1. Explain me what you know about our company?
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it's being the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about the company or business you're going to work for. Has this company been in the news lately? Who are the people in the company you should know about? Do the background work, it will make you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested in the company and the job.
2. What's your greatest strength as Credit Card Officer?
This is your chance to shine. You're being asked to explain why you are a great employee, so don't hold back and stay do stay positive. You could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone with extraordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.
3. Please explain me would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first time I just drew a blank and said, "I don't know." That went over badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little to no experience. Since then I've realized that my genuine answer is "Neither, I'd rather be respected." You don't want to be feared because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done but at what cost? Similarly, if you're everyone's best friend you'll find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines. But when you're respected, you don't have to be a complete bastard or a lame duck to get the job done.
4. Explain me what was the biggest failure you had at your last job?
It's usually good to pair these questions, but the important one is the biggest failure. The best applicant is usually someone who will admit that they made a disaster out of something (they're fairly honest and willing to admit errors) and that they learned from it, an incredibly important trait.
5. Tell me about your dream job now?
Never say this job. Never say another specific job. Both answers are very bad – the first one sends the warning flags flying and the second one says that the person's not really interested in sticking around. Instead, stick to specific traits – name aspects of what would be your dream job. Some of them should match what the company has available, but it's actually best if they don't all perfectly match.
6. Tell me have you ever had to fire anyone? Tell me about the experience?
This is a question that is mostly looking to see if you have empathy for others. Take it dead seriously when answering – it should not have been an easy choice or an easy experience, but one that you handled and survived. Do not bash the person you fired, either – be as clinical as possible with the reasons.
7. Do you know what Is a Good Debt-to-Equity Ratio?
You should definitely have a good, solid answer ready for this question, since the debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio is a key, if not the primary, financial ratio considered in evaluating a company's ability to handle its debt financing obligations. The D/E ratio indicates a company's total debt in relation to its total equity, and it reveals what percentage of a company's financing is being provided by debt and what percentage by equity. Your answer should show you understand the ratio and know that, generally speaking, ratios lower than 1.0 indicate a more financially sound firm, while ratios higher than 1.0 indicate an increasing level of credit risk.
8. Tell me do you match our competencies?
Unless you work in HR, the word ‘competencies' is probably enough to make you go to sleep. If you work in HR, it will probably be enough to make you spring out of bed. Given that HR play a key role in the interview process, you need to familiarise yourself with it either way.
“Most clients are trying to drill down to a set of competency-based questions that they can measure objectively against,” says one head of HR at a large bank. “Look at the company's values and extrapolate from those values what their core competencies might be. For example, if a value is ‘client service,' the competencies might be strong team focus, thinking outside the box, or being a self-starter.”
9. Tell me have you ever been asked to leave a position? Tell me about the experience?
Obviously, it's great if you can answer “no,” but it's usually not a deal breaker if the answer is “yes.” In fact, a “yes” answer can be turned into a positive – it's a great way to show that you've made mistakes and learned valuable lessons from them. Be honest here, no matter what, but don't spend time bashing the people that let you go. Only discuss them with respect, even if you're angry about what happened.
10. Explain me have you ever had a serious conflict in a previous employment? How was it resolved?
This question mostly looks for honesty and for the realization that most conflicts have two sides to a story. It also opens the door for people with poor character to start bashing their previous employer, something which leaves a bad taste in most interviewers' mouths. The best way to answer usually involves telling the story, but showing within it that there are two sides to that story and that you've learned from the experience to try to see the other person's perspective.
11. Explain to me the position you're applying for?
This is a “homework” question, too, but it also gives some clues as to the perspective the person brings to the table. The best preparation you can do is to read the job description and repeat it to yourself in your own words so that you can do this smoothly at the interview.
12. Please explain me is there anyone you just could not work with?
No. Well, unless you're talking about murderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who's picky and difficult if you say, "I can't work with anyone who's a Bronco's fan. Sorry."
13. Please explain me what motivates you to do a good job?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by life's noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.
14. Tell me why do you want to work at XYZ Company?
This should be directly related to the last question. Any research you've done on the company should have led you to the conclusion that you'd want to work there. After all, you're at the interview, right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking goals and career plans.
This is a great “deer in the headlights look” question, as most people simply don't have an answer. The best way to handle this question is simply to always spend some time working on your skills in whatever way you can. Write open source code. Participate in Toastmasters. Take a class. If you put effort into improving yourself every year, you'll not only have a strong resume, but this question will be a non-issue.
