Why r u the best person for this job?

I believe/trust that you have come across many others who are equipped for the job in terms of capabilities
and abilities; however, going through my past experience and work performance you will find out that I am
one of the more dedicated individuals who take their professional lives as seriously as they take their personal
lives.
Therefore, I am sure that with my dedication and capabilities, I am one of the best options that are available
for the said job.”

Why should we hire u?

1. Because once you hired me your managers will congratulate you for the right selection and
possibly reward you.

2. Hire me because i am a person who could not succeed many times in his life but he always
had determination to fight the difficulties. I am person who does not know the way which I
should follow but i always keep moving to search the way. I am a person who may be late
to get the success, but its a perfect success.

3. u hire me because i am the only one who can satisfy ur ego ! no body can else do this
job,this is my extraordinary capability other than which i have & others also have

4. You should hire me because time is money so let's not waste time and I will show you how
to extract maximum from time.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see
in their employees are:
 A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements
match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.
 Intelligence...management "savvy".
 Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.
 Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a
team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.
 Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.
 Good communication skills.
 Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.
 Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.
 Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.
 Confident...healthy...a leader.

“What makes you unique? How do you stand out in a crowd?”

There are a few simple steps that can help you prepare for an appropriate statement to communicate that
you’re ‘different’:

1.  Go through the ‘job description’ and the company profile. Try to gauge what could be the ‘key
deliverables’ expected from an ideal employee.

2.  Make a list of your strengths – The strengths need to include your transferable skills such as: time-
management, communication, Interpersonal-relationship skills, negotiation and soft skills. You may however,
touch-base upon personal traits such as positive attitude and pro-activeness as well. Further reading – What
are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
Analyze the strengths with the ‘key skills’ that an interviewer might be looking for, in an applicant. If there
are a few ‘skill gaps’ or ‘need gaps’, prepare yourself to answer a query that might focus at the concern.

3. Communicate your motivation level. Employers love motivated employees!!read further at – Why
Have You Applied For This Job?

What can you bring to the company? What can you contribute to this company? 

Why Do You Want This Job? Interview Question

1. I feel I should have direct hands-on knowledge/experience in this position/at this stage of my career
2. Given the sense of importance of this ‘career field’; it has always made me want to be – “your career”
and now to be a “this job”, because I can’t think of any other job-career that is so important to
society.
3.  I believe that this entry-level job may enhance my professional experience.

Are you Overqualified for this Job?

you should remember that this is a rhetoric question, and the actual answer depends on your
qualifications and the job requirements.

Also, while answering this question, you should understand that this is the era of multiple capabilities in every
professional. Therefore, the job may be making complete use of one part of your capabilities and ignoring the
other part of your skills/capabilities.

If this is the case, you should put across this point to the interviewer at the right time, and mention that
though you may be overqualified for the job due to one aspect, the job may be the best way to learn new
things as per your secondary qualifications.
If your qualifications and past experience give the idea that you are overqualified for the job, it would be a
good idea to accept that it is – you can give reasons as to why you are applying for a job that does not take
full use of your qualifications.

What Challenges are you Looking for in a Position?

“I understand that challenges are part and parcel of the job requirement that I am aiming for. I am actually
looking for jobs that would challenge me on a professional basis, so that I can enhance my skills/abilities in
order to add more value to the product or service that the company is offering to its clients. “

Are you Creative? Do You Consider Yourself

Creative?
Posted on November 10th, 2010 in Typical Interview Questions

This happens to be a quintessential question in an interview. Especially, if you have applied for a job that
requires creative skills, then this is the question that you have to answer.
Interview Question: “So, do you think you are creative?” Essentially, if the interviewee answers the question
as, “Yes, I am creative,” then the next logical question of the interviewer would be, “OK. Can you provide an
instance where you have showcased the ability?”

“As a matter of fact, yes I am. The ability enabled me to incorporate ergonometric features and
social networking applications in the Beta-User Interface.”

Clearly, it is an appropriate answer. Firstly, the interviewee has provided with an instance wherein he/she has
utilized the ability in a business environment. Secondly, he/she has prompted the interviewer to ask him/her
questions related to the field in which he/she is comfortable in. Perhaps, he/she has been able to direct the
flow of questions in his/her favor.

What Is Your Goal? What Is Your Career Objective?

he primary reason to bounce off such a question is to check an interviewee’s level ofself-awareness and
his planning skills.

Therefore, when you are asked about what are your career goals, it is the time to communicate your short and
long term plans with the interview – the interviewer would want to learn how stable you are in
your professional/personal life, how you plan to achieve your goals and how you will grow with the company
that you are working for.

Read further..
This question can better be explained in a form of an example:

Interviewer: “What is your goal in life? What is your objective in life?”

Let us assume that the interviewer is looking for a candidate who has long range planning skills and believes in
working in a methodical environment.

Interviewee 1: “I wish to become a marketing manager with quite a large team to handle and lead.”
Clearly, this answer seems to be too shallow and narrow.

Interviewee 2: “Of late, I have been so much tied up with work, that it has escaped my thoughts to give my
life a vision/personal goal to work upon.”
Though, it is nice to hear that the candidate is a hard-working individual but the mere fact that he hasn’t
thought about a short term goal or a long term goal is utterly in bad taste. It highlights that he has no vision
and plan to achieve things.

Interviewee 3: “I wish to do my MBA and later on, set up my own business.”
It is an honest answer. However, no interviewer would be keen to appoint a candidate that wishes to retire
from the job soon and start of a venture on his own. He would want the candidate to stick around for some
time.

How to answer the question – “What is your career objective?”?

There are a few basic things that you need to keep in mind while answering such questions:

If you happen to be a methodical person who seems to plan for everything under the sun, then such a
question would be a ‘cake-walk’ for you. However, if you are one of those who lead an un-planned life, you
need to be prepared.

