A TUTORIAL ON POINTERS AND ARRAYS IN C
by Ted Jensen
If you want to be proficient in the writing of code in the C programming language, you must have a thorough working knowledge of how to use pointers. Unfortunately, C pointers appear to represent a stumbling block to newcomers, particularly those coming from other computer languages such as Fortran, Pascal or Basic.
To aid those newcomers in the understanding of pointers I have written the following material. To get the maximum benefit from this material, I feel it is important that the user be able to run the code in the various listings contained in the article. I have attempted, therefore, to keep all code ANSI compliant so that it will work with any ANSI compliant compiler. I have also tried to carefully block the code within the text. That way, with the help of an ASCII text editor, you can copy a given block of code to a new file and compile it on your system. I recommend that readers do this as it will help in understanding the material.
What is a pointer?
One of those things beginners in C find difficult is the concept of pointers. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide an introduction to pointers and their use to these beginners.
I have found that often the main reason beginners have a problem with pointers is that they have a weak or minimal feeling for variables, (as they are used in C). Thus we start with a discussion of C variables in general.
A variable in a program is something with a name, the value of which can vary. The way the compiler and linker handles this is that it assigns a specific block of memory within the computer to hold the value of that variable. The size of that block depends on the range over which the variable is allowed to vary. For example, on 32 bit PC's the size of an integer variable is 4 bytes. On older 16 bit PCs integers were 2 bytes. In C the size of a variable type such as an integer need not be the same on all types of machines. Further more there is more than one type of integer variable in C. We have integers, long integers and short integers which you can read up on in any basic text on C. This document assumes the use of a 32 bit system with 4 byte integers.
If you want to know the size of the various types of integers on your system, running the following code will give you that information.
#include
int main()
{
printf("size of a short is %d
", sizeof(short));
printf("size of a int is %d
", sizeof(int));
printf("size of a long is %d
", sizeof(long));
}
When we declare a variable we inform the compiler of two things, the name of the variable and the type of the variable. For example, we declare a variable of type integer with the name k by writing:
int k;
On seeing the "int" part of this statement the compiler sets aside 4 bytes of memory (on a PC) to hold the value of the integer. It also sets up a symbol table. In that table it adds the symbol k and the relative address in memory where those 4 bytes were set aside.
Thus, later if we write:
k = 2;
we expect that, at run time when this statement is executed, the value 2 will be placed in that memory location reserved for the storage of the value of k. In C we refer to a variable such as the integer k as an "object".
In a sense there are two "values" associated with the object k. One is the value of the integer stored there (2 in the above example) and the other the "value" of the memory location, i.e., the address of k. Some texts refer to these two values with the nomenclature rvalue (right value, pronounced "are value") and lvalue (left value, pronounced "el value") respectively.
In some languages, the lvalue is the value permitted on the left side of the assignment operator '=' (i.e. the address where the result of evaluation of the right side ends up). The rvalue is that which is on the right side of the assignment statement, the 2 above. Rvalues cannot be used on the left side of the assignment statement. Thus: 2 = k; is illegal.
Actually, the above definition of "lvalue" is somewhat modified for C. According to K&R II (page 197): [1]
"An object is a named region of storage; an lvalue is an expression referring to an object."
However, at this point, the definition originally cited above is sufficient. As we become more familiar with pointers we will go into more detail on this.
Okay, now consider:
int j, k;
k = 2;
j = 7; <-- line 1
k = j; <-- line 2
In the above, the compiler interprets the j in line 1 as the address of the variable j (its lvalue) and creates code to copy the value 7 to that address. In line 2, however, the j is interpreted as its rvalue (since it is on the right hand side of the assignment operator '='). That is, here the j refers to the value stored at the memory location set aside for j, in this case 7. So, the 7 is copied to the address designated by the lvalue of k.
In all of these examples, we are using 4 byte integers so all copying of rvalues from one storage location to the other is done by copying 4 bytes. Had we been using two byte integers, we would be copying 2 bytes.
Now, let's say that we have a reason for wanting a variable designed to hold an lvalue (an address). The size required to hold such a value depends on the system. On older desk top computers with 64K of memory total, the address of any point in memory can be contained in 2 bytes. Computers with more memory would require more bytes to hold an address. The actual size required is not too important so long as we have a way of informing the compiler that what we want to store is an address.
Such a variable is called a pointer variable (for reasons which hopefully will become clearer a little later). In C when we define a pointer variable we do so by preceding its name with an asterisk. In C we also give our pointer a type which, in this case, refers to the type of data stored at the address we will be storing in our pointer. For example, consider the variable declaration:
int *ptr;
ptr is the name of our variable (just as k was the name of our integer variable). The '*' informs the compiler that we want a pointer variable, i.e. to set aside however many bytes is required to store an address in memory. The int says that we intend to use our pointer variable to store the address of an integer. Such a pointer is said to "point to" an integer. However, note that when we wrote int k; we did not give k a value. If this definition is made outside of any function ANSI compliant compilers will initialize it to zero. Similarly, ptr has no value, that is we haven't stored an address in it in the above declaration. In this case, again if the declaration is outside of any function, it is initialized to a value guaranteed in such a way that it is guaranteed to not point to any C object or function. A pointer initialized in this manner is called a "null" pointer.
The actual bit pattern used for a null pointer may or may not evaluate to zero since it depends on the specific system on which the code is developed. To make the source code compatible between various compilers on various systems, a macro is used to represent a null pointer. That macro goes under the name NULL. Thus, setting the value of a pointer using the NULL macro, as with an assignment statement such as ptr = NULL, guarantees that the pointer has become a null pointer. Similarly, just as one can test for an integer value of zero, as in if(k == 0), we can test for a null pointer using if (ptr == NULL).
But, back to using our new variable ptr. Suppose now that we want to store in ptr the address of our integer variable k. To do this we use the unary & operator and write:
ptr = &k;
What the & operator does is retrieve the lvalue (address) of k, even though k is on the right hand side of the assignment operator '=', and copies that to the contents of our pointer ptr. Now, ptr is said to "point to" k. Bear with us now, there is only one more operator we need to discuss.
The "dereferencing operator" is the asterisk and it is used as follows:
*ptr = 7;
will copy 7 to the address pointed to by ptr. Thus if ptr "points to" (contains the address of) k, the above statement will set the value of k to 7. That is, when we use the '*' this way we are referring to the value of that which ptr is pointing to, not the value of the pointer itself.
Similarly, we could write:
printf("%d
",*ptr);
to print to the screen the integer value stored at the address pointed to by ptr;.
One way to see how all this stuff fits together would be to run the following program and then review the code and the output carefully.
------------ Program 1.1 ---------------------------------
/* Program 1.1 from PTRTUT10.TXT 6/10/97 */
#include
int j, k;
int *ptr;
int main(void)
{
j = 1;
k = 2;
ptr = &k;
printf("
");
printf("j has the value %d and is stored at %p
", j, (void *)&j);
printf("k has the value %d and is stored at %p
", k, (void *)&k);
printf("ptr has the value %p and is stored at %p
", ptr, (void *)&ptr);
printf("The value of the integer pointed to by ptr is %d
", *ptr);
return 0;
}
Note: We have yet to discuss those aspects of C which require the use of the (void *) expression used here. For now, include it in your test code. We'll explain the reason behind this expression later.
To review:
- A variable is declared by giving it a type and a name (e.g. int k;)
- A pointer variable is declared by giving it a type and a name (e.g. int *ptr) where the asterisk tells the compiler that the variable named ptr is a pointer variable and the type tells the compiler what type the pointer is to point to (integer in this case).
- Once a variable is declared, we can get its address by preceding its name with the unary & operator, as in &k.
- We can "dereference" a pointer, i.e. refer to the value of that which it points to, by using the unary '*' operator as in *ptr.
- An "lvalue" of a variable is the value of its address, i.e. where it is stored in memory. The "rvalue" of a variable is the value stored in that variable (at that address).
Pointer types and Arrays
Okay, let's move on. Let us consider why we need to identify the type of variable that a pointer points to, as in:
int *ptr;
One reason for doing this is so that later, once ptr "points to" something, if we write:
*ptr = 2;
the compiler will know how many bytes to copy into that memory location pointed to by ptr. If ptr was declared as pointing to an integer, 4 bytes would be copied. Similarly for floats and doubles the appropriate number will be copied. But, defining the type that the pointer points to permits a number of other interesting ways a compiler can interpret code. For example, consider a block in memory consisting of ten integers in a row. That is, 40 bytes of memory are set aside to hold 10 integers.
Now, let's say we point our integer pointer ptr at the first of these integers. Furthermore lets say that integer is located at memory location 100 (decimal). What happens when we write:
ptr + 1;
Because the compiler "knows" this is a pointer (i.e. its value is an address) and that it points to an integer (its current address, 100, is the address of an integer), it adds 4 to ptr instead of 1, so the pointer "points to" the next integer, at memory location 104. Similarly, were the ptr declared as a pointer to a short, it would add 2 to it instead of 1. The same goes for other data types such as floats, doubles, or even user defined data types such as structures. This is obviously not the same kind of "addition" that we normally think of. In C it is referred to as addition using "pointer arithmetic", a term which we will come back to later.
Similarly, since ++ptr and ptr++ are both equivalent to ptr + 1 (though the point in the program when ptr is incremented may be different), incrementing a pointer using the unary ++ operator, either pre- or post-, increments the address it stores by the amount sizeof(type) where "type" is the type of the object pointed to. (i.e. 4 for an integer).
Since a block of 10 integers located contiguously in memory is, by definition, an array of integers, this brings up an interesting relationship between arrays and pointers.
Consider the following:
int my_array[] = {1,23,17,4,-5,100};
Here we have an array containing 6 integers. We refer to each of these integers by means of a subscript to my_array, i.e. using my_array[0] through my_array[5]. But, we could alternatively access them via a pointer as follows:
int *ptr;
ptr = &my_array[0]; /* point our pointer at the first
integer in our array */
And then we could print out our array either using the array notation or by dereferencing our pointer. The following code illustrates this:
----------- Program 2.1 -----------------------------------
/* Program 2.1 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
int my_array[] = {1,23,17,4,-5,100};
int *ptr;
int main(void)
{
int i;
ptr = &my_array[0]; /* point our pointer to the first
element of the array */
printf("
");
for (i = 0; i < 6; i++)
{
printf("my_array[%d] = %d ",i,my_array[i]); /*<-- A */
printf("ptr + %d = %d
",i, *(ptr + i)); /*<-- B */
}
return 0;
}
Compile and run the above program and carefully note lines A and B and that the program prints out the same values in either case. Also observe how we dereferenced our pointer in line B, i.e. we first added i to it and then dereferenced the new pointer. Change line B to read:
printf("ptr + %d = %d
",i, *ptr++);
and run it again... then change it to:
printf("ptr + %d = %d
",i, *(++ptr));
and try once more. Each time try and predict the outcome and carefully look at the actual outcome.
