Fifty Standard Interview Questions

It is not enough to have solid answers only for the above questions. You need to be
prepared for the full spectrum of questions that may be presented. For further
practice, make sure you go through the required mock interview (see the
"Competitive Interview Prep" Section) and for further review, look at some of the
following questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.

Sir, I am XYZ. I come from a family of five. My father is currently working for
_______. My mother is a _____. I am the elder of two sons. I have had my initial
schooling in _______ and my +2 from ______. Currently I am pursuing my
under graduate studies in _______ Engg. from NIT, Rourkela.

To describe myself as a person I would say that I am a very fun loving guy. I
have been associated with many cultural events such as drama, dance etc. On
the whole I am a person who takes immense pleasure in group activities as they
give me an opportunity to interact with people.

As my strength I would like to say that my greatest strength is my

inquisitiveness. If something interesting is happening around me, I cannot rest in
peace until I can understand the reason behind it. Besides this my confidence
and optimism are two other strong traits of my personality. I am a person who
believes in himself. I am not discouraged easily for, I believe, failures are the
stepping stones to success. After all life is a continuous learning process and I am
prepared for it.

As my weakness, I would like to point out something which others have

invariably pointed out in me, i.e., my inability to make decisions quickly.
However, sir, I personally think that even though I might be a bit slow in making
my decisions, I make the best choice. This is something I am really proud of.

2. What do you want to do with your life?

Sir, as of now, I want to work. Whatever skill sets I have acquired, I want to
put them to the field and see how I perform. I am confident that I will fare well.
All I need is the right opportunity to show my caliber. I am sure, sir, that with
your company I will get ample scope for this. Besides I want to learn from the
vast experience of my senior associates and imbibe the work culture expected
from a professional.

3. Do you have any actual work experience?

By that if you mean experience of working as an official, then I will be honest,

I don’t have any work experience. Of course I have been to two companies as
part of my summer training and have been associated with them for a period of
30 days each. In this period what I have basically done is to see and learn as
many things as possible. Due to the short duration and the type of work involved,
I was unable to offer my services to them.

4. How would you describe your ideal job?

For me, sir, an ideal job is something that is not constant. By this I mean, a
job that offers me the opportunity to learn something new daily. I am looking
forward to a job that gives me the chance to interact with a lot of people and
hence gain from their experience in the field. Besides this, I am obviously looking
forward to a good pay packet and rewards as per my performance.

5. Why did you choose this career?

Sir, when I completed my +2, out of the large no. of options available, I
chose engg. primarily because I was looking forward to a career where I would
be exposed to technology. And for this, what could be a better option than engg.
that too in a college like NIT, Rourkela.

6. When did you decide on this career?

As far as I remember, I was very much interested in science from the very
beginning, but when I was in my Class 10th, I realized the futility of going for a
plain science stream. I was more inclined towards cutting-edge technology. It
was then that I decided on engg. as my future career choice.

7. What goals do you have in your career?

8. How do you plan to achieve these goals?
9. How do you evaluate success?

Success for me is the sense of personal satisfaction that one gets from a job
well done. Nothing else, not even the acclamation by other people, or publicity
stunts, nothing can compare to the sense of satisfaction one feels at having done
something well. Irrespective of the type or magnitude of the job accomplished, if
a person feels happy with himself, then he’s truly successful.

10. Describe a situation in which you were successful.

Until now the greatest achievement for me has been my selection in NIT,
Rourkela. I remember the day I returned from my counseling, my father called
me and said that he was proud of what I had achieved. That is something that I
cherish even today. That is something that gave me a feeling of having achieved
something.

11. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

12. What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
13. Would your rather work with information or with people?

Sir, I believe I am a very versatile person. As long as I get a good work

culture and an environment to learn, I will excel and will be pleased with myself.
Hence it doesn’t really matter whether its people or information that I will be
working with.

14. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?
15. Are you a team player?

Yes sir. As I have said earlier I like to interact with people as far as possible. I
have been at the forefront of organizing and handling group events and activities.
I have been actively involved in cultural events in our college such as drama and
dance.

16. What motivates you?

The intense desire to excel my previous performances is what drives me. No

matter how tough the situation is, my objective is to prove to myself how
worthwhile I am.

17. Why should I hire you?

As far as my knowledge goes, you are looking for people with good learning
abilities and strong analytical skills. You will find these qualities in me in sufficient
amount and hence I think I am suitable for your company.

18. Are you a goal-oriented person?

To me, results do matter. However, I believe that the means are also very
important. I will never do something unethical, something that is against my
values, in order to gain an end. In any case the method is always a learning
process and quite enriching by itself.

19. Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.
20. What are your short-term goals?

If recruited in your company, I am looking to becoming a Project Leader in

about 3 years’ time. More than that I am going to focus on the values and work
culture of your company. Besides I will definitely want to learn from the vast
experience of my senior associates and colleagues.

21. What is your long-range objective?

In around 10 to 15 years’ time, I see myself reaching a post where I can be

greatly involved in the policy making decisions of the company. In any case I will
be a more complete human being and a thorough professional by that time.

22. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?

If recruited in your company, I am looking to becoming a Project Leader in

about 3 years’ time. More than that I am going to focus on the values and work
culture of your company. Besides I will definitely want to learn from the vast
experience of my senior associates and colleagues.
23. Where do you want to be ten years from now?

In around 10 to 15 years’ time, I see myself reaching a post where I can be

greatly involved in the policy making decisions of the company. In any case I will
be a more complete human being and a thorough professional by that time.

24. Do you handle conflict well?

25. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it?
26. What major problem have you had to deal with recently?
27. Do you handle pressure well?
28. What is your greatest strength?

As my strength I would like to say that my greatest strength is my

inquisitiveness. If something interesting is happening around me, I cannot rest in
peace until I can understand the reason behind it. Besides this my confidence
and optimism are two other strong traits of my personality. I am a person who
believes in himself. I am not discouraged easily for, I believe, failures are the
stepping stones to success. After all life is a continuous learning process and I am
prepared for it.

29. What is your greatest weakness?

As my weakness, I would like to point out something which others have

invariably pointed out in me, i.e., my inability to make decisions quickly.
However, sir, I personally think that even though I might be a bit slow in making
my decisions, I make the best choice. This is something I am really proud of.

30. If I were to ask one of your professors to describe you, what would he or she
say?

He or she would definitely highlight my intense desire to learn something

new. Besides that he or she might also stress on my resourcefulness and
adeptness at organizing group and cultural events.

31. Why did you choose to attend your college?

Sir I came to this college via the OJEE. It’s a fact that I came to this college
because the options available to me were limited. However now I feel my
decision wasn’t flawed and I did the right thing in choosing NIT, Rourkela. What I
have learnt from this college has been not only in my academics but also for the
growth of myself as a good and ideal human being.

32. What changes would you make at your college?

33. How has your education prepared you for your career?
34. What were your favorite classes? Why?
35. Do you enjoy doing independent research?
36. Who were your favorite professors? Why?
37. Why is your GPA(aggregate) not higher?

Sir this college was the first time that I started living alone. Until now I had
been living with my family. Being exposed to so many responsibilities all of a
sudden took me some time to adjust. But overall this has been an enriching
phase for me. I don’t really think that the aggregate shows the true capabilities
of a person. What I have missed out in my marks has appeared in my extra-
curricular activities. Being constantly involved in these activities has helped me
grow and mature as a person. In fact if given a choice of a life where, on one
hand I am the topper without any other activities, I would rather choose my
current life.

38. Do you have any plans for further education?

Sir as of now, I want to work. I don’t have any plans of studying management
or giving the GRE. I want to practice whatever skills I have directly in the
industry.

39. How much training do you think you'll need to become a productive
employee?

I am a fast learner and I am confident that about 1½ months’ training will be

sufficient for me.

40. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

Sir, I believe, in order to be a good manager, the most important quality is

patience. Just from the word, a manger is someone who has to manage, and not
just people but situations as well. Hence it’s vital for a good manger to be
patient. Besides, good interpersonal skills and the basic level of emotional
intelligence are also necessary to succeed as a manager.

41. Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?

42. What do you know about our company?

Sir, I was confident that I will clear the written test and will be facing this
interview. Hence I have done my homework. I came to know about this company
from the newspapers and business magazines. But mainly, I have come to know
about it from the company website.

43. Why are you interested in our company?

44. Do you have any location preferences?

Sir, I believe I am a very versatile person. As long as I get a good work

culture and an environment to learn, I will excel and will be pleased with myself.
Hence it doesn’t really matter where I am placed.

45. How familiar are you with the community that we're located in?

Sir, frankly speaking I haven’t been to that place. However I am sure I wont
have much of a problem in adjusting to it.

46. Will you relocate? In the future?

 That depends on what my job demands of me and how comfortable I am with
it.

47. Are you willing to travel? How much?

That depends on what my job demands of me and how comfortable I am with

it.

48. Is money important to you?

Sir there are some things in life that are more valuable than money. Right
from my childhood certain values have been inculcated in me whom I cherish
more than anything else. Money as such, of course it’s important, but up to a
certain extent.

49. How much money do you need to make to be happy?

As I have said money is important but unto a certain extent. For my kind of a
lifestyle, I would like to have compensation suitable to the effort and hard work I
put in. And yours is a company that knows how to reward hard work and
excellence. In order to be happy, I need my peace of mind, which I can get if I
am allowed to work in a good work environment with appropriate remunerations.

50. What kind of salary are you looking for?

For starters I am looking forward to earning about 20000 per month, which I
expect to grow based on my performance.

Don't just read these questions--practice them. Don't let the company interview be
the first time you have actually formulated an answer in spoken words. It is not
enough to think about them in your head--practice! Sit down with a friend, a
significant other, or your roommate (an especially effective critic, given the amount
of preparation to date) and go through all of the questions. Make the most of every
single interview opportunity by being fully prepared!