INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q1. Tell me something about yourself? Answer: My name is I have done my Graduation from..

(name of college/ university) in Commerce/ arts/ Science in First division. Currently, I am pursuing PGDM (AICTE approved from JIMS Kalkaji. As far as my work experience goes, I have done my summer internship in.(name of company) for..(Duration). I was responsible for..(very brief profile as an internee). About my family, my father is an.. (profession) working with a multinational/ OR my father is a businessman/ entrepreneur dealing in exports/ textiles/etc.etc. My mother works as a Lecturer/ OR is a Homemaker. I have a Brother/ Sister who is studying/ working. My interests are.(Travelling/ listening to music/adventure sports/bike riding/ collecting stamps/reading /dancing/playing cricket, chess/ etc. etc. NOTE: 1. Only mention if you have a first division. Otherwise dont mention your division. 2. Dont give the names of your family members and the places where they work or study. Nobody is interested in that. 3. When you mention your interests, you should have knowledge about them. For example; if you say dancing, you should be aware of dance form you like most, your favorite dancer and some technicalities about it. Same thing goes for other interests as well.

Q2. Tell me something about yourself which is not there in the resume? Answer: Talk about the following things: Your strengths and weaknesses, your Idols and why do you idolize them, Your goals and how are they connected to the organizational goals, your experiences in summer internship (which showcase your qualities), your interest and achievements in activities like community service, adventure sports, etc. ( which shows your helping the society kind of nature, or risk taking capability in adventure sports). NOTE: 1. When you are mentioning your goals, dont say something which only involves you. For example: I want to be a CEO of the company or I want to earn loads of money. The answer should involve the achieving of the companys goals too. Like: I would want to be successful and make my company a brand in the market. OR I would want to see my organization in the list of most powerful companies. You as a student have to understand that personal and organizational goals go hand in hand.

2. Sports demonstrate character of a person. So when you say that you are interested in adventure sports, it shows that you are fearless and has risk taking ability. Similarly, if you were a part of a sports team, you would know how to work in groups. Q3. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Answer: before answering this, remember there are two sets of strengths and weaknesses for every individual. One, personal strengths and weaknesses; the other, professional strengths and weaknesses. In an interview, the interviewer is looking for the latter. Mention things which are directly related to your job. For example; your parents might be your strength, but they have no role in the company which employed you. So they are your personal strengths. Strengths: Mention any 2-3 of the following: quick learner, excellent communication skills, perseverance skills( convincing skills), hard working, determined, analytical skills, a good motivator, leader, team player, excellent presentation skills, etc. NOTE: Say only 2-3 strengths. And be ready to explain why do you think you have those strengths. There has to be some personal/ professional situations where you had demonstrated these strengths. Weaknesses: Weaknesses should be such that they become strength in the professional world. Mention any 1-2 of the following: I am a workaholic. I forget about my personal needs and time when I am working. I have extreme analytical skills. I like to weigh both the positive and negative sides of everything before I come to a definite conclusion. This sometimes delays the decision process. I am a peoples person. I like to take my group along with me mentally. I would want friendliness and harmony in my group and goes to lengths to achieve this for my team members. I want everything to be perfect. I think I am a perfectionist which poses a problem as I am not satisfied easily with the final product. I am particular about meeting deadlines. Delayed work definitely makes me upset. NOTE: Dont say things like: I am an emotional person, I get angry easily, I cant say no to people I love, I trust people easily, etc. These are personal weaknesses.