FOCUS: You need to contemplate and figure out what exactly you are looking for. If ‘getting a job’ is your
short term goal then what kind of job interests you? What do you plan to achieve once you secure the job?
Have you chalked out a career graph keeping in mind the job under consideration?

Start off by planning small goals and draft a career graph for yourself. Be ‘employer-oriented’.

Draft the answer well in advance: Though, it is difficult to flesh out an answer but if you prioritize things,
you would be able to come up with an appropriate statement.

Example of good career objective statement as an answer: “I believe long terms goals are achieved when we
break them into smaller achievable goals. My short term goal is to get a job in an organization that is
progressive and performance driven.  I wish to join a competent team wherein I can add value to projects and
in turn, take home learning as well. My long term plan is to secure a challenging position as XXX in the
organization and deliver my best.”
What makes you different from the other candidates? What makes you unique?

You need to be prepared with a succinct and a self-assured personal statement about yourself, for if you are,
you will be able to differentiate from the other candidates. You should be able to convince the interviewer that
you are the most appropriate applicant for the job.

How does one prepare for such a question?

There are a few simple steps that can help you prepare for an appropriate statement to communicate that
you’re ‘different’:

1.  Go through the ‘job description’ and the company profile. Try to gauge what could be the ‘key
deliverables’ expected from an ideal employee.

2.  Make a list of your strengths – The strengths need to include your transferable skills such as: time-
management, communication, Interpersonal-relationship skills, negotiation and soft skills. You may however,
touch-base upon personal traits such as positive attitude and pro-activeness as well. Further reading – What
are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
Analyze the strengths with the ‘key skills’ that an interviewer might be looking for, in an applicant. If there
are a few ‘skill gaps’ or ‘need gaps’, prepare yourself to answer a query that might focus at the concern.
3. Communicate your motivation level. Employers love motivated employees!!read further at

Why Have You Applied For This Job?

Employers love motivated employees 

Highly motivated employees are invaluable to any organization.
Experienced employers know that motivated employees are quick learners, complete their tasks
enthusiastically, care about many things and often go beyond the call of their duty.

On the other side, if you contrast this with an unmotivated people. Even highly talented people who lack
motivation can border on the ineffectual.
Therefore, motivated people develop their talent by their inner drive. They ask questions, volunteer to jobs and
overcome obstacles down the road.

Motivated employees worth twice as much as talented ones who lack motivation. An unmotivated talented
employee is an oxymoron to the business.

Why did you apply for this position?

Suggested activity to communicate your motivation levels to the job

Make a short list of all the aspects that attract you to choose your career plus the things that attracts you to
apply for the job. If you’re having problems coming up with answers, take a close look at your career and the
main duties of the job you like to do.
Ask yourself, ‘What is it about these duties that I like?’
Avoid broad statements and be as specific as you can. Once you’ve compiled your list, answer the following
questions:
Why have I applied for this job AND what are the sorts of things that motivate me?
Keep on practicing your answers until you’re happy with the results and the fluency of your answer.

Your body language

Convincing interviewers that you’re highly motivated requires more than answering questions the right way.
Body language and how you say things are just as important.
When preparing your answers to motivation questions, one of the key questions you can ask yourself is ‘Why
do I like this kind of work?’ Your specific responses to this question will constitute the core of your motivation
answers.
Do not forget to express yourself with enthusiasm. Interviewers expect to see keenness in motivated
candidates.

In general, the best way to answer the question is by talking about the positive aspects that the
job you are applying for will have on your career and your future prospects.

You can speak about the compelling aspects that getting the job would have to your professional
life:

 You believe that your skills, qualifications and experience are tailored to the position you
applied for and therefore you think you can utilize your abilities to the maximum.
 You consider this job opportunity (i.e. the offered position) to be perfect for enhancing
your career as you will learn a lot about your line of work and profession.
 Another point you can stress is that you would always have liked to work in their
(successful, resourceful, initiative etc) company and the enormous amount of knowledge
and information that you would get and develop while working with them.

 Definition of Success: Discovering the Purpose in Life

Where Do You See Yourself In 10 Years time?

ANSWER1: “10 years from now, I will master my profession within this company because I see this job as an
opportunity to become a talent in my field – by enhancing my professionalism while learning new A,B, C
skills, interacting with different people and integrating new work methods”.

ANSWER2: “Ten years from now, I will diversify my portfolio in operations management (which as of now
includes Linear Programming, Six Sigma etc) and develop an holistic viewpoint towards operations as a process
for adapting it to the changing business environment. I definitely see this job and this company as integral
parts of my plans for the future. “

How would you describe your ideal job – Your ideal work environment?
Your answer to this question should be:
“I would describe the ideal job as a job that makes the most of my qualifications and abilities, and gives me a
chance to constantly challenge myself. I look for a stable job with quality supervision, a positive work culture
at a successful company that will encourage me to work at my best.”

Other good answers to the ‘dream job’ interview question could be:

 A job that provides opportunity to learn, progress and contribute to the organization.
 A teamwork-oriented environment in a company that empowers employees to create and take
initiatives.
 A job that my skills are utilized to the maximum and allows me to grow within the organization.
 I would prefer the company culture to be very team oriented and focused on delivering real
measurable results while still maintaining a friendly and respectful work environment.
 My ideal job would be – Open, supportive, entrepreneurial, stimulating, collaborative, inspiring,
focused on fostering strengths.
 I would love to work in a job in which I can work both by myself and with others to achieve the end
result. I am very self-motivated so I am interested in working in an atmosphere where I can
continuously learn new things and improve my skills.
 My ideal job is – Friendly, fast paced, available to learning new things, challenging and of course
opportunity for career advancement.
 A workplace that is open to communication, staff that are approachable and willing to listen as well as
give feedback.
Tips for the end of interview – questions you can ask

Do not ask obvious questions

When you ask your set of questions at the end of the interview, try to keep them as open ended and general
as possible. For example, it is obvious that under no circumstances can you ask to know whether you passed
the interview or not.

