1. Tell us do you know anyone who works for us?
Offer some one's name if they really know you well and can offer a positive feedback about you.
2. Explain what qualities would you look for in your senior?
You can mention some generic qualities like intelligence, good sense of humour, dedicated to his team etc., which all the managers think that they have in abundance.
3. Tell us Is there any particular kind of person you can not work with?
For the reason given in the above questions, the answer to this question should be a "No". This is basically a different way of putting up the last question.
4. Would you like to ask us anything?
I would like to know about the career growth I can expect being with this company. I am quite an ambitious person and this information will be helpful.
5. Tell us what position would you prefer while working on a project?
This question is for you to answer based on the skills and qualities you have. If you have the capability to handle different positions, discuss that also in the interview.
6. Tell me can you perform under pressure?
Most of the times, the job of software development is that of working under pressure. Sometimes, it will be the pressure of delivering on time while it can be that of a bug that has sprung all of a sudden in your code.
So, expect pressure in everything you do. It is important to maintain your performance and develop strategies to deliver under pressure. You can then go ahead an talk about your way of dealing with pressure and performing under it.
7. Tell me will you be happy to re-locate, if required?
Again, a question for you to answer based on your position. If you are anticipating this question in the interview, it is better to discuss this with your family also before you go to face the interview.
8. Tell us what do you do to improve your knowledge?
The field of IT is very revolutionary. It is extremely important to keep yourself abreast with the new technological developments and this needs you to take some time out of your work schedule so that you can keep sharpening your saw.
To answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you keep visiting, blogs which you keep reading. It will be an advantage if you are a member of some local user group.
9. Tell us what irritates you about co-workers?
The purpose of this question is to see how well you can fit into a team. Basically, you should not have a problem with a person, although you can have a problem with the style of working.
So, to answer this question you can simply say, "I understand that IT is about team work, so we can't afford to problems with co-workers but if someone is not serious about their work or does a low quality work affecting the whole project, I definitely do not like it"
10. Explain your weaknesses and how do you plan to overcome it?
Discuss weaknesses in positive light always discuss how you plan to overcome it, some of the answers could be:
I am always willing to take up additional responsibilities, but I end up being over worked so now I am realistic about what I can do, so that I do work to the required standards
If you lack certain technical skill, which is not crucial for the job you can state that and say you are planning to take up a training course/certification to get over it
If you do not wish to discuss your weakness, you can say, I cannot compete with Rajnikant :P
11. As you know you have stayed in your current job for quite a long time, why?
There are many people who do not change their jobs for years and when they go out looking for a new employer, this is one of the most important questions they are asked. Some people might look upon staying with the same employer for long as "lack of ambition".
A good answer to this question can be something like, "Yes, you are right. I stayed with my last employer for almost 5 years but I was continuously growing in the company, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. So, I was quite happy working with them for these many years." You can then talk about how you grew with your last employer.
12. Tell me what motivates you at work?
To answer this question, you can mention things like - new challenges, good environment which all employers think that they offer.
13. Tell us why do you want to leave your present job or company?
You may want to leave your present job for any reason but make sure that you do not talk bad about your manager, company or job. It reflects your complaining attitude.
Provide a sincere reason for e.g. "I think, I have grown up with my last employer as much as I could. I want to grow further and I believe that is possible with a new employer."
14. Tell us do you have any questions for us?
This is usually the last question you can expect during an interview. It is extremely important to have some intelligent questions to ask the interviewer otherwise you may just sound dull and un-interested. Research the company a bit and discuss if they have been in news recently. You can also discuss about the growth prospects for you within the company etc.
15. Now tell us something about yourself?
This is the first question, you can expect during any interview you face. This usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the interview. You can answer this question by providing some information about your work experience, technologies you have worked upon, educational qualifications. If you are a fresh graduate, you can provide some information about your family also.
16. Tell us for how long do you expect to stay with our organization?
You should ensure that you give an impression that you will pay back more than what you take from the company:
You can say I will stay here as far as I see an opportunity for growth, as I am looking for a stability in work place
If they stress on number of years say 3-4 years, and more if I can explore new challenges/growth opportunities
17. Please tell me are you comfortable working in a team?
The whole work of software development or IT is a team work. So, the only answer to this question can be: "Yes, I am comfortable working in a team." If you have any problems in working as a team, it is important to work on them and develop yourself as a team player.
18. What is your expected salary here with us?
I believe that an ideal remuneration for any position recognizes the ability, rewards the performance and provides the employee an opportunity to indulge in his hobbies and passions. I am sure that this company also takes care of these.
19. Explain some of your strengths?
Again, it is important to study the requirements of the position before you appear for the interview. List out your strengths and offer the ones that this role demands.
For e.g. If you are appearing for the position of a Tech Lead - VB.net, talk about your VB.net skills, any extra knowledge which you have about coding with VB.net in comparison to other candidates, your team management skills etc.
