Top Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself.

"Tell me about yourself" is a very common
question, but it is also the question which
most candidates do not do well on. The
challenge is because it is normally the first
question asked, job candidates miss an important
opportunity to make a great first impression.
The good news is with some preparation and a lot
of practice, you make a phenomenal first
impression by answering this question well.
First, what not to do:
. !o not recite your resume or academic
transcript. The interviewer can read your resum".
#. !o not ramble an answer. $ince this is a very
common question, candidates are e%pected to have
a good, concise answer. &eing caught'off guard
with this question without a good answer shows
recruiters that a candidate did not prepare
properly.
(. !o not give a common, boring response. )%cite
me. *nterest me. +ou,re talking about yourself, so
take the opportunity and promote yourself as to
why the recruiter should hire you.
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Top Interview Questions
$o, with that in mind, what should you say- .ere
are some ideas and tips:
. Talk about your passions. /hy did you chose
the degree you did at university- /hy did you
chose this career path. 0et me get to know you
beyond the resume and academic transcript.
#. Talk about your goals. /hy are you here- /hat
about you and your personality e%cites you about
my company and this job-
(. 1ick one or two 2)+ things and achievements
about your background''the things that best define
you and put you in the best light''and tell me about
it. !on,t take too long, and as * said earlier, don,t
tell me everything in your background. 3ust pick
the two things you want me to know about you.
/hat accomplishments are you most proud of-
/hat defines you as a person- /hat motivates
you- /hat was your best e%perience so far- Tell
me that. 4nd remember, it doesn,t have to be
e%clusively on the professional front. $ome of the
best answers * have heard from job candidates is
when there were telling me about being captain of
a sports team or a community group they were
involved in. The important thing to remember is
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Top Interview Questions
that your e%amples should show why you are a
special and unique person * need to hire.
5. $hare your dreams and ambitions. Tell me an
interesting story.
6. $ince this is a very common question, practice,
practice, and then practice some more. /rite out
some ideas of key stories from your background,
and then practice telling your story in a concise
and entertaining manner. * strongly recommend
practicing this with friends and family, and get
their honest and candid feedback on your
response. &e sure to ask what you can do better.
Then try again.
7. 2eep the answer to a couple of minutes.
8. /atch the body language of the interviewer.
4re they interested in what you are saying- 4re
they smiling and listening intently-
The most important thing about this question is to
make the recruiter like you. &y sharing an
enthusiastic story, speaking with passion about
your e%periences and yourself, you will be highly
likable and most importantly, memorable.
The good news is since most people give a boring
summary of their resume, you really have the
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Top Interview Questions
opportunity to stand'out by being different and
telling a story which is interesting and e%citing.
Potential answer:(Tell me about yourself)
4t a young age, * had a passion for
technology, so when it came to select a
course of study at my university, computer science
was a natural decision. * have enjoyed studying for
the past four years, and now look forward to not
only continuing this education but also delivering
world class solutions for companies. 9utside of
work, * enjoy group activities such as football and
music.
What are your Greatest Strengths?
*n asking this question the interviewer is
simply trying to figure out whether you can
do the job and whether you will fit in at the
company.
To answer this question, focus on how your
technical skills solve a problem the company has
and may possibly benefit the company.
Potential answer: ((What are your greatest strengths))
* am very good at supervising and
managing the members of our team and
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Top Interview Questions
being the liaison with management. :y team had a
major project due and we hit a snag; our client had
not made some necessary adjustments so the data
migration was going to be delayed by three weeks.
* split the team in half to focus one half on the
current project while the other half dealt with the
data issue. <ltimately, it worked perfectly. * kept
our management team in the loop every step of the
way and we came in 6= under budget and on time
> under some really tough circumstances.
What Are our Wea!nesses?
&y asking this question, the interviewer is
trying to ?a@ screen out people who confess
to weaknesses that are unacceptable given
the position and ?b@ see how you deal with an
uncomfortable question.
4nswer this question by minimiAing your
weakness and emphasiAing your strengths and
giving a weakness that is also a strength. &e
honest, but do not be absurdly blunt. Focus on
professional traits, not personal traits, because
professional traits can be learned.
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Top Interview Questions
Potential answers: "What Are our Wea!nesses?
* am always working on improving my
communication skills to be a more
effective presenter. * recently took a seminar at
:*T on effective *T communication skills.
9ne of my weaknesses was to take on too many
projects with too little time to complete to my high
standards. * have learned to prioritiAe and set
realistic goals. * am now more focused and
productive professionally and personally.
