1. Why are you leaving last job?
Although this would seem like a simple question, it can easily become tricky. You shouldn't mention salary being a factor at this point As Principal Consultant. If you're currently employed, your response can focus on developing and expanding your career and even yourself. If you're current employer is downsizing, remain positive and brief. If your employer fired you, prepare a solid reason. Under no circumstance should you discuss any drama or negativity, always remain positive.
Discuss your passions As Principal Consultant. Ideally if it's work related that's fantastic! If not, talk about your academic / extracurricular passions and WHY you enjoy them. For example: I love playing sports because of the team work aspect - it's fun winning together! (This example shows you're a team player)
3. Do you ever take work home with you?
Here are two great sample answers that might help get you started:
☛ I am an extremely organized person, so I tend to be able to get my work done at work. However, if the need arose I would not be against taking work home. I try not to make it a habit, since I do value my free time. I do realize though that the work we do is important, and sometimes you have to do what needs to be done.
☛ I do not shy away from taking work home with me. I know that meeting deadlines and doing outstanding work sometimes means taking a bit of it home. I do not have a problem doing that when the need arises.
☛ Make sure to give an honest answer. Lying about taking work home may turn out badly for you if it is required and you do not do it.
4. What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Remain optimistic and do not be too specific. Good attributes include moral character, honesty, and intelligence since managers usually believe they possess these qualities.
5. Why did you leave your last job As Principal Consultant?
Regardless of why you left your last job make sure to stay positive. Always smile and focus on the positive reason such you were seeking the opportunity to expand your career opportunities, your interest in working with a new firm that provided greater opportunity, you desired to work in a new location, etc. Don't reference previous job problems or differences with management that caused you to leave. If you stay positive, your answer may help you. If you're negative, you will likely decrease your chances of getting the job for which you're interviewing.
6. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example?
First, find out what the root of the problem is. Second, determine the best steps to remediation with the best possible outcome. Third, take action to put remediation plans in place.
7. Did you consider yourself a team player?
Of course you're a team player - who isn't. But a simple yes probably isn't the response the interviewer is looking for. Be ready to provide specific example of how you've worked as part of a cohesive team to get things accomplished and how you've focus on team performance rather than individual performance. Make sure not to brag as this will make it appear as that you're more concerned about your own performance and accomplishments than those of the team.
8. Why was there a gap in your employment As Principal Consultant?
If you were unemployed for a period of time, be direct and to the point about what you've been up to (and hopefully, that's a litany of impressive volunteer and other mind-enriching activities, like blogging or taking classes). Then, steer the conversation toward how you will do the job and contribute to the organization: “I decided to take a break at the time, but today I'm ready to contribute to this organization in the following ways.”
9. Why do you think you'll do well at this job?
Provide several reasons including skills, experience and interest. If you can show how you've been successful in a similar career field or job position that will go along way to helping the interviewer believe you'll also be successful at this new job.
10. Describe your management style?
Try to avoid specific classifications, whatever it may be. Organizations usually prefer managers who can adapt their skills to different situations.
First, find out which skills are the ones that you're currently lacking. Then identify what the steps would be to acquire/build those skills. Then take action to do so.
12. What do you expect from this job As Principal Consultant?
Talk about the potential career development, your career aspirations, your work relationships and the learning you'll receive.
13. How would your boss and co-workers describe you?
First of all, be honest (remember, if you get this job, the hiring manager will be calling your former bosses and co-workers!). Then, try to pull out strengths and traits you haven't discussed in other aspects of the interview As Principal Consultant, such as your strong work ethic or your willingness to pitch in on other projects when needed.
14. What relevant work experience do you have in this career field As Principal Consultant?
Talk about specific work related experience for the position you're interviewing for. Make sure the experience is relevant. Don't talk about previous experience that is not related to the position in question. If you don't have specific career related experience speak about prior experience that has helped you develop the specific knowledge and skills required for the position you are applying for.
15. Do you work well within a team?
Some people are thrown when they are asked this Principal Consultant question when they are applying for a position to work alone. Every company works as a team, so you are a good team player, give an example of when you have worked well within a team.
16. What specific steps do you utilize in solving workplace problems?
Analyze the problem As Principal Consultant. Discuss possible remedies and resulting outcomes. Decide on the remedy and track results. Re-visit problem if it's not resolved.
