Question 1. Consider the scenario – You win a million-dollar lottery. Would you still be working?
Explanation : Generally, these questions are based on made up cases or scenarios. This is to understand how you think and execute the plan in a given situation.
This question is asked to judge your thinking abilities. If you answer “Yes” to this question, the interviewer may consider you materialistic and money-minded. However, if you end up saying no, you may come across as lazy and without ambitions. In such a situation, it is crucial to choose your words responsibly and give an answer that aligns with the interviewer’s perspective.
Sample answer:
“For starters, I will be super thrilled if I win such a lottery as it would mean that I’d have a hefty saving for me and my future. But to answer you question about quitting the job, I may not do it. Or even if I do so, I’ll still be working to establish of my own. I can not survive with that money for the rest of my life, and will need to make sure I have other options up my sleeve. I also believe working will give me motivation in life to strive for better opportunities.
Question 2 . What would you do if you were working under a bad boss?
Explanation : Interviewers want to know how well a candidate can cope up with people with different beliefs and ideologies and hence it can get a little tricky to answer this. While answering this, ensure that you are avoiding emphasis on the negative aspects of the situation and make use of the positives that arise out of that situation.
Sample answer:
I know this my answer to this question may seem a little unrealistic at first, but here’s what I would do. I will try my best to understand my boss’s personality and his beliefs. I will also try to find out if he has any issues with me or how I work. If they are of the aggressive nature, I’ll try to steer clear of those topics that agitate him. I believe rather than fighting with him and trying him to change, a better option is to try to work calmly under him. In case things get out of my hand, I will connect to the HR and share my concerns with them.
Question 3. What do you think is an ideal work environment?
Explanation : The main intention of this question is to understand if you will fit into the work environment that the company has already. Employers want to ensure that the employees are more productive and happy doing their work and retain them in the long run and hence they ask this kind of question to understand if the employees can fit into their culture.
Some tips to prepare for this question would be:
- Thoroughly research about the company you are interviewing for and have a brief idea of the work culture, the hierarchy of the company, etc.
- When asked to share your opinions, Talk about the work culture that would focus on growth and promotes healthy environments.
- Emphasize how a team-oriented workplace would be of interest to you.
- Ensure that whatever you talk about is aligned with the company’s vision.
- Avoid mentioning a workplace that gives a lot of vacations, flexible timings, more bonuses, and fun. We know it is ideal, but it doesn’t work that way. Employer’s do not find that amusing.
Sample answer:
According to me, an ideal work environment is one that revolves around a team where the focus is on learning, working, and growing together to take the team members and the company to new heights. It is where the skills and capabilities of team members are being leveraged to grow. As per my research, your company focusses on teamwork and that is something that I particularly liked. I thrive in an encouraging environment and am totally thrilled to be working in your organization.
Question 4. What does motivation mean to you?
Explanation : This again is a subjective question that can be easily misinterpreted by the candidates. While answering this question, we have to make sure that we are honest and also our answer should be associated with the job that we are getting interviewed for. Try giving an example to make things more clear.
Sample answer :
The ability to learn something new while also doing what you enjoy, is a very motivating factor. The feeling of satisfaction that comes while solving a problem drives me to do my best in my job. I love challenges as they push me to do more. I am a firm believer of how learning should never be stopped. You may not have good learning days always but anything is way better than nothing. I think when learning stops, stagnancy sets in and that thought is a motivation enough for me. Looking at the job description, I know that this job will provide me the motivation to keep things going.
Question 5. What is your dream company like?
Explanation: This a tricky question where the interviewer again assesses your rightness for the job. While answering this, do not spill out your dream of having a job with minimal work and high pay with frequent access to vacation and flexible work hours. The interviewer is not interested in these things and will consider these as red flags as they make you seem materialistic and uninterested in your job.
Some tips to answer this:
- Be sincere and idealistic in what you want in your ideal workspace to be. Try not to mention unrealistic expectations you may have seen in fiction.
- What you say should align with the work culture of the company. The manager will be impressed by your if you do your research right.
- Avoid exaggeration and point out a specific employer as an example. But when doing so, try to speak in a way that does not sound made up.
Sample answer:
If I had to think of a company as my dream company, it would be one that provides me with loads of opportunities to learn and grow. It would be a company that helps me harness my abilities to contribute to the overall growth of the company. I value a company that recognizes our work and appreciates its employees performance. Based on what I have read about your company and its values, I am sure it’ll be a great working experience.
