Behavioural questions

TODO

“Tell me about a time when you…” type of behavioral interview questions can become daunting when you don’t know how to answer them. What if we tell you that your problem is solved with this article - Top 25 Behavioral Interview Questions (With Sample Answers) where you’ll not only get the most common behavioral interview questions top companies asked but also sample answers so you can create your own answer accordingly. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/behavioral-interview-questions/

1. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/top-interpersonal-skills-to-land-your-dream-job/?ref=rp
2. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/questions-your-resume-must-answer/?ref=rp
3. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-answer-what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses-in-an-interview/?ref=rp
4. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-answer-why-should-we-hire-you-in-an-interview/?ref=rp
5. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/6-tips-to-prepare-behavioural-interview-questions/?ref=rp

Have Good Answers to Common Soft-Skills Questions

Interviewers have a lot of questions about you that they are unlikely to ask you directly. Those questions are aimed at revealing your soft skills. The challenge for you is that those questions are never directly asked, because that would influence your answer and defeat the purpose of asking.

Here are the secret questions interviewers are really asking:

1. How well do you communicate with people?
2. Do you know your limitations?
3. How well do you deal with challenges?
4. How excited are you about working for this company?
5. Do you hold a grudge?

And here are the sneaky, innocent-sounding questions they use to ask those questions:

Real question: How well do you communicate with people?

Question they actually ask: “Tell me about yourself.” Also, every question in the interview is testing this.

Details: Do you have a personal brand? Do you have a life mission? What do you stand for? What are you passionate about? Do you have a personal elevator pitch? Do you have a unique, interesting story that you can tell in 15 seconds or so, which sums up something that is core and uniquely identifying to you?

Avoid cliches. Be different. Be bold. Every single person who comes in as a “passionate, hard worker, excited about Java”. This is your chance to set yourself apart. Don’t blow it.

For all questions in the interview, keep your answers clear and concise. Don’t ramble. Stay on-topic. If you’ve been talking for more than a minute, pause and give the interviewer a chance to redirect, follow-up, or get a word in. If they don’t jump in, take that as permission to continue. Complete your thought, or fill in a little more detail.

Real question: Do you know your limitations?

Question they actually ask: Any stumper question.

Details: Arrogant people who are hard to work with are often unable to admit their limitations. Nobody wants to work with an arrogant jerk, so to smoke them out, we look for the telltale signs. Likewise, inability to admit you don’t know something is a sure sign that you’re not confident that you know enough to do the job. Confidence is key.

Almost all interviewers will try to stump you with a question you don’t know the answer to. What they want to see is a quick “I don’t know.”

The biggest mistake I see people make is to try to answer a question they don’t know the answer to. They will struggle and stumble for agonizing, uncomfortable minutes. That creates a really bad impression and interview experience for both of you.

Never try to guess or stumble through an answer you’re unsure of. If you don’t know the answer, say “I don’t know.” It’s healthy. Employers want to hear you say “I don’t know” at least once in an interview.

Admitting you don’t know something is the first step to learning it, and some interviewers will teach it to you right there on the spot, so you’ll do better next time. That’s an amazing opportunity, because it gives you a chance to prove that you’re a coachable, quick learner.

Another bonus: People feel good about themselves when they give something back, so if your interviewer has a chance to teach you something new, they’ll subconsciously feel better about the interview experience.

Saying “I don’t know” can help you land the job!

It’s OK if you don’t know everything.

Real question: How excited are you about this company?

Questions they actually ask: “Why do you want to work here?” or “Tell me what you know about us.”

Details: If you’re not excited to work for the company, don’t waste your time with the interview. Find something you really are excited about and jump on that opportunity, instead. It’s much harder to do something you don’t want to do than it is to be true to yourself and pave your own trail.

If you really want the job, you should do a little research. Learn about the company, what they do, and why you might enjoy the job. Do you like the tech? The people? The challenge? What motivates you that they seem to be offering?

Get excited about the opportunity, and be sure to project that excitement. Smile. Get animated. Show some passion for the work. Whatever you do, don’t project a flat, bland personality or demeanor while answering this question, and don’t try to fake excitement, either.

Your time is valuable. Don’t waste it on a company you can’t get excited about.

Real question: “Do you hold a grudge?”

Question they actually ask: “Why did you leave your last job?”

Details: The way you answer this question can get you immediately rejected, so you’ll want a really good (read: short) answer to it before you go into the interview. Employers know that sometimes a company or a particular person at a company can be a bad fit. Sometimes the company just isn’t the right place for your next career step.

Other hidden questions are “do you have the emotional intelligence to put the past in the past and move on? And the good judgement not to drag out the dirty laundry for a potential new employer to see?”

The last thing you want to do is dwell on the problem or dive into too much detail. It can send a strong signal, “this candidate struggles to get past challenges and focus on the present.”

Even if you were wronged, do you have the presence of mind to focus on what’s in front of you right now?

If there was a problem, “it wasn’t a good fit” can be answer enough. If it was office politics, we’ve all experienced that. “Office politics”, “growing pains”, etc… that’s all fine. If pressed for details, feel free to press back gently. Redirect. Talk about how excited you are about this company. Make it about what’s right with this fit, rather than what was wrong with the last one.

People are going to ask their curious questions, but if you go into too much detail or start bad-mouthing your previous employer, the current manager might start to think, “are they going to be talking like this about me at their next job?”

And then it’s all over.

