Interview Questions and Answers for All Job Seekers & Employers

In order to hire an employee, every company conducts a screening process to test the ability of that person. Interviewers, however, ask a few basic and common interview questions to test the knowledge of the candidate. These questions may be technical or non-technical and seem difficult to answer, but there are a few hacks to answer these as most experts ask similar questions.

Well, when you go for a job interview you are always on the edge and it doesn’t matter how many job interviews you have taken previously, as every job interview is different from the previous one. However, it is very important to take a deep breath and find the perfect formula to crack the job interview and impress the interviewer with your skills and witty remarks.

Furthermore, it is easy to say, but highly difficult to achieve as in the pressure of getting the job, nine out of ten interviewees surrender to the mincing pressure and do some stupid mistake. Well, that’s okay as we all are human and that’s bound to happen, so don’t freak out as we have dynamic tips for the interview to grab your dream job.

Important Interview Questions and Answers for Job Seekers
Interview Questions for Employer to Select Best From the Rest
Real Story of Technical Interview in Big Companies for Job Seekers
Myths and Misconceptions of Technical Interviews
Tips to Crack Corporate Interviews

Important Interview Questions and Answers for Job Seekers

Tell Me About Yourself

This is the first question that every interviewer asks in order to check the communication skills and the usage of grammar in a candidate. This question contains three chunks where the candidate should first introduce himself, then talk about his projects and finally their areas of interest. This basically defines the way of speaking and the interviewer gets an idea about the candidate depending on this introduction.

Why Do We Hire You?

One of the important interview questions and answers is this. This question decides the knowledge about the individual’s role in the company. This is the most common question that every interviewer asks. While answering a question like this one should look confident and maintain stability while speaking. The candidate should react in a positive manner highlighting the role to be done in the specific company.

What Are Your Strengths and Weakness?

The interviewer wants to know about the interest of the candidate in the work. Depending on the answer given they will form an opinion in their mind. While answering these questions people should not only talk about their strengths and weaknesses but also need to elaborate the situation with an example that they have experienced in their lives, so that the interviewer is able to estimate the situation exactly.

Where Do You Want to See Yourself in the Next Few Years?

This one is the most deferential interview question that the interviewer wants to hear an answer for. While answering this, the candidate should be careful not to speak hurriedly and the answer should be elaborate and out-of-the-box. People should answer in such a way that the interviewer gets impressed but not tired or dissatisfied listening to the answer. Always try to answer positively to impress.

How About Managing Work Under Pressure?

The interviewer asks this question in order to test the patience and interest in working for extra hours. While answering this type of questions candidates should not create a negative impact by random answers. They should only talk about possible situations and not drive his mind another way that could harm the success of the candidate. This should be kept in mind in terms of this type of question.

Do You Prefer to Work in a Group or Single?

This defines the nature of the work for which an individual is being hired. While answering this question the interviewee should keep in mind that the answer should be in a positive manner whether it is single or group. If the answer is group work they have to hype themselves in front of the interviewer so that it may help in their selections for the projects of the company.

How Do You Measure Your Work Performance?

This defines the individual’s view about the work that they are being selected for. The main motto of the interviewer is to test the knowledge about the work and views on the experience of the work. This should be answered diplomatically with modesty in order for better results of placement.

Elaborate Your Last Role in a Company

This answer defines the interest level and work nature of the person sitting for the interview. The answer should be positive and include all the key responsible areas of the previous job profile.  While elaborating on the last role people need to be careful about the pitfalls they experienced and should not repeat them.

Do You Have Any Experience?

The answer to this question should be too straight and sharp. This answer should not be made clumsy and should be honest and straight. The candidate needs to be very frank while giving the answer as this would decide a better position for the current job offer.

Do You Mind Working Extra Hours?

While answering this question the candidate should honestly answer whether they are able to or not. This can simply be defined by the type of work they get to do.

Not only these but there are many other questions that may be asked during an interview. The vital keys are to stay calm, composed, focused and think before answering any question. However, a thorough understanding of the above answers would definitely lead to success.

Interview Questions for Employer to Select Best From the Rest

Do you have a vacant job position at your office and looking to hire a suitable candidate for the post? We know you are looking for the best candidate who fits the position perfectly, but the question that trouble most recruiters are – how to find that elusive perfect candidate? What should be the set of interview questions that will help you to find the best candidate?

Interviews can be hard-hitting tasks, for people sitting at both ends of the table. A job seeker prepares for days together for his big interview day while on the other hand, recruiters put in lots of effort to prepare questionnaires that can test a candidate’s eligibility, abilities, potential and experiences. As an interview is a final stage in the recruitment process, the interviewer needs to be very careful while selecting ‘the one.’

