HR interview Q %26 A

5/21/2018 HR interview Q %26 A

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Contents

General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions.....................................................3

Q1 Tell me about yourself........................................................................................5Q2 What are your greatest strengths.....................................................................!Q3 What are your greatest wea"nesses................................................................!Q# Tell me about something you did $ or failed to do $ that you now feel a little

ashamed of........................................................................................................%Q5 Why are you leaving &or did you leave' this (osition........................................)Q! The *+ilent Treatment,.......................................................................................-Q% Why should I hire you......................................................................................-Q) Arent you over/ualified for this (osition........................................................10Q- Where do you see yourself five years from now.............................................11Q10 esribe your ideal om(any loation and 4ob................................................12Q11 Why do you want to wor" at our om(any.....................................................12

Q12 What are your areer o(tions right now.........................................................12Q13 Why have you been out of wor" so long........................................................13Q1# Tell me honestly about the strong (oints and wea" (oints of your boss

&om(any management team et.'.............................................................13Q15 What good boo"s have you read lately..........................................................1#Q1! Tell me about a situation when your wor" was ritii6ed..................................1#Q1% What are your outside interest.......................................................................15Q1) The *7atal 7law, /uestion................................................................................15Q1- 8ow do you feel about re(orting to a younger (erson &minority woman et'1!Q20 9n onfidential matters................................................................................1!Q21 Would you lie for the om(any.......................................................................1%Q22 :oo"ing ba" what would you do differently in your life.................................1%

Q23 ;ould you have done better in your last 4ob...................................................1)Q2# ;an you wor" under (ressure........................................................................1)Q25 What ma"es you angry..................................................................................1)Q2! Why arent you earning more money at this stage of your areer..................1-Q2% Who has ins(ired you in your life and why.....................................................1-Q2) What was the toughest deision you ever had to ma"e.................................20Q2- Tell me about the most boring 4ob youve ever had..........................................20Q30 8ave you been absent from wor" more than a few days in any (revious

(osition..........................................................................................................20Q31 What hanges would you ma"e if you ame on board...................................21Q32 Im onerned that you dont have as muh e


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Q3- 8ow ould you have im(roved your areer (rogress.....................................2!Q#0 What would you do if a fellow e


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General Guidelinesin Answering Interview Questions

Cveryone is nervous on interviews. If you sim(ly allowyourself to feel nervous youDll do

muh better. Eemember also that itDs diffiult for the interviewer as well.

In general be u(beat and (ositive. Fever be negative.

Eehearse your answers and time them. Fever tal" for more than 2 minutes straight.

onDt try to memori6e answers word for word. se the answers shown here as a guideonly and donDt be afraid to inlude your own thoughts and words. To hel( you remember"ey one(ts 4ot down and review a few "ey words for eah answer. Eehearse youranswers fre/uently and they will ome to you naturally in interviews.

As you will read in the aom(anying re(ort the single most im(ortant strategy in

interviewing as in all (hases of your 4ob searh is what we allH "The GreatestExecutive Job Finding Secret." And that is...

Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it.

7ind out what an em(loyer wants most in his or her ideal andidate then show how youmeet those /ualifiations.

In other words you must math your abilities with the needs of the em(loyer. You mustsell what the buyer is buying. To do that before you "now what to em(hasi6e in youranswers you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is loo"ing for. And thebest way to do that is to as" a few /uestions yourself.

@ou will see how to bring this off s"illfully as you read the first two /uestions of thisre(ort. ut regardless of how you aom(lish it you must remember this strategy aboveallH before blurting out your ualifications! you must get some idea of what the emloyerwants most. 9ne you "now what he wants you an then (resent your /ualifiations asthe (erfet *"ey, that fits the *lo", of that (osition.

9ther im(ortant interview strategiesH

Turn wea"nesses into strengths &@ouDll see how to do this in a few moments.'

Thin" before you answer. A (ause to ollet your thoughts is a hallmar" of a

thoughtful (erson.

As a daily e


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e honest...never lie.

Kee( an interview diary. Eight after eah interview note what you did right what ouldhave gone a little better and what ste(s you should ta"e ne


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Question 1 Tell me about yourself.