In C, the standard states that wherever we might use &var_name[0] we can replace that with var_name, thus in our code where we wrote:
ptr = &my_array[0];
we can write:
ptr = my_array;
to achieve the same result.
This leads many texts to state that the name of an array is a pointer. I prefer to mentally think "the name of the array is the address of first element in the array". Many beginners (including myself when I was learning) have a tendency to become confused by thinking of it as a pointer. For example, while we can write
ptr = my_array;
we cannot write
my_array = ptr;
The reason is that while ptr is a variable, my_array is a constant. That is, the location at which the first element of my_array will be stored cannot be changed once my_array[] has been declared.
Earlier when discussing the term "lvalue" I cited K&R-2 where it stated:
"An object is a named region of storage; an lvalue is an expression referring to an object".
This raises an interesting problem. Since my_array is a named region of storage, why is my_array in the above assignment statement not an lvalue? To resolve this problem, some refer to my_array as an "unmodifiable lvalue".
Modify the example program above by changing
ptr = &my_array[0];
to
ptr = my_array;
and run it again to verify the results are identical.
Now, let's delve a little further into the difference between the names ptr and my_array as used above. Some writers will refer to an array's name as a constant pointer. What do we mean by that? Well, to understand the term "constant" in this sense, let's go back to our definition of the term "variable". When we declare a variable we set aside a spot in memory to hold the value of the appropriate type. Once that is done the name of the variable can be interpreted in one of two ways. When used on the left side of the assignment operator, the compiler interprets it as the memory location to which to move that value resulting from evaluation of the right side of the assignment operator. But, when used on the right side of the assignment operator, the name of a variable is interpreted to mean the contents stored at that memory address set aside to hold the value of that variable.
With that in mind, let's now consider the simplest of constants, as in:
int i, k;
i = 2;
Here, while i is a variable and then occupies space in the data portion of memory, 2 is a constant and, as such, instead of setting aside memory in the data segment, it is imbedded directly in the code segment of memory. That is, while writing something like k = i; tells the compiler to create code which at run time will look at memory location &i to determine the value to be moved to k, code created by i = 2; simply puts the 2 in the code and there is no referencing of the data segment. That is, both k and i are objects, but 2 is not an object.
Similarly, in the above, since my_array is a constant, once the compiler establishes where the array itself is to be stored, it "knows" the address of my_array[0] and on seeing:
ptr = my_array;
it simply uses this address as a constant in the code segment and there is no referencing of the data segment beyond that.
This might be a good place explain further the use of the (void *) expression used in Program 1.1 of Chapter 1. As we have seen we can have pointers of various types. So far we have discussed pointers to integers and pointers to characters. In coming chapters we will be learning about pointers to structures and even pointer to pointers.
Also we have learned that on different systems the size of a pointer can vary. As it turns out it is also possible that the size of a pointer can vary depending on the data type of the object to which it points. Thus, as with integers where you can run into trouble attempting to assign a long integer to a variable of type short integer, you can run into trouble attempting to assign the values of pointers of various types to pointer variables of other types.
To minimize this problem, C provides for a pointer of type void. We can declare such a pointer by writing:
void *vptr;
A void pointer is sort of a generic pointer. For example, while C will not permit the comparison of a pointer to type integer with a pointer to type character, for example, either of these can be compared to a void pointer. Of course, as with other variables, casts can be used to convert from one type of pointer to another under the proper circumstances. In Program 1.1. of Chapter 1 I cast the pointers to integers into void pointers to make them compatible with the %p conversion specification. In later chapters other casts will be made for reasons defined therein.
Well, that's a lot of technical stuff to digest and I don't expect a beginner to understand all of it on first reading. With time and experimentation you will want to come back and re-read the first 2 chapters. But for now, let's move on to the relationship between pointers, character arrays, and strings.Pointers and Strings
The study of strings is useful to further tie in the relationship between pointers and arrays. It also makes it easy to illustrate how some of the standard C string functions can be implemented. Finally it illustrates how and when pointers can and should be passed to functions.
In C, strings are arrays of characters. This is not necessarily true in other languages. In BASIC, Pascal, Fortran and various other languages, a string has its own data type. But in C it does not. In C a string is an array of characters terminated with a binary zero character (written as '�'). To start off our discussion we will write some code which, while preferred for illustrative purposes, you would probably never write in an actual program. Consider, for example:
char my_string[40];
my_string[0] = 'T';
my_string[1] = 'e';
my_string[2] = 'd':
my_string[3] = '�';
While one would never build a string like this, the end result is a string in that it is an array of characters terminated with a nul character. By definition, in C, a string is an array of characters terminated with the nul character. Be aware that "nul" is not the same as "NULL". The nul refers to a zero as defined by the escape sequence '�'. That is it occupies one byte of memory. NULL, on the other hand, is the name of the macro used to initialize null pointers. NULL is #defined in a header file in your C compiler, nul may not be #defined at all.
Since writing the above code would be very time consuming, C permits two alternate ways of achieving the same thing. First, one might write:
char my_string[40] = {'T', 'e', 'd', '�',};
But this also takes more typing than is convenient. So, C permits:
char my_string[40] = "Ted";
When the double quotes are used, instead of the single quotes as was done in the previous examples, the nul character ( '�' ) is automatically appended to the end of the string.
In all of the above cases, the same thing happens. The compiler sets aside an contiguous block of memory 40 bytes long to hold characters and initialized it such that the first 4 characters are Ted�.
Now, consider the following program:
------------------program 3.1-------------------------------------
/* Program 3.1 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
char strA[80] = "A string to be used for demonstration purposes";
char strB[80];
int main(void)
{
char *pA; /* a pointer to type character */
char *pB; /* another pointer to type character */
puts(strA); /* show string A */
pA = strA; /* point pA at string A */
puts(pA); /* show what pA is pointing to */
pB = strB; /* point pB at string B */
putchar('
'); /* move down one line on the screen */
while(*pA != '�') /* line A (see text) */
{
*pB++ = *pA++; /* line B (see text) */
}
*pB = '�'; /* line C (see text) */
puts(strB); /* show strB on screen */
return 0;
}
--------- end program 3.1 -------------------------------------
In the above we start out by defining two character arrays of 80 characters each. Since these are globally defined, they are initialized to all '�'s first. Then, strA has the first 42 characters initialized to the string in quotes.
Now, moving into the code, we declare two character pointers and show the string on the screen. We then "point" the pointer pA at strA. That is, by means of the assignment statement we copy the address of strA[0] into our variable pA. We now use puts() to show that which is pointed to by pA on the screen. Consider here that the function prototype for puts() is:
int puts(const char *s);
For the moment, ignore the const. The parameter passed to puts() is a pointer, that is the value of a pointer (since all parameters in C are passed by value), and the value of a pointer is the address to which it points, or, simply, an address. Thus when we write puts(strA); as we have seen, we are passing the address of strA[0].
Similarly, when we write puts(pA); we are passing the same address, since we have set pA = strA;
Given that, follow the code down to the while() statement on line A. Line A states:
While the character pointed to by pA (i.e. *pA) is not a nul character (i.e. the terminating '�'), do the following:
Line B states: copy the character pointed to by pA to the space pointed to by pB, then increment pA so it points to the next character and pB so it points to the next space.
When we have copied the last character, pA now points to the terminating nul character and the loop ends. However, we have not copied the nul character. And, by definition a string in C must be nul terminated. So, we add the nul character with line C.
It is very educational to run this program with your debugger while watching strA, strB, pA and pB and single stepping through the program. It is even more educational if instead of simply defining strB[] as has been done above, initialize it also with something like:
strB[80] = "12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890"
where the number of digits used is greater than the length of strA and then repeat the single stepping procedure while watching the above variables. Give these things a try!
Getting back to the prototype for puts() for a moment, the "const" used as a parameter modifier informs the user that the function will not modify the string pointed to by s, i.e. it will treat that string as a constant.
Of course, what the above program illustrates is a simple way of copying a string. After playing with the above until you have a good understanding of what is happening, we can proceed to creating our own replacement for the standard strcpy() that comes with C. It might look like:
char *my_strcpy(char *destination, char *source)
{
char *p = destination;
while (*source != '�')
{
*p++ = *source++;
}
*p = '�';
return destination;
}
In this case, I have followed the practice used in the standard routine of returning a pointer to the destination.
Again, the function is designed to accept the values of two character pointers, i.e. addresses, and thus in the previous program we could write:
int main(void)
{
my_strcpy(strB, strA);
puts(strB);
}
I have deviated slightly from the form used in standard C which would have the prototype:
char *my_strcpy(char *destination, const char *source);
Here the "const" modifier is used to assure the user that the function will not modify the contents pointed to by the source pointer. You can prove this by modifying the function above, and its prototype, to include the "const" modifier as shown. Then, within the function you can add a statement which attempts to change the contents of that which is pointed to by source, such as:
*source = 'X';
which would normally change the first character of the string to an X. The const modifier should cause your compiler to catch this as an error. Try it and see.
Now, let's consider some of the things the above examples have shown us. First off, consider the fact that *ptr++ is to be interpreted as returning the value pointed to by ptr and then incrementing the pointer value. This has to do with the precedence of the operators. Were we to write (*ptr)++ we would increment, not the pointer, but that which the pointer points to! i.e. if used on the first character of the above example string the 'T' would be incremented to a 'U'. You can write some simple example code to illustrate this.
Recall again that a string is nothing more than an array of characters, with the last character being a '�'. What we have done above is deal with copying an array. It happens to be an array of characters but the technique could be applied to an array of integers, doubles, etc. In those cases, however, we would not be dealing with strings and hence the end of the array would not be marked with a special value like the nul character. We could implement a version that relied on a special value to identify the end. For example, we could copy an array of positive integers by marking the end with a negative integer. On the other hand, it is more usual that when we write a function to copy an array of items other than strings we pass the function the number of items to be copied as well as the address of the array, e.g. something like the following prototype might indicate:
void int_copy(int *ptrA, int *ptrB, int nbr);
where nbr is the number of integers to be copied. You might want to play with this idea and create an array of integers and see if you can write the function int_copy() and make it work.
