Six common questions asked in a job interview

Job interviews can unnerve anyone especially if it is your first. Recruiters often ask some basic questions to an interview, which may seem easy, but actually needs a lot of work. Ever wondered why do every employer asks a few set questions in an interview. BI India lists down a six such basic questions that are frequently asked and the plausible logic behind their very existence.

‘Tell us something about yourself’

By asking this question, most recruiters want to gauge if a candidate is articulate his resume well. “Employers want to know if he is able to position himself as the candidate of choice from the employer’s side. In a nutshell, a lot of recruiters filter out a lot of candidates in this one answer itself,” said V Suresh, executive vice president and chief sales officer at job Naukri.com.

Recruiters often expect the candidate to know himself thoroughly. They expect the candidate to briefly tell them about his academic qualifications followed by his professional experience.

‘Why do you want to quit your current organisation?’

This is a very critical question and should be answered wisely. “A recruiter would always want to know the reason why a candidate wants to move out of his old job. So there will be a lot of emphasis on figuring out why he wants to or has quit his job. Was there a problem with his boss or is there a situation where he is not currently able to perform. These are some of the reasons why this question is generally asked,” added Suresh.

Substantiate your answers with facts and credible examples rather than just giving a plain simple reason. It must be remembered that a person quits or decides to quit a job for critical reasons and hence the question cannot be treated frivolously.

‘What are your strengths and weaknesses’

This is a straightforward question which should be answered smartly. Know your strengths and weaknesses well. Suresh suggested that while answering this question, a candidate must focus on his strengths rather than his weakness and should take the conversation in that direction.

‘Why do you want to join this company’

Most recruiters want to know how well is the candidate prepared for the job. They want to know if the job seeker knows the company well and has a clear understanding of the profile, he has applied for. An employer would also like to know if the candidate can bring anything new to the table if hired by the company.

Tell us about your role and responsibilities in your current organisation

This is typically done to understand if the applicant is compatible with the organisation’s ethics. “An employer would typically ask about the kind of projects that the candidate has worked on or the clients he handled. For a managerial position, a candidate is often asked about his role and responsibilities as the team head or the manager,” explained Suresh.

‘Where do you see yourself five years down the line’

A question often asked to gauge the candidate’s stability. Employers ask this question to understand if the candidate’s personal goals are in sync with the company’s goal, which then gives them a fair idea if the applicant will stick around for long. It must be remembered that a company invests its resources in training an employee and hence, his willingness to stay in one company for long is very important. An employee does not quit a job if it is compatible with his personal goals.