7 Common Interview Questions, and How To Answer Them (Part- 2)

Hello Folks,

I hope you found my earlier post on common interview questions and suggested answers informative. Here, I continue with some more questions.

Question 5

è “Why should we select you for this position?”

Why indeed! Don’t they know that better? Why ask you to brag about yourself?

This question is generally the clincher in the interview. The intention is to see whether you can market your skills and abilities effectively, and position your candidature to fit the role. The role-fit and culture-fit is being assessed here.

Image: https://pixabay.com

What you can say:

Do your homework for preparing this answer. List your job-related competencies and relate these to the position you have applied for. Pitch your unique abilities as key to doing the job successfully. Emphasize your domain knowledge, skills and managerial abilities without sounding boastful. Give examples from your professional life, about instances when you have used your abilities to achieve success. Mention your soft skills and inter-personal effectiveness in working with people. In short, give them all the reasons to select you.

Question 6

è “What are your salary expectations?”

This is a really tricky one. Many interviewers ask this question at the end of a successful interview, so at least be assured that you have performed as per expectations. Now you have to quote a suitable remuneration for your services in the event of your being hired.

The intention of asking this question is again to find out if you know your worth in the job market. Salary structures for positions are pre-determined in most organizations, so your answer will hardly influence the interviewer into paying you more or less than the determined package. 

Some companies however, like to keep packages flexible, and would place you in a wage structure, where a certain flexible portion would be performance related. Your compensation package and take-home pay will be determined, based on what you propose now. 

This question sets the base for further negotiations with the HR Department.

Possible Answer:

Before you go to attend the interview, do some market research on what the position usually is worth. As I mentioned, most companies have fixed and flexible salary structures already in place that correspond to employee experience and skills. You will be allotted a particular structure and level in the existing hierarchy, based on your experience and qualifications.

www.pixabay.com

Ask your college alumni, acquaintances/seniors holding similar jobs, or look up employment websites. Some job advertisements also mention the base salary, so look these up if they are similar to your position. Check out the company website to see if they have mentioned their existing management levels, and try to see where you fit in. Salary ranges are also mentioned in job postings on the website, so you can check these out. 

When you are asked to name a figure, first try to put the ball in the other’s court, by saying that you would be willing to be placed in a suitable level as per your experience and qualifications. This puts the onus of deciding the compensation structure on the management.

If, however, your answer actually is going to determine how much you take home, quote a salary range (your market survey will help you in deciding this).

If the range is deviant from what the company is willing to offer you, the interviewer will tell you that. In that case, be willing to accept a fixed-flexible ratio, where your subsequent performance will determine your pay to some extent.

DO NOT SAY NO OUTRIGHT. Even if you are disappointed by the salary offered, keep a window open for subsequent discussions and negotiations.

Say you need time to think about it and will get back.

Question 7

è “Do you have any questions?”

At the end of an interview, this question is likely to be the concluding chapter. Your interviewer invites you to put your queries forward and clarify doubts, if any, about the position and the company. This question also means that you can feel relaxed as your ordeal is now over. ;)

What you can ask:

There are several questions crowding your mind, no doubt, but obviously you have to ask only the politically correct ones.

Some of these may be:

è What are the possible future career paths available in your organization for this role?

è What are the learning opportunities in this role?

è What are the areas the organization is planning to diversify into/future business areas?

Please remember, you are NOT to ask about number of people reporting to you, or the name of your future boss, or the benefits you will get in this job. These will become clear to you when you join. 

Image: www.pixabay.com

To conclude, I think I have given you a fair idea of what to expect in a job interview. This list is, by no means, exhaustive, as there are several questions that may, and will be asked in interviews beyond what I have given above. But these generic questions are, by and large, to be expected.

If you do your groundwork well and keep your calm, you are sure to nail it!

All the very best!