TRAPSH eware about )0L of all interviews begin with this *innoent, /uestion. anyandidates un(re(ared for the /uestion s"ewer themselves by rambling rea((ingtheir life story delving into anient wor" history or (ersonal matters.

BST A!S"R# +tart with the (resent and tell why you are well /ualified for the(osition. Eemember that the "ey to all suessful interviewing is to math your/ualifiations to what the interviewer is loo"ing for. In other words you must sell what thebuyer is buying. This is the single most imortant strategy in #ob hunting.

+o before you answer this or any/uestion itDs im(erative that you try to unover yourinterviewerDs greatest need want (roblem or goal.

To do so ma"e you ta"e these two ste(sH

1. o all the homewor" you an before the interview to unover this erson$swantsand needs &not the generali6ed needs of the industry or om(any'

2. As early as you an in the interview as" for a more om(lete desri(tion of whatthe (osition entails. @ou might sayH *I have a number of aom(lishments IDd li"eto tell you about but I want to ma"e the best use of our time together and tal"diretly to your needs. To hel( me do that ould you tell me more about themost im(ortant (riorities of this (osition All I "now is what I &heard from thereruiter read in the lassified ad et.',

Then%&'%YS follow(u with a second and ossibly! third uestion to draw out hisneeds even more. +ur(risingly itDs usually this secondor third/uestion that unearthswhat the interviewer is mostloo"ing for.

@ou might as" sim(ly JAnd in addition to that...J or JIs there anything else you see asessential to suess in this (ositionH

This (roess will not feel easy or natural at first beause it is easier sim(ly to answer/uestions but only if you unover the em(loyerDs wants and needs will your answersma"e the most sense. ?ratie as"ing these "ey /uestions before giving your answersthe (roess will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other #obcandidates you$re cometing with.

After unovering what the em(loyer is loo"ing for desribe why the needs of this 4obbear stri"ing (arallels to tas"s youDve sueeded at before. e sure to illustrate with

s(eifi e


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Question 2 'hat are your greatest strengths)

TRAPS# This /uestion seems li"e a softball lob but be (re(ared. @ou donDt want toome aross as egotistial or arrogant. Feither is this a time to be humble.

BST A!S"R# @ou "now that your "ey strategy is to first unover your interviewerDsgreatest wants and needs before you answer /uestions. And from Question 1 you "nowhow to do this.

?rior to any interview you should have a list mentally (re(ared of your greateststrengths. @ou should also have a s(eifi e


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Question 3 'hat are your greatest wea*nesses)

TRAPSH eware M this is an eliminator /uestion designed to shorten the andidate list.Any admission of a wea"ness or fault will earn you an *A, for honesty but an *7, for theinterview.

PASSAB$ A!S"R# isguise a strength as a wea"ness.

Examle+*I sometimes (ush my (eo(le too hard. I li"e to wor" with a sense of urgenyand everyone is not always on the same wavelength.,

,rawbac*+ This strategy is better than admitting a flaw but itDs so widely used it istrans(arent to any e


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+ome un(re(ared andidates flustered by this /uestion unburden themselves of guiltfrom their (ersonal life or areer (erha(s e


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ut you should also do something totally unnatural that will demonstrate onsummate(rofessionalism. Cven if ithurts desribe your own firing $ andidly suintly andwithout a trae of bitterness $ from the comany3s(ointMofMview indiating that you ouldunderstand why it ha((ened and you might have made the same deision yourself.

@our stature will rise immensely and most im(ortant of all you will show you are healed

from the wounds inflited by the firing. @ou will enhane your image as firstMlassmanagement material and stand head and shoulders above the legions of firing vitimswho at the slightest (rovoation 6i( o(en their shirts to e


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Question 7 'hy should 2 hire you)

TRAPS# elieve it or not this is a "iller /uestion beause so many andidates areun(re(ared for it. If you stammer or adlib youve blown it.

BST A!S"R# y now you an see how ritial it is to a((ly the overall strategy ofunovering the em(loyers needs beforeyou answer /uestions. If you "now theem(loyers greatest needs and desires this /uestion will give you a big leg u( over otherandidates beause you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else isli"ely toreasons tied diretly to his needs.

Whether your interviewer as"s you this /uestion exlicitlyor not this is the mostim(ortant /uestion of your interview beause he must answer this /uestion favorably inis own mind before you will be hired. So hel him out5 Wal" through eah of the(ositions re/uirements as you understand them and follow eah with a reason why youmeet that re/uirement so well.

