Tough Interview Questions :- The Last Mile Survival
Here on some of the questions/tactics you might expect during a really tough interview as the job provider struggles with the decision if you are really the right candidate for the job position/role offered.
1.Silence
The silence left by a job provider during the interview process is not an invitation for you to blabber.In fact, it is a calculated tactic used by many of the sophisticated job providers to make you do precisely that. Avoid breaking the silence and above all don’t lose your cool. Stay casual,relaxed and do maintain your friendly demeanor. Wait for the job provider to break the silence. Remember in an interview the nonverbal cues you give are being observed as closely as your words, tone and diction.
2.Tell Me A Little About Yourself
Stick to those aspects of yourself that specifically relate to the job position at hand. This is not the time to pretend nor it is the time to reveal personal information that has no bearing to the professional setting, if done might impede your chances of success. This is your chance to really sell yourself and expound on all those character traits, accomplishments and success stories that have a direct bearing on the job position being offered.Reassert why you are there and your interest in the position and reaffirm why you are uniquely qualified and suitable for the role at hand. Substantiate your claims with concrete and positive examples from your past experience that reflect on your abilities and values. Show that you understand the requirements of the job role being offered and portray yourself in the best light possible to occupy that role by virtue of your goals, interests, strengths, skills and past successes.
3.Why Should We Hire You?
This question might come at the later stage of interview, by the time you would have thought you already expounded on all your virtues or it might be a shocker right at the beginning.Either way don’t be discouraged. Use it effectively explaining, exactly why you believe you are uniquely and beyond any shade of a doubt qualified for the very specific job role being addressed. This is where exactly your homework comes into picture and you need to really understand what the job provider is looking for in terms of skills, strengths, values and track record. Align your goals and interests with the job provider and reiterate that you are confident in meeting their standards and can really outperform the responsibilities given. Show confidence, enthusiasm and energy without being boastful. Above all, be sincere. Your sincere and honest interest in the job and faith that you will perform beyond all their expectations will communicate itself to the job provider better than any canned superlatives.
4.What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
Always remember every workplace has its own unique personalities and characters, some less ideal to work with than others. This is not the time to point fingers or generalize anything.Instead show you are tolerant, flexible, easygoing and can get along with ,practically anyone and can resolve conflicts professionally as well as productively. Say you understand everyone has their very own skills, strengths and experiences, that you really enjoy the challenge of working with new people and can really appreciate the differences.Emphasize that you are a team player who enjoys interacting with and bouncing ideas off of others and thrives on the feedback and reinforcement.
5. How would you handle stress?
The job provider needs to hear you realized that stress is an inevitable part of life and have already mastered the art of recognizing stress and coping with it effectively.Do mention that you take time to really think through a situation arised before reacting and never allow matters to blow out or lose your cool. Give an example of a particularly stressful situation you worked on and how you managed stress throught your proper planning and time management skills.Show you have real stress-busting habits which successfully serve you in maintening your stress levels whether they be yoga, running, meditation, some sport, hobby or activity that shows you are positive well-rounded person.
6. What was your biggest failure?
Be very careful while answering this question , above all don’t bring up a failure that has any impact on the job at hand.You may bring up something relatively insignificant that happened at a very early stage in your graduate studies and turn it into a story of remedial action and great success as it directly impacts your potential contribution to the present job at hand. Demonstrate how you dramatically learned and grew from that experience with a clear example.
7. How do you attribute your success?
The job provider probably wants to verify that you really are/gonna be a successful working professional at this stage by gauging your sincerity when you respond to this question. He/she is also interested in your value system and character. Mention some of the values you hold most dear to you – honesty, integrity, character, discipline, and mention that you are an energetic, ambitious “doer” who has always been very persistent, organized and disciplined in setting and meeting goals. Don’t be arrogant or over-confident while answering this question. Remember to attribute some of your success to the wonderful people you have been blessed to associate with – whether it is a unique management, principal, teacher, brother, father or group of people.
8. Describe a situation where you faced with a problem and how you dealt with it
This question probes your problem-solving and analytical skills. How well can you think outside the box, wrap your mind around a particular quandary, get the full measure of it and formulate the means and method to resolve it in an exemplary fashion? You need to show creativity, clarity of thought, confidence in your analytical and problem-solving skills and willingness to take a risk and create your own precedent.
9. What is your greatest accomplishment as on today?
Choose a significant success story and make sure you position it in terms of how it positively impacts your potential for success in the new job role at hand. Talk about your relationships with parents/teachers/professors which have won you an unrivalled track record or about exceeding ambitions goals through hard work, perseverance, constant follow-up, effective communication and cohesive teamwork. Clearly explain how you mobilized resources and gained approvals from institution’s management and how you then carried through to successful implementation without losing sight of either the big picture or the minute details,while effectively negotiating several difficulties on the way.
10. What is your ideal work environment?
Here emphasize your flexibility and your ability to be productive, happy and efficient in any number of environments.keep in mind this is not the time to demand. Versatility goes a long way in today’s working environment and you need to show that, you can focus on the job at hand and “fit in” seamlessly regardless of any extraneous factors be they the physical surroundings, team dynamics or any activity in the work place. Indicate examples of how you have managed to excel in the past in suboptimal work environments and done so quite happily. Convey that you like the challenge of fitting into a new role and can adapt immediately regardless of the environment.
