Format Surat

Sample Job Interview Questions / Answers for College Students and Recent Graduates 


Please tell me how you can apply the course work you took in college to a position at our company?
During my tenure at college, I took a wide range of course that helped to broaden my perspective. My school required students to take course in the humanities, diversity centered/non-western, the natural sciences, writing and other disciplines.
This spectrum of classes has allowed me to gain a firm understanding of alternative models of thinking and I will be able to transfer this mindset to my professional career as well. As companies globalize, it is significant to not only be an expert in your own field, but also be savvy with other ways as well to bring a new perspectives to the table.
What extracurricular activities have you participated in during college, and how did they help prepare you for the position you are applying for?

Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to discuss what they do while they are working in detail. Before you answer, consider the position you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the more successful you will be at answering the questions.
It should be obvious that it's not

Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to be able to provide the details of their compensation history. Be prepared to tell the interviewer how much you earned at each of your prior positions.
Make sure that what you tell

Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to be able to review their work history in detail. Be prepared to tell the interviewer the names of the companies you worked for, your job title, your starting and ending dates of employment, how much you earned and what your job entailed.
You'd be surprised how many job applicants fumble when asked about prior employment. Don't be one of them! Refresh your memory prior to the interview by reviewing your resume, so, you can speak about your prior work history in detail and accurately.
If you don't have a resume,

In many cases, interviewers will want to know what you expected from your last job when you were hired, so, be be prepared to answer the interview question "What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met?"
There isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. The best way to respond is to discuss what you expected when you took the job and give examples of how the position worked out for you. If the job wasn't exactly what you expected, it's fine to mention that. However, you should focus on the job itself, not the company, your boss, or your co-workers (if they were a problem). Do be careful how you answer and don't focus too much on the negative. Instead, address the highlights of the job.
When responding, be specific. Prepare some

Review these typical interview questions and think about how you would answer them. Read
the questions listed; you will also find some strategy suggestions with it.
1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared
in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items
unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that
relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up
to the present.
2. Why did you leave your last job?

During the interview it is crucial to pay careful attention to the questions. Remember, not every employer knows his/her role as an interviewer, or is comfortable with it. Some questions may have several interpretations. If this occurs while you are interviewed, state what you think the interviewer asked or ask for more specific information before responding. For some questions, you may need a few seconds to think about your response before answering.
The following are questions from the Northwestern Endicott Report which may be asked during an interview:

• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
• How would you describe yourself?
• How do you think a friend, employee or work partner, who knows you well would describe you?
• What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
• Why should I hire you?
• Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those reporting to him or her?
• Why did you decide to seek a position with this company?
• How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies?
• Why do you think you would like this particular job?
• Do you prefer working with others or by yourself?
• What have you learned form some of the jobs you have held?

Additional questions from Sweaty Palms: The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed by H. Anthony Medley include the following:

• Tell me about your present job.
• Tell me about yourself.
• How many hours a day do you think a person should spend on his/her job?
• What is unique about yourself?
• Do you have any questions?
• What have you done that indicates that you are qualified for this job?

Other examples of interview questions include:

• What do you like best about your job?
• What do you like least about your job?
• For what type of supervisor do you work best?
• What is important to you in your work?
• How do you handle pressure on the job?
• What type of activities outside work did you do that you can use on the job?
• What are your long range and short range goals?
• What do you really want to do with your life?
• What qualifications do you have that will make you successful in our organization?
• What are your skills?
• In what ways can you make a contribution to our organization?
• What are your greatest accomplishments?
• What do you know about our organization?
• What qualities make a good manager?
• How do you feel about overtime?
• What salary do you expect?
• Do you like to work with people? Have you had to supervise employees?
• Are you willing to travel or relocate?

Behavioral Interviewing
Most interviews include behaviorial questions. Be prepared.

What is it?
Behavioral interviewing is a technique used by employers in which the questions asked assist the employer in making predictions about a potential employee's future success based on actual past behaviors, instead of based on responses to hypothetical questions.
In behavior-based interviews, you are asked to give specific examples of when you demonstrated particular behaviors or skills.
General answers about behavior are not what the employer is looking for. You must describe in detail a particular event, project, or experience and you dealt with the situation, and what the outcome was.
Examples of behavioral interview questions:

• Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested your coping skills. What did you do?
• Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
• Give me an example of an important goal you had to set and tell me about your progress in reaching that goal.
• Describe the most creative work-related project you have completed.
• Give me an example of a problem you faced on the job, and tell me how you solved it.
• Tell me about a situation in the past year in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
• Give me an example of when you had to show good leadership.