Why do you want this job?

The challeges, and the thrill of doing deals, and the excitement of working with such high-calibre people - but never mention money.

How would people describe you?

This is another common interview question that allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition and show prospective employers why you would be an asset to their company. While answers like being a hard worker or a good communicator are fairly basic, you can use these descriptions and elaborate on them, addressing the organization’s specific needs and how you would meet them.

For example:

“People would describe me as a good communicator, not just because I speak well but because I’m a great listener, as well. I pay attention to what clients and colleagues are saying, and I notice what they aren’t saying. I’m able to pick up on things quickly, and I can figure out what people need through their body language and other subtle hints. In fact, people have told me before that I seem to know them better than they know themselves!”

What is your greatest strength?

This is another one of those questions that you can almost bet your money on. When answering this, it’s important to frame it in the context of the prospective company’s needs and what skills you have to meet them. Keep your strength work-related and relevant, even if you’re the best youth soccer coach in town.

Your answer could be something like:

“I have an extremely strong work ethic and am a self-starter. I’m known for completing projects ahead of deadlines, and I feel this is an especially important attribute in this industry when technology is always changing and sometimes can’t be relied upon last-minute. I take initiative and am always coming up with various ways to solve a problem without needing to wait for direction.”

I worked too hard and tended to move too fast for the organizations I joined.

What is your greatest weakness?

While it may seem easy on the surface, your interviewer is actually looking to see what you will come up with and if you’re being genuine. Answers like “I’m a perfectionist” or “I’m afraid to speak in front of large groups” are overplayed and tacky.

“I would say my biggest weakness is that I’m a recent graduate, and I don’t have a lot of work experience. But I’m a fast-learner and am highly adaptable. I know that having just been in school gives me a fresh perspective and guarantees I’m up-to-date with the newest skills and advancements in technology. I’m eager to always learn something new and am committed to hard work.”

When there was a production incident and you identify that the reason is with something in the code that your team delivered, what are the next steps that you would do?

1. First and most important thing, do not play the blame game.
2. After that, focus on how things can be improved and set up processes for improvements.

How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions

KNOWLEDGE GAP - LEARN MORE

http://dev.fyicenter.com/Interview-Questions/Sixty-Four/

Are you a developer? Need to update your software development knowledge or need to prepare for a job interview? Check out this collection of How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions…

1. Question 1 Tell me about yourself.
2. Question 2 What are your greatest strengths?
3. Question 3 What are your greatest weaknesses?
4. Question 4 Tell me about something you did - or failed to do - that you now feel a little ashamed of.
5. Question 5 Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?
6. Question 6 The “Silent Treatment”
7. Question 7 Why should I hire you?
8. Question 8 Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
9. Question 9 Where do you see yourself five years from now?
10. Question 10 Describe your ideal company, location and job.
11. Question 11 Why do you want to work at our company?
12. Question 12 What are your career options right now?
13. Question 13 Why have you been out of work so long?
14. Question 14 Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, management team, etc.)
15. Question 15 What good books have you read lately?
16. Question 16 Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
17. Question 17 What are your outside interests?
18. Question 18 The “Fatal Flaw” question
19. Question 19 How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)?
20. Question 20 On confidential matters
21. Question 21 Would you lie for the company?
22. Question 22 Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?
23. Question 23 Could you have done better in your last job?
24. Question 24 Can you work under pressure?
25. Question 25 What makes you angry?
26. Question 26 Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career?
27. Question 27 Who has inspired you in your life and why?
28. Question 28 What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
29. Question 29 Tell me about the most boring job you’ve ever had.
30. Question 30 Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position?
31. Question 31 What changes would you make if you came on board?
32. Question 32 I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we’d like in…
33. Question 33 How do you feel about working nights and weekends?
34. Question 34 Are you willing to relocate or travel?
35. Question 35 Do you have the stomach to fire people? Have you had experience firing many people?
36. Question 36 Why have you had so many jobs?
37. Question 37 What do you see as the proper role/mission of…
38. Question 38 What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks?
39. Question 39 How could you have improved your career progress?
40. Question 40 What would you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn’t pulling his/her weight…and this was hurting your department?
41. Question 41 You’ve been with your firm a long time. Won’t it be hard switching to a new company?
42. Question 42 May I contact your present employer for a reference?
43. Question 43 Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill…managing ability, etc.)
44. Question 44 Where could you use some improvement?
45. Question 45 What do you worry about?
46. Question 46 How many hours a week do you normally work?
47. Question 47 What’s the most difficult part of being a (job title)?
48. Question 48 The “Hypothetical Problem”
49. Question 49 What was the toughest challenge you’ve ever faced?
50. Question 50 Have you consider starting your own business?
51. Question 51 What are your goals?
52. Question 52 What do you for when you hire people?
53. Question 53 Sell me this stapler…(this pencil…this clock…or some other object on interviewer’s desk).
54. Question 54 “The Salary Question” - How much money do you want?
55. Question 55 The Illegal Question
56. Question 56 The “Secret” Illegal Question
57. Question 57 What was the toughest part of your last job?
58. Question 58 How do you define success…and how do you measure up to your own definition?
59. Question 59 “The Opinion Question” - What do you think about …Abortion…The President…The Death Penalty…(or any other controversial subject)?
60. Question 60 If you won $10 million lottery, would you still work?
61. Question 61 Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work?
62. Question 62 Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?
63. Question 63 Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company…
64. Question 64 On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.