Let's accept it. Giving interviews sucks. Wearing crisp clothes and telling the interviewer that you are a perfect fit for the company confidently while you are shaking inside is not an easy job. But don't worry because even the 'Interviewer' was an 'Interviewee' once. So at the end of the day, even they want you to do well because they want to hire you. All they are asking is for you to be prepared.
Before we begin, let's understand this. There are 3 different types of interview questions. Technical, Analytical, and Behavioral. If you are applying for an I.T. job, then technical questions are related to coding, programming... Analytical questions will be like.. 'How many ping-pong balls can you fit in a Boeing?' or 'After you cut a slice from a cake, how will you divide the rest of the cake in equal parts?' because through these questions they want to understand how are your problem-solving skills. And finally, there are behavioral questions. Through these questions, the interviewer wants to know...'What have you done in life?' i.e., how have you handled work situations in the past or about your education?
In my experience, around 65% to 70% of the questions will be behavioral because, through these questions, the interviewer decides whether you will be the right fit for the job or not. And that is what we are going to nail today. So in this article, we will discuss the 8 most commonly asked behavioral questions, analyze these questions based on a) What the interviewer wants to know, b) Common Mistakes we make while answering them, and c) How to answer these questions? But most importantly, towards the end, I'll give you a Bonus Tip that'll help you crack even the toughest of interviews. Let's begin.
99.9% of the time, this is how the interview starts. Why? Because before anything else, the interviewer wants to know 2 things: 1. Can you communicate well 2? What is most important to you?
So please don't talk about your favorite movies or cricketers; don't talk about your life story from the beginning. "Hi, I am Raj; I wanted to be a Roadie.. but my parents wanted me to do engineering, so.." Nobody is interested.
The only thing the interviewer is interested in is if you are the right person for the job or not. And for that, your answer needs to have 2 elements: Element #1: Summarize your experience or your education in a single line while you use an adjective to define your personality.
Element #2: You need to talk about your best work or your education and training.
The way you answer questions can make or break your first impression.
What a useless question! I want a job because of the money. That is what you are thinking. But let me tell you now what the interviewer is thinking: Money is important, but if that's the only reason you want this job, you will leave for somewhere else for a better salary. Why will I want to waste my time and effort in training you then? So through this question, the interviewer wants to know why you want this job in particular? So tell them, what motivates you to work for this company? Don't give a general answer..."ABC is a great company; that's why I'd love to work for it." It says that you have not done your research.
This is how you answer the question correctly:
1. Research about the company
Check their website, follow their media coverage, talk to friends working there and figure out what it is about the company that appeals the most to you.
2. Align your skills with the role
Now your next statement should highlight how your skills go along with the company's vibe or the role.
See, it's like going out on a date. Before you date someone, don't you stalk their FB, Insta, ask your friends about them? Same thing. Put half of that effort into reading about the company. Find out what is common between the company and you because, after all, getting a job is like getting into a relationship with the company. Now, why are they asking this?
Simple. They want to know 2 things -.
1. Do you know your strengths so that you focus on doing what you do
2. Do you acknowledge your weaknesses so that you can work on improving them?
Now don't be too pompous and say things like. "I am too perfect" or "I work too hard" because nobody will believe that's your weakness. If you hide behind strength and present it as a weakness, you'll come off as fake.
So how do we answer this? Let's start with strengths. I am good at this. I am great at that. Anybody can say it. But to make it more believable, you also need to tell 'How' or 'Why.' Strengths that you can talk about are Adaptability, hard-working, flexibility, persistence, self-motivated.
Coming to weaknesses. First, think about the things that you are not good at. Maybe it's delegating work or attention to detail, or public speaking. Now think about the initiatives you have taken to overcome that weakness. See, it's okay to have weaknesses. The interviewer sitting in front of you has a job, probably even after deleting the entire production database. I am not asking you to delete the database. I am asking you to accept that you are human, and it's okay. What's not okay is not take the initiatives to improve. See, the interviewer has very little time to decide whether you are fit for the role or not. So they ask tough questions.
By asking about the challenges you've faced at work, they want to know How you solve problems? How do you work under stress? Your way of getting things done. So what they are looking for is a story. The most common mistake is to take it personally and get emotional about it. "There was this one time; this team-mate got jealous of me. So, he told lies.. and turned the whole team against me. I wanted to take revenge, so.."
If you want to nail this answer, then here are the 4 elements that you must include.
- Talk about the challenge briefly.
- Focus more on how you overcame the challenge.
Did you see how the 4 elements together turn a failure in your favor?- Talk about what you learned from the challenge.
- Talk about how you are helping your teammates who are facing the same challenge.
I don't know what I will do tomorrow; you are asking about 5 years?.. This is an answer you should keep to yourself because, through this question, the interviewer wants to know if you are ambitious and if your long-term goals align with the company. So when you are answering this, don't say.."In your place,"....sounds too arrogant or "The CEO of this company"....sounds too unrealistic or "At a better opportunity somewhere else"....sounds too true. So how do we answer it? Stress that you are interested in a long-term career and showcase your enthusiasm. It's okay if you don't know what you want to do 5 years down the lane, but you need to demonstrate how eager you are to join this job.
Everybody makes mistakes. Even the interviewer sitting at the other end of the table. So the best way to answer it is to gracefully avoid the question and bring the conversation back to the job or your skills or experience. This tells your interviewer that you are committed to your professional growth and lets you direct the conversation back to the job-related topics. By asking you to ask questions, the interviewer wants to know if you are really interested in the job. Plus, it allows you to find out if this is the right job for you or not. So don't say, "No, I don't have any questions." It shows that you don't care.
Don't ask, "What's in it for me?" or "Can I work from home?" because it says that you are self-centered and are not really interested in the job. Don't bring up questions related to salary. You can negotiate once they make you an offer. Instead, you can ask questions related to the job..."What does a typical day look like?", "What are the qualifications you are looking for in an ideal candidate?" You can ask questions about the company. "What is the company culture like?" or "What are the different career paths in your department?" You can even ask questions about the interviewer. "How long have you been working for this company?" or "What's your favorite part about working here?" Don't ask too many questions. Wrap it up and leave it on a positive note.
And finally, the most dreaded question...Why should we hire you? It is one of the most crucial questions where you need to talk about yourself without being too humble or sounding too desperate.
The best tip anyone will ever give you to nail an interview is this. Get enough rest the night before. Yes. Rest. Long waiting hours combined with stressful interview sessions. It's going to be a looonnnnggg long day! And if you are already tired at the start of it, then your brain will stop working throughout the interview, and I don't know about you, but I'll not hire that person. So sleep for 7-8 hours the night before and the next morning... go Rock that interview!
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