However, you can use the time to find out more information about the interview process, like how many
rounds of interviews would be taken, what would be the timeframe in which they would carry out the interview
and even (tactfully) how many people have applied for the job post.

The best questions about the interview process would be:

 How do we go ahead from here? – Which would basically tell you about the interview process.
 How long is the interview process going to be? – This is a good question to ask when it’s a big
company that is hiring multiple profiles. With this, you can be sure about the time that the company
would take to complete the first round of the interview.
 When can I expect a call? –The interviewer would inform you about the timeframe that you would
need to wait for to expect a call.
 Are they planning to check your references?

Unless you want to clarify important issue, be careful not to ask questions that are already discussed during
the interview or the answer can be found in the job description.

You may also use this time to theoreticaly place yourself as one who has actually taken the job by asking
questions like – first required tasks, new project, working environment,work culture, future professional
enhancement etc.

An ignorant questions
Do not ask questions at the end of the interview that would expose your ignorance about the company

In some cases, people go to an interview without knowing anything about the company. This is generally seen
in the case of newbies.
However, if you’re given a chance to ask thoughtful questions, use this opportunity to ask questions that would
make it seem that you have done your homework and know everything about the company that one could find
out through the open domain.

You can ask questions about the future of the company (and the industry), the plans it have for strengthening
its presence in the market, such as: new products, new service approach, new strategy alliance etc.
• Tell me about your weaknesses

This one is tricky as no one wants to focus on the negative when they are interviewing for a job.
Talking about your flaws can only show the employer why not to hire you. So what do you do? The
best thing to do in this situation is to turn your weakness into strength. A possible answer could focus
on an area where you have more to learn about a particular skill. As long as it isn’t an essential
qualification for the job (one where you need a high level of proficiency) you can say: “I haven’t had
enough experience with electronic health records and desire to learn more about them. I believe this
position will offer me an excellent opportunity to enhance my skills in this area.”

• Tell me about a time you tried an innovative approach. What was the result?

Any “tell me about a time” questions can be very disconcerting. You certainly don’t want to be sitting
there with your eyes to the ceiling and your mouth hanging open as you dig through your brain for an
old experience to reference. You also don’t want to say, “I can’t think of any.” The best thing you can
do with these types of questions is to prepare for the interview by reviewing your work history. Go
through your resume and letters of recommendations and any employment history and old
communications you have.
Write down particularly interesting projects you worked on and think about positive experiences you
can allude to. There might not be a best answer to this question, but having an answer is the key.
Keep your story positive, even if the situation didn’t end in a complete success. You can always say,
“It was the first time I tried that approach and I learned a lot from the process. The result was short
of what I was aiming for, but I learned why this was the outcome and was able to adjust for it the
next time.” Of course, having a completely successful tale to tell is also an excellent response. The
more you can quantify your results, the better (e.g. “The company saved $30,000 by implementing
my new procedure.”).

• “What books have you read lately?”

This is truly a question of a personal nature. It may seem unrelated to the job, but the good news is
you can make it relate to the job. When conducting your job search, it is important to keep up with
your industry. What publications should you be reading as a career-driven person of your industry?
Are there manuals, magazines, books, online sites, and blogs? If you’re prepared, you have the
perfect opportunity to show you’ve been keeping your skills and industry-knowledge up-to-date. This
is also a great way to save yourself if you aren’t a pleasure reader. If you do enjoy reading, you
should discuss these books, as long as they seem appropriate. Discussing titles that show your
appreciation of literature (even popular fiction) or your desire to learn (non-fiction) are fine. For
instance, if you truly are reading a biography about Benjamin Franklin, then be sure to say so. If you
aren’t, don’t ever lie to “look good” because you never know what the interviewer may know about
the topic. Maybe he or she is a Ben Franklin enthusiast! Always be honest. Preparation is the key to
having something to say and being honest about it.
 • Other personality questions that can be asked:

1. How do you resolve conflicts in general?

2. Who has had the most influence on your life and why?
3. What would you want to do if you were not in this field?
4. Tell me about some of your strengths as sales person?
5. Are you a perfectionist?
6. What is your communication style?
7. How do you deal with difficult personalities?
8. How do you resolve conflicts in the workplace?
9. How would you describe your leadership style?
10. Where do you see yourself in five years?

• Are you a self starter? What motivates you?

Companies love self starters – those who are strongly motivated and show initiative.
In fact, with the changing pace of business and the corporate world, there are many entrepreneurs who would
hire an enthusiastic person with less experience than a veteran who does not seem as much of a self starter as
anyone else who is giving an interview.
Simply put, a small business requires talented people who are enthusiastic enough to bring about a progressive
change in the business that they are working for.
Read further: How to get promoted? And Responsibilities to Take for Getting Promoted.

• Which has been the most exciting project that you have been involved in till date? Tell us about
this project. 
A job comprises of a number of assignments and projects. Some of these projects are simple money makers
while some of these projects are actually something that satisfy you on a professional level and play an
important role in forwarding your professional career.
These projects can be anything, something that has changed the industry standards, or some small project
that you took on as a means to enhance and fine-tune your secondary skills.
Therefore, when the interviewer asks you about the most exciting project that you have been involved in,
make sure that you give the right answer.

Actually, the answer to such questions is not something that you can come up with in the immediate moment.
The best thing that you can do to be ready for these questions is to do some of your homework before you
actually attend the interview. Read up on some of the basic questions that are asked and you will be able to
make up a list of the exciting projects that you have been working on, or have worked on.

• Give an example of a situation/project/time when you went above and beyond your
responsibility to get the job done. 
Think of a recent incident when you went above and beyond the call of your duty. What was the motivational
intensive to act this way – it is surely not your normal behavior?
If you had such a project or a situation, you can answer the questions and explain the reasons for this initiative
and why did you decide to perform your best.

