9867480736 / 9930836895 (10 AM - 8 PM) | info@securehrservices.com | Free of cost, We never charges any amount from candidates

Find the Right Job    

How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions 

Make sure good home work and basic info about company to whom you are going to give the interview. 

General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions 

Everyone is nervous on interviews. If you simply allow yourself to feel nervous, you’ll do much better. Remember also that it’s difficult for the interviewer as well. In general, be upbeat and positive. Never be negative. Rehearse your answers and time them. Never talk for more than 2 minutes straight. 

Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it. Find out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate. 

Q1 Tell me about yourself. 

Q2 What are your greatest strengths?  

Q3 What are your greatest weaknesses?  

Q4 Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? 

Q5 why should I hire you? 

Q6 where do you see yourself five years from now?  

Q7 Why do you want to work at our company? 

Q8 Can you work under pressure?  

Q9  May I contact your present employer for a reference? 

Q10 “The Salary Question” – How much money do you want? 

Q11 Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company    

 Find The Right Job     

QUESTION NO 1:- Tell me about yourself. 

Beware; about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters. 

BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. 

Name and residence area Single / married Father and mother - work Brother/sister Graduation 

Question 2  What are your greatest strengths? TRAPS:  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. 

I am essentially a positive person with strong desire to learn. I am ambitious and want to grow in my career. So I am happy to put in all efforts to perform well, accomplish my targets and also accomplish beyond my set targets. I enjoy dealing with people and am known to be a friendly person 

Having grown in ability and experience in the past few years and having gained a lot of knowledge, I am now looking out for a challenging opportunity for further growth.  

Question 3 What are your greatest weaknesses? 

PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise a strength as a weakness. Example: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.” 

Drawback: This strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is Transparent to any experienced interviewer. 

Example: “Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence.”  

 Find The Right Job    

Question 4 Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? 

TRAPS: Never badmouth 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. Especially avoid words like “personality clash”, “didn’t get along”, or others which cast a shadow on your competence, integrity, or temperament.. 

Make sure you’ve prepared a brief reason for leaving. Best reasons: more money, opportunity, responsibility or growth. 

Question 5:- 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. 

Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well. 

Example: “As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.” 

“You also need someone who can expand your book distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident I can do the same for you.” 

Question 6:-Where do you see yourself five years from now? 

Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”     

Question 7:- why do you want to work at our company?

 Find The Right Job  

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. Best sources for researching your target company: annual reports, the corporate Newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles About the company in the trade press. 

Question 8:- 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.) 

More specifically, when the interviewer poses as objection like this, you should… 1. Agree on the importance of this qualification. 2. Explain that your strength may be indeed be greater than your resume indicates because… 3. When this strength is added to your other strengths, it’s really your combination of qualifications that’s most important.  

Question 9:-  May I contact your present employer for a reference? 

Example: “My present employer is not aware of my job search and, for obvious reasons; I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’d be most appreciative if we kept our discussion confidential right now. Of course, when we both agree the time is right, then by all means you should contact them. I’m very proud of my record there     

Question 10:- “The Salary Question” – How much money do you want?  

2. If your interviewer raises the salary question too early, before you’ve had a chance to create desire for your qualifications, postpone the question, saying something like, “Money is important to me, but is not my main concern. Opportunity and growth are far more important. What I’d rather do, if you don’t mind, is explore if I’m right for the position, and then talk about money. Would that be okay?”       

 Find The Right Job       

Question 11:- Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company… TRAPS: This is a common fishing expedition to see what the industry grapevine may be 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.    

Good luck in your job search!