Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself.

This is normally one of the first, if not the very first, questions an interviewer will ask you. This is your chance to sell yourself. More likely than not, the interviewer has had a chance to review your resume and application form, so try to avoid giving information already indicated in it; however, you may want to highlight certain points you feel are applicable to the position you're applying for, and then elaborate. You can also mention other related experiences: for example you're applying for a sales position, you may want to mention how you enjoyed a sales and marketing class you took, in which you had to sell various products.

What made you decide to apply for this position/company?

This question can be tricky, and should teach you to listen carefully to the question being asked. While running down the list of reasons you're suited the position may get a good point across and can help the interviewer assess whether you qualify for the position, it isn't exactly what they were looking for. Your interviewer wants to determine the reason/s you want the job in order to determine whether you are the right person for it. Being capable of doing the job and wanting it are different things, and these factors can affect your performance and how long you will stay in the company.

The best way to answer this question is to express how your relevant competencies and interests meet to make you ideal and motivated for the position.

Before applying for a position, or going to a job interview, do some research about the position and the company you're applying for; this means going beyond reading the ad or job description. While responsibilities may vary in different companies, most jobs generally have similar overviews. This way, you won't be like a solider heading into battle without a gun. It's best to match your skills to the skills required to fill a certain position. You may also want to briefly describe how and at which points your values and the company's align.

What are your career plans?

When discussing your career, remember that it is your chosen profession or occupation and not merely a job. Also, at this point, it is assumed that you already have at least an idea of the direction you want to take with your professional life. Telling an interviewer your plans for your career is "to find a job" is pretty obvious since you're at a job interview; it's also annoying and is really not answering the question--and it's a far more common answer than you might think.

Focus more on your professional goals: Do you see yourself in the same company several years down the road? Do you see this as a stepping stone toward other things, or do you plan to stay in this field or industry? Do you want to pursue further studies? If so, how does this fit into your work schedule? Do you see yourself working abroad?

You should also give at least an idea of the timeline you set for yourself. For example, when do you plan to pursue your MA or MBA? Or when do you plan to look into pursuing employment opportunities abroad, within the next two years or so?

Giving the interviewer an idea of your goals will tell them more about you--if you are dedicated to the career you are setting yourself up for and the potential for career growth, whether upward or laterally. Also, in being clear about what you expect to achieve, the interviewer may better determine if the company will be able to satisfy your professional needs, therefore leading to a better assessment of whether you will fit the position you are applying for on a more subjective level.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths are skills or values you feel are an asset. Rather than just listing these down, be more specific. Values are relative, therefore tricky. You can be patient, but patient to what extent and in what context? Are you able to endure instructing someone who can't seem to understand you, or are you uncomplaining of people who are late? You can also give brief examples to be better understood.

Weaknesses are skills or values you feel can be a liability and need to improve on. Since these may seem like points against you, turn the negative into a positive. Give weaknesses that, when looking on the bright side, can also be a strength, and highlight that fact. You can also give a weakness that you've created alternative solutions to or are currently working to correct. This article on About.com has some great suggestions and examples.

Never refuse to answer these questions or give vague and non-committal answers since this will give the impression that you either do not know yourself well or are not confident enough in your abilities to recognize what you're best at and what you need to work on.

What is your expected salary?

In most cases, especially if you are a fresh grad or are applying for a job in a new industry, you might be clueless as to the standard rates in your industry. Unlike job descriptions, this may not be as easy to research since this may be based on a number of factors. Try to do some research on similar positions in the same company and other companies in the same industry.

Be realistic. If you're applying for an entry level position, don't assume you'll receive a salary significantly over minimum wage. If you're really unsure, consider how much you need, because at the very least, you should be able to afford to support yourself with any job. Although you may not want to name your price, an interviewer may ask for it point blank. In this case, you should give your higher salary expectation (as