These are just some of the questions that can be asked during an interview to gauge your motivation skills.

Working in a company has several aspects other than the abilities and experience of the person. One important
aspect is teamwork.
In most companies, it is necessary that the employee is able to work in a team, and maybe even handle a
team work during the lean times.

In fact, the best employee is one who can handle a team when it comes to it (i.e. team lead skills), as well as
be able to work on a team when the situation arises.  
There are several questions that the interviewer may ask the prospective employee during the teamwork
interview, in a bid to understand whether the prospective employee is a team member, a team leader or both.

After reading this article, you may be interested in reading the articles:
•  Team Lead Interview Questions and Answers.
•  Are you a team player?
•  Working on a team.

Team work Interview Questions with Answers

Being honest and humble is one of the most important traits that you would require in your professional life,
right from while you are handling the interview to even further in your professional life.
To evaluate this, you will be asked several questions that are related to your previous teamwork experience:

Give us example when you were part of a team. What was your role in the teamwork? How did
you contribute to this task group? How often did you interact with other team members?
Choose a team (or a task group) that you had been assigned to or a teamwork that you had participated in
your previous job and describe a leading project. Make sure that your answer is a crisp and quick run through
of your task group participation and gives the interviewer a broad idea of your value addition and job execution
as a team worker.
You may include: the way the team monitor tasks and duties for achieving the project goals and how you’ve
effectively interacted with other team members on a constant basis to achieve these goals.

Have you ever had an experience where there were issues or strong disagreement among the
team members? What did you do?
It goes without saying that there is no team, either personal or professional, that has not faced some problems
and disagreement among teammates.
However, when working on team in the workplace, each team member is not only responsible for his tasks but
also responsible for the progress of the team goals as a whole. The employer would want to find out these
qualities in a team player.

Therefore, you can answer this question:

“I have had some instances where there has been some kind of strong disagreement among my team
members. Usually, I do not pay attention to the issue for the first few days, because I have faith in the
professionalism of my team partners.
 However, if the problem is not solved over a period of time, I make sure that I speak to any and all the team
members who are involved in the issue, and try to iron out an amicable solution with dialogue between them.”
Further reading: Are you a Team Player interview question.

Have you ever been a project leader in a team? How did you handle/face issues? 
Being a project leader in a team is a position full of responsibility as it that gives the employee a chance to
achieve his professional ambitions.
Therefore, the candidate should be sure that a sense of responsibility is sent across in the reply:
“As a project leader, I have had a varied experience of dealing with project issues. Whenever I have faced a
problem that requires a solution, I collected the data related to the issue, figured out the causes, consulted
with team members for solutions and when having a neutral view of the issue, I have tried to resolve it in such
a manner that I will continue keeping a keen eye on the problem solution and the betterment of the product.”
Refer to: Problem Solving Interview for more information.  

Tell us about your experience working with pees. How did it go? Have you ever faced difficulties
and disagreements?
While team players are supposed to be work in harmony, it is a fact that they can have issues with other team
members, who are basically their colleagues.
If you have had issues with other teammate, it is best to tell the truth to the employer and to explain the
situation honestly.
The best way to answer is:
“I have had an issue with a peer [give an example], like it is common in a professional workforce. However, I
have always endeavored to solve the problems, without the repercussions coming up, or even other team
members. I always believe that conversation is the best way to solve any issues, and I have always had
dialogues with any peer who has had an issue with me. I consider his point of view and the project goals
before I take the conversation ahead.”  
Continue reading – Relationship with co-workers interview questions.

Have you been a team leader? Describe your role as a team leader. Tell us about the challenges
you faced in trying to resolve issues among team members. What could you have done to be more
effective?
A team leader is basically the leader whom everyone looks up to, so as to be the one who would lead
effectively the team projects and ensure that the team moves smoothly and progresses, taking the company
that they work for from strength to strength.
Therefore, describe an effective team leadership work. Refer to the article – How to Be an Effective Team
Leader?

Moreover, a team leader has several responsibilities other than just their core abilities to churn out work.  One
of the most important responsibilities is to keep the team together and help them weather even the greatest of
problems. If you are a team leader, it is your responsibility to handle the team and solve the issue without any
repercussions or bad blood between the team members.
If asked such a question, here is the answer that you can provide:
“As a team leader, my responsibility is to achieve the highest productivity for the company within the given
resources. Therefore, I have to ensure that all the resources that I am provided are always at their optimum
performance. So, I have to ensure that any issues that my team members face are resolved without any losses
to either the company, the product that is being currently worked on.
Most of the times, I speak to the team members who have  a problem with each other individually as well as a
team, so that all the issues are ironed out immediately. “
Further reading – Conflict Resolution Interview Questions.

Of course, the most important aspect of an interview question answer should be that the answer is realistic
and factual.  If you have been a team leader or project leader, it is well and good and you should reply
whatever the fact is. If you have not been a team/project leader, you should simply tell the interviewer that
you have not had the chance to lead a team as yet.

What makes u a good leader?

