Let’s be honest and agree that no matter how easy the interview questions may sound, yet it’s tough to answer the common interview questions. You are under mountains of pressure and knowing nothing about the interviewer makes you uncertain of how to answer or what the interviewer is expecting from you. This is where your interview preparation rescues you furthermore all you need to do is smart research about the organization and the job opening you are applying for.
The small effort in researching will help you to develop compelling talking points for creating an impression on your interviewer; Want to know how? Here is the compiled list of most common interview questions and the tricks to answer them which will make you ready for your next interview.
Prepare for Interview with these common interview questions and answers:
Tell me about yourself
Usually, this is the first HR interview question for any job opening, the motive behind this question is very simple as the interviewer wants to know about your skills and judge would you be suitable for the position or not. It’s an open-ended interview question with a million answers, but the right answer would be the one that can cover all the concerns of HR.
To prepare for this answer, firstly introduce your personal details like name, parent’s name, education, etc in brief and then explain your last work experiences,?you need to check the skills required for the job posting and then draft the answer by inculcating your most relevant skills for the job position. Try to add numbers or metrics in your answer from the previous experiences like ‘I’ve handled 100+ clients in last organization’, ‘I was managing 150+ vendors’, and such statements will add weightage to your reply.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This question is asked to put the candidates in a spot, where the HR wants to know how self-aware they are. Many of the jobseekers just mention their soft skills like good communication, leadership skills or convincing power as their greatest strengths which is not what the HR want. If you want to convince the interviewer about your strengths then you need to explain those examples where you’ve proven your skills successfully.
If you’re a fresher then tell the incidents from college times and experience holders can vouch about the instances from the workplace to highlight their strengths. You must also communicate how your strengths would be a great asset for the organization you’re interviewing with.
Answering about one’s weakness is trickier than explaining about the strengths, this is where candidates ramble and try to cover up their weakness as their strength. You need to understand that there is nothing wrong in being vocal about your flaws; it is OK to have a weakness. During an interview while you discuss your weakness with the interviewer, you also have to explain how you plan to overcome your weakness or what are the steps you’ve taken so far to beat your flaws.
Why are you leaving your current job?
Your answer to this question can make or break your job interview because it will decide you are a good employee or not. Most of the candidates think of this question as an opportunity to bad-mouth about their last employers, but no HR has an interest in listening bad-mouthing about some other company.
In place of criticizing the last company, focus your answer about what you are seeking from your next job. It could be a certain work environment, responsibility or a challenge that you want to handle, or potential growth in your career graph, etc that you are aiming. Make sure that the things you mention as your expectations from the next job match with the description of the job role you’re applying for.
Also, take a chance to talk about what you’ve learned in your last position and the things which you enjoy in your current company. When you frame a positive answer for this question it clarifies that you’re capable of leaving jobs on a good note and are enthusiastic towards new learning opportunities with right career development.
What are your salary expectations?
A salary related question is likely to come during the interview process; this is the time when you use the diplomat inside you. Don’t rush to answer your salary expectations and give a specific number straight away. Be careful while answering this question and try to keep a room for negotiation, foremostly try to understand the job role and the benefits attached to that position, after which come on a calculative decision.
While asking your salary expectations the HR wants to know that would you fit in their company’s budget or not. If this question comes up then be assured that your job interview is going in the right direction, still stay subtle and patient to answer calmly. Sometimes the HR puts this question to gauge how well you know your worth and whether you are the right fit for the role or not.
By using phrases like “I’m flexible between this ____ (provide a range)”, “My salary expectations are in line with my experience and qualifications” or “If you find me fit for this job, I am sure we can come to an agreement on salary”, you can easily deflect the ball in the employer's court.?By crafting your response in this way you can give the recruiter an honest idea about your expectations without revealing too much too soon.
Do you have any questions for me?
Surprisingly many people answer this question in a ‘No’ which is not appropriate. When the interview draws to a close, the interviewer asks this question to know how far you were engaged in the entire conversation. This question is the best opportunity for every candidate to prove that how earnest are they for this position and how attentive they were during the interview process.
When the interviewer throws this question, grab the opportunity to ask not more than 2-3 questions related to the work environment or for a deep understanding of the job responsibilities. You can also take co-related questions from your interview conversation or ask for genuine feedback for yourself, this will show the interviewer how sincere you are for the job opportunity. Don’t ask questions just for the sake of asking as it will spoil your image in front of the interviewer; instead, go prepared with genuine 1-2 queries. In the end, don’t forget to thank the interviewer for the opportunity and let them know how much you enjoyed it and that you look forward to hearing them back.
Every interviewer is different from distinctive perspectives, so it is important to be ready for common interview questions of varied types. Remember confidence and body language is the key to your successful interview; know the big mistakes to avoid during a job interview. It’s not important to answer all the questions but the ones you answer must be up to the mark and leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. The questions above are generalist and conventionally known as common HR interview questions for any job interview.