Examle+ *As I understand your needs you are first and foremost loo"ing for someonewho an manage the sales and mar"eting of your boo" (ublishing division. As youvesaid you need someone with a strong ba"ground in trade boo" sales. This is whereIve s(ent almost all of my areer so Ive hal"ed u( 1) years of e


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relative term de(ending on how tight the 4ob mar"et is. And right now its very tight. Iunderstand and ae(t that.,

*I also believe that there ould be very (ositive benefits for both of us in this math.,

*eause of my unusually strong e


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Examle+ *I am definitely interested in ma"ing a longMterm ommitment to my ne


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Question 12 'hat are your career otions right now)

TRAPS# The interviewer is trying to find out 46ow deserate are you)

BST A!S"R# ?re(are for this /uestion by thin"ing of how you an (osition yourself

as a desired ommodity. If you are still wor"ing desribe the (ossibilities at your(resent firm and why though youre greatly a((reiated there youre loo"ing forsomething more &hallenge money res(onsibility et.'. Also mention that youreseriously e


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@our interviewer doesnt are a whit about your (revious boss. 8e wants to find out howloyal and (ositive you are and whether youll ritii6e him behind his ba" if (ressed todo so by someone in this own om(any. This /uestion is your o((ortunity todemonstrate your loyalty to those you wor" with.

Question 15 'hat good boo*s have you read lately)TRAPS# As in all matters of your interview never fa"e familiarity you dont have. @etyou dont want to seem li"e a dullard who hasnt read a boo" sine Tom Sawyer.

BST A!S"R# nless youre u( for a (osition in aademia or as boo" riti for The8ew Yor* Times youre not e


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tehni/ue youve read aboutor (erha(s attending a seminar on some uttingMedgebranh of your (rofession.

Again the "ey is to fous on something not essentialto your brilliant (erformane butwhih adds yet another dimension to your already im(ressive "nowledge base.

Question 17 'hat are your outside interests)

TRAPS# @ou want to be a wellMrounded not a drone. ut your (otential em(loyer wouldbe even more turned off if he sus(ets that your heavy e


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e


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ould be 4udged untrustworthy. If you dont you may irritate the interviewer and seemobstinate unoo(erative or overly sus(iious.

BST A!S"R# @our interviewer may (ress you for this information for two reasons.

7irst many om(anies use interviews to researh the om(etition. Its a (erfet setMu(.8ere in their own lair is an insider from the enemy am( who an reveal (ri6edinformation on the om(etitions (lans researh finanial ondition et.

+eond the om(any may be testing your integrity to see if you an be a4oled or bulliedinto revealing onfidential data.

What to do The answer here is easy. 8everreveal anything truly onfidential about a(resent or former em(loyer. y all means e


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Question 22 &oo*ing bac*! what would you do differently in yourlife)

TRAPS# This /uestion is usually as"ed to unover any lifeMinfluening mista"es regretsdisa((ointments or (roblems that may ontinue to affet your (ersonality and

(erformane.

@ou do not want to give the interviewer anything negative to remember you by suh assome great (ersonal or areer disa((ointment even long ago that you wish ould havebeen avoided.

For do you wish to give any answer whih may hint that your whole heart and soul willnot be in your wor".

BST A!S"R# Indiate that you are a ha((y fulfilled o(timisti (erson and that ingeneral you wouldnt hange a thing.

Examle+ *Its been a good life rih in learning and e


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Question 25 'hat ma*es you angry)

TRAPS# @ou dont want to ome aross either as a hothead or a wim(.

BST A!S"R# Give an answer thats suited to both your (ersonality and the

management style of the firm. 8ere the homewor" youve done about the om(any andits style an hel( in your hoie of words.

Examles+ 2f you are a reserved erson and


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bas"etball oah youve wasted an o((ortunity to (resent /ualities of great value to theom(any.

BST A!S"R# 8ave a few heroes in mind from your mental *oard of iretors, $:eaders in your industry from history or anyone else who has been your mentor.

e (re(ared to give e


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If you dohave a (ast attendane (roblem you want to minimi6e it ma"ing it lear that itwas an e


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efore going into any interview try to identify the wea"est as(ets of your andidayfrom this om(anys (oint of view. Then (re(are the best answer you (ossible an toshore u( your defenses.