16. Where do you see yourself in your career in five years as Credit Card Officer?
This is something of a “junk” question, but it is useful in some regards as it filters for people with initiative. A person who answers something along the lines of “I'm going to be successful in this position that I'm interviewing for!” is either not incredibly motivated to improve themselves or isn't being totally honest. I'd rather have an answer that involves either promotion or some level of enterpreneurship – strong organizations thrive on self-starters. The only problem for potential interviewees is that some companies – weak ones, usually – don't want self-starters and are particularly afraid of people who dream of becoming entrepreneurs. Talking about promotion is thus usually the safest bet if you're not familiar with the culture, but I personally love it when people interviewing talk about entrepreneurship – that means they're the type that will be intense about succeeding.
17. Can you tell me where else have you applied?
This is a good way to hint that you're in demand, without sounding like you're whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies but don't go into detail. The fact that you're seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.
18. Please explain as anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can't say that, it shows you as being negative and difficult to work with. The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say something like "I've always got on just fine with my co-workers actually."
19. Tell me are you willing to put the interests of ABC Company ahead of your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you're a corporate whore who doesn't care about family. If you say no, you're disloyal to the company. I'm afraid that you'll probably have to say yes to this one though, because you're trying to be the perfect employee at this point, and perfect employees don't cut out early for Jimmy's baseball game.
20. Tell me what aspect of this position makes you the most uncomfortable?
Most people think this is some sort of filter, but it's rarely used that way. This is actually an honesty question. No one on earth will like every aspect of every potential job – it's just not in us. Location? Working hours? People? The company's too big? The company's too small? Honesty really works here – I'd prefer to hear a genuine reason for discomfort (particularly one that comes from real observation of the company) than a platitude that isn't really a discomfort at all. A good way to answer is something like “I've never worked in a company this large before” or “I've heard some strange things about the corporate culture” or “The idea of working for a startup at such an early stage makes me nervous.”
21. Explain about a suggestion that you made that was implemented at a previous job?
Since these answers usually are heavily involved with the specifics of the previous position, the specifics aren't really important. What's most important is that you actually have been involved in making a suggestion and helping it come to fruition, ideally with some success story behind it. Having done so indicates that you're willing to do the same at this position, which can do nothing but improve an organization. Not having an answer of some sort here is generally a sizeable negative, but not a “do or die” negative.
22. Please explain what Is a Credit Default Swap?
This question is more likely to be thrown at someone with previous experience in the field who is applying for a senior credit risk analyst position, but it still might show up in an interview for an entry-level credit risk analyst position with a bank. A good answer demonstrates you understand the concept, and a better answer likely includes an example. A credit default swap (CDS) is a frequently used method of mitigating risk in fixed-income, debt security instruments such as bonds, and it is one of the most common financial derivatives. A CDS is essentially a type of investment insurance that allows the buyer to mitigate his investment risk by shifting risk to the seller of a CDS in exchange for a fee. The seller of the CDS stands in the position of guaranteeing the debt security in which the buyer has invested.
23. Tell me what do you feel this position should pay?
Surprising to many, this is often not salary negotiation. In most cases, the person you're interviewing with has little control over the final salary you'll get. It's usually used as a reality check – if you're hiring a janitor and they expect $80K, you can probably toss the resume right then and there. At the same time, a highly-skilled programmer selling themselves at $30K is also setting off some warning bells. A good answer is usually on target or a bit on the high side, but not really low or insanely high. I'd get an idea of the asking rate for the position before I ever go to the interview, then request about 30% more.
24. Explain me about the worst supervisor you've ever had?
These two questions simply seek to figure out what kind of management style will work best for this person and also how that person is likely to manage people. Let's say I work in an organization with a very loose-knit management structure that requires a lot of self-starting. If that's the case, I want to either hear that the “best” boss was very hands-off or that the “worst” boss was a micromanager. On the other hand, if I came from a strict hierarchical organization, I might want to see the exact opposite – a “best” boss that provided strong guidance and a good relationship or a “worst” boss that basically left the applicant to blow in the wind. Your best approach is to answer this as honestly as possible – the interviewer will have a good idea of the corporate culture and, frankly, if you try to slip into a company where you don't match the culture, you'll have a very hard time fitting in and succeeding. These questions might be worded as “what kind of management style works for you.”
25. Let's talk about salary. What are you looking for as Credit Card Officer?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview. Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first you're already showing all your cards. You want as much as possible, the employer wants you for as little as you're willing to take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may want to say, "well, that's something I've thought long and hard about and I think someone with my experience should get between X & Y." Or, you could be sly and say, "right now, I'm more interested in talking more about what the position can offer my career." That could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, I'd say go for it. I have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure (both below and sometimes above).
