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INTERVIEW Q & A
(Most frequently asked questions during HR Interviews & how to answer them)
Question 1: Tell us something about yourself.
Purpose:
How well do you present yourself as the most qualified person?
Testing your communication skills
What do you consider more critical about yourself
How to Answer:
STRUCTURE your Self-Presentation
Use Sound Scripting
Control your Pace & Tone
Prioritize your Information
Use impact/action words
Information to be provided:
Name & Present pursuit
Career Objective & Goals (do not mention higher studies or starting your own business)
Work Experience (if any)
Summer Training / Projects done (Company, name of project, work done/accomplished)
Professional /Technical qualifications (specialized courses done)
Essential skills & attitudes. (Both technical & soft skills should be relevant to the job
profile)
Achievements (honours, awards, prizes, positions held, including academic
achievements)
Hobbies & Extra-curricular activities (subject-related seminars, workshops, lectures
attended)
(Note- Do not provide information on your family background, place where you are
from, or Academic history)
Question 2: What are your Career goals? / What do you want to achieve? /How do
you define success?
Purpose:
How clear are you in your purpose and goals, and do they match with the organization’s
goals?
See if you're settling for this position or using it merely as a stopover until something
better comes.
Gauge your level of ambition.
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How to Answer:
Before answering this question, know about the company's corporate goals, job
responsibilities and organizational structure.
Customise your career goals accordingly.
Be specific in your answers.
Don’t give fancy or unrealistic answers.
Question 3: Who is your role model? / Who inspires you the most?
Purpose:
Check which qualities you consider most important for success in your chosen career.
How to Answer:
Mention a person from the relevant career line – a well-known, non-controversial
figure.
Be clear about why you admire the person – the qualities, achievements, and skills
relevant to the job.
Question 4: Why do you want to join our company? / Why do you want to enter
this particular career line?
Purpose:
Your general awareness about the company, the job profile & sector and your motive
for joining the company.
How to Answer:
Emphasise on Growth prospects in the industry/career
What you like most about the company
Mention the growth prospects of the company
How this job will fit in with your career aspirations
How your skills and qualities are best suited for the job
Question 5: Why do you think you are suitable for this job? /Why should we select
you? / How can you convince us that you are the best candidate for the job?
Purpose:
Testing your confidence level and see how well your skills & attitude suit the job
profile
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How to Answer:
Walk through each of the position's requirements as you understand them and follow
each with why you meet them so well and that you have the critical skills required.
Question 6: What is your greatest weakness? Where could you use some
improvement?
Purpose:
This potential trap can eliminate you by making you admit a fatal flaw to disqualify
you.
How to Answer:
A. Project your weakness as a strength.
Example: I’m very impatient, but it helps me to get things done faster.
B. Give your weakness along with your attempts to overcome it.
Example: I’m a bit disorganised in paperwork but trying to adopt a more
methodical filing system.
Question 7: What are your greatest strengths?
Purpose:
This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across
as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.
How to Answer:
If you know your interviewer's most significant wants and needs - you should have this
list as your greatest strengths and be ready with corresponding examples from your
achievements.
Question 8: If we select you, how do you see yourself a couple of years/5 years from
now?
Purpose:
Interviewers ask this question to see if you’re merely using this position as a stopover
until something better comes.
Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.
It could also be to estimate if your career goals align with the job profile's scope.
How to Answer:
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Say that you’re looking to make a long-term commitment to the company and that this
position is precisely what you’re looking for and what you can do exceptionally well.
Your answer should be based on the scope of advancement in your career profile a few
years later, which you should have researched in advance and framed your answer
accordingly.
Question 9: Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skills…managing
ability…selling skills, etc.)
Purpose:
This is a behavioural/incidental question that judges your practical experience in
specific skills that are essential in the job.
It would be best if you did not hesitate to answer, as it will show that you are having
difficulty remembering when you were last creative, analytical, etc.
How to Answer
It would be best to have a specific example that clearly illustrates the required skills.
It should be an example chosen from your most recent activities.
Use the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) framework discussed earlier to give your
response.
Give specific names, dates and activities while outlining the situation.
Question 10: How would you do the job if you oversaw leading a team to improve
customer relations?
Purpose
The purpose is to find out how you would react in specific situations that could come up
in your job.
It is also to find out how familiar you are with the skills required for performing such a
job.
How to Answer:
This is a situational or hypothetical question, and the STAR framework can be used to
answer the question.
You should be familiar with the concepts of effective teamwork, team building, and
leading a team and give your answer concerning the specific skills required for
performing the job.
Be specific and explain why you consider each quality you mentioned necessary.