Many times an aspirant loses out on a lucrative opportunity due to an interview. DR KULNEET SURI shares a few questions that can help
Interview questions that are generally put up to business management graduates in job interviews are mostly focused on the candidate’s abilities to lead groups, work in a team, delegate tasks, and other management skills. Although one cannot prepare word by word for the interviews, there are a few questions that are repeated.
Tell us something about yourself.
This holds a lot of weightage for your final selection. It is important that you practice this question thoroughly. Prepare a short and crisp answer to this question, as being prepared will make sure you do not ramble on about yourself towards an awkward end. Your communication skills are mostly judged by the interviewer. Focus on the course you have completed and your accomplishments and try to relate them to the job description you are being interviewed for.
Why are you interested in this job?
You need to provide some tangible reasons for wanting the particular job and thus you must make sure that you know the job description well so that you can relate your answers accordingly. Remember one thing, recruiters definitely won’t want someone who is just randomly coming for interviews hoping to get into any company.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
List out strengths that you have that would benefit the job and the organisation as a whole. List out three strengths that you have that set you apart and which you can also relate to the job as well. While listing your weaknesses, never ever tell the recruiter any negative points about yourself. Always see to it that you relate your weaknesses to an aspect that is, in fact, good for the job.
How would your friends and teachers describe you?
Highlight your personal and professional attributes. It would be better if you don’t make something up. Paint an accurate but attractive picture of what you are really like.
What are your hobbies?
Interviewers often ask such questions to get an insight into your personality and understand how you would fit in a workplace environment. Just make sure that you do not lie about what you do as a hobby as the interviewer probably has years of experience in his or her field and will be quick to catch your lie.
What are your short term and long term goals?
Prepare the answer to this question well as it shows your clarity of thought. Your short-term goals should be practical, concrete and achievable while your long-term goals should reflect your ambitions, passion, and your personality.
Why should we hire you for this job?
Blowing one’s own trumpet and doing it tactfully is not an easy feat but it has to be done. Do it as tactfully as you can and keep in mind that there are other students being interviewed for the same job with the same credentials as yours so make sure your answer highlights your skills as an individual that sets you apart from others.
Do you have any questions for us?
Most interviewers will ask this question at the end of the interview. Be prepared with some good questions to ask them. Some simple examples would be your growth prospects in the organisation and their performance management system.
The above are not an all-inclusive list. You may be asked different questions. The key is to be confident.