Usefull Tips for Interview Questions for Experienced

1. Tell me about yourself and your past experience?
This is one of the most commonly asked interview questions and it is generally used as an icebreaker. Unfortunately, people tend too talk too long and too much. You should try to allow 1-3 minutes for this question. You should cover your background, what you currently do, your assets, your education- subjects studied, choice of university, degree, and current relevant studies, a summary of your career to date, and key achievements.
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Pick a weakness that could also be consider strength. "Sometimes I'm overly concerned with doing a good job and my boss tells me I drive myself too hard." Then mention your strengths: your ability to get the job done efficiently and on time; your pride in your work. Or also you can tell, my strength is my flexibility. As director of operations at a startup company, I've had to deal with and handle changes and new policies constantly. As far as weaknesses, I really enjoy my work, and sometimes I put in too much time on some projects. But by being aware of my tendency, I have learned to work smarter.
3. Why are you leaving your current job?
Forget about the fact that you hate your boss and your co-workers drive you crazy. Instead, say, "I'm ready to take on more responsibilities and learn more, but the opportunities at my current job are limited. Or I've set some goals for myself and my career, and unfortunately I'm at a standstill in my current situation. I have begun to explore options available before I spend too much time in a job where I can't advance. My goal is to continue to take on new responsibilities and be a key contributor to the success of an online venture."
4. Why do you change jobs so often?
"Mainly to learn and advance. I understand there's a lot of room for growth here, and I hope to stay a long time if I'm offered the job."
5. Did you get along with your previous boss?
If you didn't, and know you can't use her as a reference, be candid but not bitter or complaining. "She's very professional and taught me a lot, and I'm grateful for that. But I would have liked more responsibilities than I was offered.
6. What did you like/dislike about your previous manager?
The interviewer is trying to establish how you interact with authority, what characteristics you admire and what you dislike in line managers. Managers have a job to do and staff that acknowledges authority is more likely to fit in than those who don't. The interviewer will be able to judge from your response if you can carry out reasonable requests and understand the role of a line manager. You should emphasise good traits such as the ability to give clear direction, inspire staff, act as a mentor, always encourages staff to do their best and overcome obstacles, and stands up for staff when right. Dislikes should be avoided and you can actually say that you didn’t really dislike anything but you do understand that managers do have to make unpopular decisions sometimes.
7. If we phoned your previous employer/manager, what would they tell us about you?
A common question asked at interviews. It puts you on the spot and first reactions are interesting. The interviewer would like to hear that the former employer would re-employ you and you were reliable, dependable, got on well with others, and could work unsupervised. Other comments would indicate that you were flexible with hours, had a good attitude, and picked up new things quickly. He doesn't want to hear that there were personality clashes, that you didn't get on, was unreliable, lacked integrity, or needed close supervision.
8. What do you know about our company?
Nothing impresses an interviewer more than detailed answers to this question. It shows you have taken initiative to research the people and company. Discussing details of the Board of Directors, company subsidiaries, countries in which the company operates, its products, its key people, as well as statistics relating to turnover, number of employees, trends in the industry, and profitability will score points with even the most stubborn recruiters. These details are on record in the company’s portfolio or your local library. You can request any general information and brochures from the company secretary prior to the interview. Your local library will hold industry surveys or “Key Notes” reports on the industry. You can request a company prospectus or its last annual accounts if the company is listed on any of the stock exchanges. See if the company has a web site and visit it for more information. Follow any links to similar sites to view competitors or get an industry overview. If you know someone who has worked there, ask him about the company and its culture. If you used an agency to find you the position, their staff will probably have information about the company on file or they can find out about it or its key officers for you. If the recruitment agency has placed candidates with the target company before, they could advise you about the recruitment process and interview style. You may be offered the opportunity to be shown around the company on an open day or as part of recruitment fair or a pre-interview tour. Use this opportunity to talk to people and gather other intelligence that may be useful in the interview.