1. Visionary: A leader is a visionary. She should have the ability to foresee potential opportunities. She
knows the importance of thinking differently keeping the larger picture in view. She knows how to
motivate his followers to work towards a common goal.
2. Decisiveness: A leader may have a team of people to advice her on things but the final decision is
for her to make. If she has the proper knowledge and self confidence, taking decisions should not be
hard.
3. Confidence in own abilities: A leader’s important attribute is trust in her own leadership
capabilities. There will be many out there to pull her down and in those times it is her confidence in
herself that see her through.
4. Optimistic/Positive attitude: Everybody makes mistakes but a leader learns from them and moves
on. A leader is positive and has a constructive bent of mind. He she knows there is no point on
dwelling on the failures and how to make the best of a situation.
5. Team spirit: Helps create camaraderie among the members of the group. She herself not just
projects but rather feels a part of the team and not really ‘superior’ to the rest. A leader knows how to
lead whilst maintaining friendship and bonding between herself and the team members.
6. Understanding of the business: She does not have to know the answer to every question neither
all the details but a leader must have a firm grasp on the business or the cause.
 7. Express gratitude: Appreciating and thanking the subordinates for their good work and cooperation
is a huge quality. Appreciation keeps the person going. It tells them they are doing the right thing.
8. Humility: Arrogance in a leader is completely unwarranted and unappreciated. No one likes to be
lead by a person with an inflated ego.
9. Walk the talk: A leader acts as an idol for her followers. She does what she preaches. And her
personal and public life are an example of that.
10. Gives due credit: Giving credit where it belongs displays integrity and generates loyalty and respect
from followers. It also sets an example for others.
11. Intelligent: There is no underestimating intelligence. Intelligence will take a person especially a
leader places. And in turn benefits her people too.
12. Compassionate: A leader must demonstrate compassion and empathy for her people when it is due.
This is something that makes others want to follow her.
13. Success: A good leader brings success for his subordinates. He/she gives direction to the efforts and
the endeavors of people. She is knowledgeable and committed to fulfilling her deadlines.
14. Welfare of people: The general well being of the people who follow her will be any real leader’s
priority. She knows that the people are her real strength. Be good and true to the people and they will
be good to you.

10 Tips for Being a Good Supervisor: What can make you a good supervisor?

The 10 main qualities required are:

1. Great communication skills: As a supervisor one must communicate clearly and correctly to avoid
misunderstandings and frustrations. When receiving information from a subordinate, she should be
sure to receive it correctly – There is no harm in asking again if necessary.
2. Adapt to the changes: World is changing at a fast pace. The efficient supervisors ought to keep up
with it. Do not just blindly follow the age old norms and rules. Think out of the box if required. Adjust
to the needs of the organization.
3. Value the employees: The people are any supervisor’s real asset. They are ones running the
business and the work. A good supervisor understands their worth and treats them accordingly.
4. A coacher/mentor: Share your experience. A good supervisor shares her wisdom, knowledge and
experience with the employees. She helps them perform better. This also strengthens the bond and
the trust between them.
5. Disciplined: If a supervisor is disciplined then only can she expect the people to be so. The boss is
an example – Come on time, meet the time-lines, set a behavioral code if necessary.
6. Feedback/incentives: Promotions, feedback, raises and accolades should be showered on the
deserving people.
7. Be an example: Be hands on – Do not just always delegate. At times the boss should take on
projects too. She may try picking up something less attractive or uninteresting and complete it
wonderfully. This sets an example to all the team about taking up challenges and about how any work
is important.
8. Be approachable: The employees should not hesitate in approaching the supervisor with their
concerns and problems. An efficient supervisor will make sure that there is enough trust and openness
between her and the employees for the latter to come to her with their grievances.
9. Be considerate: People are not just employees. They have families, friends and a life beyond work.
Unless there is something urgent, do not make them work beyond the usual hours. Let them have
their weekends and vacations. Be practical when setting the time-lines. This all will in turn improve the
efficiency and the productivity of the employees.
10. Positive attitude: Be polite. Wish employees good mornings and be generous in thanking them.
Inquire after about their families off and on.
11. Criticize constructively: When mistakes happen a good supervisor tries and understands the
reasons behind the mishap. She criticizes or assesses the employee in proportion to the mistake. And
it is always better to not to scream or scold in front of the others. Give constructive feedback; show
them the right way to do things.

1. How would you describe your adaptability to changes - your ability to perform change
management?
How flexible/tolerant you are – can you change your management style? How do you function when a
change is required? Are you a change leader (can you lead a change)?

12. There is a possibility that the type of management methods that you follow could become obsolete
and you would need to upgrade your skills and enhance yourself. Therefore, you may be asked
whether you can change your management methodology and its style if required.

13. Effective change management is one of the most important issues in the competitive business world
today – it is a transition from one state to another one. Managers are main parts on delivering the
message of change to their employees. They should demonstrate an example, showing their skill to
change and/or refresh their management methods, for empowering others to accept and adopt the
change in the company environment.

2. How would you describe your management style?

There are several management styles and all have their advantages and disadvantages. However,
certain management styles work in certain environments. You can read about the four management
styles in Wikipedia – Autocratic, Paternalistic, Democratic and Laissez-faire (leader).

14. For example, if a company is hiring all freshers, they would need a strong willed and experienced
manager who can lead by example and act as a guiding beacon to the other employees.

15. If the said management position is within an already established department populated with
experienced workers, they would require a manager who would cooperate/collaborate with them and
ensure that nothing comes in their way when they are working.  You should consider which kind of
situation you like to be in.

Are you a Leader or a Manager?

 16. Some interviewers may ask you whether you are a leader or a manager (or a follower). To reply to
this question, you must first understand the difference between a leader and a manager. Management
and leadership have very different meanings: a manager is a title and leader is a function.
Management is a position and leadership is a skill.

17. A leader is someone who leads a team, and becomes a leader because of his or her skills and talents
which are higher than the entire group, while a manager is someone who is purposely hired to
manage the operation of a team.

18. A leader is recognized as a leader by his teammates because he posses some influential personal traits
that affect the group performance and activities.

19. A leader function skills can be categorized as follows: Sharing Information, Understanding Needs and
Characteristics of the group, Knowing the Resources, Controlling, Counseling, Setting the Example,
Representing, Planning, Evaluating, Sharing leadership and Learning.

What kind of a leader are you? Words that describe your leadership characteristics

20. Some key personal traits that effectively describe leadership performance are: Initiator, Innovator and
Originator, Decision Maker, Listener, Critical Thinker, Coacher, Inspiring, Motivating, Dominating, Goal
Oriented and Vision/Planning Abilities.