Responding well to these types of questions:
Be specific, not general or vague. Don't describe how you would behave. Describe how you did actually behave. If you later decided you should have behaved differently, explain this. The employer will see that you learned something from experience.

The questions you ask during an information interview will depend upon what type of information is most important to you. For some, questions may center around job flexibility, work environment, and job security. Other individuals may be more interested in learning about opportunities for advancement and challenge. It is helpful to decide upon the questions you want to ask before the interview. The following are possible questions to ask during an information interview.

• What is a typical day like?
• What do you like least about your job?
• What do you like most about your job?
• What types of changes are occurring in your field?
• How did you get into this type of work?
• What is your background?
• What types of skills and/or training is needed for this job?
• What type of advancement opportunities does this company offer?
• How do salaries in this field compare with other fields?
• Whom do you suggest I talk to for further information?
• May I use your name in contacting them?
• What problems do you think I will have finding a job in this field?
• What suggestions do you have for anyone who is interested in getting into this type of work?

You need to read "Types of Questions" before read this article.

Why did you apply for this position?
Tip: How do you think that you might fit into this company

Would you tell us what attracts you to a career with us? How do you see your studies, skills, experience and personal qualities contributing to the work of the organisation? Tip: How do you think that you might fit into this company

Describe a time when you had to deal with conflicting demands. How did you deal with this situation and what was the outcome?
Tip: STAR

Can you describe a time where you have been required to perform as part of a team? What was the situation? What part did you play in the team and what was the outcome of the exercise?
Tip: STAR

How do you establish a working relationship with new people?
Tip: Team skills

Where do you expect to be in 5 years time? What will you do if you are not successful in gaining this position?
Tip: Demonstrate to the interviewer that you have thought about what it is you want from work and what you hope to achieve. Let them know you are flexible however, and willing to explore new opportunities.

What particular skills and qualities do you bring to the workforce? What other skills would you like to develop in the future?
Tip: Strengths and weaknesses

Tell me about a challenging situation you have faced. What was the situation and how did you cope with it?
Tip: STAR

Is there an achievement of which you are particularly proud? What is it? Why is it significant?
Tip: STAR

Imagine that you are a member of a small team responsible for the development and production of an internal publication. Your team is dependent on another workgroup to provide the data which will form the basis of your publication. The deadline for completing this project is not able to be relaxed. (a) What factors do you think might affect the team's ability to meet the publication deadline? (b) What could the team do to ensure the project is completed on time?
Tip: Hypothetical questions allow the interviewer to identify key competencies deemed important by the employer. No right or wrong answer

What are the key elements of measuring performance and how can you establish whether an outcome represents a success? (Answer this in terms of your own work or study experience.) More specifically, what do you think might be some key indicators of the successful performance of a national agency?
Tip: STAR (Behavioural +Situational question)

You have demonstrated in your CV that you have knowledge of entomology. Could you please expand on your experience and tell us what you think your strengths are in this field. An important component of the position will be the maintenance of water quality parameters within acceptable limits for the species. Can you outline your experience in water quality testing? What do you feel are the most important water quality variables?
Tip: Multi-part question

The ability to work independently within a structured team is essential to the position. This will require the successful applicant to be self-starting, able to prioritise tasks, be a good communicator, as well as showing considerable initiative. Can you give us some examples where you have worked within a team environment and demonstrated these abilities?
Tip: STAR + multi-part question

What do you feel is the potential for aquaculture in Australia and what are some of the major impediments to its development? What are some of the major aquaculture species cultured in freshwater? As well as the position involving general maintenance of the aquaria and pond facilities, a significant component will involve participation in scientific experiments through the collection and collation of research data. Can you describe previous experience you have had in the day to day running of scientific experiments?
Tip: STAR + multi-part question

The research project and facilities the successful applicant will be involved with receives considerable attention from the general public. Therefore, a component of the job will involve liaising with the general public and media. This requires the delivery of information in a simple precise manner. How confident do you feel you are in delivering sometimes complex information in a simple manner?
Tip: give examples

What computer programs are you familiar with, and more specifically, what programs would you use to write a report, enter research data, and to prepare a poster or seminar.
Tip: give examples of where you have applied the use of these programs.

You have had an opportunity to look at the statistical table from the publication (this was supplied before the interview). (a) Imagine you were asked to write a commentary on the information in the table. Are there any significant or curious or interesting features revealed by the data which you think should be highlighted, and if so, what might you say about them? Can you offer any suggestions to explain these features? (b) What is your opinion of the general layout of the table? How might it be improved?
Tip: multi-part question