Answering 3 Most Important Interview Questions

In an interview

Q. Tell me something about yourself

A. Mmm... I like the colour blue.

Q. Walk us through your CV

A. Repeats entire CV

Q. Tell us something that is not in your CV

A. I ate a banana for breakfast today.

Is this you? We can give you enough reasons why this should not be you.

Interviews are those tests in which even if you know all the questions you are not going to have an easy score. Come on be honest we all have found ourselves in a position in an interview where even simple questions could turn out like the above situation. So, what could be the reason are you unaware of the answers to the question which is highly unlikely or you know the answer you just don't know how to answer them? Mere making it to the interview round is an achievement for many after all according to Simplilearn "Only 20% Of the Applicants Get to the Interview Round" considering you are better than 80% of the applicants applied it may not be the best to fumble upon some basic most asked interview questions.

First Question: Tell us something about yourself

Yes, the question is vague and in literal ways, you can tell anything to the interviewers however the interviewers might not like your personal life details in this question and most probably you will be rejected then and there. According to legal jobs you have only 7 secs to make an impression on the interviewer and considering this is most of the time the first question you do not want to mess up. So let us not make that mistake and answer this question in a better way.

Beware of the job position

The first thing you should do is weave your answer around the job position make sure to include your most recent role so if you are applying for a software engineering role, including where you worked recently in that role, what did you accomplish, and what you can bring for this company.

Don't make it lengthy

This is your elevator pitch, you got around a minute or so and you have to tell the most interesting thing about yourself that is relevant and useful. It is better to avoid some really old information that might be related to your skill but has nothing to do with this job. According to legal jobs "Job interviews last between 45 minutes and 1 hour." so spending 15 mins just for your introduction won't do any good. Let's say for a software engineering role your first ever creative writing competition might be irrelevant here, it sure shows you also have a creative side other than tech but you will get more chances in the interview to include that right now just focus on what is important and you also do not want to lose the interest of the interviewers by telling some childhood story.

Focus on soft skills

Your school name? It's there in the CV. Your full name? Do they know they are interviewing you, your CGPA? It was the application criteria. Do not repeat the info they already know, this question is your opportunity to sell your skills to the employer and tell them something that they could have not known otherwise, like how you managed a multicultural team or how you were able to implement that one idea that really helped your entire team. A good way to answer is to pick up a hard skill and then tell them what you learned while working on that, remember you still have to keep it short. Even technical interviews ask for your soft skills.

Possible answer

“I have always been fascinated by tech. Once I got the opportunity to design a website for my school and it was very well received this is where my interest peaked and I decided to major in it. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science, during my graduation I worked with Upskillie where I was working on XYZ, managing studies with work was difficult initially but soon I learned how to manage my time which helped me develop my management skills. Soon I was working on XYZ technology that my company is ready to Launch in December. By this time my interest in tech only increased and that is why I decided to look for a full-time role in technology.”

Second Question – Walk us through your resume

Here they are not asking you to repeat your entire resume they just want to know the highlights of your resume so give them that, you should mention your USP from your resume because there are higher chances that the employer might have not gone through your entire resume, according to Career Builder 24% of hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds looking on a resume.

Focus on your skills

Yes, they are talking about your resume which means previous job positions but instead of saying "I worked at Upskillie", you can go like "I worked at Upskillie where I learned ABC skills and later transferred those skills to XYZ." This leaves a lasting impact and really ties your skills with the job role.

If you are a fresher mention the academic award

Was there any scholarship you won? Or did you top the class? Or did you lead an academic project? This is your time to show that, use this as your bragging space and lists all your academic achievements, this makes you appear a sincere candidate and academics values a lot when you are a fresher because apart from the internship you have been a full-time student and they want to see how you performed there.

Talk about impact

The best way to tell a company how you will be able to make an impact is by showing the previous impact that you created, like did you help your previous company increase their sales? Did you close a million-dollar deal? Remember "Recruiters spend about two-thirds of their hiring time on the interview process." (Yellow) hence, they are investing their time looking for impact. Mention the impact that is long-lived and that your company is still availing even after you left, this is how you can prove your maximum value.

Extra courses or certificates? Mention them

Use this question to mention academics other than college, this is also a great space to mention some extracurricular activities in brief. Do not forget to add your ranks or scores if you did really well in your extra courses.

Third Question: Tell us something that is not in your CV

Remember that creative writing competition that you won? Well, yes you can mention that here if you were not able to include that in your CV. Other than that you can mention things like

Why you want this job?

Build a connection between the job and your skills, and show your intent to get hired. You can tell the company what really excites you about them, and how you both are going to impact each other. The company needs someone who is serious and interested in the job and the company, according to Twin Employment "47% of interviewers say they wouldn't choose a candidate who has little knowledge of the company." You have to show your interest in the job

What you can bring to the company?

Give suggestions, tell them what you can bring, what you can change, and what is your vision of this job. Companies need people with ideas and vision and this is why they are ready to invest in youth because youth bring ideas.

Your social value

Here you can mention something that you did in your last company that really helped the team, it does not have to be work-related, it could be any Yoga session you proposed for mental health or something else. Just show your human side and you are more than just an employee.

Keep in mind

Your interview questions are vague on purpose, the interviewer wants to know how you can comprehend and pick up the best answer in a short period of time. Your job beings from the day of the interview and your job are to retain your job, interviewers are there to see what is best in you not to eliminate you, so do not think about rejection and just show them what you got.