DESTINATION SUCCESS: HR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Showing posts with label HR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts

Showing posts with label HR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts

Thursday, December 25, 2008

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Below is a list of frequently asked questions in various interviews... Click on the questions to view the requisite solutions... I would love to receive your comments and suggestions regarding this endeavor of mine... You can subscribe to my posts via email too...Do not forget to cast your vote... These statistics keeps me charged up to improvise and develop this blog...Do remember to mail me at sampat.honey@gmail.com / patnaik.sampat@gmail.com / sampat.patnaik@sun.com

01: Tell me about yourself ?

02: What are your greatest strengths ?

03: What are your greatest weaknesses?

04: Why should I hire you?

05. What are your Short Term Goals?

06: What are your Long Term Goals?

07: How do you evaluate success ?

08: What is your Salary Expectation ?

09: How many hours a week do you normally work?

10: Are you willing to travel?

11: How do you feel about working nights and weekends?

12: The “Silent Treatment”

13: What good books have you read lately?

14: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

15: Describe your ideal company, location and job.

16: Who has inspired you in your life and why?

17: Why do you want to work for us?

18: What do you know about this company?

19: Can you work under pressure?

20: What makes you angry?

21: Aren’t you overqualified for this position?

22: Would you lie for the company?

23: Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company !!!

24 : Demonstrate Your Skills : Sell this stapler,etc or some object on the desk

25: What are your goals?

26: What was the toughest challenge you’ve ever faced?

27: The “Hypothetical Problem” – What would you do if… ?

28: What do you worry about?

29: Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill…managing ability, etc.)

30: How could you have improved your career progress?

31: What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?

32: Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?

33: How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)?

34: The “Fatal Flaw” question

35: What are your outside interests?

36: What are your career options right now?

37: Do you prefer to work alone or as a team player?

38: What made you choose your major?

39: Why didn’t you pursue a career in your major?

40: What do you seek from a job?

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

42: Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.

43: What changes would you make if you came on board?

44: I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we’d like in…

45: What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks?

46: Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career?

47: Tell me about the most boring job you’ve ever had.

48: What do you see as the proper role/mission of a good (job title you’re seeking) in serving the community

49: What would you do if a colleague wasn’t pulling his/her weight…and this was hurting your department?

50: POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

51: What’s the most difficult part of being a (job title)?

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

53: Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, management team, etc.)…

54: CONFIDENTIAL ISSUES

55: Could you have done better in your last job?

56: You’ve been with your firm a long time. Won’t it be hard switching to a new company?

57: Why have you had so many jobs?

58: May I contact your present employer for a reference?

59: Have you considered starting your own business?

60: THE ILLEGAL QUESTION

61: THE SECRET ILLEGAL QUESTION

62: What was the toughest part of your last job?

63: Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work?

64: Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?

65: Do you have the stomach to fire people? Have you had experience firing many people?

66: What do you for when you hire people?

67: Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position?

68: Why have you been out of work so long?

69: If you won A $10 million lottery, would you still work?

70:Is there anything else that we should know about you that would impact our decision?

71: During your performance reviews, what criticism do you hear the most?

72: If I tell you, you are an IDIOT, a FOOL, a RASCAL; can you think anything positive about it?

73: Suppose I tell you I don’t like your face? Then why should I select you?

74: What will you do if you are asked to give a bribe?

75: If your boss is taking all the credits for your work, what will you do?

76: Suppose you find yourself in a deserted island. What three things you will need to survive?

77: How do you think you conducted or performed during this interview?

78: On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.

78: 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.

However, don’t give a numerical rating. Simply praise whatever interview style he’s been using.

If he’s been tough, say “You have been thorough and tough-minded, the very qualities needed to conduct a good interview.”

If he’s been methodical, say, “You have been very methodical and analytical, and I’m sure that approach results in excellent hires for your firm.”

In other words, pay him a sincere compliment that he can believe because it’s anchored in the behavior you’ve just seen.

77: How do you think you conducted or performed during this interview?

I think I have conducted myself in the best possible manner by satisfying your queries through my specific answers which I feel were logical, systematic and to the point. Through my answer my true worth as a dynamic and competent professional has come out fair and square and I am happy with my performance which would ensure my selection in this esteemed organization

76: Suppose you find yourself in a deserted island. What three things you will need to survive?

Food, Water and HOPE (that one day I will definitely come out from this island).

75: If your boss is taking all the credits for your work, what will you do?

Even if my boss takes credit for my work, I would not mind because if I am a good worker my contribution will be definitely noticed by the organization. Secondly if I remain in the good books of my boss, I can encash this towards my career promotions and growth.

74: What will you do if you are asked to give a bribe?

If I am asked to do so then I will feel very uncomfortable to do so just in case the company has strong core competency, best practices and a strong value system. So I strongly feel the company can do business purely on these merits and not through bribery or commissions.