To get (ast this /uestion with flying olors you are going to rely on your master strategyof uncovering the emloyer3s greatest wants and needs and then matching them withyour strengths. +ine you already "now how to do this from Question 1 you are in amuh stronger (osition.

ore s(eifially when the interviewer (oses as ob4etion li"e this you should

1. Agree on the im(ortane of this /ualifiation.2. C


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Examle+ *I love my wor" and do it e


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Question 35 ,o you have the stomach to fire eole) 6ave youhad exerience firing many eole)

TRAPS# This *innoent, /uestion ould be a tra( door whih sends you down a huteand lands you in a hea( of dust outside the front door. Why eause its real intent is

not 4ust to see if youve got the stomah to fire but also to unoveroor #udgment inhiringwhih has aused you to fire so many. Also if you fire so often you ould be atyrant.

+o dont rise to the bait by boasting how many youve fired unless youve (re(ared toe


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In other words you would dro( ?osition altogether. Fotie what a differene thisma"es in reduing your image as a 4ob ho((er.

9ne in front of the interviewer and this /uestion omes u( you must try to reassurehim. esribe eah (osition as (art of an overall (attern of growth and areerdestination.

e areful not to blame other (eo(le for your fre/uent hanges. ut you an and shouldattribute ertain hanges to onditions beyond your ontrol.

Examle+ Than"s to an u(oming merger you wanted to avoid an ensuing bloodbathso you made a good u(ward areer move before your de(artment ame under the a7an executive in serving the community>7a leading comany in our industry> etc.

TRAPS# These and other *(ro(er role, /uestions are designed to test yourunderstanding of your (lae in the bigger (iture of your de(artment om(anyommunity and (rofession.as well as the (ro(er role eah of these entities should (layin itsbigger (iture.

The /uestion is most fre/uently as"ed by the most thoughtfulindividuals andom(aniesor by those onerned that youre oming from a (lae with a radiallydifferent or(orate ulture &suh as from a big government bureauray to an aggressivesmall om(any'.

The most fre/uent mista"e e


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8ere again the more information youve already drawn out about the greatest wantsand needs of the interviewer and the more homewor" youve done to identify the ultureof the firm the more onMtarget your answer will be.

Question 38 'hat would you say to your boss if he3s cra9y about

an idea! but you thin* it stin*s)

TRAPS# This is another /uestion that (its two values in this ase loyalty and honestyagainst one another.

BST A!S"R# Eemember the rule stated earlierH In any onflit between valuesalways choose integrity.

Examle+ I believe that when evaluating anything its im(ortant to em(hasi6e the(ositive. What do I li"e about this idea,

*Then if you have reservations I ertainly want to (oint them out as s(eifially

ob4etively and fatually as I an.,

*After all the most im(ortant thing I owe my boss is honesty. If he ant ount on me forthat then everything else I may do or say ould be /uestionable in his eyes.,

*ut I also want to e


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Question 4 'hat would you do if a fellow executive on your owncororate level wasn3t ulling his


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Question 42 ?ay 2 contact your resent emloyer for a reference)

TRAPS# If youre trying to "ee( your 4ob searh (rivate this is the last thing you want.ut if you dont oo(erate wont you seem as if youre trying to hide something

BST A!S"R# C


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Question 46 6ow many hours a wee* do you normally wor*)

TRAPS# @ou dont want to give a s(eifi number. a"e it to low and you may notmeasure u(. Too high and youll forever feel guilty about snea"ing out the door at 5H15.

BST A!S"R# 2f you are in fact a wor*aholic and you sense this comany would li*ethat+ +ay you are a onfirmed wor"aholi that you often wor" nights and wee"ends.@our family ae(ts this beause it ma"es you fulfilled.

2f you are not a wor*aholic+ +ay you have always wor"ed hard and (ut in long hours. Itgoes with the territory. It one sense its hard to "ee( tra" of the hours beause yourwor" is a labor of love you en4oy nothing more than solving (roblems. +o youre almostalwaysthin"ing about your wor" inluding times when youre home while shaving in themorning while ommuting et.

