Personal Questions In An Interview
In an interview a person has to sell his or her skills and experience shown in the resume.The personal questions play a major role for an employer to peek into the personality of a prospective employee.There are usually no right or wrong answers to them.The answers to these questions help an employer to assess your personal traits.The emotional anxiety associated with acceptance and rejection can be overcome by planning and preparations.I can say from my personal experience,most of the times people answer well prepared answers to such questions as they already can anticipate such questions.Some key points which I would like to highlight while facing interviews:
Some tips related to your physical appearance
-Do not overdress or under dress for the occasion.It should be just appropriate.
-You clothes should be neat,clean,well ironed.A formal dress will be just fine e.g. a white full sleeves shirt, dark colored simple fit trousers,a tie and for a lady a business suit or any regional dress which is acceptable in normal business environment is just perfect.
-Your shoes should be well polished,hair well combed.
-Avoid wearing a strong deodorant or after-shave.
-You must look fresh,clean shaved and energetic.
-Your body language should be correct,look straight into the eyes of interviewer while answering questions,do not fumble or long pauses or too fast speaking.
-Do not snap your fingers on the table.
-Do not shake your legs that is very irritating.
-Demonstrate best personal traits and etiquettes.
-The best judge can be people close to you,like your friend or a family member which can point out to something negative in your body language and you must try to come over it as soon as possible.
Some Tips for mental grooming:
-Apart from being physically prepared,you have to condition yourself mentally.The cause of nervousness is fear of unknown.It is humane to be nervous but not to an extent that it mars your prospects in an interview.If you do not know an answer to a question,be honest and excuse for the same.
-At the time of interview, you should be cool, calm and confidant.
-Do not bluff anything in your resume and if there is anything which you would like to point out it is better that you should.Remember 80% of interview is centered around your resume so prepare it with great cautiousness.
-Be honest and forthright in answers to questions that have been asked.You cannot remember each and everything.Demonstrate how with your technical skills you overcame issues like performance,transaction, poor design and memory mismanagement.
-An employer is making an investment in you.
-Do not be critical of any given situation, suggest what best you can do to improve it.
-Do not act superior or give an image of a snob.
-Use the interviewer's name in conversation occasionally. That single act will stand you out from the rest(No pun intended :-))
OK,now I give you a list of questions which are mostly asked in a personal interview.Definitely you are not going to be asked all these question and not in the same order too, but yes, you will find many of them being asked.I am not answering these question,you have to figure out how well you can answer them so as they strike the right note with your interviewers.
-Tell me something about yourself?
(Talk about personal skills and traits,generally asked to access your communication skills as well)
-Tell me something about your organization?
-Tell me about your greatest accomplishment?
(Tell the interviewers about assets you have)
-Tell me about your worst failure?
(Ideally pick a failure which made you a better professional)
-Have you ever failed to meet your project commitments?
-Are you a team player?
-Have you ever had a conflict with your Boss?How was it resolved?
-How will you overcome conflicting situations occurring in a project?
-What is your role in your organization?
-Why do you want to leave your current job?
-What do you like and/or dislike most about your current and/or last position?
-How do you handle work related stress and how you act under pressure situation?(This question sometimes may be a hint to the pressure that your new job with the organization will bring in...:-))
-What are the projects you are currently working on?
-What are your core strengths?
-Can you elaborate over a situation where you tool some kind of initiative?
-How long have you been working on J2EE?
-What technologies you are conversant with?
-What kind of quality standards your organization follows and your understandings for the same?
-Do you have any questions or queries?
-Where do you want to be in five years?
(Of course not 'a husband and father of two kids---:-))
-What are your career goals?
-Your resume shows that you change your jobs quite often, why?
The preparations of answers of these questions may reduce your anxiety of facing personal interviews.It is not that you always fit into the frame which an employer even if you have done well in your interview, so my advice on one's failure in an interview is, do not get disheartened,no one is a misfit in this world and somewhere you will fit in as per your skills and experience.
Keep learning from your mistakes and that's what experience is.
Best of luck!!
Some tips related to your physical appearance
-Do not overdress or under dress for the occasion.It should be just appropriate.
-You clothes should be neat,clean,well ironed.A formal dress will be just fine e.g. a white full sleeves shirt, dark colored simple fit trousers,a tie and for a lady a business suit or any regional dress which is acceptable in normal business environment is just perfect.
-Your shoes should be well polished,hair well combed.
-Avoid wearing a strong deodorant or after-shave.
-You must look fresh,clean shaved and energetic.
-Your body language should be correct,look straight into the eyes of interviewer while answering questions,do not fumble or long pauses or too fast speaking.
-Do not snap your fingers on the table.
-Do not shake your legs that is very irritating.
-Demonstrate best personal traits and etiquettes.
-The best judge can be people close to you,like your friend or a family member which can point out to something negative in your body language and you must try to come over it as soon as possible.
Some Tips for mental grooming:
-Apart from being physically prepared,you have to condition yourself mentally.The cause of nervousness is fear of unknown.It is humane to be nervous but not to an extent that it mars your prospects in an interview.If you do not know an answer to a question,be honest and excuse for the same.
-At the time of interview, you should be cool, calm and confidant.
-Do not bluff anything in your resume and if there is anything which you would like to point out it is better that you should.Remember 80% of interview is centered around your resume so prepare it with great cautiousness.
-Be honest and forthright in answers to questions that have been asked.You cannot remember each and everything.Demonstrate how with your technical skills you overcame issues like performance,transaction, poor design and memory mismanagement.
-An employer is making an investment in you.
-Do not be critical of any given situation, suggest what best you can do to improve it.
-Do not act superior or give an image of a snob.
-Use the interviewer's name in conversation occasionally. That single act will stand you out from the rest(No pun intended :-))
OK,now I give you a list of questions which are mostly asked in a personal interview.Definitely you are not going to be asked all these question and not in the same order too, but yes, you will find many of them being asked.I am not answering these question,you have to figure out how well you can answer them so as they strike the right note with your interviewers.
-Tell me something about yourself?
(Talk about personal skills and traits,generally asked to access your communication skills as well)
-Tell me something about your organization?
-Tell me about your greatest accomplishment?
(Tell the interviewers about assets you have)
-Tell me about your worst failure?
(Ideally pick a failure which made you a better professional)
-Have you ever failed to meet your project commitments?
-Are you a team player?
-Have you ever had a conflict with your Boss?How was it resolved?
-How will you overcome conflicting situations occurring in a project?
-What is your role in your organization?
-Why do you want to leave your current job?
-What do you like and/or dislike most about your current and/or last position?
-How do you handle work related stress and how you act under pressure situation?(This question sometimes may be a hint to the pressure that your new job with the organization will bring in...:-))
-What are the projects you are currently working on?
-What are your core strengths?
-Can you elaborate over a situation where you tool some kind of initiative?
-How long have you been working on J2EE?
-What technologies you are conversant with?
-What kind of quality standards your organization follows and your understandings for the same?
-Do you have any questions or queries?
-Where do you want to be in five years?
(Of course not 'a husband and father of two kids---:-))
-What are your career goals?
-Your resume shows that you change your jobs quite often, why?
The preparations of answers of these questions may reduce your anxiety of facing personal interviews.It is not that you always fit into the frame which an employer even if you have done well in your interview, so my advice on one's failure in an interview is, do not get disheartened,no one is a misfit in this world and somewhere you will fit in as per your skills and experience.
Keep learning from your mistakes and that's what experience is.
Best of luck!!
About Dharmendra P
