A somewhat formal discussion between two parties or two people in which information is exchanged. For a business looking to fill an open job position, an employee might interview potential candidates to gain a better understanding of their backgrounds, qualifications and skills or talent.
A conversation, such as one conducted by a reporter, in which facts or statements are elicited from another. A meeting at which information is obtained from a person and a report or reproduction of information so obtained. The following question definitely helps you in any face to face conversation as well as “M TV Roadies….”
Top Interview Questions
• Tell me about Yourself.
Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” and “cracking” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.
• What are your greatest strengths?
TRAPS: This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared and confident. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.
• What are your greatest weaknesses?
TRAPS: Beware - this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the interview.
PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise strength as a weakness.
• Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little Ashamed of..
TRAPS: There are some questions your interviewer has no business asking and just for time pass, and this is one. But while you may feel like answering, “none of your business,” naturally you can’t. Some interviewers ask this question on the chance you admit to something, but if not, at least they’ll see how you think on your feet.
• Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?
TRAPS: Never badmouth or negative opinion about your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers. This rule is inviolable: never be negative. Any mud you hurl will only soil your suit.
• The “Silent Treatment”
TRAPS: Beware – if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and it is very difficult and possibly blow the interview. Thank goodness most interviewers don’t employ it. It’s normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works: You answer an interviewer’s question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence.
• Why should I hire you?
TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you’ve blown it.
• Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
TRAPS: The employer may be concerned that you’ll grow dissatisfied and leave.
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?
TRAPS: One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.
• Describe your ideal company, location and job.
TRAPS: This is often asked by an experienced interviewer who thinks you may be overqualified, but knows better than to show his hand by posing his objection directly. So he’ll use this question instead, which often gets a candidate to reveal that, indeed, he or she is looking for something other than the position at hand.
• Why do you want to work at our company?
TRAPS: This question tests whether you’ve done any homework about the firm. If you
haven’t,you lose. If you have, you win big.
BEST ANSWER: This question is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the park, thanks
to the in-depth research you should do before any interview.
• What are your career options right now?
TRAPS: The interviewer is trying to find out, “How desperate are you?”
• Why have you been out of work so long?
TRAPS: A tough question if you’ve been on the beach a long time. You don’t want to seem like damaged goods.
BEST ANSWER: You want to emphasize factors which have prolonged your job search
by your own choice.
• Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, management team, etc.)
TRAPS: Skillful interviewers sometimes make it almost irresistible to open up and air a little dirty laundry from your previous position. DON’T
BEST ANSWER: Remember the rule: Never be negative. Stress only the good points,
no matter how charmingly you’re invited to be critical.
• What good books have you read lately?
TRAPS: As in all matters of your interview, never fake familiarity you don’t have. Yet
you don’t want to seem like a dullard who hasn’t read a book.
• Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
TRAPS: This is a tough question because it’s a more clever and subtle way to get you
to admit to a weakness. You can’t dodge it by pretending you’ve never been criticized. Everybody has been. Yet it can be quite damaging to start admitting potential faults and failures that you’d just as soon leave buried.
• What are your outside interest?
TRAPS: You want to be a well-rounded, not a drone. But your potential employer
would be even more turned off if he suspects that your heavy extracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your work duties and what you done.
• The “Fatal Flaw” question.
TRAPS: If an interviewer has read your resume carefully, he may try to zero in on a
“Fatal flaw” of your candidacy, perhaps that you don’t have a college degree…you’ve been out of the job market for some time…you never earned.
• How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)?
TRAPS: It’s a shame that some interviewers feel the need to ask this question, but
many understand the reality that prejudices still exist among some job candidates, and it’s better to try to flush them out beforehand.
• On confidential matters.
TRAPS: When an interviewer presses you to reveal confidential information about a
present or former employer, you may feel it’s a no-win situation. If you cooperate, you could be judged untrustworthy. If you don’t, you may irritate the interviewer and seem obstinate, uncooperative or overly suspicious.
• Would you lie for the company?
TRAPS: This another question that pits two values against one another, in this case
loyalty against integrity.
BEST ANSWER: Try to avoid choosing between two values, giving a positive statement which covers all bases instead.
• Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?
TRAPS: This question is usually asked to uncover any life-influencing mistakes, regrets, disappointments or problems that may continue to affect your personality and performance
• Could you have done better in your last job?
TRAPS: This is no time for true confessions of major or even minor problems.
BEST ANSWER: Again never be negative.
• Can you work under pressure?
TRAPS: An easy question, but you want to make your answer believable.
BEST ANSWER: Absolutely…(then prove it with a vivid example or two of a goal or
project accomplished under severe pressure.)
• What makes you angry?
TRAPS: You don’t want to come across either as a hothead or a wimp.
BEST ANSWER: Give an answer that’s suited to both your personality and the
management style of the firm. Here, the homework you’ve done about the company and
its style can help in your choice of words.
• Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career?
TRAPS: You don’t want to give the impression that money is not important to you, yet
you want to explain why your salary may be a little below industry standards.
BEST ANSWER: You like to make money, but other factors are even more important.
• Who has inspired you in your life and why?
TRAPS: The two traps here are unpreparedness and irrelevance. If you grope for an
answer, it seems you’ve never been inspired. If you ramble about your high school
basketball coach, you’ve wasted an opportunity to present qualities of great value to the company.
BEST ANSWER: Have a few heroes in mind, from your mental “Board of Directors” –
Leaders in your industry, from history or anyone else who has been your mentor.
• What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
TRAPS: Giving an unprepared or irrelevant answer.
BEST ANSWER: Be prepared with a good example, explaining why the decision was
difficult…the process you followed in reaching it…the courageous or effective way you carried it out…and the beneficial results.
• Tell me about the most boring job you’ve ever had.....
TRAPS: You give a very memorable description of a very boring job. Result? You
become associated with this boring job in the interviewer’s mind.
BEST ANSWER: You have never allowed yourself to grow bored with a job and you
can’t understand it when others let themselves fall into that rut.
• Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position?
TRAPS: If you’ve had a problem, you can’t lie. You could easily be found out. Yet
admitting an attendance problem could raise many flags.
BEST ANSWER: If you have had no problem, emphasize your excellent and consistent
attendance record throughout your career.
• What changes would you make if you came on board?
TRAPS: Watch out! This question can derail your candidacy faster than a bomb on the
tracks – and just as you are about to be hired.
• I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we’d like in..
TRAPS: This could be a make-or-break question. The interviewer mostly likes what he
sees, but has doubts over one key area. If you can assure him on this point, the job may be yours.
• How do you feel about working nights and weekends?
TRAPS: Blurt out “no way, Jose” and you can kiss the job offer goodbye. But what if
you have a family and want to work a reasonably normal schedule? Is there a way to
get both the job and the schedule you want?
BEST ANSWER: First, if you’re a confirmed workaholic, this question is a softball lob. Whack it out of the park on the first swing by saying this kind of schedule is just your style. Add that your family understands it. Indeed, they’re happy for you, as they know you get your greatest satisfaction from your work.
• Are you willing to relocate or travel?
TRAPS: Answer with a flat “no” and you may slam the door shut on this opportunity.
But what if you’d really prefer not to relocate or travel, yet wouldn’t want to lose the job offer over it?
BEST ANSWER: First find out where you may have to relocate and how much travel
may be involved. Then respond to the question.
• Do you have the stomach to fire people? Have you had experience firing many people?
TRAPS: This “innocent” question could be a trap door which sends you down a chute
and lands you in a heap of dust outside the front door. Why? Because its real intent is not just to see if you’ve got the stomach to fire, but also to uncover poor judgment in hiring which has caused you to fire so many. Also, if you fire so often, you could be a tyrant.
• Why have you had so many jobs?
TRAPS: Your interviewer fears you may leave this position quickly, as you have others. He’s concerned you may be unstable, or a “problem person” who can’t get along with others.
• What do you see as the proper role/mission of… …a good (job title you’re seeking); …a good manager; …an executive in serving the community; …a leading company in our industry; etc..
TRAPS: These and other “proper role” questions are designed to test your
understanding of your place in the bigger picture of your department, company,
community and profession….as well as the proper role each of these entities should play in its bigger picture.