Question 47 'hat3s the most difficult art of being a 0#ob title1)

TRAPS# nless you (hrase your answer (ro(erly your interviewer may onlude thatwhatever you identify as *diffiult, is where you are wea".

BST A!S"R# 7irst redefine *diffiult, to be *hallenging, whih is more (ositive.Then identify an area everyone in your (rofession onsiders hallenging and in whihyou e


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Question 49 'hat was the toughest challenge you3ve ever faced)

TRAPS# eing un(re(ared or iting an e


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"ey aounts ontats and trade serets under his arms 4ust as soon as his ban"roll hasgotten rebuilt.

Always rememberH ath what you want with what the (osition offers. The moreinformation youve unovered about the (osition the more believable you an ma"e yourase.

Question 51 'hat are your goals)

TRAPS# Fot having anyor having only vague generalities not highly secificgoals.

BST A!S"R# any e


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BST A!S"R# 9f ourse you already "now the most im(ortant seret of all greatsalesmanshi( $ *find out what eole want! then show them how to get it.

If your interviewer (i"s u( his sta(ler and as"s *sell this to me, you are going todemonstrate this (roven master (rini(le. 6ere3s how+

*Well a good salesman must "now both his (rodut and his (ros(et before he sellsanything. If I were selling this Id first get to "now everything I ould about it all itsfeatures and benefits.,

*Then if my goal were to sell it you I would do some researh on how you might use afine sta(ler li"e this. The best way to do that is by as"ing some /uestions. ay I as"you a few /uestions,

Then as" a few /uestions suh as *ust out of uriosity if you didnt already have asta(ler li"e this why would you want one And in addition to that Any other reason

Anything else,

*And would you want suh a sta(ler to be reliable...8old a good su((ly of sta(les,&As" more /uestions that (oint to the features this sta(ler has.'

9ne youve as"ed these /uestions ma"e your (resentation iting all the features andbenefits of this sta(ler and why its e


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Question 54 4The Salary Auestion - 6ow much money do youwant)

TRAPS# ay also be (hrases as 4'hat salary are you worth)or 46ow much areyou ma*ing now) This is your most im(ortant negotiation. 8andle it wrong and you an

blow the 4ob offer or go to wor" at far less than you might have gotten.

BST A!S"R# 7or ma


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BST A!S"R# nder the everM(resent threat of lawsuits most interviewers are wellaware of these taboos. @et you may enounter usually on a seond or third interview asenior e


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BST A!S"R# Eemember that 4ust beause the interviewer doesnt as" an illegal/uestion doesnt mean he doesnt have it. ore than li"ely he is going to ome u( withhis own answer. +o you might as well hel( him out.

8ow Well you obviously ant res(ond to an illegal /uestion if he hasnt even as"ed.This may well offend him. And theres always the hane he wasnt even onerned

about the issue until you brought it u( and only then begins to wonder.

+o you ant address *seret, illegal /uestions head(on. ut what you an do is ma"esure theres enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure him that theresno (roblem in the area he may be doubtful about.

7or e


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*As to how I would measure u( to that definition I would onsider myself both suessfuland fortunate,&Then summari6e your areer goals and how your ahievements haveindeed re(resented a (rogressive (ath toward reali6ation of your goals.'

Question 59 4The :inion Auestion - 'hat do you thin* about 7

%bortion7The @resident7The ,eath @enalty70orany other controversial sub#ect1)

TRAPS# 9bviously these and other *o(inion, /uestions should never be as"ed.+ometimes they ome u( over a ombination dinner=interview when the interviewer hashad a drin" or two is feeling rela


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BST A!S"R# This ty(e of /uestion is aimed at getting at your bedro" attitudeabout wor" and how you feel about what you do. @our best answer will fous on your(ositive feelings.

Examle+ *After I floated down from loud nine I thin" I would still hold my basi beliefthat ahievement and (ur(oseful wor" are essential to a ha((y (rodutive life. After all

if money alone bought ha((iness then all rih (eo(le would be all ha((y and thats nottrue.

*I love the wor" I do and I thin" Id always want to be involved in my areer in somefashion. Winning the lottery would ma"e it more fun beause it would mean having morefle


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Question 63 Tell me something negative you3ve heard about ourcomany7

TRAPS# This is a ommon fishing e

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