If the interviewer presses you hard to say either yes or no then you can say:

However even if a condition comes to pay a bribe to get a good contract then I shall refer the case to my seniors for their valid suggestions upon which I can act.

73: Suppose I tell you I don’t like your face? Then why should I select you?

Even if you don’t like my face, you definitely would agree that I have other qualities that appealed you, for which you are now interviewing me.

There’s a saying

“A book is not judged by its cover but it is judged by its contents”.

A man’s face is not the index of his abilities.

72: If I tell you, you are an IDIOT, a FOOL, a RASCAL; can you think anything positive about it?

I - Intelligent.
D - Determined.
I - Innovative.
O - Optimistic.
T - Truthful and Talented.

F - Faithful.
O - Optimistic.
O - Obedient.
L - Loyal.

R - Religious.
A - Adaptable.
S - Simple and Sober.
C - Competent, Capable and Co-Operative.
A - Adept.
L - Loyal.

71: During your performance reviews, what criticism do you hear the most?

No one likes to be criticized. But as a young professional, you will experience the barbs of negative feedback in both your personal as well as professional life. Here the interviewer is on the look out for your accountability and professional character. Generally this question is for people with experience. You shouldn’t answer it directly by saying all the criticism you had faced during your tenure, rather try to mould the answer to show your positive attitude towards the critics.

Always remember “You can’t please everyone, so just please yourself. You are your best critic. Some people are just not going to like you. Accept it.”

You can answer as:

1) I believe criticism should be dealt with positive attitude because it gives us information on how to improve. The criticism I heard during my tenure was to voice my opinions, ideas and suggestions in group meetings. My manager always liked my suggestions whenever I personally met him, but in group meetings I usually let him speak. Now, I feel more confident that I can suggest my ideas and opinions in groups.

2) My boss has always appreciated my work and told me that I did my projects well and within the stipulated time. But he asked me to send more updates and that too frequently so that he can report to his seniors and managers.

3) My colleagues criticized me for being an introvert. I usually go to office and concentrate on my work. But I took the criticism positively and now I am trying to interact with people around me and simultaneously concentrating on my work. I realized that I have to be social.

70:Is there anything else that we should know about you that would impact our decision?

This question gives you a final chance to impress the interviewer. If you felt you didn’t show that much enthusiasm, here is your chance. If you felt you missed out one of your strong traits, you have a chance to state it.

Your answers can be:

1) I am a continuous learner and I try to keep myself abreast of all developments in the field of IT (or any other). Since I do not quit in the face of toughest challenges, I am certain that I would be able to achieve the targets that I set for myself and beyond.

2) Well for all my mentioned attributes, strengths and qualification I am confident that I can do very well over here. I don’t know if I expressed it that well, but I’m very excited about this position.

3) One final trait that I have that would be perfect for this position is my organizational skills. I’m very detailed and plan very well. I prioritize my work as per the need of hour.

4) There are three fears in this era:

- Fear of failure.
- Fear of rejection.
- Fear of being ridiculed.

I personally believe fear is analogous to low Self-Confidence.

Throughout my academic career I never allowed these fears to take over me. I always faced them with positive attitude and confidence and I will keep on doing it in the future too.

69: If you won A $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.

Example:

“After I floated down from cloud nine, I think I would still hold my basic belief that achievement and purposeful work are essential to a happy, productive life. After all, if money alone bought happiness, then all rich people would be all happy, and that’s not true. "

“I love the work I do, and I think I’d always want to be involved in my career in some fashion. Winning the lottery would make it more fun because it would mean having more flexibility, more options...who knows?”

“Of course, since I can’t count on winning, I’d just as soon create my own destiny by sticking with what’s worked for me, meaning good old reliable hard work and a desire to achieve. I think those qualities have built many more fortunes that all the lotteries put together.”

68: 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.

Example:

“After my job was terminated, I made a conscious decision not to jump on the first opportunities to come along. In my life, I’ve found out that you can always turn a negative into a positive IF you try hard enough. This is what I determined to do. I decided to take whatever time I needed to think through what I do best, what I most want to do, where I’d like to do it…and then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.”

“Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession (consolidation, stabilization, etc.) in the (banking, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.) industry.”

“So between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsizing, the process has taken time. But in the end, I’m convinced that when I do find the right match, all that careful evaluation from both sides of the desk will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself.

67: 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.

Also describe how important you believe such consistent attendance is for a key executive…why it’s up to you to set an example of dedication…and why there’s just no substitute for being there with your people to keep the operation running smoothly, answer questions and handle problems and crises as they arise.

If you do have a past attendance problem, you want to minimize it, making it clear that it was an exceptional circumstance and that it’s cause has been corrected.

To do this, give the same answer as above but preface it with something like, “Other that being out last year (or whenever) because of (your reason, which is now in the past), I have never had a problem and have enjoyed an excellent attendance record throughout my career.

