For a company or a basic individual who wants to hire somebody for a job but definitely, a person will be a stranger to the company and the company will be a stranger for the person. The basic and most common thing to do in the situation where you want to get to know the person and if he is suitable for the job as well as the person to get to know the company is to have an answering questions session or to say in a better sense to conduct an interview. There are basic as well as creative questions to ask in an interview.
The interview process should be done in a professional manner and the interviewee should be prepared for the interview. Now every interview question depends on the job and the company. Every candidate should be confident and have faith in their hard work in the past years.
Now let’s see some of the basic as well as creative interview questions that can be asked by the interviewer.
The main thing about conducting an interview should be to know the people better. There will be so many interviewers an interviewee can come across in the interview phase, some will be easy and some might not. I feel like some thoughtful questions should be asked to make the interviewee comfortable because sitting in front of the people who can define your future is a big thing.
So to start with, basic questions can smooth out the interview process and can make the interviewee more comfortable. Let’s see some of the basic questions:
Tell Me About Yourself.
The most basic and the most common question to be asked in an interview. The answer should be sufficiently answered by the interviewee. How would you describe yourself would be the first impression of the interviewer?
How Did You Hear About This Job?
This question can be crucial sometimes to answer so be honest and tell the interviewer where you hear about the job.
Why Do You Want To Work At Our Company?
For this question, you can answer it freely but in a professional way and you should look genuinely interested in the job. You can highlight so many points from learning to developing more in the field.
Why Do We Hire You?
The most important question to be asked by the person interviewing you. To be honest, here you can keep out your best qualities, and your achievements; all of those which you know are your strength for yourself and the company.
What Can You Bring To The Company?
Here, you can answer the skills and the experience you have from the past years. You can help the company to reach its goals and to evaluate success for the company’s growth. Your role contributes to the company’s rise which is what every company wants.
There are so many other common job interview questions that can be asked. Just be yourself and carry all the hard work and give your 200% so, in the end, you won’t regret it. But all the talking should be done in a professional manner.
The USA Tales team talked to Bayu Prihandito, Founder, Psychology Consultant, and Life Coach for Men at Life Architekture, about practices or habits to maintain a winning mindset. Here is what he said:
“One practice I’ve adopted is setting and reviewing my goals regularly. I do this by writing down my short-term and long-term goals at the beginning of each week and month. This helps keep my objectives clear and aligns my daily actions with the bigger picture.
Reviewing these goals allows me to stay focused and motivated, especially when faced with difficulties.
Being proactive in meeting my goals has made me more resilient and adaptable to change, qualities I believe are essential for being successful in both your personal and professional life.”
Job Interview:
The first step to do as an experienced person or as a fresher person is to get a job by giving an interview. However preparing yourself for the interview is a crucial part because you don’t know what the interviewer’s direction of questions will be. So it is better to prepare for every kind of interview question that can be possibly asked.
If we look from the point of view of the interviewer, the questions that are asked should be according to the candidate. If the candidate is an experienced person, asking the basic questions that the interviewee knows very well can be irrelevant. Also, the interviewer should not start with difficult questions or not give time for the interviewee to settle can be uncomfortable. So start with a casual way and then make a way through.
From the interviewee’s point of view, the main goal here is to make a proper resume that describes you and your career path. Your resume should contain all the information so that between the job interview the interviewer doesn’t have the questions to ask that can be written in your resume. All your certificates and professional papers should be presented properly from the original to the Xerox copies.
The job interviews sent by the company should have a proper job description with the company’s details loud and true. The main goal of the company is to hire the ideal candidate who can help the company measure success. The professional path of the interviewee and the career objectives are what matters for the company’s values and for the company’s success.
The interviews are also a two-way street where both the interviewer and interviewee can ask questions to understand the company’s day-to-day responsibilities and how the company works, the company’s culture exactly what will be the position expectations, and how the job candidate will get a secure position for the future.
The job interview is what makes you more confident in your field and makes you grow more professionally.
Hiring Manager:
Hiring managers are the backbone of interviews. As the name itself addresses them as hiring manager, they hire candidates that are suitable for the job as required. The hiring managers know their way around; they are used to taking interviews and how to ask questions accordingly. Mostly the job interviews are taken where the whole executive search firm of gathers up but that also depends upon the position that a candidate is getting interviewed for.
The hiring manager’s expectations are all about the position and the skills required to do it. There are so many smart questions that can be asked by the hiring manager in a job interview. Before going to the interview make sure to know everything about the company and company culture because those are the questions on which basis it is asked.
In a broader sense, the company’s timeline should be the most important thing for an interviewee. The job should be suitable for you, your career should be based on it and you should also learn from the job as professional development. The hiring manager wants to see the confidence you have in your skills. The interviewee’s job entails should also be included as a own professional path.
