Going for interview? Know top ten interview question generally asked in an interview.

Now we know the interview process, interview challenges and some preparation required to done before going for any interview. The next step is to know top question which are generally asked in an interview. The purpose of these questions is to know candidate’s knowledge base, presence of mind and compatibility with the company. Candidate need to be very attentive while answering these questions, a wrong or irrelevant answer can be added as negative impression by interviewer. Let’s know these questions with most relevant answer.

Tell me something about yourself.

An open ended question through which interviewer wants to have a brief introduction from the candidate. Start with name, e.g., ‘My name is’ or ‘I am,’ never say ‘Myself.’ Tell city you belong to, education in descending order starting from highest. There is no need to tell primary or high school unless asked. Give a brief introduction of family and family include parents, siblings, spouse and children, if any. Tell occupation of parents and siblings, e.g., farmer, businessman, industrialist, teacher or any occupation, if mother is not professional, ‘home maker’ is more suitable instead of ‘house wife.’ For siblings mention whether elder or younger. Interviewer’s reason to ask family details is to know family’s dependence on candidate and financial condition of the candidate.

Why do you want to join us?

Never say for a job. Relate your academics, learning and skills with the job position applied. Know the various operations of the company and tell and convince the interviewer that you will be able to understand the various tasks completing process with competence.

Why did you choose this industry as your career? Do you see any career growth here?

My career growth will depend on my analytic and creative abilities. When I choose this field, I had not much knowledge about it but I strived for knowledge and guidance and finally I understood the industry from outside. Now I need a beginning to understand the industry from inside. Of course stability is not there in any industry but sustainability can make any industry regain in these fluctuations. I observed consistent growth in past years and if this persists I will definitely explore growth opportunities for me.

What are your hobbies?

Clearly distinguish your hobbies and interests. Watching movies occasionally, listening to music, watching TV, occasional holiday travels are some of interests or leisure activities which are often told as hobbies. If reading novel is your interest then it’s seen as leisure activity but if it is your hobby then you must have a list of novels you have read with it’s author’s name. So, be specific, state whether something is your hobby or leisure activity. There can be some questions from your hobbies and interests, e.g., which movie did you see recently? Where did you go for last holidays? What kind of music you like? Who is your favourite singer?

What is professional working environment?

The working environment, where action plan is executed strategically and process is facilitated by guidance, motivation and appreciation. There should be efficient communication channel and innovative ideas should always be welcomed and moreover, performance should be appreciated and opportunities should be equally divided between all deserving human resources.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Very important question, when asked about your strengths, tell about your skills, capabilities and some qualities. Don’t say honesty, loyalty and hardworking. Explore yourself and give a natural and true answer, never try to fabricate as there can be more questioning from your answers. If asked about your weakness, give relevant answer. Never say ‘I don’t have any.’ While telling your weakness, be very cautious and answer in a natural way that you have understood this as your weakness and try to improve yourself. Areas where someone might have an improvement are – communication skills, decision making abilities, less or no exposure to corporate, less patience level etc. Never mug up your answer and be natural and relate it with your career.

Who is role model for you? Who is ideal person in your life?

Select a role model for you who gives something motivational for you. It can be success story of any celebrity, business tycoon who meets various challenges and struggles in his/her life. There can be many like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Amitabh Bachan, Dhirubhai Ambani, Shahrukh Khan etc. There can be non celebrity as well whose life motivated and made you learn something.

Can you work under pressure?

Pressure – is the word for those who are not disciplined and miss deadlines. I am highly motivated to adhere to corporate norms and maximize productivity. I will be easily adaptable to changes, so I can handle this ‘pressure’ as I see professionalism in pressure. If military forces on frontier will say that they are under pressure, definitely they will taste defeat. Goal should be realistic and achievable, it can be easily achieve by individual or team efforts.

Can you share any instance where you proved yourself as a good leader?

For experienced, give any example of any successfully completed task by you and your role in that task. For fresher, recall any event where you were given responsibility in you school, college for academic or any event.

What is your salary expectation?

No price tag for fresher. There can be a diplomatic answer, which states your expectation to meet your expenses. See the industry standard for a fresher and company’s norms, then tell your expectation but leave a space for negotiations. Never be stubborn for a minimum figure. For experienced, negotiate according to your current salary and profiles. In negotiations, consider your job profiles and company’s size as well.

So, these are some questions which are generally asked by interviewer in job interviews. All questions are interrelated and interviewer wants to know candidate’s stability, compatibility, sincerity, attitude and behavior. While answering, be natural and try to avoid mugged up and fabricated stories.