Why Shoul# We $ire ou?
&y asking this question the interviewer is
trying to ?a@ see how prepared you are, ?b@
determine how you handle a problem, ?c@
see why you would help the company and
?d@ determine your real motivations for seeking
employment.
To answer this question, rela%, this is simply a
chance for you to e%plain how your skills and
abilities provide the employer with a benefit by
giving e%amples.
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Top Interview Questions
Potential answers: "Why shoul# we hire you?%
:y research indicates you need
someone with a help'desk background
to reduce the call volume diverted to supervisor
level employees. *n my 5 years at 4&B, * was able
to reduce call volume by over 5C=. * am confident
while working with your team, we could
significantly reduce call volume.
4s we have discussed, your website is very
static and needs new and creative approaches to
compete in today,s market. To effectively compete,
the site needs to be a database'backed site with
dynamically generated content, like your
competitor &D:, 00B. /orking with you, * am
confident we could do the same here to increase
sales and drive more volume to our profit centers.
Why &o ou Want to Wor! $ere?
&y asking this question the interviewer is
?a@ trying to determine that you have
prepared and are not just interviewing
because there is an available position and ?b@
trying to get a sense of the value you would add.
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Top Interview Questions
To answer this question, focus on how your
e%perience allows you to solve a specific problem
and give e%amples.
Potential Answer: "Why #o you want to wor! here%
* have always greatly admired 4&B.
4fter researching the company * came to
admire it even more and understand
that you are planning to e%pand into )urope and
will need significant support here for the
)uropean team. &ased on my e%periences with
E+F in providing dedicated support for their
)uropean team, * am confident that * could bring
new innovative solutions to help improve the
performance and efficiency of the team. )%actly
like the time * was responsible for integrating,
rolling out and eventually supporting $!G5, E+F,s
own project management software.
What ma!es you uni'ue?
&y asking this question, the interviewer is
trying to get at the core of why they should
hire you over the other candidates > some
of whom may look remarkably similar to you. &e
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Top Interview Questions
prepared to take this key opportunity to
emphasiAe why you are different.
Focus on your skills, abilities, qualifications and
e%periences that may be unique compared to the
rest of your competition.
Potential answer: "What ma!es you uni'ue?%
*f * look carefully at my e%perience at
4&B, * know there is one thing that
really stands out, * not only write code in a variety
of different languages but * can communicate in a
very clear and concise manner to management
why changing code could contribute to the bottom
line of the business. :y ability to put comple%
technical requirements into plain )nglish for non'
technical members of the team allowed our team
to outperform every single team at 4&B.
What Are our Wea!nesses?
&y asking this question, the interviewer is
trying to ?a@ screen out people who confess
to weaknesses that are unacceptable given
the position and ?b@ see how you deal with an
uncomfortable question.
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Top Interview Questions
4nswer this question by minimiAing your
weakness and emphasiAing your strengths and
giving a weakness that is also a strength. &e
honest, but do not be absurdly blunt. Focus on
professional traits, not personal traits, because
professional traits can be learned.
Potential answers: "What are your Wea!ness?%
* am always working on improving my
communication skills to be a more
effective presenter. * recently took a seminar at
:*T on effective *T communication skills.
9ne of my weaknesses was to take on too many
projects with too little time to complete to my high
standards. * have learned to prioritiAe and set
realistic goals. * am now more focused and
productive professionally and personally.
What Are our Goals?
&y asking this question the interviewer is
?a@ giving you a chance to talk about your
goals, ?b@ trying to see if you are a
thoughtful, driven candidate and ?c@ trying
to determine whether you fit within the
organiAation.
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Top Interview Questions
To answer this question, again link your skills to
the customers need and show how your goals
benefit the company. $ometimes it is best to talk
about short'term and intermediate goals rather
than locking yourself into the distant future.
Potential answers: "What are your goals?%
* have been looking for a position that
will allow me to use BHH. :y primary
goal was to find a company using BHH like yours. *
may have some learning to do, but * hope that in
si% months * will be the person people turn to for
the right answers. <ltimately, * look forward to
managing projects.
:y short'term goal is to come work with the
team and finish 1roject <nicorn by using my
knowledge of BHH to add functionality just like *
did when E+F put out .yperTee #.C. :y
intermediate goal is to continue to build
responsibility and move into a more senior
position. <ltimately, *,d like to use my technical
skills and leadership ability to manage a team that
is building new and creative solutions that hit our
bottom line.
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Top Interview Questions
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