This permits using functions to manipulate large arrays. For example, if we have an array of 5000 integers that we want to manipulate with a function, we need only pass to that function the address of the array (and any auxiliary information such as nbr above, depending on what we are doing). The array itself does not get passed, i.e. the whole array is not copied and put on the stack before calling the function, only its address is sent.
This is different from passing, say an integer, to a function. When we pass an integer we make a copy of the integer, i.e. get its value and put it on the stack. Within the function any manipulation of the value passed can in no way effect the original integer. But, with arrays and pointers we can pass the address of the variable and hence manipulate the values of the original variables.
More on Strings
Well, we have progressed quite a way in a short time! Let's back up a little and look at what was done in Chapter 3 on copying of strings but in a different light. Consider the following function:
char *my_strcpy(char dest[], char source[])Recall that strings are arrays of characters. Here we have chosen to use array notation instead of pointer notation to do the actual copying. The results are the same, i.e. the string gets copied using this notation just as accurately as it did before. This raises some interesting points which we will discuss.
{
int i = 0;
while (source[i] != '�')
{
dest[i] = source[i];
i++;
}
dest[i] = '�';
return dest;
}
Since parameters are passed by value, in both the passing of a character pointer or the name of the array as above, what actually gets passed is the address of the first element of each array. Thus, the numerical value of the parameter passed is the same whether we use a character pointer or an array name as a parameter. This would tend to imply that somehow source[i] is the same as *(p+i).
In fact, this is true, i.e wherever one writes a[i] it can be replaced with *(a + i) without any problems. In fact, the compiler will create the same code in either case. Thus we see that pointer arithmetic is the same thing as array indexing. Either syntax produces the same result.
This is NOT saying that pointers and arrays are the same thing, they are not. We are only saying that to identify a given element of an array we have the choice of two syntaxes, one using array indexing and the other using pointer arithmetic, which yield identical results.
Now, looking at this last expression, part of it.. (a + i), is a simple addition using the + operator and the rules of C state that such an expression is commutative. That is (a + i) is identical to (i + a). Thus we could write *(i + a) just as easily as *(a + i).
But *(i + a) could have come from i[a] ! From all of this comes the curious truth that if:
char a[20];writing
int i;
a[3] = 'x';is the same as writing
3[a] = 'x';Try it! Set up an array of characters, integers or longs, etc. and assigned the 3rd or 4th element a value using the conventional approach and then print out that value to be sure you have that working. Then reverse the array notation as I have done above. A good compiler will not balk and the results will be identical. A curiosity... nothing more!
Now, looking at our function above, when we write:
dest[i] = source[i];due to the fact that array indexing and pointer arithmetic yield identical results, we can write this as:
*(dest + i) = *(source + i);But, this takes 2 additions for each value taken on by i. Additions, generally speaking, take more time than incrementations (such as those done using the ++ operator as in i++). This may not be true in modern optimizing compilers, but one can never be sure. Thus, the pointer version may be a bit faster than the array version.
Another way to speed up the pointer version would be to change:
while (*source != '�')to simply
while (*source)since the value within the parenthesis will go to zero (FALSE) at the same time in either case.
At this point you might want to experiment a bit with writing some of your own programs using pointers. Manipulating strings is a good place to experiment. You might want to write your own versions of such standard functions as:
strlen();and any others you might have on your system. We will come back to strings and their manipulation through pointers in a future chapter. For now, let's move on and discuss structures for a bit.
strcat();
strchr();
Pointers and Structures
As you may know, we can declare the form of a block of data containing different data types by means of a structure declaration. For example, a personnel file might contain structures which look something like:
struct tag {
char lname[20]; /* last name */
char fname[20]; /* first name */
int age; /* age */
float rate; /* e.g. 12.75 per hour */
};
Let's say we have a bunch of these structures in a disk file and we want to read each one out and print out the first and last name of each one so that we can have a list of the people in our files. The remaining information will not be printed out. We will want to do this printing with a function call and pass to that function a pointer to the structure at hand. For demonstration purposes I will use only one structure for now. But realize the goal is the writing of the function, not the reading of the file which, presumably, we know how to do.
For review, recall that we can access structure members with the dot operator as in:
--------------- program 5.1 ------------------
/* Program 5.1 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
struct tag {
char lname[20]; /* last name */
char fname[20]; /* first name */
int age; /* age */
float rate; /* e.g. 12.75 per hour */
};
struct tag my_struct; /* declare the structure my_struct */
int main(void)
{
strcpy(my_struct.lname,"Jensen");
strcpy(my_struct.fname,"Ted");
printf("
%s ",my_struct.fname);
printf("%s
",my_struct.lname);
return 0;
}
-------------- end of program 5.1 --------------
Now, this particular structure is rather small compared to many used in C programs. To the above we might want to add:
date_of_hire; (data types not shown)
date_of_last_raise;
last_percent_increase;
emergency_phone;
medical_plan;
Social_S_Nbr;
etc.....
If we have a large number of employees, what we want to do is manipulate the data in these structures by means of functions. For example we might want a function print out the name of the employee listed in any structure passed to it. However, in the original C (Kernighan & Ritchie, 1st Edition) it was not possible to pass a structure, only a pointer to a structure could be passed. In ANSI C, it is now permissible to pass the complete structure. But, since our goal here is to learn more about pointers, we won't pursue that.
Anyway, if we pass the whole structure it means that we must copy the contents of the structure from the calling function to the called function. In systems using stacks, this is done by pushing the contents of the structure on the stack. With large structures this could prove to be a problem. However, passing a pointer uses a minimum amount of stack space.
In any case, since this is a discussion of pointers, we will discuss how we go about passing a pointer to a structure and then using it within the function.
Consider the case described, i.e. we want a function that will accept as a parameter a pointer to a structure and from within that function we want to access members of the structure. For example we want to print out the name of the employee in our example structure.
Okay, so we know that our pointer is going to point to a structure declared using struct tag. We declare such a pointer with the declaration:
struct tag *st_ptr;
and we point it to our example structure with:
st_ptr = &my_struct;
Now, we can access a given member by de-referencing the pointer. But, how do we de-reference the pointer to a structure? Well, consider the fact that we might want to use the pointer to set the age of the employee. We would write:
(*st_ptr).age = 63;
Look at this carefully. It says, replace that within the parenthesis with that which st_ptr points to, which is the structure my_struct. Thus, this breaks down to the same as my_struct.age.
However, this is a fairly often used expression and the designers of C have created an alternate syntax with the same meaning which is:
st_ptr->age = 63;
With that in mind, look at the following program:
------------ program 5.2 ---------------------Again, this is a lot of information to absorb at one time. The reader should compile and run the various code snippets and using a debugger monitor things like my_struct and p while single stepping through the main and following the code down into the function to see what is happening.
/* Program 5.2 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
struct tag{ /* the structure type */
char lname[20]; /* last name */
char fname[20]; /* first name */
int age; /* age */
float rate; /* e.g. 12.75 per hour */
};
struct tag my_struct; /* define the structure */
void show_name(struct tag *p); /* function prototype */
int main(void)
{
struct tag *st_ptr; /* a pointer to a structure */
st_ptr = &my_struct; /* point the pointer to my_struct */
strcpy(my_struct.lname,"Jensen");
strcpy(my_struct.fname,"Ted");
printf("
%s ",my_struct.fname);
printf("%s
",my_struct.lname);
my_struct.age = 63;
show_name(st_ptr); /* pass the pointer */
return 0;
}
void show_name(struct tag *p)
{
printf("
%s ", p->fname); /* p points to a structure */
printf("%s ", p->lname);
printf("%d
", p->age);
}
-------------------- end of program 5.2 ----------------
Some more on Strings, and Arrays of Strings
Well, let's go back to strings for a bit. In the following all assignments are to be understood as being global, i.e. made outside of any function, including main().
We pointed out in an earlier chapter that we could write:
char my_string[40] = "Ted";
which would allocate space for a 40 byte array and put the string in the first 4 bytes (three for the characters in the quotes and a 4th to handle the terminating '�').
Actually, if all we wanted to do was store the name "Ted" we could write:
char my_name[] = "Ted";
and the compiler would count the characters, leave room for the nul character and store the total of the four characters in memory the location of which would be returned by the array name, in this case my_name.
In some code, instead of the above, you might see:
char *my_name = "Ted";
which is an alternate approach. Is there a difference between these? The answer is.. yes. Using the array notation 4 bytes of storage in the static memory block are taken up, one for each character and one for the terminating nul character. But, in the pointer notation the same 4 bytes required, plus N bytes to store the pointer variable my_name (where N depends on the system but is usually a minimum of 2 bytes and can be 4 or more).
In the array notation, my_name is short for &myname[0] which is the address of the first element of the array. Since the location of the array is fixed during run time, this is a constant (not a variable). In the pointer notation my_name is a variable. As to which is the better method, that depends on what you are going to do within the rest of the program.
Let's now go one step further and consider what happens if each of these declarations are done within a function as opposed to globally outside the bounds of any function.
void my_function_A(char *ptr)
{
char a[] = "ABCDE"
.
.
}
void my_function_B(char *ptr)
{
char *cp = "FGHIJ"
.
.
}
In the case of my_function_A, the content, or value(s), of the array a[] is considered to be the data. The array is said to be initialized to the values ABCDE. In the case of my_function_B, the value of the pointer cp is considered to be the data. The pointer has been initialized to point to the string FGHIJ. In both my_function_A and my_function_B the definitions are local variables and thus the string ABCDE is stored on the stack, as is the value of the pointer cp. The string FGHIJ can be stored anywhere. On my system it gets stored in the data segment.
By the way, array initialization of automatic variables as I have done in my_function_A was illegal in the older K&R C and only "came of age" in the newer ANSI C. A fact that may be important when one is considering portability and backwards compatibility.
As long as we are discussing the relationship/differences between pointers and arrays, let's move on to multi-dimensional arrays. Consider, for example the array:
char multi[5][10];
Just what does this mean? Well, let's consider it in the following light.
char multi[5][10];
Let's take the underlined part to be the "name" of an array. Then prepending the char and appending the [10] we have an array of 10 characters. But, the name multi[5] is itself an array indicating that there are 5 elements each being an array of 10 characters. Hence we have an array of 5 arrays of 10 characters each..
