I get a good deal of respect by operating in this manner'. 

11. How well do you handle criticism? Everyone gets criticized in the job they do at some point in their career whether you feel that the criticism is justified or not. There are always two sides to every given situation. An idea response might be 'We all at some point make mistakes and I am more than happy to absorb any constructive criticism as it forms a basis for personal reassessment'. 

12. How do you deal with interpersonal problems within your team? Nothing runs smoothly all the time and occasionally there will be disputes amongst members of your team. Obviously your answer will probably come from your own experience as a team player, so issues of being fair to both sides of the dispute, dealing with the problem in private and not causing embarrassment  as well as looking for a compromise between the individuals may all come into play.

13. If you had the chance to start your career afresh what different course might you take? No one can turn back the hands of time so it sounds irrelevant, isn\'t it? But this is one of those questions some interviewers like to ask. The only only reasonable answer I can think of right now is 'I wouldn\'t change anything. I have been more than happy with all of the decisions I have made as regards my career and don\'t feel I can progress by looking back and analyzing something I cannot change'.

14. Would you consider yourself overqualified for this job? If you were overqualified for the job would you be applying for it? Well, an interviewer\'s reasoning could be that you are desperate. A potential employer does not want to hire you if he thinks you are going to get bored in five minutes because the job is too easy and then start looking elsewhere again. This is the difficult question to answer but you could intimate that you have a very low boredom threshold and that everything  you do, you do to the best of your ability.

15. What kind of people do you hardly get on with? When you are attending an interview you really don\'t want to be seen always complaining about an individual in your current organization or engagement. The easiest way to deal with this question is to give your answer based on the fact that although you are a very amenable and easy to get on with person, you are very much a team player and the most difficult people to work with are the ones that do not carry the same high standards in their work like you do.

16. What is your current pay figure? This is no doubt a tempting question and you are best to give a non-committal answer. You must bear in mind that all organizations want to minimize expenditure on salaries while trying to maximize profits at the same time, so if you are offered the job your salary is going to hover around your current salary or be a little higher. Therefore an appropriate answer might be 'It\'s not really the salary that is important to me, but the development of my career which I look forward to by identifying with your company'. By saying this, you not only tell your potential employer that you are intelligent, you also fundamentally increase your bargaining or negotiating power for a reasonable pay. 

17. Why should we hire you? This is another opportunity to market yourself. Your response should be centered on highlighting your unique skills and competences and how they would directly impact on the job you are applying for. Comment on the excellent job you have done in the past and make references to commendations you have gotten from your superiors. However, over do this as it may give the impression that you are overambitious and lying. 

18. Do you have any physical or psychological problem that may impede your performance of this job? This is a perfectly legitimate question. You really shouldn\'t be applying for a job that requires much writing when you have Parkinson\'s disease. On the other hand, you should not be compelled to relate health problems that don\'t affect your ability to perform the job.

19. Have you ever been fired? Why? Give a brief response to this question but do not forget to include the experiences you gained from it. Also you may be tempted to make some negative comments about your former boss. Avoid this because your interviewer may become your boss someday.
20. How soon would you be available to start? If you are currently employed, you should give at least two weeks notice to your current employer. You may want to consider taking a short vacation, since you won\'t have any vacations for some time after starting on a new job. 

21. How long have you been looking for a job?
Basically, most employers are prejudiced against candidates who have been on the market for some time without anything positive. However, you cannot pretend about your being unemployed. If you\'ve been searching for a pretty long time, you don\'t have to admit this. You may say that you just started searching, otherwise be prepared to explain why you haven\'t received any job offers in spite of your persistence in your job search.




About the Author
Clifford I Imasuen is a webmaster and publisher at http://www.careersngr.com and http://www.researchnaija.com
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