9. If you lack experience, what do you have to offer?
Quite often a candidate may be new to a role as in a graduate trainee or a school leaver applying for the job for the first time. It's catch 22- you have no experience so why should they hire you? If you have good grades, talk about how they are indicative of your potential to learn quickly and achieve results. You can change the ballpark and talk about any transferable skills or characteristics you may have from your last job. Be prepared to justify the characteristics with examples of how you have demonstrated them in the past. You can select what's appropriate out of the following: passion, loyalty, dedication, good communication skills, ability to deal with a wide range of people, initiative, independence, drive, good oral and written skills, literacy, numeracy, presentation skills, ability to close deals, ability to make openings, ability to learn quickly, ability to adapt, flexibility, and computer literacy - both hardware and software.
10. How would your boss describe you and your work style?
"First, she'd say I have a lot of initiative - I see a big picture and do what has to be done to achieve results. Secondly, that I have business savvy - I know the business side as well as the technical side. And thirdly, I have a high work ethic - if I say I'm going to do something, I do it."
11. Why didn't you go further in school?
"At the time, earning a living was more important. But I'm thinking of furthering my education now."
12. What do you do in your spare time?
Say you keep up with current events and have been reading a best-selling business book (do it). Talk about any community activities you're involved in, but stress that those commitments won't interfere with work.
13. What interests you most about this position?
Stress the opportunity you'll have to grow, learn and acquire new skills.
14. What interests you least about this position?
Even if you hate filing, don't say so. Say, "I really don't see any major negatives. I can use the skills I already have and also learn new ones."
15. Why should we hire you?
This is a tough question and should be treated as if you were being asked about your strengths. Relate your strengths to the requirements of the job and pull it all together. Response to this should be that you think it is a job that you will be good at and give examples of skills, past experience, and accomplishments that will be useful for the position. Give examples of your network of contacts that you can bring to the company, talk about the heavy investment in your training and development that your past employers have made in you and that your new employer will get this relatively for no additional cost (emotional intelligence). You can say that you have already made some of your biggest mistakes and learned from them and now can bring the years of experience to your new employers and hit the floor running. You can say that you’re a source of “new blood” and can bring new ideas and alternative ways of looking at things and tackling problems to complement the team within the hiring company. If you are articulate, state that you can communicate at all levels of management. Add commitment, tenacity, computer literacy, and flexibility, to these other factors. Eg:"I love a challenge and I'm a fast learner. I have experience in this area, so I'll be able to start with some idea of what I'm doing. Everything I know about this company makes me feel we'd be a good match."
16. What experience have you had that qualifies you for this position?
"I have experience working with e-commerce companies on the consulting side. I've managed teams and have strong experience with HTML and ASP. My communication skills and business acumen are my strengths. I can wear many hats and believe I can bring added value to a team effort."
17. What attracted you to this job?
"I've been searching for a while now to find a company that had a business model and corporate philosophy like yours. I am interested in working for a company that provides products and services to the K-12 education market. My background is in this field, and my strength is in building relationships and solving problems. I am excited and interested in the idea of developing business relationships through e-commerce."
18. What are your salary expectations?
"I really need more information about the job before we start to discuss salary. I'd like to postpone that discussion until later. Could you tell me what is budgeted for the position?"
19. What qualities do you think are important to this position?
"To have a combination of technical and business knowledge and to be very results-oriented. My past record shows that I have those qualities and more. Because of my business acumen and technical know-how, the teams I have managed accomplished outstanding results, including booking more than $50 million in online revenue."
20. When have you been most motivated?
"My first job in a Software Eng. I had to undergo some rigorous training to understand the product and customer. At the same time, we were actually working with the customer. It required a lot of self-direction and motivation. I thrived on the whole experience - the discipline, the planning and the deadlines. It was a pressure cooker, but I got through it."
21. How long do you see yourself with us?
I see myself here as long as we both think that I am contributing to the vitality (life) of the company while still being grown through challenges.
22. Do you have any questions?
(This is usually asked by the interviewer at the end of the interview.). "Yes, I do. Who are your financial backers? Who are the key competitors? Does the company have a plan for the IPO? What would you say is the best thing about your product/service?"