9 Deadly Interview Questions

What do you think are the most deadly interview questions?

Question 1. Tell me about yourself.  

This is the first question you could be asked in any interview. This may sound simple but if you are unprepared you could be in big problem. So just prepare yourself for this simple yet difficult question Start with one two lines about yourself, who you are ? a brief 1 line about your family [ this depends on what kind of interview you are going through] and lastly why are you the best suited person for this job. Tell about your achievements but never sound too proud of your achievements, highlight yourself but with decency. 

Remember the golden rule “First Impression is the last impression.” 

Question 2: What are your greatest strengths? 

This question is to judge how you present yourself, are you the person who talks too much, are you arrogant or are you the one who just do what others say and thus never realized your strengths.

The answer to this question should be linked with facts and figures if possible. If you had any previous achievements say you lead a team which did wonderful and thus you are a team leader and all. Highlight yourself, tell your strengths but be sure it is well supported and you just don’t start sayings just to impress. Remember the HR person will grill you if he even finds an iota of doubt in what you are saying. Some points on which you could support your answer could be – honesty, leadership, tech savvy, confident, good communication skills, positive attitude, motivational and inspirational leader etc. 

 So just prepare yourself for this question, make a mental note of all your achievements. 

Question 3: What are your greatest weaknesses? 

Now this is the question which could either end your interview or could just get you the job. Don’t mince with words, at the same time just don’t be too blunt. Tell your weakness but also tell what you are doing to over come it. Never say I can not do this. Instead say, I have never done this but I am eager to learn and am sure if our company needs it I will do it. 

 Note – Never say your company or what would be my position in your company, use our company. Some HR people might ask you why you are saying our before selection then do say – its because I am confident that I am the best person for this vacancy. 

Question 4: Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of. 

This question is just to see how you react to embarrassing situations. Of course you just can not say “SKIP THIS PLEASE.” So better prepare yourself. Take your time to reply to this one, at first say I am really finding it very hard to find any such situation as I believe the best way to avoid shame is never do such things. 

Most of the interviewers just will proceed to another question but if he or she insists to elaborate then give any appropriate reply but be sure it should not sound that you are so regretful that it still has a mental impact on you. Remember ”Life must go on….no matter what” 

Question 5: Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? 

By asking this question, the interviewer just wishes to see how much respect you give to your management, colleagues etc. So never say bad words about any of your earlier employers or management. Remember – Never talk bad about any one even if he or she has been the worst boss. 

 There can be two situation – First is when you already have one job – In this situation tell truthfully that you see a bright future or this work profile suits you more than current one or so. Never say – I am joining you because you pay more. If you say so, 99% chances are you would be thrown out of interview. 

Secondly when you are a fresher or you don’t have any job If you have been fired, then tell them why you were fired, what you have learnt from that incident and what are you doing to make sure this would never happen again in life. Don’t hide the facts, companies do check each and every individual so even if you don’t tell them, they know it. 

If you are a fresher then you just say I am fresher and you are done with this question

Question 6: Why should I hire you? 

The most commonly asked question but the question which is most difficult to answer. Before you enter any interview make sure you have read about the company, job profile and all. As soon as this question is asked, start matching your personality traits with the job requirements. Show how you are the best suited person for this job. For example – If you are going for a job which involves marketing, then convince the interview that you have a personality which is best suited for this job. 

The bottom line is – Match yourself with what the job profile is and thus the interviewer should feel that you are the best person for the job.

Question 7 : Where do you see yourself five years from now? 

This question is usually asked to see how much ambitious you are and what is your actual reason for joining the company. If you say I see myself as one of the richest manager in town – forget about the job and leave. You need to show that you are a person with focused aims and you are willing to work to fulfill your dreams. Don’t be over ambitious and say I want to be in board of directors in next 5 years. Of course that is not possible unless lady luck stays with you 24*7 for all 5 years. 

During an interview I said – I want to see me at your post and you in top management and believe me, the interviewer had a very good laugh and said that was really clever. I don’t suggest you to say this every time but yes if you feel the person has a jolly nature you can say so 

Question 8: Why do you want to work at our company? 

This question is asked to check whether you know about the company and work profile or it was just that you got a call from your friend and you walked in the interview. So do your homework and check annual reports of company, browse website or any relevant data. See the areas where company is growing and match your skills with it. Show the interviewer how you could add to the overall profit of company. 

Question 9: What are your hobbies? 

This question is asked to judge your personality. I have seen hundreds of resume which say – 

Hobbies – reading books, listening songs, browsing internet , sleeping. 

For god sake don’t copy it from other’s resume and use it. Write what you actually do. Don’t write I have a hobby of reading books when you could not even name 1 book if asked for. Never be fake, tell them truthfully what you do. 

Mention some hobbies which are directly or indirectly linked with job. But make sure you have that hobby. If not then say what you actually do. Different people have different hobbies, so there is nothing to be ashamed off.