21. Figure out if you posses some of the above skills and mention them in your answer. 

A true leader works with the group

22. The corporate world is changing quite quickly, and the general consensus nowadays is that a leader
puts in an equal amount of work and works with the group, instead of delegating work to them. This
is seen as the perfect way to work today in the corporate world.

23. Are you having people orientated leadership? Are you ‘people oriented’? It is known that a leader with
no people who are willing to follow him (or her) is not a leader. The leader must maintain an effective
interpersonal relationship with people resulting in an ongoing and growing network. He may present
original thinking, sometimes a fresh ideal, a vision or a new path that attracts and motivates others
to go after him without hesitations.   

24. Therefore, if you are asked the question about your leadership style, you may try to integrate these
points into your reply.

How to Be a Good Team Leader:

The findings of extensive research on what makes a team effective point to the fact that: teams that have the
talent and skills to manage themselves do better.
This means a dominate team leader doesn’t seem to lead to consistent and better performance – it’s the
organizational support makes a difference.
Therefore, a good team leader should design and support/balance the talent of the individuals to work
together in harmony so that the team ends up managing itself…

Being an effective team leader requires basic leadership skills. Here are some of the actions that the team
leader should consistently carry out:  
• Build trust between team members.

• Inspire and motivate teamwork for achieving goals.

• Influence valuable changes.

• Be open to new ideas coming from team members.

• Consult frequently with key team members.

• Establish an open discussion for decision making.

• Distinguish the team from others – create an identity for the team.

• Encourage and support independent thinking.

• Recognize the skills of key team members and utilize their strengths to the benefit of the team.

• Define and state expectations and objectives with the team members. Ensure that all members understand
the missions ahead.   

• Eliminate disagreements between members – be the mediator. Set a behavioral code if necessary.  

• Consider giving incentives to boost results.

• Evaluate results in a timely fashion.

You may also be interested in reading the article – leadership interview questions and answers.
Being an effective team leader: the Qualities of a Good Team Leader

What makes an effective/good team leader?

When it comes to defining team leadership, there are several characteristics that could make a positive impact.
In addition to the above points, the following are some of the characteristics of a good team leader:
1. Decision Making Abilities: This might be by far the most important characteristic that a team might want
in a person who would lead them. There are several scenarios in the professional world which require a level
headed person to make various decisions. These decisions basically make or break the team’s work as well as
the person’s career. Therefore, these decisions have to be made with extreme care and caution. Only an
experienced individual would be capable of making such decisions.

2. Lead from the Front: Gone are the days when the leaders would be cooped up in administrative rooms
while the real action would take place at the battle front. In the corporate world, unless the leader gets down
to the brass tacks with the team members, the leader would not be respected.

3. Balance between personal life and professional life: With the fast paced times, professional and
personal lives are quickly overlapping each other. Therefore, it is necessary for a leader to understand the
difference between the two and pay respect to the team member’s personal life as well as professional growth.

4. Serve as an Example: This is also quite am important aspect of being a leader of a team. Only if a leader
acts as an example, would the leader be respected enough to be given the proper respect as a leader. Being
an example can be anything, right from the way they work, to the way they make professional decisions.
Serving as an example is not easy in this fast paced world, but one can always try.

5. Forgive, but do not forget: No employee can ever say that they have not made mistakes in their
professional life. A good leader would remember these mistakes and try to make sure that the said individual
does not make the same mistake again. However, the leader should also keep in mind that this employee
should not be unnecessarily persecuted for the mistake.

6. Cohesive force: Finally, the leader should be a cohesive force between all the team members. In a
professional atmosphere, it is a miracle that all the people in a team are on good terms with each other.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the leader to make sure that all of them are comfortable with each other
and have a working relationship that makes the team a productive one instead of a team that is wracked by
problems

10 Quick Tips for a Successful Interview:

1. Your value and the job requirement: Have clear personal goals and career expectations.  Know
your true worth. Study the job profile carefully. Evaluate your own skills and qualification against the
job’s requirements.
2. Learn the company profile: Before appearing for the interview, make a little research on the
company. Try and get an idea of what the company stands for or believe in. Find out its
achievements, its biggest competitors and allies. This will give you an upper hand when the questions
about the company and what can you bring to it are being asked.
3. List your skills: Write down all the skills an qualifications you have that can be applied to the job.
4. Practice/rehearse: No matter how many interviews a person may have faced in his/her lifetime,
appearing for one almost always create some flutter in the stomach. And when this happens, practice
helps. Rehearsing the interview improves your performance, enhances confidence level, and gives you
a chance to work on your weak points.
 5. Paperwork: Have all the required papers and documents ready and organized well before. Nothing is
more off-putting than seeing a candidate scrabbling for papers in the interview room.
6. Dress appropriately: However vain it may sound but is true that people start to judge just by
looking at others. Wear nice/clean shoes. Be careful to not to wear a lot of make up. Keep the jewelry
to the minimum. Avoid wearing lots of cologne.
7. Have a good night sleep: Wake up early enough to be ready well in time. Have a healthy breakfast.
8. Arrival: Arrive at least 15 minutes earlier: It will reflect on your seriousness and punctuality.
9. Your behavior at the interview: Shake hands firmly. Be polite. Do not sit until invited to do so.
When you invited to sit, sit and stand tall. Maintain eye contact. Do not fidget or play with your hair.
Do not adjust your clothes. Do not display any nervous energy. Of course, do share any negative
information about your self. Show your keenness. Smile naturally and remember to use positive tone.
10. Sell yourself: Let the person/panel see the qualities in you that set you apart from others. What is
the uniqueness that you can bring to the company that others can’t. Therefore, communicate well.
This is the place where all you have learnt about good communication will be tested. Your goal is to
influence them enough for them to hire you.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers

