10 Common job interview questions and how to answer them

 

The day has come! You’ve got an interview call for an awesome job and now you have to meet your interviewer who will assess your skills.

Your interview can be online or offline but both the platforms will judge you on the basis of your hard and soft skills. You will be judged on your qualification, experience, knowledge and attitude.

Even the best and the most qualified job seekers feel nervous before the interview. It’s true there aren’t any second chances to create a good first impression. That’s why we got you some frequently asked questions during an interview and how to answer them. Take notes.

Given below are 10 interview tips that will teach you the way to answer interview questions and convince the hiring manager that you are simply the right choice.

10 Common job interview questions and how to answer them

1) Tell me about yourself.

The most frequent first question asked is this. The interviewer wants to know you and understand why you’re a fit for the job. Attempt to answer questions on yourself without giving an excessive amount of, or insufficient personal information.

You can start by sharing a few of your personal interests and experiences that do not relate to work. Add your favourite hobby or a quick recap of your growing up years, your education and what motivates you in life.

2) Why should we hire you?

This is a very important question. The interviewer simply wants to know that why should the company hire you. Are you the best candidate for the job?

The hiring manager wants to understand whether you match all the specified criteria for the job or not.

Your response should be confident, concise and justified. Do a thorough check of the role responsibilities and answer accordingly. Do not beat around the bush. Speak straight to the point in order to convince the manager in hiring you.

3) Tell me about your multi tasking skills.

‘I can multi task with ease, calmness and focus.’

This could be one of the responses.

You must start your answer with a line that indicates that you are a positive person who can handle stress, anxiety and multiple responsibilities.

Make sure you do not portray yourself as a person who gets an anxiety attack with a little pressure.

While answering this question, remember to stay positive and things will fall into place.
 

4) What is your greatest strength?

Quite often, this question is asked to check how well you’re qualified for the position. Speak about your strengths with respect to the job you’ll be hired for. Do not talk about the strengths that do not matter to the job. If you’re being hired for an editor’s job, a command over the language is your strength. If you’re being interviewed for a food chain, customer relationships can be your strength.

Answer with respect to the job requirements.

5) What is your greatest weakness?

Do not talk about your weaknesses here. Do not say things like, ‘I get perplexed easily’ or I lose focus under stress’. You’ll be shown the door immediately.

Do your best to border your answers around positive aspects of your skills and turn your ‘weaknesses’ into strengths.

You can also share samples of skills you’ve improved, providing specific instances of how you recognised a weakness and took steps to correct it. Upskilling is loved by organisations. Do not lie in any case. Be honest and pragmatic.

6) Why did you leave your previous job?

“I left my previous job in order to enhance my skillset. I was looking for a more challenging profile to learn and execute bigger plans.”

This is one way to answer this question. Remember, no matter what, do not leave a negative remark against the previous company. Always learn from experiences and move on! Answer this question honestly and smartly.

7) What are your salary expectations?

‘As per my experience and industry standards.’

This is the most common answer and it works. In most cases, you will know the salary benchmark. You just have to negotiate there.

Be realistic! Quote the price you expect for the role. The hiring manager wants to understand what you expect to earn.

It looks like an easy question, but your answer can knock you out of the competition if you overprice yourself. If you underprice yourself, you’ll get shortchanged with a lower offer. So think rationally before answering. Be realistic!

8) How do you handle stress and pressure?

“Stress is a part of everyday life. I have a habit of remaining patient and think rationally under stressful situations.”

The employer wants to understand your stress coping mechanism. He wants to know what you do when things don’t go smoothly at work. He wants to understand your reactions during difficult situations. The employer wants to understand how you handle workplace stress.
Avoid claiming that you simply never, or rarely, experience stress. Rather, formulate your answer that acknowledges workplace stress and explains how you overcome it.

9) Why do you want this job?

Do a thorough research about the company, its products & services, culture and mission to answer this question authentically. Talk about your expertise in alignment with the company’s vision and how the position fits in your long term goals. Be specific about what makes you a fit for the role, and mention aspects of the company and position that appeal the most to you.

10) What motivates you to do something?

Firstly, your answer should match the job requirements.

“A sense of accomplishment and a feeling of satisfaction that I get after completing my task on time gives me the motivation to work and bring results.”

This can be an ideal answer but always modify it as per your motivation criteria. You can start your answer with the above line and follow it up with a description of your motivation factors.

These were the 10 Common job interview questions and how to answer them. Remember, it is very important to add your personal touch to the interview. Be authentic. These are general guidelines to help you do well in the interview. Rehearsing these common questions will be very useful. Hope these tricks and tips help you. Stay tuned for more such interesting articles.

All the best for your interview!

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