HR Interview Tips
SIBU BABU
This is one of the most commonly asked interview questions and it is
generally used as an icebreaker. Unfortunately, people tend too talk
too long and too much. You should try to allow 1-3 minutes for this
question. You should cover your background, what you currently do, your
assets, your education- subjects studied, choice of university, degree,
and current relevant studies, a summary of your career to date, and key
achievements.
Q. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Pick a weakness that could also be consider strength. "Sometimes I'm
overly concerned with doing a good job and my boss tells me I drive
myself too hard." Then mention your strengths: your ability to get the
job done efficiently and on time; your pride in your work. Or also you
can tell, my strength is my flexibility. As director of operations at a
startup company, I've had to deal with and handle changes and new
policies constantly. As far as weaknesses, I really enjoy my work, and
sometimes I put in too much time on some projects. But by being aware
of my tendency, I have learned to work smarter.
Q. What do you know about our company?
Nothing impresses an interviewer more than detailed answers to this
question. It shows you have taken initiative to research the people and
company. Discussing details of the Board of Directors, company
subsidiaries, countries in which the company operates, its products,
its key people, as well as statistics relating to turnover, number of
employees, trends in the industry, and profitability will score points
with even the most stubborn recruiters. These details are on record in
the
company's portfolio or your local library. You can request any
general information and brochures from the company secretary prior to
the interview. Your local library will hold industry surveys or "Key
Notes" reports on the industry. You can request a company prospectus
or its last annual accounts if the company is listed on any of the
stock exchanges. See if the company has a web site and visit it for
more information. Follow any links to similar sites to view competitors
or get an industry overview. If you know someone who has worked there,
ask him about the company and its culture. If you used an agency to
find you the position, their staff will probably have information about
the company on file or they can find out about it or its key officers
for you. If the recruitment agency has placed candidates with the
target company before, they could advise you about the recruitment
process and interview style. You may be offered the opportunity to be
shown around the company on an open day or as part of recruitment fair
or a pre-interview tour. Use this opportunity to talk to people and
gather other intelligence that may be useful in the interview.
Q. Why should we hire you?
This is a tough question and should be treated as if you were being
asked about your strengths. Relate your strengths to the requirements
of the job and pull it all together. Response to this should be that
you think it is a job that you will be good at and give examples of
skills, past experience, and accomplishments that will be useful for
the position. Give examples of your network of contacts that you can
bring to the company, talk about the heavy investment in your training
and development that your past employers have made in you and that your
new employer will get this relatively for no additional cost (emotional
intelligence). You can say that you have already made some of your
biggest mistakes and learned from them and now can bring the years of
experience to your new employers and hit the floor running. You can say
that you're a source of "new blood" and can bring new ideas and
alternative ways of looking at things and tackling problems to
complement the team within the hiring company. If you are articulate,
state that you can communicate at all levels of management. Add
commitment, tenacity, computer literacy, and flexibility, to these
other factors. Eg:"I love a challenge and I'm a fast learner. I have
experience in this area, so I'll be able to start with some
idea of what I'm doing. Everything I know about this company makes me
feel we'd be a good match."
Q. What attracted you to this job?
"I've been searching for a while now to find a company that had a
business model and corporate philosophy like yours. I am interested in
working for a company that provides products and services to the K-12
education market. My background is in this field, and my strength is in
building relationships and solving problems. I am excited and
interested in the idea of developing business relationships through
e-commerce."
Q. What can you contribute?
This is your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements in your
previous position(s) which are relevant to the new position you are
applying for.
Q. Why do you want to work for this company?
Emphasise the positive reasons why you want to join their company, but
avoid aspects such as more money or shorter hours. These would not
endear you to a prospective employer.
Q. What interests you about our product (or service)?
Again, your research into the company should aid you in answering this
question.
Q. What qualities do you think are important to this position?
"To have a combination of technical and business knowledge and to be
very results-oriented. My past record shows that I have those qualities
and more. Because of my business acumen and technical know-how, the
teams I have managed accomplished outstanding results, including
booking more than $50 million in online revenue."
Q. How ambitious are you? Would you compete for my job?
Depending on the position you are applying for you may want to sound
fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the interviewer's
position.
Q. What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
Likes: stress things such as a new challenge or the opportunity to
bring fresh experience to the company.
Dislikes: Imply there is nothing to dislike about the job, which is why
you are so interested.
Q .Why did you choose a career in ...?
Be positive about your reasons. If you have changed careers make a
logical argument as to why you did so.
Q. How long do you see yourself with us?
I see myself here as long as we both think that I am contributing to
the vitality (life) of the company while still being grown through
challenges.
Q. What are your salary expectations?
"I really need more information about the job before we start to
discuss salary. I'd like to postpone that discussion until later. Could
you tell me what is budgeted for the position?"
Q. Do you have any questions? (This is usually asked by the interviewer
at the end of the interview.).
"Yes, I do. Who are your financial backers? Who are the key
competitors? Does the company have a plan for the IPO? What would you
say is the best thing about your product/service?"
Questions you may want to ask an interviewer
The interview is a two-way process. The company interviewing you will
want to find out whether you are suitable for the position and you will
want to find out if the company and position are right for you. You
should therefore ensure that you have enough information to make up
your mind whether you want the job. For example:
· What will be my responsibilities?
· Where will I fit into the overall organisational structure?
· Who will I report to?
· Where does he/she fit in the structure?
· Who will report to me? How experienced are they?
· What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months?
· What level of performance do you expect from me?
· Who are your customers?
· Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans?
· What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position?
When?
· What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up
too early in the interview - wait until they are sold on you.]
· Will travelling be required in this position?
· Will relocation be required now or in the future?
· What training do you provide?
· When will you decide on the appointment?
· What is the next step?