If you are looking for the ideal questions that would be helpful in screening the candidates and filtering the ineligible ones from the eligible ones, then look no further –

Here are some ideal interview questions which will help you to hire the perfect candidate for your vacant job position:

Can You Please Briefly Discuss Your Resume?

Let’s be honest here. Nobody likes to go through multiple resumes thoroughly before taking an interview. Just a glance, that’s it! So asking the candidate about discussing the resume can be a good way to know about their achievements as well as see whether he/she is able to effectively communicate those achievements in a crisp and concise manner.

Generally, candidates go on describing their college-level achievements, projects or grades. Be careful to weed out candidates who only keep on stressing about their degrees rather than the skills learnt. Remember, their skills are going to add value to the role, not their degrees.

A good answer is one that effectively demonstrates the accomplishments that could be relevant to the job position. It should be well-balanced and succinct while highlighting other aspects of the candidate’s profile such as hobbies, extra-curricular and career goals so as to explain how he/she could add value to the job requirement. Additionally, the body language of the candidate can be an important yardstick to measure his/her suitability for the post.

What Can You Offer Us That Someone Else Can’t?

This question can help to check the confidence level of the candidates as well as to see their ability to present their skills set in a unique or different manner. Who are we kidding with? We all know, good candidates more or less have a similar level of skills and qualifications. So what sets them apart is their way of presenting those similar skills in a different manner.

Be aware of candidates who unnecessarily brag about qualities that make them no different from the queue of candidates waiting outside the room. A candidate who replies with a clichéd one-liner like ‘I am hardworking, talented and persistent without supporting it with valid examples, is not someone you are looking for.

A good answer is one where the candidate is not boastful in his/her approach but still exhibits a remarkable level of confidence.  It should also highlight special qualities along with examples that add a few extra bucks to their profile.

Why Are You Interested in Working With Us?

This is an ideal question to separate the candidates willing to put in efforts towards the post and those who are seeking a job without any serious commitments in mind.  This will help you to not only identify candidates fit for the job position but also grasp their understanding of the company’s motto, work ethics, etc.

You will meet candidates who will reply with answers like ‘I was looking for a job and I saw your job post’ and others who would reply ‘I want to put my skills into practice and use my experience as a springboard for my career to flourish.’ Now you know who to hire?

A good answer is one that not only shows the willingness of the candidate to invest his/her time and energy towards the work but also the ability to implement the workplace experience and observations into future use. The candidate should also demonstrate a good knowledge about the company which reflects his genuine interest in the post.

What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

Knowing the strengths of the candidate will help you determine his/her suitability towards the job requirements and also let you know what he/she can bring on to the table for that specific job. For example, if you are want to hire someone for the post of analyst then you will definitely lookout for a candidate who has good analytical skills, but if he has good communication skills as well then it is an added benefit to the team.

Talking about the weaknesses will demonstrate their areas of improvement. Make sure that the weaknesses mentioned, do not cause a major hindrance to the work capacity of the candidate. Suppose someone says they are not very punctual, has temper issues and is a bad listener; that’s a red signal. But be clear about the fact that everyone has some kind of weaknesses to be a little easy on that.

An ideal candidate should showcase strengths that closely match the job requirements by validating them with proper examples and should have weaknesses that should not hamper the work. Not only this, he/she should show a willingness to learn from their flaws and work towards improving them.

Tell Me About a Time You Made a Mistake

This question will enable you to check the candidate’s experience at handling negative situations and turning around a bad decision. Don’t limit the question to the professional front only; let the candidate divulge a little beyond that and allow him to talk about a mistake on the personal front too.

Keep an eye on candidates who easily pass the blame on to others and take no responsibility for their actions. We are all humans and making mistakes is a natural tendency. It is impossible to find someone who has never committed any mistake in his/her life. If you come across any such candidate, be sure that the candidate is just trying to conceal the flaws.

Acceptance and willingness to learn from a mistake is the first step in this answer. A good answer to this question should be demonstrated with a high level of confidence along with highlighting the lessons learnt from the mistake and the role it played in shaping future actions.

Where Do You See Yourself 5 or 10 Years Down the Line?

This Interview questions will give you an insight into the candidate’s long-term goals in life as well as how long is they are planning to work for this company. This will also help you figure out the candidate’s interests and if those can be aligned with the company’s job requirements.

A hasty answer with no long or short term goals reflects that the candidate does not value the job position that he is being interviewed for. Steer clear from such candidates!

