Best Interview Tips, Questions and Answers

Interview Tips

An interview is just like a battle between an employer and a job seeker. During interview the employer fights to find good “solider” for his company, while the job seeker fights for the vacant position.

For a job interview a job seeker needs a lot of study and information before an interview. There is a Chinese saying,

“The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.”
It means that you need a lot of study before interview. People ask me sometimes why to study before interview? So my answer is a quotation of Suntzu,
“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”

But what should I study before interview?

Here is the list of things you should study before interview

1. Company basic info. It include company name, top level management etc
2. Products of the company, prices, history of launches etc.
3. Competition Products, prices, launches
4. SWOT analysis (strength, Weaknesses, Opportunity, Threats)
5. Management structure
6. Organizational culture
7. Recent news in the media and your opinion on them
8. Emerging trends in the industry
9. Developing your idea bank
10. How can you add value to the organization?

Remember you can’t invert that process anymore and also you can’t harvest a crop before you plant it. So study a lot because opportunity will never knock at your door every day.

Most frequent interview questions.

1. Tell me about yourself / how would you describe yourself?
2. Why should I hire you?
3. What’re your greatest strengths?
4. What’re your weaknesses or the areas of improvement?
5. What’re your most important accomplishments?
6. Why did you choose our company?
7. How do you handle deadlines?
8. What do you know about this industry?
9. What do you know about our company?
10. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
11. What have you done that shows initiative?
12. If you could live your life all over again, what would you do differently?
13. Describe your ideal job.
14. What’re your hobbies?
15. Can you take direction?
16. What’re the reasons for your success?
17. What was the hardest decision you ever had to make, and how did you handle it?
18. Who (or what) has been a major influence on your life?
19. What do you worry about?
20. How do you plan your time?
21. How do you handle rejection?
22. What don't you like about your current/previous employer?
23. What do you know about our company?
24. I understand you're working for a really tough firm now. What’s it like?
25. Can you sell me on our product (or service concept)?
26. Why did you leave your last job?
27. What’re some mistakes you've made in your previous jobs?
28. Where else are you applying for a job?
29. How do you feel about working overtime?
30. Describe a difficult situation at work and how you handled it.
31. How do you rate your career progress to date?
32. What’re you looking for in your next job?
33. How long would you stay with our company?
34. Why do you want to get into this field?
35. What kinds of people do you prefer to work with?
36. Can you tell me about your management style?
37. How do you operate as a team player?
38. How do you get along with your current boss?
39. Why aren’t you making more money at your age?
40. Where do you want to see yourself in five years’ time?
41. What can you do for us?
42. If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
43. If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a
44. detail-oriented person?
45. What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
46. What’re three positive character traits you don't have?
47. Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?
48. What’s the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years?
49. If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
50. What’ your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
51. What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
52. What’s your greatest fear?
53. What’s your personal mission statement?
54. How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
55. Are you willing to relocate?
56. What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome?
57. What kind of goals would you’ve in mind if you got this job?
58. How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
59. What’s your ideal company?
60. What attracted you to this company?
61. What’re you most proud of?
62. What’re you looking for in terms of career development?
63. Give examples of ideas you've had or implemented.
64. What’re your lifelong dreams?
65. What do you ultimately want to become?
66. How would you describe your work style?
67. Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job.
68. What would be your ideal working situation?
69. What did you like least about your last job?
70. What do you think of your previous boss?
71. Do you’ve any questions for me?
72. When were you most satisfied in your job?
73. What can you do for us that other candidates can't?
74. What’re three positive things your last boss would say about you?
75. What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
76. What salary are you seeking?
77. What’s your salary history?
78. What were the responsibilities of your last position?

"Do's" of Interview

1. In most cases you are selected on the basis of your first impression, so make your first impression as attractive as you can. Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
2. Be a gentleman, dress like gentleman, talk like gentleman... 
3. Mute your cell phone before you enter the interview room.
4. Wear a smile on your face before you enter the interview room.
5. Enter the room like a winner having spring in your gait.
6. Remember first impression is the last impression.
7. Discuss the interview opportunity with mastermind group and get the pep talk.
8. Make an interview checklist and run down it a day before.
9. Always reach the interview place 15 minutes prior to the time.
10. Take interview as your special sales call.
11. Keep your mobile off or make it mute.
12. Never badmouth your ex-employers even if the interviewer tempts you repeatedly.
13. Never be harsh with the secretary or other administrative staff at the interviewing
14. organization even if they ask for it.
15. Dress to the occasion and not to kill.
16. Take additional copies of the résumé with you put in a sleek executive leather bag.
17. Instead of making your résumé agenda for the session, drag the interviewer to ideas and concepts.
18. If interviewer extends his/her hand, then shake to make him/her feel that you’re alive.
19. Have a fleeting look of the office of the interviewer to assess his/her personality. Be a Sherlock Holmes for a moment.
20. Avoid controversial topics. 
21. Stay neutral. if you are asked controversial questions.
22. Take the interview as a networking occasion; ask the visiting card at the end.
23. Never show your desperation for the job even if you’re dying.

"Don't Do's" of interview

1. you’re nervous;
2. you enter room as if you’re at funeral or you are going to be killed.
3. give a limp handshake;
4. you slouch in a chair;
5. you endlessly fidget in your chair;
6. you constantly avoid eye contact with the interviewer;
7. you crack your knuckles or snap your fingers;
8. you’re constantly playing with your hands or hair or a pen.
9. ask about company’s pension plan unless you’re past middle age.
10. ask about the office timing.
11. ask if it’s 5 days or 6 days a week.
12. ask how much you’ll be paid for the job (until you know that you are going to be selected).
13. ask if the company sponsors lunch.
14. show any signs of irresponsibility or you sound goof.
15. show arrogance or excessive aggressiveness.
16. keep on complaining or putting blame on external things.
17. Lack of enthusiasm or lack of stability is obvious in your life.

 According to Richard Nelson Bolles, The hiring process is more like choosing a mate. 
The interview questions are sometimes like your mate ask you. these questions can not be easily answered. for example in both cases they may ask you, Why only me in the world?? 

Now think for a while. Is it easy to answer it? No of course not. That's why you need a lot of study to answer these kind of question. 

   

Always remember 

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.

Best of luck for your interview...!!