Assume we have filled this two dimensional array with data of some kind. In memory, it might look as if it had been formed by initializing 5 separate arrays using something like:
multi[0] = {'0','1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9'}
multi[1] = {'a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h','i','j'}
multi[2] = {'A','B','C','D','E','F','G','H','I','J'}
multi[3] = {'9','8','7','6','5','4','3','2','1','0'}
multi[4] = {'J','I','H','G','F','E','D','C','B','A'}
At the same time, individual elements might be addressable using syntax such as:
multi[0][3] = '3'
multi[1][7] = 'h'
multi[4][0] = 'J'
Since arrays are contiguous in memory, our actual memory block for the above should look like:
0123456789abcdefghijABCDEFGHIJ9876543210JIHGFEDCBA
^
|_____ starting at the address &multi[0][0]
Note that I did not write multi[0] = "0123456789". Had I done so a terminating '�' would have been implied since whenever double quotes are used a '�' character is appended to the characters contained within those quotes. Had that been the case I would have had to set aside room for 11 characters per row instead of 10.
My goal in the above is to illustrate how memory is laid out for 2 dimensional arrays. That is, this is a 2 dimensional array of characters, NOT an array of "strings".
Now, the compiler knows how many columns are present in the array so it can interpret multi + 1 as the address of the 'a' in the 2nd row above. That is, it adds 10, the number of columns, to get this location. If we were dealing with integers and an array with the same dimension the compiler would add 10*sizeof(int) which, on my machine, would be 20. Thus, the address of the 9 in the 4th row above would be &multi[3][0] or *(multi + 3) in pointer notation. To get to the content of the 2nd element in the 4th row we add 1 to this address and dereference the result as in
*(*(multi + 3) + 1)
With a little thought we can see that:
*(*(multi + row) + col) and
multi[row][col] yield the same results.
The following program illustrates this using integer arrays instead of character arrays.
------------------- program 6.1 ----------------------Because of the double de-referencing required in the pointer version, the name of a 2 dimensional array is often said to be equivalent to a pointer to a pointer. With a three dimensional array we would be dealing with an array of arrays of arrays and some might say its name would be equivalent to a pointer to a pointer to a pointer. However, here we have initially set aside the block of memory for the array by defining it using array notation. Hence, we are dealing with a constant, not a variable. That is we are talking about a fixed address not a variable pointer. The dereferencing function used above permits us to access any element in the array of arrays without the need of changing the value of that address (the address of multi[0][0] as given by the symbol multi).
/* Program 6.1 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97*/
#include
#define ROWS 5
#define COLS 10
int multi[ROWS][COLS];
int main(void)
{
int row, col;
for (row = 0; row < ROWS; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < COLS; col++)
{
multi[row][col] = row*col;
}
}
for (row = 0; row < ROWS; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < COLS; col++)
{
printf("
%d ",multi[row][col]);
printf("%d ",*(*(multi + row) + col));
}
}
return 0;
}
----------------- end of program 6.1 ---------------------
More on Multi-Dimensional Arrays
In the previous chapter we noted that given
#define ROWS 5we can access individual elements of the array multi using either:
#define COLS 10
int multi[ROWS][COLS];
multi[row][col]or
*(*(multi + row) + col)To understand more fully what is going on, let us replace
*(multi + row)with X as in:
*(X + col)Now, from this we see that X is like a pointer since the expression is de-referenced and we know that col is an integer. The arithmetic being used here is of a special kind called "pointer arithmetic". That means that, since we are talking about an integer array, the address pointed to by (i.e. value of) X + col + 1 must be greater than the address X + col by and amount equal to sizeof(int).
Since we know the memory layout for 2 dimensional arrays, we can determine that in the expression multi + row as used above, multi + row + 1 must increase by value an amount equal to that needed to "point to" the next row, which in this case would be an amount equal to COLS * sizeof(int).
That says that if the expression *(*(multi + row) + col) is to be evaluated correctly at run time, the compiler must generate code which takes into consideration the value of COLS, i.e. the 2nd dimension. Because of the equivalence of the two forms of expression, this is true whether we are using the pointer expression as here or the array expression multi[row][col].
Thus, to evaluate either expression, a total of 5 values must be known:
- The address of the first element of the array, which is returned by the expression multi, i.e., the name of the array.
- The size of the type of the elements of the array, in this case sizeof(int).
- The 2nd dimension of the array
- The specific index value for the first dimension, row in this case.
- The specific index value for the second dimension, col in this case.
void set_value(int m_array[][COLS])And to call this function we would then use:
{
int row, col;
for (row = 0; row < ROWS; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < COLS; col++)
{
m_array[row][col] = 1;
}
}
}
set_value(multi);Now, within the function we have used the values #defined by ROWS and COLS that set the limits on the for loops. But, these #defines are just constants as far as the compiler is concerned, i.e. there is nothing to connect them to the array size within the function. row and col are local variables, of course. The formal parameter definition permits the compiler to determine the characteristics associated with the pointer value that will be passed at run time. We really don�t need the first dimension and, as will be seen later, there are occasions where we would prefer not to define it within the parameter definition, out of habit or consistency, I have not used it here. But, the second dimension must be used as has been shown in the expression for the parameter. The reason is that we need this in the evaluation of m_array[row][col] as has been described. While the parameter defines the data type (int in this case) and the automatic variables for row and column are defined for loops, only one value can be passed using a single parameter. In this case, that is the value of multi as noted in the call statement, i.e. the address of the first element, often referred to as a pointer to the array. Thus, the only way we have of informing the compiler of the 2nd dimension is by explicitly including it in the parameter definition. In fact, in general all dimensions of higher order than one are needed when dealing with multi-dimensional arrays. That is if we are talking about 3 dimensional arrays, the 2nd and 3rd dimension must be specified in the parameter definition.
Pointers to Arrays
Pointers, of course, can be "pointed at" any type of data object, including arrays. While that was evident when we discussed program 3.1, it is important to expand on how we do this when it comes to multi-dimensional arrays.
To review, in Chapter 2 we stated that given an array of integers we could point an integer pointer at that array using:
int *ptr;As we stated there, the type of the pointer variable must match the type of the first element of the array.
ptr = &my_array[0]; /* point our pointer at the first
integer in our array */
In addition, we can use a pointer as a formal parameter of a function which is designed to manipulate an array. e.g.
Given:
int array[3] = {'1', '5', '7'};
void a_func(int *p);
Some programmers might prefer to write the function prototype as: void a_func(int p[]);which would tend to inform others who might use this function that the function is designed to manipulate the elements of an array. Of course, in either case, what actually gets passed is the value of a pointer to the first element of the array, independent of which notation is used in the function prototype or definition. Note that if the array notation is used, there is no need to pass the actual dimension of the array since we are not passing the whole array, only the address to the first element.
We now turn to the problem of the 2 dimensional array. As stated in the last chapter, C interprets a 2 dimensional array as an array of one dimensional arrays. That being the case, the first element of a 2 dimensional array of integers is a one dimensional array of integers. And a pointer to a two dimensional array of integers must be a pointer to that data type. One way of accomplishing this is through the use of the keyword "typedef". typedef assigns a new name to a specified data type. For example:
typedef unsigned char byte;causes the name byte to mean type unsigned char. Hence
byte b[10]; would be an array of unsigned characters.Note that in the typedef declaration, the word byte has replaced that which would normally be the name of our unsigned char. That is, the rule for using typedef is that the new name for the data type is the name used in the definition of the data type. Thus in:
typedef int Array[10];Array becomes a data type for an array of 10 integers. i.e. Array my_arr; declares my_arr as an array of 10 integers and Array arr2d[5]; makes arr2d an array of 5 arrays of 10 integers each.
Also note that Array *p1d; makes p1d a pointer to an array of 10 integers. Because *p1d points to the same type as arr2d, assigning the address of the two dimensional array arr2d to p1d, the pointer to a one dimensional array of 10 integers is acceptable. i.e. p1d = &arr2d[0]; or p1d = arr2d; are both correct.
Since the data type we use for our pointer is an array of 10 integers we would expect that incrementing p1d by 1 would change its value by 10*sizeof(int), which it does. That is, sizeof(*p1d) is 20. You can prove this to yourself by writing and running a simple short program.
Now, while using typedef makes things clearer for the reader and easier on the programmer, it is not really necessary. What we need is a way of declaring a pointer like p1d without the need of the typedef keyword. It turns out that this can be done and that
int (*p1d)[10];is the proper declaration, i.e. p1d here is a pointer to an array of 10 integers just as it was under the declaration using the Array type. Note that this is different from
int *p1d[10];which would make p1d the name of an array of 10 pointers to type int.
Pointers and Dynamic Allocation of Memory
There are times when it is convenient to allocate memory at run time using malloc(), calloc(), or other allocation functions. Using this approach permits postponing the decision on the size of the memory block need to store an array, for example, until run time. Or it permits using a section of memory for the storage of an array of integers at one point in time, and then when that memory is no longer needed it can be freed up for other uses, such as the storage of an array of structures.
When memory is allocated, the allocating function (such as malloc(), calloc(), etc.) returns a pointer. The type of this pointer depends on whether you are using an older K&R compiler or the newer ANSI type compiler. With the older compiler the type of the returned pointer is char, with the ANSI compiler it is void.
If you are using an older compiler, and you want to allocate memory for an array of integers you will have to cast the char pointer returned to an integer pointer. For example, to allocate space for 10 integers we might write:
int *iptr;If you are using an ANSI compliant compiler, malloc() returns a void pointer and since a void pointer can be assigned to a pointer variable of any object type, the (int *) cast shown above is not needed. The array dimension can be determined at run time and is not needed at compile time. That is, the 10 above could be a variable read in from a data file or keyboard, or calculated based on some need, at run time.
iptr = (int *)malloc(10 * sizeof(int));
if (iptr == NULL)
{ .. ERROR ROUTINE GOES HERE .. }
Because of the equivalence between array and pointer notation, once iptr has been assigned as above, one can use the array notation. For example, one could write:
int k;to set the values of all elements to 2.
for (k = 0; k < 10; k++)
iptr[k] = 2;
Even with a reasonably good understanding of pointers and arrays, one place the newcomer to C is likely to stumble at first is in the dynamic allocation of multi-dimensional arrays. In general, we would like to be able to access elements of such arrays using array notation, not pointer notation, wherever possible. Depending on the application we may or may not know both dimensions at compile time. This leads to a variety of ways to go about our task.