A good answer presents an outline of career goals, career improvement plans while showing considerable interest in the current job position. Candidates who exhibit high levels of honesty in their answers and discuss not only career goals but life goals as well, do deserve bonus points, don’t they?

Tell Me How You Handled a Difficult Situation at Your Job

This Interview questions would enable you to ascertain a candidate’s maturity level and efficiency at handling difficult situations. This way you can foresee how the candidate can handle such situations (if they arise) in the future.

You should be quick to filter out candidates who give generalized answers like ‘I have faced many difficult situations in life but with my dedication and intelligence I managed to come out of it easily.’

A good answer to this Interview Questions should display the problem-solving skills and thinking abilities of the candidate backed up with an example of a tough situation he /she faced and what techniques he /she employed to solve the problem. It should showcase his/her efficiency to deal with pressure without affecting productivity at work.

What Motivates You?

This Interview Questions will enable you to see what pushes the candidate to perform and if he is moving ahead on the right track according to his/her motivations or not. Secondly, it will also reflect upon his/her values as well, as motivation is something which comes from within, it is not acquired. It is easy to filter out candidates who give vague or unproductive answers. There should be traces of honesty and a factor that actually motivates them to work towards their goals. A good answer should be straightforward in approach followed by examples where the candidate explains about achieving something difficult in the past and what motivated him/her to do that.

What Is Your Idea of an Ideal Week, Personally and Professionally?

This interview question will enable you to see how the candidate maintains his work-life balance. Meanwhile, you can also get to know whether the candidate is comfortable with working at an odd times (if the need ever arises).

Some candidates would just say that they would go with the flow and do things that come their way. Well, that’s not bad but having a schedule for the week would be excellent. It would be nice to hear someone say that, they have prioritized some important tasks in the office for the first three days; next, they would complete some more tasks along with finishing off a book they have been reading since long and finally planning to take a trip out of the city over the weekend.

A good answer is one that presents a map of things to do category wise, putting high priority tasks first on the schedule. This will help you to understand the priorities and productivity level of the candidate.

How Do You Think We Can Incorporate New Technological Innovations in Our Work?

This interview question will help you identify the candidate who has strong knowledge with the current developments as well as is willing to adapt to new changes. Not only this, his idea to incorporate new developments into work will demonstrate his creative thinking ability.

Just mere knowledge of current developments in the technological field is not enough; the candidate should have creative ideas regarding their implementation into the work area too. This shows that the candidate is updated regarding his field and has a keen interest in work too.

A good answer should demonstrate a willingness to adapt to push new boundaries in the innovation section and incorporate those into work. He /she should acknowledge the fact that the working style is changing every day and needs the incorporation of new ideas and developments regularly to be updated.

Real Story of Technical Interview in Big Companies for Job Seekers

The IT sector is blooming very rapidly over the globe, and it’s the only sector that is offering the highest job opportunities. So, every person is trying to crack the job position in some big technology-based company to survive this unbalanced economic environment. If you are trying to get a job in some leading tech companies like Google, Yahoo, Apple, then my friend you need to prepare hard for the interview. The big tech companies hire candidates only on the basis of the interview and your performance. If you are thinking that Extracurricular activities matter, then you are in big delusion and need to face harsh reality immediately to survive in this world of big tech sharks. Some Tips to crack technical Interview is discussed below.

The interview is a parameter to select a candidate, but how can you judge the ability of a person in a half-hour interview. To be honest it’s impossible to do so. I have seen many web developers saying that they got rejected from numerous big companies in spite of performing best in the interview. So today we are trying to handle the very important question, that why big tech companies reject you after performing perfectly in the interview and if what you have given in the interview is not sufficient, then what is sufficient? Today we will handle some myths and misconceptions related to the technology companies interviews and tips to crack technical interview.

Myths and Misconceptions of Technical Interviews

Good GPA

If you have a good GPA and degree from a well-reputed university, it’s no guarantee of a job in the big company. Many people complained that after showing their GPA and degree in the interview, they still didn’t get the job. Well, you see there are many reasons behind it. Sometimes companies only require a programmer to solve basic issues and you are more capable than that, and if they hire you, they need to pay higher wages. So they drop you and hire someone with less qualification.

Having Experience

Experience matters, but in some cases, it doesn’t matter. If a company is looking to hire a fresher with innovative ideas in less salary, then your years of experience fails in such a case. So don’t blame yourself, if you got rejected despite having years of experience.

Your Citizenship

Yes, your nationality plays a vital role in hiring you. The companies normally avoid hiring outsiders, as they need to pay the higher rates and pay for their visa fees. Big companies sometimes take the risk and hire people from outside the country, but new startups can’t afford to pay such paper fees.