Easy Ways to not ruin that Interview...

Have you ever ruined your interview?

In my career as a search consultant I have seen many deserving candidates miss out on top jobs because of screw ups in the interview room... sometimes even before the interview has started! Here are some common (!!) blunders top team aspirants should avoid like the plague....

Polka Dot shirts and ties with elephant motifs: One can never overestimate the importance of looking well groomed for an interview. To get the job , one first needs to look the part. I once had a candidate who was placed top of the pile for a project head role and seemed to be the perfect choice; on paper. When he turned up for the interview in worn sandals and a crushed shirt; the meeting lasted all of seven minutes. Another time a CEO role aspirant turned up in a pair of jeans for a board level meeting. The fact that the candidate was the boss of a jeans company failed to impress the board members.

It is critical to be pre-informed on the dress code and culture of the company one is interviewing for. While walking into the room with a pink shirt and jackie O glasses may be applauded at MTV; Bankers would settle for nothing less than a crisp pinstriped suit.

Backslapping the interviewer: "Familiarity breeds contempt" takes on a whole new meaning here... and this is particularly true of peer level interviews. It is of course always recommended to create a good rapport with the interviewer, however, too casual a demeanor may not be taken to kindly, especially in a company with a formal working culture. It helps to keep in mind that the person across the table is judging every move.

Lousy Handshake: I know this has been done to death but I still fail to understand why people aspiring to be CEO's do not develop a strong handshake... we all know that the handshake is the most intimate (!) impression one will get to leave, that it is taken as a first indication on many things like energy, assertion, ambition, etc..... yet, I meet a finance head of a company who shakes my hand like its diseased (which it is not!) ... and in-spite of all his qualification... 'm just not convinced he'll be able to turnaround my client's business...
And I must mention... I'm yet to meet a CEO with a bad handshake ... :)

Yadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayadayada: One thing no one can stand is a guy who loves to talk about himself... and what wonderful things he has done with his life. The interviewer is keen to know about your professional evolution ... in brief... and it helps to be able to highlight in detail only the parts relevant to the role. A lot of candidates loose out because interviewers loose interest halfway through the meeting and haven't been able to capture the most critical parts of your experience. Many times the only feedback we've got from clients is.. "bahut bolta hai".. (he just talks a lot!). Sometimes we have to coach particularly talkative candidates on the importance of brevity... So the next time your consultant tells you..
"the client gives particular importance to the art of listening", you know what he/she means.. :)

It is important to be yourself, however corporate world still enjoys little adjustments to keep their culture intact. 

Job Interview Tips

In a job interview, an employer evaluates a potential employee to establish how suitable he or she is to serve within the company. Such an interview always takes place in some form of the other before the employer makes a decision to hire. Before an interview, the employer scans resumes sent by various aspiring employees to shortlist the likeliest candidates. These resumes will reflect the minimum qualifications and experience that the employer requires for the post.

Interviewing as a method for selecting an ideal candidate is an inherently flawed process. This is because it is almost impossible to judge a candidate’s true aptitude and experience in a job interview. However, job interviews allow the employer to decide with which candidate he or she is most comfortable. A lot depends on personal insight and good judgment on the part of the interviewer. Unfortunately, modern HR procedures concern themselves with hiring candidates as quickly as possible. This is because HR personnel usually have a monetary stake in fast hiring.

A well-structured job interview process takes place at multiple levels. A telephonic screening round will usually precede an actual face-to-face interview. This allows the employer of human resources expert to establish the candidate’s overall capabilities and motivation. If a candidate passes this round, he or she may attend a personal interview with the HR personnel. The candidate may face a single interviewer or an interviewing board, consisting of two or more company representatives. These will question the candidate on various different aspects of his or her professional life, career aspirations and overall ability.

The gravity, complexity and difficulty of a job interview depend largely on the job for which the candidate has applied. ‘Blue collar’ or functional job interviews are generally less demanding than ‘white collar’ or executive job interviews. Accordingly, everything from dress code and the candidate’s overall presentation have different bearings on the job interview’s outcome.

In certain artistically oriented professions, job interviews can also include a form of audition. The candidate is required to display physically his or her skills in that particular profession. Apart from that, the candidate will also have to prove sufficient professional training in the field.

Often, parts of the interview may seem to have little or no bearing on the job in question. The behavioral aspects of a job interview seek to establish the candidate’s ability to tackle difficult situations. They also focus on the candidate’s ability to take personal decisions, shoulder responsibility, handle or interact with a team and effectively represent the employer’s company.

Nowadays, there is increased emphasis on pre-interview preparation. This is especially true in the case of selection procedures in business schools and high-end business jobs. By studying the requirements of such interviews beforehand, a candidate can greatly increase his or her chances of selection.