• What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks?
TRAPS: This is another question that pits two values, in this case loyalty and honesty, against one another.
BEST ANSWER: Remember the rule stated earlier: In any conflict between values,
always choose integrity.
• How could you have improved your career progress?
TRAPS: This is another variation on the question, “If you could, how would you live your life over?” Remember, you’re not going to fall for any such invitations to rewrite person history. You can’t win if you do.
• What would you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn’t pulling his/her weight…and this was hurting your department?
TRAPS: This question and other hypothetical ones test your sense of human relations
and how you might handle office politics.
BEST ANSWER: Try to gauge the political style of the firm and be guided accordingly.
In general, fall back on universal principles of effective human relations – which in the end, embody the way you would like to be treated in a similar circumstance.
• You’ve been with your firm a long time. Won’t it be hard switching to a new company?
TRAPS: Your interviewer is worried that this old dog will find it hard to learn new tricks.
BEST ANSWER: To overcome this objection, you must point to the many ways you
have grown and adapted to changing conditions at your present firm. It has not been a static situation. Highlight the different responsibilities you’ve held, the wide array of new situations you’ve faced and conquered.
• May I contact your present employer for a reference?
TRAPS: If you’re trying to keep your job search private, this is the last thing you want. But if you don’t cooperate, won’t you seem as if you’re trying to hide something?
BEST ANSWER: Express your concern that you’d like to keep your job search private,
but that in time, it will be perfectly okay.
• Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill…managing ability, etc.)
TRAPS: The worst offense here is simply being unprepared. Your hesitation may seem
as if you’re having a hard time remembering the last time you were creative, analytical, etc.
BEST ANSWER: Remember from Question 2 that you should commit to memory a list
of your greatest and most recent achievements, ever ready on the tip of your tongue.
• Where could you use some improvement?
TRAPS: Another tricky way to get you to admit weaknesses. Don’t fall for it.
• What do you worry about?
TRAPS: Admit to worrying and you could sound like a loser. Saying you never worry
doesn’t sound credible.
BEST ANSWER: Redefine the word ‘worry’ so that it does not reflect negatively on you.
• How many hours a week do you normally work?
TRAPS: You don’t want to give a specific number. Make it to low, and you may not
measure up. Too high, and you’ll forever feel guilty about sneaking out the door at 5:15.
BEST ANSWER: If you are in fact a workaholic and you sense this company would like
that: Say you are a confirmed workaholic, that you often work nights and weekends.
Your family accepts this because it makes you fulfilled. If you are not a workaholic: Say you have always worked hard and put in long hour.
• What’s the most difficult part of being a (job title)?
TRAPS: Unless you phrase your answer properly, your interviewer may conclude that
whatever you identify as “difficult” is where you are weak.
• The “Hypothetical Problem”
TRAPS: Sometimes an interviewer will describe a difficult situation and ask, “How
would you handle this?” Since it is virtually impossible to have all the facts in front of you from such a short presentation, don’t fall into the trap of trying to solve this problem and giving your verdict on the spot. It will make your decision-making process seem woefully inadequate.
• What was the toughest challenge you’ve ever faced?
TRAPS: Being unprepared or citing an example from so early in your life that it doesn’t score many points for you at this stage of your career.
• Have you consider starting your own business?
TRAPS: If you say “yes” and elaborate enthusiastically, you could be perceived as a
loose cannon in a larger company, too entrepreneurial to make a good team player…or
someone who had to settle for the corporate life because you couldn’t make a go of your own business.
• What are your goals?
TRAPS: Not having any…or having only vague generalities, not highly specific goals.
BEST ANSWER: Many executives in a position to hire you are strong believers in goalsetting. (It’s one of the reason they’ve achieved so much). They like to hire in kind.
• What do you for when you hire people?
TRAPS: Being unprepared for the question.
BEST ANSWER: Speak your own thoughts here, but for the best answer weave them
around the three most important qualifications for any position.
• Sell me this stapler…(this pencil…this clock…or some other object on interviewer’s desk)
TRAPS: Some interviewers, especially business owners and hard-changing executives
in marketing-driven companies, feel that good salesmanship is essential for any key
position and ask for an instant demonstration of your skill. Be ready.