The following are examples of interview questions for evaluating leadership, communication skills,
interpersonal communication behavior, decision making and other important behaviors:

 How do you maintain relations with a person in cases where you cannot agree upon certain issues?
 How do you initiate a relationship with a person?
 Give an example of risk that you had to take. Why did you decide to take the risk?
 Give an example of a creative solution to unexpected situations when your leadership skills were
needed.
 Provide an example of a situation where you had to create an agreement between parties who
originally differed in opinion, approach, and objectives.
 How do you establish good communication and information flow with others?
 Give an example when you had to explain a complex issue to someone who hasn’t had any
experience.
 Describe a situation when you had to convince others.
 What are conversation impressions other than words? How do you use these to communicate
effectively with others?
 How do you show an interest in what another person is saying?
 Have you ever taken initiatives to solve customer problems that where beyond/above your
responsibilities?
 Give an example of a situation when you had to turn down a customer request for a good reason.
How did you handle the case?
  Have you ever been able to positively influence the actions of others in a desired direction?
 Tell us about an experience that you would describe as a real learning experience? What did you learn
from that experience?
 Tell us about a time when your teammate criticized your work. How did you respond?
 Describe a demanding situation that your were faced in which you managed to remain calm and
composed.
 Have you had a situation in which you had to make a difficult choice between your personal and
professional life. What did you learn from that experience.
 How do you get others to accept/listen to your ideas? What is your approach?
 Give me an example of a project or initiative you started on your own.
 Give an example of a case in which you anticipated problems and were able to go in a new direction
on time.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions and Behavioral Interview Answers

Here are some tough interview questions and the suggested answers for the same:

1. Working with your colleagues: Questions about working with your colleagues are some other behavioral
interview questions which may be difficult to answer. Remember, the interviewer is not looking for loyalty and
camaraderie as much as he or she is looking for a person who is responsible for getting a particular
assignment done in a good and amicable way. Therefore, you should give them the idea that you are a
responsible colleague who can become a natural leader given the reason and the managerial support.

2. Situations of pressure: Another important question would be the how you handle pressure situations. It
is well known that the best people are always found during a pressure situation and that every company wants
someone who can handle any pressure situation. Therefore, your answer to the question should give them the
idea that you are willing and able to handle any pressure situation that might occur in the workplace.

3. Use of judgment, logic or interaction: In essence, you can also be asked to give an example of a
specific time when you used your judgment, logic or interaction to solve a problem in your professional life.

4. Personal goal: You would also be asked to give an example where you set a personal goal in your
professional life and whether you were able to achieve it.

5. Your skills: Another question would be giving an example of when your presentation skills have changed
the minds of your colleagues or your superiors. You would have to give a brief description of how you have
introduced and implemented your ideas after supporting them with facts and practical reasoning.

6. Working out of your job profile: You may also be asked to give an example of when you have worked
out of your job profile and above and beyond your normal job profile to make something happen for the
company.
7. Your hobbies and likes and dislikes: Another question that may be over-answered is your hobbies and
likes and dislikes. You should be careful while talking about your likes and dislikes. You should ensure that you
are not actually being judgmental about what others do and others do not. Instead, try to use the opportunity
to tell what you actually like doing. Also, make sure that you do not give completely superficial hobbies, likes
and dislikes. Superficial hobbies, likes and dislikes are instantly recognized and come across as hackneyed.

Examples of Competency Based Questions in an interview

• How open-minded are you to other members’ ideas? Do you consult members? How do you make decisions
in general?
• Give an example of risk that you had to take. Why did you decide to take the risk?
• How do you keep each member of the team involved and motivated?
• Give examples of steps taken to make each team member feel important.
• What were the steps you needed to take to achieve goals?
• Give an example of a creative solution to unexpected situations when your leadershipskills were needed.
• Have you ever acted as a mentor to a co-worker?
• Provide an example of a situation where you had to create an agreement between parties who originally
differed in opinion, approach, and objectives.
• What are the key values of a leader? How do you demonstrate these values?
• How do you keep yourself and your teammates motivated?
• Does a leader need power or authority? How do you influence people?
• Did you have faults as a leader? Describe the situation.
• What is the difference between a manager and a leader?
Communication Competency: Communication Skills Interview Questions

• Give an example when you had to explain a complex technical issue to someone who hasn’t had any
technical experience.
• Describe a situation when you had to convince others.
• Give an example of when you had to present complex information in a simplified manner in order to explain it
to others.
• How do you establish good communication and information flow with others?
• How do you stimulate the sharing of further information?
• What are conversation impressions other than words? How do you use these to communicate effectively with
others?
• How do you show an interest in what another person is saying?
• What are the techniques that you use to clarify obscure message meanings?
• How do you maintain a positive discussion?

Customer Service Competency: Customer Service Skills Interview Questions

• How do you handle customer complaints?

• How do maintain/initiate a good relationship with clients? How do you keep him or her satisfied?
• How do you balance between company interest and the interest of customers?
• Have you ever taken initiatives to solve customer problems that where beyond/above your responsibilities?
• Have you turned down a request from a customer? What was the reason?
• Give an example of a situation when you had to turn down a customer request for a good reason. How did
you handle the case?
Refer to customer service interview for more questions and answers.

Sales competencies: Sales Skills Interview Questions

• Give an example when you initiated/created a new sales/marketing technique and enjoyed the results.
• What motivates you about sales and marketing?
• How do you promote a product? What are the initial steps that you take?
• How do you keep up with new trends on marketing techniques?
• What is you view about selling psychology? How/why do customers choose a product?
Refer to the Sales Interview Questions and Answers for more information.

Interpersonal Competency: Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions

• What are the steps that you take to maintain good co-worker relationships?
• How do you network? What is the importance of networking?
• How do you maintain relations with a person in cases where you cannot agree upon certain issues?
• How frequently do you support others and get a support from others?
• What is the importance of building relationships with colleagues to your professional life?
• How do you initiate a relationship with a person?