Lack of Tech Competency

After the interview, if you feel good and your interviewer seems polite and yet you get rejected, this is the question that trouble many job seekers. But dear understand one thing here, if your interview taker seems polite, it’s because he is trained to do so. They will never tell you, your weak points. You have to self-evaluate your performance and dwell on whether are really compatible with the tech world or not.

These are a few questions that run through every candidate’s mind, who get rejected from big tech companies and tries to gather his broken dreams. Dear, don’t get disheartened after a few rejections, as I have already explained a few reasons and misconceptions that make you fail. So, gather up your confidence again and read some tips, that will help you to crack the big tech companies' hard wall.

Tips to Crack Corporate Interviews

Gather Information

Being informative and having the correct information about the working style of the company is highly important. Although this shows the interviewer your first-hand skills and that also shows how serious you are about the job. This will turn out a major plus point for you to answer interview questions as you already know the company operations, so you know beforehand for what you are signing for? The different sources are available on the internet from where you can get interesting information about the company. Like, LinkedIn is a highly appropriate tool to understand the company profile and all the latest news about the company.

Get Familiar With the Interviewer

After getting the information about the company, take some notes on the person who will be conducting your interview. For that, you can use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to take look at the personal and professional interests of the person. This will help you to calm down your nerves before going for the interview and give you the confidence to crack the interview.

Be a Good Listener

You need to be a good listener and carefully listen to every word of the interviewer. Don’t get excited and start blabbing about yourself. First and foremost listen to the interviewer and after processing the information, answer the question. So, listening is a key element, but it doesn’t mean that you should sit like a dumb and doesn’t speak at all. Look like you are listening to the conversation very carefully, and making some gestures, like the head nod or any hand moment. This will make the conversation productive and the interviewer feels like you are actively participating in the conversation.

Find the Common Interest

Try to change the conversation and make it more personal by finding a common interest. For example, ask questions about pictures you see in their office. “Is that your son? Nice. I have two kids myself.” The most commonly asked question is “so why do you want to work for us?” and your reply must be like this, “Well, I’ve worked with many companies but working here gives me the perfect platform to showcase and enhance my skill set. Moreover, I look forward to working in this kind of environment where employees are treated well. I can work with any company but I see another level of job satisfaction here.

Punctuality

Show up late for a job interview, and you tell employers a lot about your personality and work ethic. Being late for your scheduled interview can be an indication that you don’t pay attention to important details. It proves that you do not value others’ time. A lack of punctuality smacks of disrespect. That’s the last impression you want to leave interviewers with. Plan to arrive on the scene about 10-15 minutes before the interview. When you walk in, let whoever greets you know that you are a few minutes early. Arriving a tad early and acknowledging that you are early is a great way to stand out to employers for the right reasons. Being punctual on the interview automatically scores you one plus point and the manager will get to know the punctual skills.

The Dress Is Your Address

Because you’ve already researched the company, you should have a sense of the workplace and what level of formality is appropriate. Look at photos on their social media sites to get a sense of what people wear at the office. Dark jeans or slacks and a button-down shirt or polo can be worn with any closed-toe shoes that are neat and clean. For a business casual environment, you’ll need to dress up a bit more. Ideal for women, this could mean, Black or navy dress pants or a pencil skirt with a button-down shirt and cardigan or jacket followed with a pair of flats or heels are appropriate. For men, this could mean, Black or navy dress slacks with a belt, button-down shirt and tie with a blazer is optional following oxfords or loafers. It is very important to dress appropriately for the job interview and make a clean impression.

These are a few interesting tips for the interview to grab your dream job to work in an absolute environment that can boost your job satisfaction. You might already know a few of the above-mentioned tips, but they are highly important as they always work to get the job. As they say, the old method is always tested and safe, so use these methods and I bet you will surely get your dream job.

Conclusion

So, these were some of the toughest interview questions that can be asked in a job interview. We hope these help you to get your ideal catch for the desired job position! Do let us know if you implemented any of the above into your questionnaire and if that helped you to select the perfect candidate.

FAQs

What are some Interview Tips to learn?

Some of the tips that one should follow is research about the company, learn about common interview questions, keep a positive attitude, be on time and create a pleasant impression.

What are the 2 best questions to ask in an interview?

Ask about the role that you came for in the interview and ask about the team that you need to collab with.

How do you end an interview?

Ask if there is something you are not clear about, add other information regarding yourself, if you feel its needed and be vocal about your interest in the position.