As we have seen, when dynamically allocating a one dimensional array its dimension can be determined at run time. Now, when using dynamic allocation of higher order arrays, we never need to know the first dimension at compile time. Whether we need to know the higher dimensions depends on how we go about writing the code. Here I will discuss various methods of dynamically allocating room for 2 dimensional arrays of integers.
First we will consider cases where the 2nd dimension is known at compile time.
METHOD 1:
One way of dealing with the problem is through the use of the typedef keyword. To allocate a 2 dimensional array of integers recall that the following two notations result in the same object code being generated:multi[row][col] = 1; *(*(multi + row) + col) = 1;It is also true that the following two notations generate the same code:
multi[row] *(multi + row)Since the one on the right must evaluate to a pointer, the array notation on the left must also evaluate to a pointer. In fact multi[0] will return a pointer to the first integer in the first row, multi[1] a pointer to the first integer of the second row, etc. Actually, multi[n] evaluates to a pointer to that array of integers that make up the n-th row of our 2 dimensional array. That is, multi can be thought of as an array of arrays and multi[n] as a pointer to the n-th array of this array of arrays. Here the word pointer is being used to represent an address value. While such usage is common in the literature, when reading such statements one must be careful to distinguish between the constant address of an array and a variable pointer which is a data object in itself.
Consider now:
--------------- Program 9.1 --------------------------------Here I have assumed an ANSI compiler so a cast on the void pointer returned by malloc() is not required. If you are using an older K&R compiler you will have to cast using:
/* Program 9.1 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
#define COLS 5
typedef int RowArray[COLS];
RowArray *rptr;
int main(void)
{
int nrows = 10;
int row, col;
rptr = malloc(nrows * COLS * sizeof(int));
for (row = 0; row < nrows; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < COLS; col++)
{
rptr[row][col] = 17;
}
}
return 0;
}
------------- End of Prog. 9.1 --------------------------------
rptr = (RowArray *)malloc(.... etc.Using this approach, rptr has all the characteristics of an array name name, (except that rptr is modifiable), and array notation may be used throughout the rest of the program. That also means that if you intend to write a function to modify the array contents, you must use COLS as a part of the formal parameter in that function, just as we did when discussing the passing of two dimensional arrays to a function.
METHOD 2:
In the METHOD 1 above, rptr turned out to be a pointer to type "one dimensional array of COLS integers". It turns out that there is syntax which can be used for this type without the need of typedef. If we write:int (*xptr)[COLS];the variable xptr will have all the same characteristics as the variable rptr in METHOD 1 above, and we need not use the typedef keyword. Here xptr is a pointer to an array of integers and the size of that array is given by the #defined COLS. The parenthesis placement makes the pointer notation predominate, even though the array notation has higher precedence. i.e. had we written
int *xptr[COLS];we would have defined xptr as an array of pointers holding the number of pointers equal to that #defined by COLS. That is not the same thing at all. However, arrays of pointers have their use in the dynamic allocation of two dimensional arrays, as will be seen in the next 2 methods.
METHOD 3:
Consider the case where we do not know the number of elements in each row at compile time, i.e. both the number of rows and number of columns must be determined at run time. One way of doing this would be to create an array of pointers to type int and then allocate space for each row and point these pointers at each row. Consider:-------------- Program 9.2 ------------------------------------In the above code rowptr is a pointer to pointer to type int. In this case it points to the first element of an array of pointers to type int. Consider the number of calls to malloc():
/* Program 9.2 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
int main(void)
{
int nrows = 5; /* Both nrows and ncols could be evaluated */
int ncols = 10; /* or read in at run time */
int row;
int **rowptr;
rowptr = malloc(nrows * sizeof(int *));
if (rowptr == NULL)
{
puts("
Failure to allocate room for row pointers.
");
exit(0);
}
printf("
Index Pointer(hex) Pointer(dec) Diff.(dec)");
for (row = 0; row < nrows; row++)
{
rowptr[row] = malloc(ncols * sizeof(int));
if (rowptr[row] == NULL)
{
printf("
Failure to allocate for row[%d]
",row);
exit(0);
}
printf("
%d %p %d", row, rowptr[row], rowptr[row]);
if (row > 0)
printf(" %d",(int)(rowptr[row] - rowptr[row-1]));
}
return 0;
}
--------------- End 9.2 ------------------------------------
To get the array of pointers 1 callIf you choose to use this approach note that while you can use the array notation to access individual elements of the array, e.g. rowptr[row][col] = 17;, it does not mean that the data in the "two dimensional array" is contiguous in memory.
To get space for the rows 5 calls
-----
Total 6 calls
You can, however, use the array notation just as if it were a continuous block of memory. For example, you can write:
rowptr[row][col] = 176;just as if rowptr were the name of a two dimensional array created at compile time. Of course row and col must be within the bounds of the array you have created, just as with an array created at compile time.
If you want to have a contiguous block of memory dedicated to the storage of the elements in the array you can do it as follows:
METHOD 4:
In this method we allocate a block of memory to hold the whole array first. We then create an array of pointers to point to each row. Thus even though the array of pointers is being used, the actual array in memory is contiguous. The code looks like this:----------------- Program 9.3 -----------------------------------Consider again, the number of calls to malloc()
/* Program 9.3 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
int main(void)
{
int **rptr;
int *aptr;
int *testptr;
int k;
int nrows = 5; /* Both nrows and ncols could be evaluated */
int ncols = 8; /* or read in at run time */
int row, col;
/* we now allocate the memory for the array */
aptr = malloc(nrows * ncols * sizeof(int));
if (aptr == NULL)
{
puts("
Failure to allocate room for the array");
exit(0);
}
/* next we allocate room for the pointers to the rows */
rptr = malloc(nrows * sizeof(int *));
if (rptr == NULL)
{
puts("
Failure to allocate room for pointers");
exit(0);
}
/* and now we 'point' the pointers */
for (k = 0; k < nrows; k++)
{
rptr[k] = aptr + (k * ncols);
}
/* Now we illustrate how the row pointers are incremented */
printf("
Illustrating how row pointers are incremented");
printf("
Index Pointer(hex) Diff.(dec)");
for (row = 0; row < nrows; row++)
{
printf("
%d %p", row, rptr[row]);
if (row > 0)
printf(" %d",(rptr[row] - rptr[row-1]));
}
printf("
And now we print out the array
");
for (row = 0; row < nrows; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < ncols; col++)
{
rptr[row][col] = row + col;
printf("%d ", rptr[row][col]);
}
putchar('
');
}
puts("
");
/* and here we illustrate that we are, in fact, dealing with
a 2 dimensional array in a contiguous block of memory. */
printf("And now we demonstrate that they are contiguous in memory
");
testptr = aptr;
for (row = 0; row < nrows; row++)
{
for (col = 0; col < ncols; col++)
{
printf("%d ", *(testptr++));
}
putchar('
');
}
return 0;
}
------------- End Program 9.3 -----------------
To get room for the array itself 1 callNow, each call to malloc() creates additional space overhead since malloc() is generally implemented by the operating system forming a linked list which contains data concerning the size of the block. But, more importantly, with large arrays (several hundred rows) keeping track of what needs to be freed when the time comes can be more cumbersome. This, combined with the contiguousness of the data block that permits initialization to all zeroes using memset() would seem to make the second alternative the preferred one.
To get room for the array of ptrs 1 call
----
Total 2 calls
As a final example on multidimensional arrays we will illustrate the dynamic allocation of a three dimensional array. This example will illustrate one more thing to watch when doing this kind of allocation. For reasons cited above we will use the approach outlined in alternative two. Consider the following code:
------------------- Program 9.4 -------------------------------------If you have followed this tutorial up to this point you should have no problem deciphering the above on the basis of the comments alone. There are a couple of points that should be made however. Let's start with the line which reads:
/* Program 9.4 from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
#include
int X_DIM=16;
int Y_DIM=5;
int Z_DIM=3;
int main(void)
{
char *space;
char ***Arr3D;
int y, z;
ptrdiff_t diff;
/* first we set aside space for the array itself */
space = malloc(X_DIM * Y_DIM * Z_DIM * sizeof(char));
/* next we allocate space of an array of pointers, each
to eventually point to the first element of a
2 dimensional array of pointers to pointers */
Arr3D = malloc(Z_DIM * sizeof(char **));
/* and for each of these we assign a pointer to a newly
allocated array of pointers to a row */
for (z = 0; z < Z_DIM; z++)
{
Arr3D[z] = malloc(Y_DIM * sizeof(char *));
/* and for each space in this array we put a pointer to
the first element of each row in the array space
originally allocated */
for (y = 0; y < Y_DIM; y++)
{
Arr3D[z][y] = space + (z*(X_DIM * Y_DIM) + y*X_DIM);
}
}
/* And, now we check each address in our 3D array to see if
the indexing of the Arr3d pointer leads through in a
continuous manner */
for (z = 0; z < Z_DIM; z++)
{
printf("Location of array %d is %p
", z, *Arr3D[z]);
for ( y = 0; y < Y_DIM; y++)
{
printf(" Array %d and Row %d starts at %p", z, y, Arr3D[z][y]);
diff = Arr3D[z][y] - space;
printf(" diff = %d ",diff);
printf(" z = %d y = %d
", z, y);
}
}
return 0;
}
------------------- End of Prog. 9.4 ----------------------------
Arr3D[z][y] = space + (z*(X_DIM * Y_DIM) + y*X_DIM);Note that here space is a character pointer, which is the same type as Arr3D[z][y]. It is important that when adding an integer, such as that obtained by evaluation of the expression (z*(X_DIM * Y_DIM) + y*X_DIM), to a pointer, the result is a new pointer value. And when assigning pointer values to pointer variables the data types of the value and variable must match.
Pointers to Functions
Up to this point we have been discussing pointers to data objects. C also permits the declaration of pointers to functions. Pointers to functions have a variety of uses and some of them will be discussed here.
Consider the following real problem. You want to write a function that is capable of sorting virtually any collection of data that can be stored in an array. This might be an array of strings, or integers, or floats, or even structures. The sorting algorithm can be the same for all. For example, it could be a simple bubble sort algorithm, or the more complex shell or quick sort algorithm. We'll use a simple bubble sort for demonstration purposes.
Sedgewick [1] has described the bubble sort using C code by setting up a function which when passed a pointer to the array would sort it. If we call that function bubble(), a sort program is described by bubble_1.c, which follows:
/*-------------------- bubble_1.c --------------------*/The bubble sort is one of the simpler sorts. The algorithm scans the array from the second to the last element comparing each element with the one which precedes it. If the one that precedes it is larger than the current element, the two are swapped so the larger one is closer to the end of the array. On the first pass, this results in the largest element ending up at the end of the array. The array is now limited to all elements except the last and the process repeated. This puts the next largest element at a point preceding the largest element. The process is repeated for a number of times equal to the number of elements minus 1. The end result is a sorted array.