Organizational Competency: Organizational Skills Interview Questions

• What are the steps that you take to organize a business plan for a new project?
• How do you prioritize project tasks? How do you effectively handle a heavy workload?.
• How do you prioritize day to day tasks?
Decision Making Competency: Decision Making Interview Questions

• Do you consult with others before making a decision?

• Explain your general decision-making process. How do you make decisions in general?
• Give an example of a situation where you had to make a decision when you didn’t have all facts?
• Have you ever delayed any decision-making?
• If you have to make an immediate decision, what process will you follow?

Strategic Thinking Competency: Strategic Thinking Interview Questions

• What is your strategy for brainstorming, sharing ideas and learning to establish critical thinking?
• Give an example of a SWOT analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Why does a change/adjustment in management fail in most organizations?
Creative Problem Solving Skills Interview Questions
• Describe a problem and the way you collect info and establish a problem solving model.
• How do you build a troubleshooting process?
• What are the steps you take for a project that requires collection of systematic data andrisk management for
analyzing its performance?
• What are the steps you take to anticipate risks and resolve issues?
• Give an example of an effective/innovative solution you created to solve a problem.
Management Skills Interview Questions

Refer to management interview questions.

How to answer the Competency Based Questions

How to answer the competency questions:

You have to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and attitude to perform the job task effectively, at or above
the standard required as identified in the competency.
Therefore:
1. Prepare a list of situations that you have faced/experienced in your professional life and the ways you
handled these cases.
2. Study each competency/skill requirements and approaches – the Internet is a great database.
3. Be prepared for each question with a story.
A complete answer to a competency based question must explain the case, the action and the result –
therefore a good answer should contain all of these components thereby presenting the gained skill of the
individual.
Read further in the following articles: competency based interview questions and 

Competency based interview answers

The questions that are asked are quite significant, and it is essential that you answer them in the best way
possible:

1. The best way to answer these questions is to be concise, crisp and to the point.

2. You should not meander away from the point while answering these questions, because meandering way
from the question will imply that you are inventing an answer at best, or would mean that you are a person
who has no integrity at worst.

3. Firstly, ascertain that you make the interviewer understand the problem that you were facing.

4. Do not place the blame on anybody, or crib/complain about anything.

5. Let the interviewer decide whose side he or she should be on.

6. Make sure that you inform the interviewer about the steps that you took as an individual and as a team to
ensure that the problem was sorted out without any hitches.

7. You may also tell the interviewer about the success that you experienced with these steps.

8. You can also inform the interviewer as to how you would presently handle the situation as opposed to your
handling method employed in the past.

The difference between skill, competency and behavioral:

Skill is a part of competency. Competency consists of three parameters- Knowledge (K), Attitude (A) and
Skills(S).
For example- I might be having very good interpersonal skills or people skills, but I will not be competent to
join a company as HR Professional unless I possess adequate education/experience (Knowledge) and the right
temperament/ behavior (attitude).
While rating skills, you have to determine what abilities are required to perform a job practically but while
rating competency, you have to determine the set of abilities/ skills required along with the knowledge and
attitude needed for the said job.

. How has your college experience prepared you for a business career?

Sample excellent response:

I have prepared myself to transition into the the work force through real-world
experience involving travel abroad, internship, and entrepreneurial opportunities. While
interning with a private organization in Ecuador, I developed a 15-page marketing plan
composed in Spanish that recommended more effective ways the company could
promote its services. I also traveled abroad on two other occasions in which I
researched the indigenous culture of the Mayan Indians in Todos Santos, Guatemala,
and participate din a total language immersion program in Costa Rica. As you can see
from my academic, extracurricular, and experiential background, I have unconditionally
committed myself to success as a marketing professional.

What influenced you to choose this career?

Sample excellent response:

My past experiences have shown me that I enjoy facing and overcoming the challenge
of making a sale. Without a doubt, once I have practiced my presentation and prepared
myself for objections, I feel very confident approaching people I don't know and
convincing them that they need my product. Lastly, I like sales because my potential for
success is limited only by how much of myself I dedicate toward my goal. If any
profession is founded on self-determinism, it surely must be sales.

What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

Sample excellent response:
I believe successful salespeople put forth that extra effort that turns potential clients into
first-time customers. Salespeople who attend to the details by doing whatever it takes to
win over a prospective customer distinguish themselves from the countless others who
don't go to any extra effort. Second, I think that if you label success as an attainable
goal, you will never consistently remain successful. You can only succeed if you learn
all there is to learn about your product, your competitors, and personal selling. Since
this learning process is continuous, it's an unattainable goal. With good reason,
salespeople should not consider success an attainable ending point but an objective
that will always linger slightly beyond their reach.

. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?

Sample excellent response:

My primary objectives are to learn as much as possible about your company's product
offering, organizational structure, and professional sales techniques so that I may
become the most productive member of your sales team.

How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?

Sample excellent response:

I believe I am quite good at handling conflict. Working in retail and in the residence halls
required that I make many unpopular decisions at times, whether it was terminating an
associate or taking judicial action on a resident. Often the person in conflict with me
would be upset and sometimes physically outraged. I would always make sure that I
fully explained the situation, the policies behind my decision, and why those policies
exist. Usually by the end of the conversation, the person could see the other side of the
situation.
what does success mean to you

Success is a direct result of failure. Human history teaches us this. The baby didn't start walking on the first
step. Succeeding is the result of getting back up each time you fall. That's success!

How do you define failure?

It is a key to success.Once you will fail you will get a
right direction to achieve the success.

Q: Why did you choose _________ as your major/subjects? 

Q: What makes you a good manager? 

what are key strengths required a marketing manager? how to handle team?