Question 6. What do you do to ensure that a certain number of tasks is completed effectively?
Explanation : By asking this question, the interviewer wants to understand how you will perform while multitasking. These days, every employer expects that a candidate should be able to work on multiple projects simultaneously which is where understanding how capable you are to multitask becomes important to them.
Some tips to answer the question:
- Describe a situation where you worked on multi-tasking and how you were able to meet up the deadlines.
- Do not talk about how much you hate multi-tasking. Adding negative thoughts will paint a negative picture of you.
- Do not talk vaguely or give generic answers.
- You can also give examples to back up your claim in STAR format.
Sample answer:
Whenever I am assigned multiple tasks, the first thing I do is to calm myself down and build up a positive mindset that I can achieve the task. I then begin to organize them based on the priorities and come up with a plan to set deadlines for each of them and begin to work on the task. Whenever I feel like I am blocked or facing roadblocks, I let my supervisor know of this and I don’t hesitate to seek help from my colleagues.
In case I saw myself failing to grasp all the work and not meeting the deadlines, I used to inform my manager well in advance. My project manager was kind enough to understand the cause of my delays and would also help out anywhere he could. At the end, I made sure to finish the tasks as timely as possible, and ensure that the work is beyond the expectations.
Question 7. What would you prefer – being liked or being feared?
Explanation: The answer should be given diplomatically here because no interviewer would want a candidate who likes to be feared or also a candidate who wants to be liked by everyone as that would make u look like a people pleaser.
Sample answer:
Honestly, I prefer to be well respected in my organization. If I say everyone should like me, there is a possibility people might be good to my face but not really like me behind my back. At the same time, Fear is not something I particularly want as well, because again, it does not command respect. I want to be in such a way that my team members will not hesitate to reach out to me for anything, and consider me someone they can confide in.
Question 8. How long do you think you will be working for us if you are hired?
Explanation: The recruiter wants to check for how long you will be staying in the current company. Do not be honest and share your plans of switching to a dream company or your plans of higher studies.
Sample answer:
I am planning to join this company from a long term perspective. As long as my work is being valued and I am compensated well for it and the management sees me as an asset, I would be happy to offer my services.
Question 9. If you were reborn as an animal, what animal would you want to be?
Explanation: This might seem to be an odd question to answer to. Rest assured, the interviewer does not want to joke with you. Instead, they ask this question to get what kind of personality you are, what your thought process is, and how creative you are by describing yourself as an animal.
Some tips to answer this question would be:
- While answering, make sure your justification is aligned with the job role you are choosing.
- Do not choose animals with poor traits.
- Do not choose animals with the traits that are opposing the ones required for the job role.
Following are some traits of animals. Make sure your skills match those traits:
Lion: Always prepared to fight and never backs from challenges. It strong and rightly known as the king of the jungle.
Dog: Known for loyalty and friendliness. Often they are also viewed as very smart animals that adapt well to their surroundings.
Elephant: Hardworking animal capable of performing hardcore work.
Cows: Known for love and loyalty.
Dolphin: Known for selflessness and helpfulness.
Butterfly: Has the ability to transform from one stage to another and always waiting to fly beautifully.
Ant: Known for being a hard worker and for the ability to carry weights twice their weight.
Owl: Wise creatures known for seeing bigger pictures.
Dove: Known for peace and non-violence.
Chameleon: Jells well in all environments. Also considered to be sneaky. – This animal can be avoided.
Snake: Known for being tricky – This animal should be avoided.
Tortoise: Known for being lethargic and sluggish. – This animal should be avoided.
Sample answer:
I would like to be reborn as a lion. A lion is known for its love for challenges and its pride. It goes for what it wants and it can thrive in a battle (or challenge) which is why I want to be a lion.
Question 10. Will you lie for the company under any circumstances?
Explanation: To be honest, this question is not commonly asked anymore. However, just be prepared for this question. It is a tricky one to answer as you have the question of integrity and the company benefits in line. The best thing to do here is to be diplomatic.
Sample answer:
I believe in the principle of honesty. So, my willingness to be a part of the lie would depend on the situation and the outcomes associated with it. If my lie will not jeopardize anyone and brings a positive result for the company and the employees, then I can be a part of it. However, I do not feel good about lying and would like to stay away from such situations. Only if worse comes to worse, I may be willing to put