Q4. Why should we hire you? / What is it that you have and the other candidates dont for this job? How can you prove to be an asset to us? Answer: The answer to this question is a combination of your strengths and qualities required for that specific job. For example:

I believe that I am the right candidate for this job because I am hardworking,. (mention your strengths) AND I have the skills which are aligned/required for this job like analytical ability/ communication skills/ dealing with people, etc. NOTE: Apart from stating your strengths, talk about qualities required for that particular job. For example; If it is a marketing job, talk about qualities like communication skills, excellent convincing skills, empathy, good listening skills, etc. If it is a finance job, talk about analytical ability, critical analysis, dealing with numbers, good memory of storage of information, etc. If it is a HR job, talk about being a peoples person, good motivator, good listener, empathetic in nature, good in training and development, public speaking, etc. If it is an International Relations Business (IB) job, talk about communication skills, cross cultural communication, good convincing skills, knowledge of how businesses are done across the world, a good judger of people, etc. An important point to note here. Use phrases like I believe , I am sure, etc. Dont use phrases like I think, I feel. When you are sure of yourself, it shows confidence.

Q5. Which is the most important thing that you learnt from your college? Answer: Studying a professional course like PGDM in a management college has taught me a lot of things. As soon as our course started, I learned to multi task things as I was managing and trying to excel in assignments, presentations, examinations, group discussions, and cultural activities all together. I learned how to be a team player as most of our activities were a group effort. We gave presentations, discussed case studies in a group. My communication skills were enhanced due to continuous exposure in speaking in front of the audience. My written communication was polished due to various activities. As I participated in various cultural activities in the college, it gave me a new confidence and I explored my various aspects of personality. I believe that these 2 years has transformed and polished my knowledge and personality in many ways. Q6. Why do you want to join our organization? Answer: For this question, you need to do a good deal of homework before appearing for the interview. Search for information about the organization on the internet. Talk aboutcompanys market share, its brand image, its CSR activities, its employee strength, its branches all over the world, its global presence, its quality products and services, etc. Q7. What do you know about the profile? Answer: For this question, you need to be aware about the job profile for which you are being interviewed. Talk a little about the job description, BUT in the end do say: I would prefer if you enlighten me about my job description. That way, you are giving the interviewer a chance to add something more to the profile.

Q8. Are you comfortable with the relocation and the shift timings? Answer: Now there is no universal answer to this question. Its a personal choice to relocate and work in various shift timings. If you are ready, give a positive answer. If not, politely say no. NOTE: Dont make the BLUNDER of saying that you will ask your parents and then reply. It will show a lack of effective and on the spot decision making skills. Your parents are not going to take decisions for you once you start working. Moreover, you as a student should know and discuss it with your family members before only that whether you are comfortable with relocating and shift timings.

Q9. Will you face homesickness if you relocate? Answer: A little bit yes. But it wont be that much to pose an obstacle in my work. NOTE: Dont say that you wont miss your family even a little bit. (because thats impossible and hard to believe). And dont say that you will miss them so much that you will hamper your work because of it.

Q10. Is your family comfortable with your relocating? Answer: If you had previously said yes to relocating, say that your family is supporting you in your decision and is comfortable with the idea. NOTE: Dont say I am relocating against my parents wishes and they were against such an idea. Because such an arrangement wont work in the long run for you and the company if you are not convinced and happy from the beginning.

Q11. Have you done any work in group? Answer: Yes, practically all the time in the two years of management education, I have been a part of a group to do activities like, case study analysis, presentations, sports activities, cultural activities, discussions. In my summer internship also, I was a part of a team to carry out the work. Q12. What is the main challenge you have faced while working in a group?

Answer: Dont say everything was smooth and you didnt find any obstacle because it is not possible. Because when people work together, there are bound to be some problems. Say: There were some situations in which we had conflicts because of different points of view and it was hard to reach to a mutual conclusion. But eventually we took a definite decision by keeping our personal interests behind and thinking of the groups goals. Another problem which we faced was different styles of working of different individuals. It was difficult to manage work sometimes because each member had their own way of achieving the goals. Some finished before the deadline, some performed better in the end due to pressure. But as long as the work was finished in time, we were happy. Q13. What do you prefer- group work or individual effort? Answer: It would completely depend on the situation. There are situations when a work is done better in a group as more heads are there to brainstorm, more innovative ideas are required. And there are situations which require individual effort when the work is of your specialized branch or it has to be done urgently as group effort will delay the decision.