17. Explain what are your strengths As Principal Consultant?
Bad Answer: Candidate is unprepared for question or only gives generic answers.
This is the most common job interview question - everybody should be expecting it. If they don't seem prepared, or give a fairly stock answer, it's probably a bad sign.
Good answer: The consensus is to go for quality, not quantity here. Candidates should give a short list of strengths, and back each one up with examples that illustrate the strength. Also, they should explain how these strengths will be useful in the job you're applying for, and use this question to say something interesting about themselves.
18. What critical component of this position As Principal Consultant makes the work challenging?
Heading information: This should include job title, pay grade or range, reporting relationship (by position, not individual), hours or shifts, and the likelihood of overtime or weekend work.
Summary objective of the job: List the general responsibilities and descriptions of key tasks and their purpose, relationships with customers, coworkers, and others, and the results expected of incumbent employees.
Qualifications: State the education, experience, training, and technical skills necessary for entry into this job.
Special demands: This should include any extraordinary conditions applicable to the job As Principal Consultant (for example, heavy lifting, exposure to temperature extremes, prolonged standing, or travel).
Job duties and responsibilities: Only two features of job responsibility are important: identifying tasks that comprise about 90 to 95 percent of the work done and listing tasks in order of the time consumed (or, sometimes, in order of importance).
19. What have you done to improve yourself in the last year As Principal Consultant?
Discuss how you've improved yourself through work experiences, books you've read, classes, club(s) / extracurricular activities and describe the process on how it's happened. For example: I've improved my presentation skills tremendously because I've had to do 2 presentations this year for my communications class.
20. What would your previous employer say is your greatest strength?
Be prepared for this question. If you have to sit and think about it it's going to appear as if you're not sure or that you've never identified your own value in the work place - not good. You don't have to have a complex response. Keep it simple and honest. For example, several possibilities could be Leadership, Problem solving ability, Initiative, Energy, Work ethic, Innovative, etc., etc.
Take a break to rest. Work in smaller increments of time to increase focus with breaks in between. Delegate tasks to those that are willing to help.
22. Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year As Principal Consultant?
We all have difficult decisions in our lives. Show how you were able to arrive at it and then how you decisively acted.
23. What is your greatest achievement outside of work As Principal Consultant?
This is a great opportunity for you to discuss how you've given back to the community, how you've achieved in a competitive extracurricular activity (think sports or clubs), how you've mentored others, and so forth.
24. If you could do it all over again, how would you plan your academic studies differently?
Whatever you do, just don't act bitter. A lot of times we wish we could change the past, but focus on the positive reasons and results of the decisions you already made.
25. What did you dislike about your old job?
Try to avoid any pin point , like never say “I did not like my manager or I did not like environment or I did not like team” Never use negative terminology. Try to keep focus on every thing was good As Principal Consultant , I just wanted to make change for proper growth.
26. What are the goals you've set for yourself?
You could discuss your goals with regards to these categories: Career goals, impact you want to leave on society, financial goals, academic goals, charitable goals.
27. Describe what a bad work environment would look like to you As Principal Consultant?
There could be a multitude of things to discuss here: Business ethics (wrongdoing), inconsiderate teammates, non-supportive management, a product that does not do what you're promising customers and so forth.
28. What is the most important quality a supervisor should have?
The ability to inspire / lead a team towards one common vision.
29. How many tennis balls can you fit into a limousine? 1,000? 10,000? 100,000? Seriously?
Well, seriously, you might get asked brainteaser questions like these, especially in quantitative jobs. But remember that the interviewer doesn't necessarily want an exact number-he wants to make sure that you understand what's being asked of you, and that you can set into motion a systematic and logical way to respond. So, just take a deep breath, and start thinking through the math. (Yes, it's OK to ask for a pen and paper!)
Describe the positive aspects of your work style if possible, including: work ethic, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, skill sets (analytical or otherwise), leadership abilities, communication skills.
One of employees was conflicting with other and colleague who was prove his was wrong hi denied and was invite union to defend him but we have prove his wrong and I was facing disciplinary action.
32. What do you already know about our company?
Good reputation of a large home grown company that has various departments and product.