Furthermore, I believe, consistent attendance is important because…” (Pick up the rest of the answer as outlined above).

66: 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.

1. Can the person do the work (qualifications)?
2. Will the person do the work (motivation)?
3. Will the person fit in (“our kind of team player")

65: 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.

So don’t rise to the bait by boasting how many you’ve fired, unless you’ve prepared to explain why it was beyond your control, and not the result of your poor hiring procedures or foul temperament.

BEST ANSWER: Describe the rational and sensible management process you follow in both hiring and firing.

Example:
“My whole management approach is to hire the best people I can find, train them thoroughly and well, get them excited and proud to be part of our team, and then work with them to achieve our goals together. If you do all of that right, especially hiring the right people, I’ve found you don’t have to fire very often.

“So with me, firing is a last resort. But when it’s got to be done, it’s got to be done, and the faster and cleaner, the better. A poor employee can wreak terrible damage in undermining the morale of an entire team of good people. When there’s no other way, I’ve found it’s better for all concerned to act decisively in getting rid of offenders who won’t change their ways.”

64: Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?

TRAPS: 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.

Example:

“In general, I think it’s a good policy to hire from within – to look outside probably means you’re not completely comfortable choosing someone from inside."

“Naturally, you want this department to be as strong as it possibly can be, so you want the strongest candidate. I feel that I can fill that bill because…(then recap your strongest qualifications that match up with his greatest needs).”

63: 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.

62: 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.

BEST ANSWER: State that there was nothing in your prior position that you found overly difficult, and let your answer go at that. If pressed to expand your answer, you could describe the aspects of the position you enjoyed more than others, making sure that you express maximum enjoyment for those tasks most important to the open position, and you enjoyed least those tasks that are unimportant to the position at hand.

61: THE SECRET ILLEGAL QUESTION

TRAPS: Much more frequent than the Illegal question 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.

Example:

You’re physically challenged, or a single mother returning to your professional career, or over 50, or a member of an ethnic minority, or fit any of a dozen other categories that do not strictly conform to the majority in a given company.

Your interviewer wonders, “Is this person really able to handle the job?”…”Is he or she a ‘good fit’ at a place like ours?”…”Will the chemistry ever be right with someone like this?” But the interviewer never raises such questions because they’re illegal. So what can you do?

BEST ANSWER: Remember that just because the interviewer doesn’t ask an illegal question doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it. More than likely, he is going to come up with his own answer. So you might as well help him out.

How? Well, you obviously can’t respond to an illegal question if he hasn’t even asked. This may well offend him. And there’s always the chance he wasn’t even concerned about the issue until you brought it up, and only then begins to wonder.

So you can’t address “secret” illegal questions head-on. But what you can do is make sure there’s enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure him that there’s no problem in the area he may be doubtful about.

For example, let’s say you’re a sales rep who had polio as a child and you need a cane to walk. You know your condition has never impeded your performance, yet you’re concerned that your interviewer may secretly be wondering about your stamina or ability to travel. Well, make sure that you hit these abilities very hard, leaving no doubt about your capacity to handle them well.

So, too, if you’re in any different from what passes for “normal”. Make sure, without in any way seeming defensive about yourself that you mention strengths, accomplishments, preferences and affiliations that strongly counterbalance any unspoken concern your interviewer may have.

60: THE ILLEGAL QUESTION

TRAPS: Illegal questions include anything 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.

BEST ANSWER: Under the ever-present threat of lawsuits, most interviewers are well aware of these taboos. Yet you may encounter, usually on a second or third interview, a senior executive who doesn’t interview much and forgets he can’t ask such questions.

You can handle an illegal question in several ways. First, you can assert your legal right not to answer. But this will frighten or embarrass your interviewer and destroy any rapport you had.

Second, you could swallow your concerns over privacy and answer the question straight forwardly if you feel the answer could help you. For example, your interviewer, a devout Baptist, recognizes you from church and mentions it. Here, you could gain by talking about your church.

Third, if you don’t want your privacy invaded, you can diplomatically answer the concern behind the question without answering the question itself.

Example:

If you are over 50 and are asked, “How old are you?” you can answer with a friendly, smiling question of your own on whether there’s a concern that your age my affect your performance. Follow this up by reassuring the interviewer that there’s nothing in this job you can’t do and, in fact, your age and experience are the most important advantages you offer the employer for the following reasons…

Another example:

If asked, “Do you plan to have children?” you could answer, “I am wholeheartedly dedicated to my career“, perhaps adding, “I have no plans regarding children.” (You needn’t fear you’ve pledged eternal childlessness. You have every right to change your plans later. Get the job first and then enjoy all your options.)

Most importantly, remember that illegal questions arise from fear that you won’t perform well. The best answer of all is to get the job and perform brilliantly. All concerns and fears will then varnish, replaced by respect and appreciation for your work.

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