The interview questions are mostly based on the company you are applying to, so make sure to get every information about what the company deals with, especially where your position evolved so that you can answer that wisely. The questions to be asked by the hiring manager will be a professional interview process where everything should be answered very professionally and clearly.
The work of the hiring manager is to hire employees for all the departments in the company. So that’s why the hiring manager tries to choose the best for the company’s growth and benefits. They are responsible for the entire organization’s hiring so the hiring managers put in a lot of effort to bring the best-ever candidate for the company’s benefit.
Company’s Culture:
Any individual who wants to apply for the job will first look at the company he wants to apply for. He will look if the company has a good future which will be a significant point for him. The company’s culture will match his culture or not. By getting a job in a company, how much benefit he can get are all the things the job candidate wants to know so he can trust his future with the company.
The company culture depends upon some values, attributes, company success and goals. The candidate will look into them, can a company rise, does it have a future, will it be worthy enough for me to work in, and can more opportunities be available from the company? The environment around the company should be friendly so that a person can enjoy his work even in a stressed mind.
The company should have the policy to not only socialize with the business insider but also with outsiders too. The employee’s success is as important as the company’s success. The employer’s values align when the employees do their work accordingly and contribute to the employer as well as the company’s success.
The feedback is a must to know the problems, and appreciation of the employees so that they can be taken care of in need. Valuable feedback while doing the surveys is a thoughtful thing to do.
A company’s role should be more in taking opportunities for the company to rise. The more opportunities the more successful employees. The company culture should be very strong in taking on new challenges and shaping their employees to handle them easily.
The management values and corporate philosophy should be of individual rewards and opportunities and how to deal with major competitors in the business world. The company’s strategies, objectives, mission, the communication between the members of the company should be clear and proper.
If ever a candidate faced a problem understanding the management should look out for it. This is all the company’s culture that an individual looks at before applying for the company.
Sam Tarantino, Founder of Harmonic Reach, talked to the USA Tales team on this. Here is what he said:
“Maintaining a winning mindset in both life and business, for me, boils down to a blend of resilience, continuous learning, and well-being practices.
From my time pioneering Grooveshark, where we scaled to 30 million monthly users, to my current venture at Harmonic Reach, handling challenges effectively has been crucial.
One specific practice I’ve embraced is maintaining a routine of meditation and physical exercise. This daily habit has improved my focus and stress management significantly, vital when navigating the intense ups and downs of tech startups.
For example, during the turbulent phases of Grooveshark, these practices helped me stay grounded and persistent, despite numerous legal and operational hurdles.
In terms of professional habits, I continuously seek out learning opportunities. Whether it’s attending tech conferences, participating in webinars, or simply absorbing the latest industry reports, keeping updated has allowed me to adapt and apply new strategies effectively.
This approach contributed to Harmonic Reach’s development of a multi-channel lead generation strategy that boosted a client’s engagement by over 200%.
Each of these practices isn’t just about personal or immediate business uplifts. They contribute to a sustainable career and company growth, turning temporary challenges into stepping stones towards long-term success.
This mindset of resilience, learning, and wellness is what I recommend to anyone aiming for sustained success in their pursuits.”
Interview Process:
For every company, the process of interview differs. The position for which the interview is happening decides who and the level of members are going to be interviewing the candidate. The process to take an interview is not about two days, it takes months depending upon the company size.
The requirement of the job, the qualification of the candidate, the age group of the candidate who can apply, the specific area from the candidate are required and so many highlighted points are taken into consideration for the job requirement.
The company prepares the proper job description for the position of the job. In the description of the position of the job, expectations of the company according to the skills and requirements a candidate should possess to get the job.
The process of interview is a multi-hiring process where it takes time to finalize the candidate. The timing and the place where the interview will be taken with the members who can be present should be mentioned in the description.
If the candidate is interested it is recommended to check about the company and the position from top to bottom for the better looks of the company. It is good to know where you are applying and if the company matches your expectation, will it be a long-term opportunity for you.
After gaining all the information about the company and if you are interested then get ready to practice your interview about how you are going to present yourself.
Tips For Performing Your Best In An Interview:
1. Practice your introduction on how you are going to describe yourself.
2. Research the questions that are related to your field and memorize them.
3. Prepare a list of basic questions as well as you think will be asked and answer them according to you.
4. Present yourself professionally with proper attire to make a good impression.
5. Arrive at the place where the interview is scheduled a little early before the time and make yourself comfortable.
6. Don’t be nervous take it easy and do the best you can.
These are some tips that I think are necessary for the interview to go the easy way. Interviews are the test where you can test yourself about how much you have faith in your career as well as you. The process of the interview is quite long but worthy enough to reach heights in your career. Perform your best and the result will be worth it.