33. How will you approach learning this "new" job As Principal Consultant?
Interview peers and leaders/managers, read industry news, practice the skill sets needed, absorb information on the job as much as possible.
34. Describe a time where you've failed and bounced back?
Share a story to describe this. For example: "I accidentally made the mistake of telling a customer I could deliver on a solution set on a certain date and then later found out our business partner couldn't do it on that time. I learned that I shouldn't rush into important decisions and promises like this and that I should always check with my counterparts first before committing to a statement of work."
35. Why should I hire you As Principal Consultant?
To close the deal on a job offer, you MUST be prepared with a concise summary of the top reasons to choose you. Even if your interviewer doesn't ask one of these question in so many words, you should have an answer prepared and be looking for ways to communicate your top reasons throughout the interview process.
36. Give me a few examples of how you're results oriented?
Make you give an example where you discuss details and metrics. For example, I was a tutor in my last job and mentored 5 students on their SAT test taking skills and raised their scores by 15% on average after a 3 month teaching stint.
if the first one is one color (say, white), and the second one is the other color (black), then the third one, no matter what the color, will make a matching pair. (Sometimes you're not supposed to think that hard.)
38. Who are your role models? Why?
If possible, cite role models you're truly passionate about - passion is contagious and will show you're being genuine. If the role model is in the same or similar industry as the company in an executive level position, even better.
39. What role do you see technology playing in this role?
Technology is important to almost every job today but it's not meant to be abused. I believe it's important to increase productivity and not for personal use.
40. How would you describe your approach to Principal Consultant?
In more general terms, a question such as this gives a candidate the opportunity to talk about their professional philosophy and skills. While the question is general in nature, the best answers are usually quite specific, picking one or two points and exemplifying them with instances from personal history.
41. How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
It's good to be persistent, but not overbearing. Everyone will face rejection at some point in their life, so at some point you'll have to take no for an answer but then learn why you were turned down.
42. What are ideas or initiatives you've led and what was the outcome?
Describe your most unique ideas and initiatives that had the best results for the company. Make sure you highlight your creativity, your results, your diligence and your ability to execute.
43. If you could offer suggestions on how to improve our company, what would you say?
Examine the trends of the company and also where there may be some weaknesses (news articles often document this on public companies or look at their competitors to see how they're positioning it against them.) Then, once you have that knowledge, think creatively on how you could improve upon that weakness for them.
44. How would you impact the company?
Consider first the role that you're applying for and then think of 3 ways where you could potentially impact the company's bottom line and top line. Then consider how you impact the company in a creative manner (how do you help productivity, the development of new products, marketing etc - of course this part is specific to the role you're applying for)
45. Where do you see yourself in 5 years with your career?
Be sure to paint a clear picture of your career vision that demonstrates your aspirations and goals that are realistic. This could emphasize increased responsibility, the ability to manage people and so forth
46. Explain a time when you did not get along with your coworker?
I used to lock heads with a fellows. We disagreed over a lot of things – from the care of civilians to who got what shifts to how to speak with a victim's family. Our personalities just didn't mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we weren't getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.
47. What do you feel you deserve to be paid?
Do your research before answering this question - first, consider what the market average is for this job. You can find that by searching on Google (title followed by salary) and globalguideline.com and other websites. Then, consider this - based on your work experience and previous results, are you above average, if yes, by what % increase from your pay today from your perspective? Also - make sure if you aim high you can back it up with facts and your previous results so that you can make a strong case.
48. How long do you envision yourself staying with this company?
Understand that companies invest a lot of money into hiring the right staff. You want to emphasize that you are in it for the long run and you want to develop a career there and that it's not just a "5 month stepping stone" type of a job. You should be thinking how you're going to grow with that company. After all, don't you want to invest your energy and time with a company that is going to continue to be successful and one that will help you grow?
49. What type of personalities do you work best with and why?
Think of which personalities you work best with (do you like outgoing, collaborative, personable working relationships and so forth?)
50. What do you think of your previous boss?
Do not belittle or talk badly of your last boss - it will come off as being petty. Instead, talk about the positive lessons you were able to learn from your last boss.
51. How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
Choose an answer that shows that you can meet a stressful situation head-on in a productive, positive manner and let nothing stop you from accomplishing your goals. A great approach is to talk through your go-to stress-reduction tactics (making the world's greatest to-do list, stopping to take 10 deep breaths), and then share an example of a stressful situation you navigated with ease.
52. What will your ramp time be before you become a meaningful contributor?
Companies want staff that can ramp quickly, but also want people who are realistic. So take into consideration how intense the job is and then give a good answer. For example, if you have simple responsibilities that don't require a huge development curve, then your ramp time will probably be shorter. If it's a complex set of skills that you need to develop, then your ramp time could be longer - the key is you have to explain why you believe that ramp time should be.
Just be honest about where you'd like to be - you never know - you may end up bonding with the interviewer with the location. However, you want to stress that you want to work out of the location that you're interviewing for.
54. What's a time you exercised leadership?
Depending on what's more important for the the role, you'll want to choose an example that showcases your project management skills (spearheading a project from end to end, juggling multiple moving parts) or one that shows your ability to confidently and effectively rally a team. And remember: “The best stories include enough detail to be believable and memorable,”. Show how you were a leader in this situation and how it represents your overall leadership experience and potential.
55. What's your salary history?
When you are interviewing for a new job, it is common practice for the company to ask you about your salary history. I typically want to know what the candidate's base salary is, if they receive any bonus, the average bonus amount, and any additional compensation or perks, such as 500k matching, stock grants or stock options, paid time off and how much they are required to pay towards their medical premiums.
56. Explain me about a time when you reached a goal within a tight deadline?
I work well under pressure to meet deadlines without jeopardizing the quality of my work. I have always worked in a fast pace environment where we are constantly under pressure to achieve best results within a time frame.
57. What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized As Principal Consultant?
Utilizing a calendar, having a notebook with your "to do" list, focusing on your top 3 priorities each and every day, utilizing a systematic way of storing documents on your computer (like box.net)
These are important for support workers. But they differ from the communication skills of a CEO or a desktop support technician. Communication must be adapted to the special ways and needs of the clients. Workers must be able to not only understand and help their clients, but must project empathy and be a warm, humane presence in their lives.
59. What do you think is your greatest weakness?
Don't say anything that could eliminate you from consideration for the job. For instance, "I'm slow in adapting to change" is not a wise answer, since change is par for the course in most work environments. Avoid calling attention to any weakness that's one of the critical qualities the hiring manager is looking for. And don't try the old "I'm a workaholic," or "I'm a perfectionist.
If you are, describe it through a story / experience that you had. If you aren't, then explain why you're not. If the job role asks for you to be aggressive/not aggressive and you're the opposite of it, explain how you would develop that characteristic.
61. What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
It's time to pull out your old performance appraisals and boss's quotes. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone else's words:
“My boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humor.”
62. What kind of salary do you need As Principal Consultant?
This is a loaded question and a nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, that's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
63. What do you look for in terms of culture -- structured or entrepreneurial?
A good answer is to discuss the importance of having both elements in a company As Principal Consultant. Structure is good to maintain a focus on priorities and making sure people are productive but having an entrepreneurial spirit can help cultivate new ideas that can truly help the company.
64. How have you changed in the last five years?
All in a nutshell. But I think I've attained a level of personal comfort in many ways and although I will change even more in the next 5-6 years I'm content with the past 6 and what has come of them.
65. What's the most rewarding work you've ever done and why?
Companies love it when you discuss how you've made an impact on your teammates, clients, or partners in the business or in school. It should be rewarding because of the hard work and creative process that you've put into it.
66. Why should the we hire you as this position As Principal Consultant?
This is the part where you link your skills, experience, education and your personality to the job itself. This is why you need to be utterly familiar with the job description as well as the company culture. Remember though, it's best to back them up with actual examples of say, how you are a good team player.
67. How would you motivate your team members to produce the best possible results?
Trying to create competitive atmosphere, trying to motivate the team as a whole, organizing team building activities, building good relationships amongst people.
68. What does "thinking outside the box" mean to you?
It means not doing things exactly the same way as everyone else. You've got to challenge the status quo and bring something new to the business.
69. What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days look like in this role As Principal Consultant?
Start by explaining what you'd need to do to get ramped up. What information would you need? What parts of the company would you need to familiarize yourself with? What other employees would you want to sit down with? Next, choose a couple of areas where you think you can make meaningful contributions right away. (e.g., “I think a great starter project would be diving into your email marketing campaigns and setting up a tracking system for them.”) Sure, if you get the job, you (or your new employer) might decide there's a better starting place, but having an answer prepared will show the interviewer where you can add immediate impact-and that you're excited to get started.
70. How do you think I rate as an interviewer?
I think you did fine. I'm sure you've conducted a lot of interviews, and it's probably second nature for you now. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today. I'm sure you have a lot of things you have to juggle every day.
I'd say you rate at least ten out of ten. The questions you asked seemed spot on. I can tell you guys are working hard to find the perfect applicant for the job. I'm glad I could meet with you.
71. Explain an idea that you have had and have then implemented in practice?
Often an interview guide will outline the so-called ‘STAR' approach for answering such questions; Structure the answer as a situation, task, action, and result: what the context was, what you needed to achieve, what you did, and what the outcome was as a result of your actions.
72. How do you handle stressful situations?
By remaining calm, weighing out all my options and executing a plan to get the situation resolve .
73. What general trends do you see in our industry?
Examine what's happened in the industry in the last 5 - 10 years and how it's evolved and then look at what both the company and analysts are saying about the future of that industry in which that company competes in. Read trade magazines / online sources in that industry as well to make sure you stay up to date on trends.
74. Tell me the difference between good and exceptional?
Good gets the job done on time and is high quality. Exceptional is a game changer - it stands out, it's creative, it's above and beyond expectations. Tell the interviewer a story about how you were exceptional.
75. How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the United States each month?
This is a classic guesstimate question where you need to think aloud. And so first off you round the U.S. population to 300 million people (it's actually about 315 million but rounding will be much easier and your interviewer will not score you lower for rounding). Then estimate how many people eat pizza. A decent educated guess is two out of every three people, or 200 million. Now let's say the average pizza-eating person eats pizza twice a month, and eats two slices at a time. That's four slices a month. If the average slice of pizza is perhaps six inches at the base and 10 inches long, then the slice is 30 square inches of pizza. So, four pizza slices would be 120 square inches (30 times 4).
Since one square foot equals 144 square inches (12 times 12), let's assume that each person who eats pizza eats one square foot per month. Since there are 200 million pizza-eating Americans, 200 million square feet of pizza are consumed in the U.S. each month. To summarize: 300 million people in America, 200 million eat pizza, average slice of pizza is six inches at the base and 10 inches long or 30 square inches, average American eats four slices of pizza a month, four pieces times 30 square inches equals 120 square inches (one square foot is 144 square inches), so let's assume one square foot per person, and thus one square foot times 200 million people equals 200 million square feet of pizza a month.
76. Give an example of a time you successfully worked As Principal Consultant on a team?
On the whole I prefer to stick to doing what I'm told rather than setting myself up to fail by doing things off my own bat. But there was this one time when I suggested to my boss at the pizza parlor that she try offering an ‘all you can eat' deal to students to boost trade on Mondays. She thought it was an interesting idea but nothing ever came of it.
77. How do you keep each member of the team involved and motivated?
Many managers mistakenly think that money is the prime motivator for their employees. However, according to surveys by several different companies, money is consistently ranked five or lower by most employees. So if money is not the best way to motivate your team, what is?
Employees' three most important issues according to employees are:
☛ Respect
☛ A sense of accomplishment
☛ Recognition
78. What problems have you encountered at work?
Wow, do we have problems! Where do I begin? Well, most of the problems are internal, just people not working well with each other. I have one person on our team who is a real problem, but it seems like management is afraid to do anything about it. So we all end up having to do extra work to cover for this person, who just doesn't work. We all say that he's retired in place. I think he's just holding on until retirement in a couple years. But he's a real problem. I complain about it--a lot--but nothing ever seems to get done. I've even written negative reviews about the person, hoping he will get canned, but it doesn't happen. I can't wait for him to retire.
79. Rate yourself on a scale of 10?
If you truly believe you're a 10, you better be able to explain why with examples / stories. If you believe you're a great contributor and have room to grow, say 8 or 9. If you're below that, explain what you would do to improve yourself to get the ranking you believe you can be.