/* Program bubble_1.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
int arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
void bubble(int a[], int N);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
bubble(arr,10);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(int a[], int N)
{
int i, j, t;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
if (a[j-1] > a[j])
{
t = a[j-1];
a[j-1] = a[j];
a[j] = t;
}
}
}
}
/*---------------------- end bubble_1.c -----------------------*/
Here our function is designed to sort an array of integers. Thus in line 1 we are comparing integers and in lines 2 through 4 we are using temporary integer storage to store integers. What we want to do now is see if we can convert this code so we can use any data type, i.e. not be restricted to integers.
At the same time we don't want to have to analyze our algorithm and the code associated with it each time we use it. We start by removing the comparison from within the function bubble() so as to make it relatively easy to modify the comparison function without having to re-write portions related to the actual algorithm. This results in bubble_2.c:
/*---------------------- bubble_2.c -------------------------*/If our goal is to make our sort routine data type independent, one way of doing this is to use pointers to type void to point to the data instead of using the integer data type. As a start in that direction let's modify a few things in the above so that pointers can be used. To begin with, we'll stick with pointers to type integer.
/* Program bubble_2.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
/* Separating the comparison function */
#include
int arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
void bubble(int a[], int N);
int compare(int m, int n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
bubble(arr,10);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(int a[], int N)
{
int i, j, t;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
if (compare(a[j-1], a[j]))
{
t = a[j-1];
a[j-1] = a[j];
a[j] = t;
}
}
}
}
int compare(int m, int n)
{
return (m > n);
}
/*--------------------- end of bubble_2.c -----------------------*/
/*----------------------- bubble_3.c -------------------------*/Note the changes. We are now passing a pointer to an integer (or array of integers) to bubble(). And from within bubble we are passing pointers to the elements of the array that we want to compare to our comparison function. And, of course we are dereferencing these pointer in our compare() function in order to make the actual comparison. Our next step will be to convert the pointers in bubble() to pointers to type void so that that function will become more type insensitive. This is shown in bubble_4.
/* Program bubble_3.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
int arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
void bubble(int *p, int N);
int compare(int *m, int *n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
bubble(arr,10);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(int *p, int N)
{
int i, j, t;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
if (compare(&p[j-1], &p[j]))
{
t = p[j-1];
p[j-1] = p[j];
p[j] = t;
}
}
}
}
int compare(int *m, int *n)
{
return (*m > *n);
}
/*------------------ end of bubble3.c -------------------------*/
/*------------------ bubble_4.c ----------------------------*/Note that, in doing this, in compare() we had to introduce the casting of the void pointer types passed to the actual type being sorted. But, as we'll see later that's okay. And since what is being passed to bubble() is still a pointer to an array of integers, we had to cast these pointers to void pointers when we passed them as parameters in our call to compare().
/* Program bubble_4.c from PTRTUT10,HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
int arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
void bubble(int *p, int N);
int compare(void *m, void *n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
bubble(arr,10);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(int *p, int N)
{
int i, j, t;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
if (compare((void *)&p[j-1], (void *)&p[j]))
{
t = p[j-1];
p[j-1] = p[j];
p[j] = t;
}
}
}
}
int compare(void *m, void *n)
{
int *m1, *n1;
m1 = (int *)m;
n1 = (int *)n;
return (*m1 > *n1);
}
/*------------------ end of bubble_4.c ---------------------*/
We now address the problem of what we pass to bubble(). We want to make the first parameter of that function a void pointer also. But, that means that within bubble() we need to do something about the variable t, which is currently an integer. Also, where we use t = p[j-1]; the type of p[j-1] needs to be known in order to know how many bytes to copy to the variable t (or whatever we replace t with).
Currently, in bubble_4.c, knowledge within bubble() as to the type of the data being sorted (and hence the size of each individual element) is obtained from the fact that the first parameter is a pointer to type integer. If we are going to be able to use bubble() to sort any type of data, we need to make that pointer a pointer to type void. But, in doing so we are going to lose information concerning the size of individual elements within the array. So, in bubble_5.c we will add a separate parameter to handle this size information.
These changes, from bubble4.c to bubble5.c are, perhaps, a bit more extensive than those we have made in the past. So, compare the two modules carefully for differences.
/*---------------------- bubble5.c ---------------------------*/Note that I have changed the data type of the array from int to long to illustrate the changes needed in the compare() function. Within bubble() I've done away with the variable t (which we would have had to change from type int to type long). I have added a buffer of size 4 unsigned characters, which is the size needed to hold a long (this will change again in future modifications to this code). The unsigned character pointer *bp is used to point to the base of the array to be sorted, i.e. to the first element of that array.
/* Program bubble_5.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
long arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
void bubble(void *p, size_t width, int N);
int compare(void *m, void *n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
bubble(arr, sizeof(long), 10);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
printf("%ld ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(void *p, size_t width, int N)
{
int i, j;
unsigned char buf[4];
unsigned char *bp = p;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
if (compare((void *)(bp + width*(j-1)),
(void *)(bp + j*width))) /* 1 */
{
/* t = p[j-1]; */
memcpy(buf, bp + width*(j-1), width);
/* p[j-1] = p[j]; */
memcpy(bp + width*(j-1), bp + j*width , width);
/* p[j] = t; */
memcpy(bp + j*width, buf, width);
}
}
}
}
int compare(void *m, void *n)
{
long *m1, *n1;
m1 = (long *)m;
n1 = (long *)n;
return (*m1 > *n1);
}
/*--------------------- end of bubble5.c ---------------------*/
We also had to modify what we passed to compare(), and how we do the swapping of elements that the comparison indicates need swapping. Use of memcpy() and pointer notation instead of array notation work towards this reduction in type sensitivity.
Again, making a careful comparison of bubble5.c with bubble4.c can result in improved understanding of what is happening and why.
We move now to bubble6.c where we use the same function bubble() that we used in bubble5.c to sort strings instead of long integers. Of course we have to change the comparison function since the means by which strings are compared is different from that by which long integers are compared. And,in bubble6.c we have deleted the lines within bubble() that were commented out in bubble5.c.
/*--------------------- bubble6.c ---------------------*/But, the fact that bubble() was unchanged from that used in bubble5.c indicates that that function is capable of sorting a wide variety of data types. What is left to do is to pass to bubble() the name of the comparison function we want to use so that it can be truly universal. Just as the name of an array is the address of the first element of the array in the data segment, the name of a function decays into the address of that function in the code segment. Thus we need to use a pointer to a function. In this case the comparison function.
/* Program bubble_6.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/13/97 */
#include
#include
#define MAX_BUF 256
char arr2[5][20] = { "Mickey Mouse",
"Donald Duck",
"Minnie Mouse",
"Goofy",
"Ted Jensen" };
void bubble(void *p, int width, int N);
int compare(void *m, void *n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
printf("%s
", arr2[i]);
}
bubble(arr2, 20, 5);
putchar('
');
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
printf("%s
", arr2[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(void *p, int width, int N)
{
int i, j, k;
unsigned char buf[MAX_BUF];
unsigned char *bp = p;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
k = compare((void *)(bp + width*(j-1)), (void *)(bp + j*width));
if (k > 0)
{
memcpy(buf, bp + width*(j-1), width);
memcpy(bp + width*(j-1), bp + j*width , width);
memcpy(bp + j*width, buf, width);
}
}
}
}
int compare(void *m, void *n)
{
char *m1 = m;
char *n1 = n;
return (strcmp(m1,n1));
}
/*------------------- end of bubble6.c ---------------------*/
Pointers to functions must match the functions pointed to in the number and types of the parameters and the type of the return value. In our case, we declare our function pointer as:
int (*fptr)(const void *p1, const void *p2);Note that were we to write:
int *fptr(const void *p1, const void *p2);we would have a function prototype for a function which returned a pointer to type int. That is because in C the parenthesis () operator have a higher precedence than the pointer * operator. By putting the parenthesis around the string (*fptr) we indicate that we are declaring a function pointer.
We now modify our declaration of bubble() by adding, as its 4th parameter, a function pointer of the proper type. It's function prototype becomes:
void bubble(void *p, int width, int N,When we call the bubble(), we insert the name of the comparison function that we want to use. bubble7.c illustrate how this approach permits the use of the same bubble() function for sorting different types of data.
int(*fptr)(const void *, const void *));
/*------------------- bubble7.c ------------------*/
/* Program bubble_7.c from PTRTUT10.HTM 6/10/97 */
#include
#include
#define MAX_BUF 256
long arr[10] = { 3,6,1,2,3,8,4,1,7,2};
char arr2[5][20] = { "Mickey Mouse",
"Donald Duck",
"Minnie Mouse",
"Goofy",
"Ted Jensen" };
void bubble(void *p, int width, int N,
int(*fptr)(const void *, const void *));
int compare_string(const void *m, const void *n);
int compare_long(const void *m, const void *n);
int main(void)
{
int i;
puts("
Before Sorting:
");
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) /* show the long ints */
{
printf("%ld ",arr[i]);
}
puts("
");
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) /* show the strings */
{
printf("%s
", arr2[i]);
}
bubble(arr, 4, 10, compare_long); /* sort the longs */
bubble(arr2, 20, 5, compare_string); /* sort the strings */
puts("
After Sorting:
");
for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) /* show the sorted longs */
{
printf("%d ",arr[i]);
}
puts("
");
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) /* show the sorted strings */
{
printf("%s
", arr2[i]);
}
return 0;
}
void bubble(void *p, int width, int N,
int(*fptr)(const void *, const void *))
{
int i, j, k;
unsigned char buf[MAX_BUF];
unsigned char *bp = p;
for (i = N-1; i >= 0; i--)
{
for (j = 1; j <= i; j++)
{
k = fptr((void *)(bp + width*(j-1)), (void *)(bp + j*width));
if (k > 0)
{
memcpy(buf, bp + width*(j-1), width);
memcpy(bp + width*(j-1), bp + j*width , width);
memcpy(bp + j*width, buf, width);
}
}
}
}
int compare_string(const void *m, const void *n)
{
char *m1 = (char *)m;
char *n1 = (char *)n;
return (strcmp(m1,n1));
}
int compare_long(const void *m, const void *n)
{
long *m1, *n1;
m1 = (long *)m;
n1 = (long *)n;
return (*m1 > *n1);
}
/*----------------- end of bubble7.c -----------------*/
Might be a british but one of the questions I always get asked is my biggest weakness.
