Interview Questions and Answers

61. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Answer :''Making a more significant contribution to whatever organisation I'm working for. To have developed new skills, abilities, maturity - perhaps a little wisdom even. To have become better qualified in whatever way suits the situation and opportunities I have. To be better regarded by my peers, and respected by my superiors as someone who can continue to increase the value and scale of what I do for the organisation.''

''I'd like more responsibility, because that's a result of personal growth and progression, and it's important for my personal satisfaction.''

''I have no set aspirations about money and reward - if I contribute and add value to the organisation then generally increased reward follows - you get out what you put in.''

''Long term I want to make the most of my abilities - if possible to build a serious career, but in this day and age nothing is certain or guaranteed; things can change. I'll do my best and believe that opportunities will arise which will enable me to keep contributing, increasing my worth, and developing my ability in a way that benefits the organisation and me.''

Employers will respond well if they see that you are mature, independent, self-motivated; that you will make a positive and growing contribution, and that you understand that reward (financial, promotion, responsibility, etc) will always be based on the quality and value of your input.

62. How do you make yourself indispensable to a company?
Answer :“We are looking for both technical and interpersonal competence,” says Doris J. Smith-Brooks, recruiting and advertising manager for Boeing Co. in Seattle, Washington.

Smith-Brooks explains that students who have interned or completed cooperative education assignments generally answer the question best because they know what working for a company entails.

63. What’s your greatest strength?
Answer :“Don’t just talk about your strength—relate it to the position,” Ferguson says. “Let them know you are a qualified candidate.”

64. What’s your greatest weakness?
Answer :“Say something along the lines of, ‘I have difficulty with this thing, and these are the strategies I use to get around it,” Ferguson says. “For example, you could say, ‘I’m not the most organized of individuals, so I always answer my e-mails and phone calls right away. I’m aware of the problem and I have strategies to deal with it.”

65. Where do you see yourself five (ten or fifteen) years from now?
Answer :Explain your career-advancement goals that are in line with the job for which you are interviewing. Your interviewer is likely more interested in how he, she or the company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you'll get from it, but it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It's not a good idea to tell your potential new boss that you'll be going after his or her job, but it's okay to mention that you'd like to earn a senior or management position.

66. Why did you leave your previous jobs (if any)?
Answer :The interviewer may want to know if you had any problems on your last job. If you did not have any problems, simply give a reason, such as: relocated away from job; company went out of business; laid off; temporary job; no possibility of advancement; wanted a job better suited to your skills.

If you did have problems, be honest. Show that you can accept responsibility and learn from your mistakes. You should explain any problems you had (or still have) with an employer, but don't describe that employer in negative terms. Demonstrate that it was a learning experience that will not affect your future work.

67. What major challenges have you encountered and how did you deal with them?
Answer :When going to an interview, you should always be prepared to speak about difficult situations that you have encountered in the past and how you were able to effectively resolve them. It is good to remember at least three. And remember, the situation should always reflect an attribute that you think the employer/interviewer would admire.

68. Tell me how you handled an ethical dilemma.
Answer :“Suppose you worked at a bank and a long-time customer wanted a check cashed right away but didn’t have the fund balance in his account to cover the check,” Martinez says, explaining that if the bank’s policy prohibited cashing checks in that manner, the teller would have a choice of violating bank policy or alienating a good customer.

Martinez says the best way to handle such a situation would be to go to a supervisor, explain the situation, and ask for advice. He adds that students who can’t offer a situation that they handled correctly the first time can explain how they learned from making mistakes.

“Explain that the next time, this was how you handled it,” he says.

69. Tell me about the culture at your last company/employer.
Answer :If the past culture was good them explain how and why in terms that the interviewee is likely to identify with, for example:

''The culture encouraged people to develop, grow, take responsibility. People were coached and mentored towards quality and productive effort. All of this helped me a great deal because I identify with these values, and respond to these opportunities.''

A good answer, in referring to a non-supportive culture would be to express the positive aspects (eg lots of freedom for me to take initiative, responsibility, find new ways to contribute, a free market allowing the good workers to naturally excel and develop reputation and internal working relationships, etc.)

70. Tell me about your life at College or University (or even your time in your previous job).
Answer :The question is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the qualities that the interviewer is seeking in for the job, so orientate your answer towards these expectations (without distorting the truth obviously).

In your answer, emphasise the positive behaviour, experience and achievements (ideally backed up with examples and evidence) which will impress the interviewer because of its relevance to the role requirements.

The interviewer is looking for the same capabilities and behaviour in your college (or university or previous job) life that they want in the job.

Your emphasis should be on your achievements, and how you achieved them, that are relevant to the job requirements.

Interviewers with special interest in behaviour and personality may also use a question like this to assess your self-awareness and maturity, in the way you consider your answer and relate it to your own experience and development.