20. Explain something about your achievements at your previous job?
☛ Talk about your professional acheivements, if you were recognised as a high performer or you got good feedback from your manager
☛ You can also discuss you annual ratings
☛ Discuss your promotions/appraisals
21. Explain what is your style of management?
In today's scenario, everything needs customization, so here also, one size can't fit all i.e. one management style won't work in all situations. So, offer "situational" as your style of management.
22. Explain Is there anything that you do not like about your last or current job?
I was quite enthusiastic while joining my last job. Towards the end, the number of challenges and opportunity to grow further started diminishing. A challenge loving and growth oriented person like me doesn't enjoy this.
23. Tell me what is your idea of an ideal company?
Do not go over board and ask for , it might give an impression that you are too demanding, some of the answers could be:
An ideal company provides maximum opportunities for growth of employees.
They provide comfortable and flexible work environment, so that employees can perform at their best and work towards company's benefit.
A company that encourages learning
A company that encourages open culture
24. You do not have all the experience we need for this position, what you say?
It is not possible for a candidate to have all the experience an employer requires. Even if you match yourself up to the expectations on technical front, there will be some difference in the work environment. And, it is absolutely fine.
The best way to deal with this question is to analyse the requirements of the position well and match your skills as close to them as possible. If something is still left untouched, offer your quick grasping power and ability to learn quickly as a solution & back it up with an example from the past.
25. As you know, you seem to be drawing a good salary. Will you be OK in taking a salary cut?
I believe that at one point of time in career salary becomes secondary and self actualisation become more important. While taking up any new job, it will be my priority to ensure that the work culture, chances to contribute and grow are sufficient along with the money I am paid. I also believe that any good company who cares about its employees ensures that they are paid well.
26. Explain what do you know about our company?
☛ Browse through the company website and make sure you know what the company does and make sure you do so in short
☛ Discuss the positives aspects of the company, the interviewer should feel that you have done your home work
27. Tell us what kind of a salary are you looking for?
Try to put the ball back in interviewer's court by asking him about the salary they offer for a position like this. Most of the big companies will have a fixed remuneration for each level.
However, if this is negotiable, you will have more negotiation power if you have some work experience. So, know your lower limit (amount below which you can't go) and also know the maximum salary in the industry for the position then put forward a figure which is not very exact. It is better to mention a range. For e.g. if you are expecting something around 55 K, say that you expect something in mid fifties. Don't keep the range to broad otherwise you will be offered something towards the lower end.
If you are a fresher, most of the times you will have to accept the company's offering for the position. However, if you find it too less, you can definitely discuss that during the interview.
28. Tell me how do you rate your communication skills?
Again, IT is about dealing with people within and out of the company. So, it is important to have good communication skills. By good communication skills we mean, ability to understand and explain in a common language. So, if you believe that your communication skills are weaker, you need to work on them.
Anything less than average or good is not acceptable here.
29. Tell us If you are allowed to change one thing about your last job, what would it be?
I have been working at a senior level since last many years. These roles have always needed me to make real time decisions. Sometimes the facts, figures and other information in real time cases are not complete & still we have to make a decision. In such cases, there exists a probability of making inaccurate decisions.
Knowing this, I usually run down my old decisions to see the outcome. It makes sure that I don't repeat a mistake ever again in future. While carrying out one such exercise, I realised that the product promotion strategy that I recommended would have been different, if I had had the complete data and figures but there was no way to get them in real time.
30. Tell me are you willing to relocate/travel?
Always say yes if you need the job
You can ask whether they will compensate for relocation costs
31. Why should we hire you as Field Coordinator?
Here you should discuss the profile you have applied for and your strengths/experience with which you can add value to the job
Discuss your achievements at your previous job, and say that I have developed my skills to suit my current profile, but I want to develop myself futher and face new challenges, and for that I need to change my job.
I will always be willing to change roles share responsibilities to suit company requirements
32. Tell us have you ever committed a mistake at work?
To err is human. So, it is perfectly OK if you committed a mistake at work but before answering the question analyse the magnitude of mistake you did and the effect it had on the company.
What is more important is - what did you do to rectify the mistake and make sure that you don't do it again?
So, mention the mistake you committed and keep the focus of the answer on the steps you took to rectify it.
33. Explain some of your weaknesses?
You have to be careful while answering this question. Do not offer a weakness which will directly affect your selection but at the same time saying that you do not have any weakness will not be right too. Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too.
The best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a weakness and say that others accuse you of having this weakness but you think it is important to work in this manner. For e.g.: "My colleagues accuse me of paying to much attention to syntax but I believe it is important when you are writing the code to avoid spending too much time on finding and fixing the bugs later on."
Another way to answer this question is to offer a totally un-related weakness for e.g. "I have been staying alone for so many years now but I still can't cook independently."
The answer to this question lies in the preparation you did before the interview. It is extremely important that you research the requirements of the position well and match them with your skills.
For e.g. if the position requires an Asp.net developer with good knowledge of health care domain, tell the interviewer about your technical skills and your domain knowledge.
Fresh graduates can talk about their technical skills, ability to learn and grasp things quickly.
35. Tell me something about your previous boss?
All my bosses possessed some skills worth learning. I have always tried to learn something new from them including my previous boss.