9 Creative Questions To Ask In An Interview:
Interviews are all about a two-way process of communication. Questioning and answering are the basics of the interview. As the interview is a two-way process that means not only does the interviewer question the interview but also the interviewee gets the chance of questioning the interviewer. Let’s see some of the interview questions that are asked in an interview.
Here, we are going to see when an interviewer gets creative and what kind of questions are expected:
1. What is one thing about you that people misunderstood?
2. What according to you is the criteria of success?
3. Tell us about your one project that you expected to go well but ended up not?
4. How would your past employees describe you?
5. Was there any project you regret taking?
6. Where do you see yourself in the next five years in our company?
7. How will you describe your typical day of work?
8. The greatest thing you learned while growing up in your career?
9. What is one good thing that you will bring to our company?
These are the creative interview questions that are expected to be asked by the interviewer. As you can see that the questions are just not asked on basis of the interviewee’s career or skill but also upon his personality, his thoughts that also matters in the interview because as someone is joining a new company, he is not only going to take his skills and techniques with him but also his morals, values and the beliefs of him.
So the questions are also based on one’s personality. The company wants to know that the values of applicant morals should not crash with the company’s morals. So keeping in mind the personality of the interviewee also plays an important role in choosing the best person suitable for the job.
9 Creative Questions To Ask An Interviewer During the Interview:
The two-way communication process is great for the interviewee to get to ask the questions he wants. There is always a session where the applicant gets to ask the questions to interviewer. It is a great way to clear out the questions about the company and the expectations the interviewee has from the company.
Keep in mind that you are not taking the interview of your interviewer but just clearing out your mind questions so be specific with your choice of words and professionally ask a question related to your position. Let’s see some specific questions that can be asked to your interviewer.
Here, we are going to see when an interviewee gets creative and what kind of questions are expected:
1. What is one thing that is prioritized among the applicant to choose one as your company employee?
2. What according to you is the technique for the team to grow professionally?
3. Can you share your experience working in this company?
4. What is expected if the company/employee is in a vulnerable position?
5. Is this is a new position? If not, then why is there a vacancy?
6. What is your motto for the company to succeed?
7. What according to you is the most liked thing of yours in this company?
8. What are the most interesting projects you work on in this company?
9. What would be the most challenging part of this role?
Still, many questions can be asked to the interviewer. All the questions related to your job, company, expectations, your future are the pinpoints about which the questions should be asked on. The interview is done to find more about the organization, position, management and on that basis, the applicant decides the ahead.
Try to ask your interviewer the question which shows them that you are interested and want to get the job opportunity. The interviewer’s answer will help you decide if the organization’s culture fits you, can your future be secure so ask wisely the questions to help you in deciding whether the job is for you or not.
Questions To Not Ask An Interviewer:
Allowing the interviewee to ask the interviewer questions for knowing certain things. But as you are sitting in front of a professional who is not related to you and is not at all a friend you can say. So going all out and asking bizarre questions will only affect you.
Certain boundaries need to be respected. So ask your interviewer questions that are sensible and related to the job and the company.
Let’s see some questions which should be avoided asking the interviewer:
1. What does the company do?
2. Can I work from home?
3. How many hours are expected from me to work every day?
4. How often will my salary be raised?
5. Who is your competitor?
6. Can I expect my own office?
7. Will the company monitor my social networking profiles?
8. How long do you promote your employees?
9. Does a review check occur often?
These are the questions that should never be asked at any cost in an interview. Have a proper way where you know what to ask and what not to. The interview is a first step where the interviewer gets to know you. If you are going to ask questions like you are already shortlisted then the interviewers don’t have to think twice before rejecting you.
Have a manner of questions in a series already memorized for knowing the company better and your position in the organization. Avoid questioning about the benefits in the first meeting to put up a good impression. Try to ask open-minded questions and questions which have subjects and not just close-minded questions which just don’t have a base.
We interviewed Alli Hill, Founder and Director of Fleurish Freelance, on embracing each experience as a lesson for a winning mindset. Here is what she had to say:
“Treat every experience as a learning opportunity. While I don’t say yes to every opportunity that comes my way, I do try to embrace the dynamics of each experience and see what I can gain from it.
By doing this, every experience becomes a win because I walk away with something, even when things don’t go my way. Always look for the lesson and find something to be positive about.”
Final Note
The interview is just a process where the test of your knowledge is done to get your future secure. The hard work of yours gets a place to present and according to it, the decision is made. Sometimes interviews are hard to get in certain companies which have great goodwill because the company needs a person with a certain amount of experience. The interview is a necessary formality to do for getting the best employees for the success of an organization.
The common thing that should be there among the applicants is to have a boost of confidence in their career. The interview is a test sometimes the marks may not be up to date but the next time work harder and it will be more than your expectations.
Guest Author: Saket Kumar
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology