1. How long are you willing to fail at this job before you succeed?
This is one of the favorite tough questions, co-founder of Interview Circuit. It's tricky because "I don't have an answer in mind when I ask it," he says, "and I use it to see how the candidate reacts."
A variety of answers would be acceptable in this scenario. "A good answer would be, 'I'm willing to stick with this job for as long as it takes to succeed,'" This shows endurance and that you're in it for the long-haul.
Alternatively, you could say that you plan to fail as quickly as possible so that you can learn from your mistakes and move on. "That answer would indicate that they're impatient, aggressive, and not afraid to fail (which are things I like),"
Bad answer: "A few months, or I don't know … what do you think?"
2. So, tell me a little about yourself?
I'd be very surprised if you haven't been asked this one at every interview. It's probably the most asked question because it sets the stage for the interview and it gets you talking. Be careful not to give the interviewer your life story here. You don't need to explain everything from birth to present day. Relevant facts about education, your career and your current life situation are fine.
3. 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.
4. Let's talk about salary. What are you looking for?
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).
5. Has 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."
6. Finally, do you have any questions to ask us?
I'll finish the way I started, with one of the most common questions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the research you've done on the company and also gives you a chance to show how eager and prepared you are. You'll probably want to ask about benefits if they haven't been covered already. A good generic one is "how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course." You may also ask what you'd be working on. Specifically, in the role you're applying for and how that affects the rest of the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job hunting.
7. Tell/describe about yourself?
Here, you should be careful not to recite your resume. Make sure to complete the answer within 2-3 minutes and here you can talk about your education, work experience and areas of interest.
8. Tell me If you could change one thing in your current position or company, what would that be?
The question can reveal a lot of information, including the real reason the applicant is looking to make a change, what's important to them in their next position, whether they are really motivated to make a move and whether or not their expectations are realistic.
9. Tell us what you know about this 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.
10. Are you good manager at working in a team?
Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you'll always answer YES to this one. It's the only answer. How can anyone function inside an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention what part you like to play in a team though; it's a great chance to explain that you're a natural leader.
11. Are you willing to put the interests of Global Guideline 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.
12. Tell us about the last spontaneous thing that you did in any facet of your life?
I look for an unusual response with something fun, like a last-minute trip or driving to Atlantic City at 11 o'clock at night. Something that shows me the person has some personality to react positively in different (and crazy) situations that oftentimes occur in our line of work.
This question tells me how serious the candidate's last company was about employee performance and whether the candidate actually cared about/paid attention to how s/he did in each area and was being rated.
14. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)?
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can trip you up. Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job) because you want to advance your career and get a position that allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It's not a good idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary. And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized, stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were fired, you'll need a good explanation. But once again, stay positive.
15. Tell me a suggestion that you have made and was implemented?
It's important here to focus on the word "implemented." There's nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad what's the point? Better still, you need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, that's not such a great example either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken from idea to implementation, and considered successful.
16. Explain what is bank rate?
It is the rate of interest at which the RBI allows finances to commercial banks. By bank rate, the banks can organize the level of economic activities.
In addition to the above-mentioned technical questions, you might also be asked some personal questions like those mentioned below:
This question gets people thinking and helps me see how someone reacts when caught off guard. The titles can be truly insightful, revealing struggles and challenges that they have faced and overcome.
18. Where do you see yourself professionally in this organization in one to two years?
I ask this instead of asking a job applicant where they see themselves professionally in five to ten years because their response allows me to determine the level of motivation and commitment for the position. If the response is overly ambitious, that's a red flag.
19. What relevant experience do you have for this job?
Hopefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that's the case you should mention it all. But if you're switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it's matching up. That's when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.
20. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going to say you're a boring A-hole, you don't need to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. "They'd say I was a hard worker" or even better "John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative problem-solver he'd ever met."
21. Tell me about any issues you've had with a previous boss?
Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldn't be hired anyway. The interviewer is testing you to see if you'll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply answer this question with extreme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of memory. In short, you've never had any issues.
22. How do you differentiate nationalized banks from private banks?
Nationalized banks are public sector banks, wherein the government will be responsible for the deposits made by the public. On the other hand, when it comes to private banks, the owner of the bank will be responsible for the deposits made by the public.
23. What are your strengths and weaknesses as Deputy General Manager?
This is a tricky question put forth to know about you from your own words. So, you should be little bit careful about answering this question. For your strengths, you can describe about your qualities that can help in the effective performance of your duties. When talking about weakness, do not project yourself as a bad person and also do not say that you do not have any weaknesses. You can explain one or two weaknesses and should also say that you are working towards them to turn them into your strengths.
I find that how employees deal with conflict tells me a lot about them and how successful they will be.
25. Deputy General Manager Interview Questions Regarding work environment:
► Can you show me where I'll be working? Can we walk around the office? (As you walk around, listen.)
► Are the tools I'll be using cutting edge or totally ancient? What is the specification of the developer machines that you provide?
► What sort of training and development mechanisms are there for professional development? How about conference attendance? (Factor in the answer when you begin negotiating. Plus you want to know if the company is interested in investing in people.)
► Are there opportunities to explore my skills at different business areas through the course of my tenure? (Can you grow in different areas, and move into a new one? For examples, can testers with a bend towards coding become developers?)
► I'm not a morning person. Will I have flexibility to work when I am most productive, barring things like mandatory meetings?
► What is our mission? What will be my role in the mission?
► How many positions am I actually covering?
► What will I be expected to accomplish the first three months?
► What projects will I work on? How will I be transitioned to new projects after existing projects are over?
► How much overtime has this team been doing in the last three months? What's typical? What's acceptable? How does the company respond after a time-crunch is over? (If you ask directly, "Do you encourage work/life balance?" naturally they'll respond "Sure!" Instead, ask a specific question to find out if that "Sure!" matches reality.)