BEST ANSWER: Of course, you already know the most important secret of all great
salesmanship – “find out what people want, then show them how to get it.”
• “The Salary Question” – How much money do you want?
TRAPS: May also be phrases as, “What salary are you worth?”…or, “How much are
you making now?” This is your most important negotiation. Handle it wrong and you can blow the job offer or go to work at far less than you might have gotten.
• The Illegal Question.
TRAPS: Illegal questions include any regarding your age…number and ages of your
children or other dependents…marital status…maiden name…religion…political
affiliation…ancestry…national origin…birthplace…naturalization of your parents, spouse or children…diseases…disabilities…clubs…or spouse’s occupation…unless any of the above are directly related to your performance of the job. You can’t even be asked about arrests, though you can be asked about convictions.
• The “Secret” Illegal Question.
TRAPS: Much more frequent than the Illegal question (see Question 55) is the secret
illegal question. It’s secret because it’s asked only in the interviewer’s mind. Since it’s not even expressed to you, you have no way to respond to it, and it can there be most damaging.
• What was the toughest part of your last job?
TRAPS: This is slightly different from the question raised earlier, “What’s the most
difficult part of being a (job title…)” because this asks what you personally have found most difficult in your last position. This question is more difficult to redefine into something positive. Your interviewer will assume that whatever you found toughest may give you a problem in your new position.
• How do you define success…and how do you measure up to your own definition?
TRAPS: Seems like an obvious enough question. Yet many executives, unprepared for
it, fumble the ball.
BEST ANSWER: Give a well-accepted definition of success that leads right into your
own stellar collection of achievements.
• “The Opinion Question” – What do you think about …Abortion…The President…The Death Penalty…(or any other controversial subject)?
TRAPS: Obviously, these and other “opinion” questions should never be asked.
Sometimes they come up over a combination dinner/interview when the interviewer has
had a drink or two, is feeling relaxed, and is spouting off about something that bugged him in today’s news. If you give your opinion and it’s the opposite of his, you won’t change his opinions, but you could easily lose the job offer.
• If you won $10 million lottery, would you still work?
TRAPS: Your totally honest response might be, “Hell, no, are you serious?” That might be so, but any answer which shows you as fleeing work if given the chance could make you seem lazy. On the other hand, if you answer, “Oh, I’d want to keep doing exactly what I am doing, only doing it for your firm,” you could easily inspire your interviewer to silently mutter to himself, “Yeah, sure. Gimme a break.”
BEST ANSWER: This type of question is aimed at getting at your bedrock attitude
about work and how you feel about what you do. Your best answer will focus on your
positive feelings.
• Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work?
TRAPS: Tricky question. Answer “absolutely” and it can seem like your best work is
behind you. Answer, “no, my best work is ahead of me,” and it can seem as if you didn’t give it your all.
BEST ANSWER: To cover both possible paths this question can take, your answer
should state that you always try to do your best, and the best of your career is right now. Like an athlete at the top of his game, you are just hitting your career stride thanks to several factors. Then, recap those factors, highlighting your strongest qualifications.
• Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?
This question isn’t as aggressive as it sounds. It represents the interviewer’s own dilemma over this common problem. He’s probably leaning toward you already and for reassurance, wants to hear what you have to say on the matter.
BEST ANSWER: Help him see the qualifications that only you can offer.
• Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company.
saying about the company. But it’s also a trap because as an outsider, you never want to be the bearer of unflattering news or gossip about the firm. It can only hurt your chances and sidetrack the interviewer from getting sold on you.
BEST ANSWER: Just remember the rule – never be negative – and you’ll handle this
one just fine.
• On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.
TRAPS: Give a perfect “10,” and you’ll seem too easy to please. Give anything less
than a perfect 10, and he could press you as to where you’re being critical, and that road leads downhill for you.
BEST ANSWER: Once again, never be negative. The interviewer will only resent criticism coming from you. This is the time to show your positivism.
It may helps you in any outer world as well as in many competition. Those who are interested to go for M TV Roadies you must prepare and need to find cracking answer for this million dollar questions….
…………Best of Luck………
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