For me there are two approaches to this either something really obvious like lacking experience (I’m a recent graduate) or the biggest interview cliche saying that you can work to hard. But I’ve had both thrown back in my face in a couple of interviews so what’s the answer should I just be honest?
Regarding the “What is your greatest weakness?” question,
ugh! That question is a sure indicator that the person interviewing you does not know what theya re doing. It’s a sure loser. Either the applicant is honest and stupid enough to market their truly worst flaws (and every applicant has some serious flaws, like arrogance or laziness or sex obsession… they ALL have something that they ned to control as part of the human experience)… Either they tell that or they lie. The most common and cliche inexeperienced lie they tell is the perfectionist flaw… what Lakuma said. This might work, I suppose, since your interviewer is probably an idiot, but it’s also a sure sign that you are not very experienced as doing much beyond reading simplistic career books.
It’s a cliche answer to say you are super hard working… and somehow you truly greatest flaw is also what makes you a good worker… that’s so blatantly dishonest that it shows serious judgemental defieciencies. Can you imagine the worker who really thinks the fact that they are super detail oriented or a perfectionist is their greatest weakness? it is so nakedly false, fake, and disrespectful that people who say this must just not be thinking their answer through at all! And again, it is very very tired and cliche.
No, a better answer is to name a legit flaw, but not one of your truly worst ones. Tell them you have a shy personality and it may take a little while for people to realize that you aren’t stuck up and really want to be friends (if this is true, if it is not tue it will be obvious).
Or say that you have a no experience (a pretty good answer if true because it isn’t really giving any information up) I’m not sure how this gets thrown back in your face, smiggs, if it’s true, then reality was being thrown in your face, no disrespect intended.
Tell them the truth and consider asking your interviewer what they mean to accomplish with that question. I want to know that the place I’m going to work takes its emplioyees seriously. That question indicates an unseriousness about interviewing. Almost like throwing artificial obstacles in the way of getting the right employee. Inviting dishonesty or stupid answers… it’s just not professional.
The interview may not define the company, but all else being equal, I would consider it a strike against considering a job offer.
One question I’ve often been asked, and which cost me the job (I’m pretty sure, in retrospect) the first time I was asked it is: where do you see yourself in (say) 5 years? The incorrect answer is that you want to open up a business just like this one, up the street over there.
Biggest Flaw:
For a while I refused to answer this question and told them why. Now I have to answer honestly and say something like, “Hmmm. I’d have to say that I get a little to upset with slow drivers. Most of them are old and have been around a long time and their driving ability does not define who they are as a person or their contribution to society.”
“How soon will I be able to be productive?”
Gross.
One I got asked often was “Do you prefer to work solo or in a team?” I think this can be pretty tricky depending on the type of job.
I agree with Eric, although, the idea is to try to make it relevant to the company as well. My answer to this is: ‘I tend to get annoyed when things are going inefficient”, and then IMMEDIATELY jump to the traffic situation. Most people will be able to identify with the stuck in traffic concept, and if you specify that you feel that you can do MORE in that time, then it is usually a sure-fire winner.
In addition, the idea behind the worst-flaw type question is to see what you are doing to improve it. With regards to the traffic question, I usually reply that I try to relax by listening to classical radio stations or whatever. This shows that I am aware of my flaw, and am working towards fixing it.
NEVER mention more than one flaw!
Had 2 phone interviews with Google. Got rejected. Here’s the questions they asked me:
You have a cluster of web servers, each with several log files. Each line in each log file contains the time that it took to serve the request. You have 1 other machine to use to coordinate the work. How do you find the median response time efficiently?
The answer that the interviewer was looking for was this:
Have each server sort its own log files. Ask each server for its median response time. Combine the responses and come up with your best guess at the median for the cluster. Ask each server how many response times were less, and how many were more than your guess. Use their replies to refine your guess. Repeat.
You have a list of strings. How do you find the longest common prefix that occurs in at least 75% of the strings.
How do Vectors in Java work?
You have 2 unsorted arrays of integers. How can you efficiently determine their intersection?
TR Bobby: yeah I’ve come to accept it as written that most people who do the interviewing don’t really know what they are doing. I think most of them know it as well and are just as nervous or in fact since I’ve become a bit blase about the whole process are more nervous than me. Most of them are determined to put you through the mill though so come up with the most cliche questions possible and then expect you to ask them seriously.
Regarding the “What is your greatest weakness?” question,
There is an answer to this…
The principle is: Don’t mention a weakness without knowing the solution. Everyone has weaknesses. To recognise this and have a solution is what makes the difference. Most people are lazy and not willing to go the extra mile to find an answer. Excuses don’t get the job done.
Technical Person: “I am a technical person and I realise that my people skills may not be as strong as other people. In order to overcome this I have been reading people skills books because I know I need to improve.”. You better be telling the truth though.
Only above average candidates will be able to answer honestly.
Even if interviewers don’t know why they are asking the question they will recognise a gem or a fraud.
The only reason to hide the weakness is if you don’t have a solution.
Better figure out the truth and do something about it.
On #11, the salary question, I don’t think this is a loaded question. You should establish as early as possible the range you expect. You have to determine that you both are on the same page. If the company has a hard limit that’s $20k below your minimum then you are all wasting your time. Salary may be one of the few hard points dictated to the person hiring you, and negotiable only within the range they’ve had approved.
If you’re going into a stable company with low turnover, they may not hire enough people to know what to pay. http://www.salary.com is a good start.
Once you’ve established that they’ll put you in the tax bracket you want, then you can proceed with the rest of it and put off the exact amount until they’re getting ready to make an offer.
I would commend you for most of your answers except for these two:
11. What kind of salary do you need?
I think you should state the salary you want… and then some. This puts you on a higher plane in the mind of the hiring company. No matter how good you really are, no company will respect you if you work for peanuts. People (and companies) value what they pay most for.
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
Of course not!
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus
on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is
a distraction.
There can be only one response to this question:
“Are you interviewing other people for this job?”
Duh. You are looking for the right job, not any job that comes along. They are looking fro the right employee. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Do not let an interviewer forget that.
Good list of questions! This would be a great tool for someone to use in preparing for interviews with a friend.
A few other tips from my experience have been to always be positive in interviews. Negative comments say that you are an individual who is critical of others, and no one wants to work with an asshole. This will automatically put you in the second round interview pools if the rest of the interview goes smoothly. Why make it in two interviews, if you can make it in one by avoiding this pitfall.
Avoid the negative at all costs!
Do not try and be funny. Save the sarcasm and facetiousness for your firends. You are being interviewed by a stranger who might have a completely different set of values from your own, ie not getting the joke. Just don’t.
“What is your greatest weakness?”
I have never been asked this question. But I know this one is a test to see how tactful an interviewee is. A good reply would be “I’m sure I have short commings, but no one has ever enlightened me to them nor have they ever interfered with my productivity or work.” Not exactly these words, but you should get the sentiment. Do not make your reply to this question an introspection. This is an interviewer, not your shrink! A good thing to remember is interviewers are not your friend, they are merely doing their job by finding applicants to fill a vacant position. I think women have more problems with this question, as sexist as this sounds.
“Do you have any questions?”
This has been asked in every interview I have ever had, even if I was not applying for a job. Its a question that allows the interviewee an opportunity to answer potential questions some one might have, but also illustrates interest in a job, ie you are there for more than a quick dollar.
Failing to ask questions is a mistake because it shows a lack of sincere interest on the interviewees part on a job position. Ask about the job…
Do not be condescending, shaming, judgemental, critical, avoidant, short, frank, angry, or exhibit any sort of anti-social behavior.
Above all, be inquisitive, be positive, be friendly, be courteous, and walk into this interview like you are going to your first meeting with your new boss… You’ll have the spot landed in no time.
Cheers
23. Tell me about your dream job.
The best is to stay genetic and say something
like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and
can’t wait to get to work.
Could you mean “generic?”
11. What kind of salary do you need?
Say, Industry Standard!. Never disclose your salary. Say, your current CTC is confidential (Infact, it is, if u read the previous company policy).
And honestly telling the present CTC will give the intervier, a ground to FIX your next salary …
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
I belive the only correct answer would be something like “I shall struggle to make them coincide”. Nobody is going to believe you if you start saying that any organization is more important for you than yourself, and saying the opposite might seem selfish to the interviewer.
Sorry for my bad english but it is not my mother tongue. I hope I have been able to get through to you.
on the biggest weakness question I alway go with “I find I tend to lack Patience with stupid people, after showing them something more than 3 times I tend to get frustrated and let it show a bit”
This won’t work in a Sales position but for most anything else it works well.
Interviews go both ways. My honest answer to question #9 recently was “I’m not sure whether I want to work here or not yet. The interview process isn’t just about whether you want me, but also about how interested I would be in working here.” Or something to that effect. Not only did it get a great reaction from the fellow who was interviewing me, but I think it helped segue into all of the questions I had to ask about the company.
And it worked. I am now quite happy in my new role at Essential Security Software.
Biggest Weakness:
Here’s what I say… it’s a total deke… that I refuse to or that I simply don’t think of myself in terms of weakness. That it’s not how I define myself. That for me, I just see opportunities to better myself… that as a person, I view myself as a constant work in progress always looking to improve myself both personally and professionally,
Then if I feel like, i’ll make up some example of a daunting task I took on (managing a project with unfamiliar people) and used that as a catalyst to force myself to further develop my leadership qualities and organizational skills…
That’s all just “for example”, but I have a pretty good batting average with job interviews == you’re hired!
‘29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor… Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.’ — oh noes. I know if I were interviewing someone I would never believe it. Everyone has an argument with a supervisor sooner or later, for some reason, even if it’s just a friendly disagreement about the direction of a project or the right way to go about doing something. People ask this to find out about your internal dispute resolution skills, not just to see if you’re in the habit of fighting with the boss.
The way to turn this into a positive answer is to think of a situation where you could talk about it reasonably and reach a nice compromise (or at least peace).
I was once asked: “If you were an animal, what animal would you be?” What’s the right answer?
A question I always ask is: What was your biggest mistake at work and what did you do about it?
I have passed over people for having no answer to it; or for the slightest whiff of lie or omission on many of the questions you advise people to answer with a lie or to weasel out of. Not everyone in the private sector belongs in a Dilbert strip. Playing that game might get you hired but it will never make you–or anyone who works with you–happy.
What is your biggest weakness. A good manager will ask this to understand if you recognize things you need to improve (or do you think you’re perfect - a flaw in and of itself) AND more importantly what are the things that s/he can help you with from a career development standpoint.
>21. What irritates you about co-workers?
> This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with
> anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to
> get along with folks is great.
If I heard this answer from a candidate I would not hire them. It indicates to me that the candidate has no depth, judgment or ability to hire the kind of people they need on their team, or to reject inappropriate team members or employees. Some people *do* fail to follow appropriate cultural or company procedures, are vindictive, abusive, dangerous, or otherwise unsuitable for any legitimate organization.
#11 - The salary question
I’m in HR and do a lot of interviews and I think that the best answer is:
“I would expect to be paid competitively and commensurate with the level of skill, experience and responsibility that this particular job requires.”
After being rejected for one of the biggest job opportunities I had, the head of the review board called me and asked if I wanted to come in and discuss why I wasn’t hired (which was VERY cool of him to do!). He went over all the questions, my replies and how it effected their decision.
The biggest common flaw I had was that I wasn’t “upbeat” enough. I’d been out of college for over a year with no luck in my intended field. Most of my responces were centered around the fact that I have been down on my luck. I beat all the competing applicants hands down in my technical ability, but my personality came off as basically a loser.
Just remember to keep a 100% positive attitude during the entire interivew. Act excited to be there, about the job opportunity, about your skills, everything.
29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of
your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former
boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and
develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.
WARNING: This is bad advice. The question is designed to demonstrate the interviewee’s skills in resolving a conflict. Claiming to never had a problem is an interview ender. There are always personality and judgment conflicts that can appear to be problems. You want people on your team to disagree with you if they have a good reason to disagree. How everyone works through disagreements and problems to work together reaching a common goal is key.
Another opinion from the hiring side:
I often ask about greatest strength and greatest weakness that the person has FOR THIS POSITION in an interview. And I preface my question about greatest weaknesses by noting that everbody has area that stand out in both directions, and *no* working too hard is not the kind of “weakness” that I am talking about. Nor will I accept a statement about their experience.
Often I get resistance on this question, but I press the issue. Everyone knows a significant weakness, they are just reluctant to bring it to light. But pressing this issue, I find that I can drive the interview to areas that really may affect their performance on this job.
If you wanted to game this line of questioning, you could identify a list of minor flaws. But generally I can tell you are just dodging rather than sincerely addressing the question.
I think the better answer was listed above. List real issues you have, but then explain your mitigation stratgy in a very positive way. The disdavantage of this approach is that you have alerted me to an issues that I will pay close attention to, when calling your references (which is my goal). But on the plus side, if I do sense this weakness in info that I find, I am already predisposed to accept your mitigation strategy.
In general I agree, that an overwhelming positive attitude is huge (even though I try to discount the fact that people are often intentionlly doing that in an interview)
Best of Luck.
Really good tips for job hunters
My two worst interview questions:
#1: Name a hero.
I got caught flatfooted on this one. Name a hero? Like, Captain America? Silly. So silly. I groped a bit and coughed up “Jon Stewart.” Pretty good, I thought. But the interviewer had never heard of him. Had never heard of the Daily Show. (!!) I had to spend the time explaining the Daily Show, explaining Jon Stewart, explaining the concept of “humor”… in all, eating up valuable interview minutes when they were limited and therefore precious. Booooo on that question. From now on I’m just sticking with Captain America.
#2: Describe yourself in one word.
Again, got caught flatfooted. How the hell do you describe yourself in one word. What one word is sufficient? I mean, my first name, sure. But besides that? Handsome. Beneficent. Well-hung, if hyphenated words count. But none of those are appropriate. I came up with “Authentic,” which is a nice way to say that “I haven’t told a lie this entire interview” and is therefore a great way to say nothing at all worthwhile. What a waste of a question.
I’ve been waiting to complain about that one for months. Thanks for listening.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
I always ask the interviewer “What brought you to company X and what keeps you motivated to stay part of the team instead of working for one of your competitors?”
This has always elicited positive responses from the interviewer about their history with the company (and people generally like to talk about themselves) and it is always perceived by the interviewer that I am loyal and looking for a long term relationship with my employer. The interviewer usually seems to open up to me more after this question. The key is sincerity in the question.
Thanks Bhuvans , this is one great post and i am at a mistake , if i dont write a comment .
I have a few tips , which i think would rather help readers more ,
1. CONFIDENCE , is the Mother of all kinda thingy , you initially need in attending interviews . So i would say that , it is the most essential thingy needed , before , u attend the interview .
2. NEGATIVE CONFIDENCE , is the one , which i want ALL Freshers , to hold onto . This may seem negative , but it is the most POSITIVE THINGY from my side . Consider , the JOB is ” NOT FOR YOU “.
Consider , that something ( POLITICS may be ) has been commited , and u know that the job aint for u . Use this to build a confidence , that u have a BETTER JOB Waiting for u , and sincerly and completely believing it .
Then , the actual part comes , with facing the interview , with this confidence and see how it helps you out .
But one point is that , no “NEGATIVE feedbacks , or shouts or attitudes ” , should be accompanied with this method . Just the confidence , and a positive aurora , around this , and the JOB is 4 SURE .
Thank You all , and esp. Bhuvana , thats a nice post .
My Personal BLog is at , http://catshideout.blogspot.com/
11. What kind of salary do you need?
Just say it depends on what (or even better, who, as in expertise) the position requires. If they press for a number say “depending on what I know so far of the reqs., up to $X” and know X before you go in. Make X more than you want but not by too much (5-10k perhaps because you may just get it and most people underestimate their worth). Don’t give a bottom number or that’s what they’ll give you.
Your starting salary is the most important part of your new job hunt since all of your raises will be based on this number. Unless you have a really good reason, never take less than your last salary and try to always improve your salary by more than the standard 3-5% raise.
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
If you need a way to show how unfair this question is, ask them if the company is willing to put your interests above its own . If they need an example, ask them if they’ve ever had a layoff. The only time this question is valid is if the job truly requires a career-only, no-family employee and pays/rewards accordingly. So your answer should be NO and try to remember that when you’re working there.
I love #37:
Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about
the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.
This is such a Dilbert question. If I actually got asked this in an interview I’d know the job was probably not for me.
[...] Bhuvan just posted 50 common interview questions. [...]
Speaking as an employer:
*be sincere and honest - it’s really obvious if you’re not
*answer the questions to the best of your ability, but bear in mind that the interviewer has a whole lot of them, so don’t launch into a five minute epic on your high school grades
*give examples - many interviewers are taught situational techniques to elicit a response from you that gives a concrete example of how you behaved in the past to give them an idea of how you might act in the future. If that is the type of answer the interviewer is fishing for, then you’ll help your cause a lot by talking about what you have done, not making stuff up about how you plan to behave after they hire you
*don’t be late - interviewers are confronted with a large number of equally talented people. If you got to the interview, your resume shows you have the skills. The interviewer will then be looking to reduce the number of people they have to consider to find the best candidate.
*ask your interviewer questions - tips 32 and 39 are great - asking questions shows that you are interested.
Greatest Weakness - I was always told to respond with a weakness that can be used as an advantage by your supervisor. So I used a real weakness - I get bored easily - and expanded on it by saying I like to keep learning. If you’re working in IT (as I do) its a good weakness to have. Employers usually want people who keep learning. So always think if it in those terms as well.
What is your greatest weakness?
My inability to show my true potential in job interview like this one.
Figz: Jaguar. Just sounds cool.
Extending 28 + 29: Treat any question about a negative (weakness, thing you didn’t like about your old job, problem with a supervisor) as an opportunity to be honest — because interviewers know when you are not — and to demonstrate your drive to improve and/or problem solve. Pattern: [describe weakness, problem, dislike], so I [describe action taken to cure the weakness, solve the problem, address the dislike]
Number one question to ask at the end of an interview, whether prompted or not: Do you have any concerns that would prevent you from recommending/selecting me for this job?
It’s brutally hard to get in the habit of asking, but it always pays off. It gives you an opportunity to directly address any concerns that the interviewer has. One concrete example. I did my own thing for a few years. When I went to interview at an enormous company, there was some concern that I would be a cowboy who wouldn’t work in a formal structure. I was able to refer the interviewers (a pair) to earlier experience working at a large law firm where there was a lot of structure, oversight, organizational hierarchy. Totally took the issue off the table.
Beyond that, I think “What do you like about working at the company?” is a great one. If the interviewer has stuck you with a lot of negative-type questions, turn it back on him, “What would you change about the company if you could?”
Another good one, especially if you are interviewing with someone who has or likely had your position: “What positions did you have before this one?” Since most people don’t work in lockstep through an organization, this can remind the interviewer that good candidates don’t necessarily have all the exact specs on the job description.
When you are asked about salaries,I suggest that you ask what he or she would say in your position. That always works for me.
great great post …..
This article is great, and comments are even better. I totally stumbled into my current job after not really looking around much.
My position now includes hiring and I want to add a few points for consideration that I think have significance in this discussion.
1. What kind of work environment are you looking for? Try to be aware of when some of the questions asked speak negatively of the atmosphere of the company.
2. There has been debate about “correct” responses to questions. This is also colored by the type of company you’re interviewing with. If they are big, corporate, structured, the suggestions in the original article seem valid. If they are smaller, more open-minded, looking for creativity and innovation, you can be more free and honest with your answers. The interviewer should take you at face value and be impressed with your confidence and honesty.
3. Remember that you are interviewing with a person, not the company. That person’s personal style may or may not reflect the company at large. It pays to try to get a read on the interviewer and tailor your responses accordingly.
50 Most Common Interview Questions
Here is a massive list of the 50 most common inverview questions. I have been doing a lot of interviews at work lately and I think these would have been really helpful. It will also be helpful for when I eventually have to look for another job.
This article has been most helpful for me in preparing for my interview. I’m hoping that it will get me the job, if nothing else, I will be prepared when the questions are asked.
yes itis the most helpful thing for any interview. thank you
I can’t belive I “Stumbled” on this list the day before I have an interview. I’ve been out of work for several months now and this list will help me prepare for tomorrow. thank you so much
how do you answer the question ” why were you terminated from your last job ? “
[...] Bhuvana collected the most common interview questions and listed recommended answers for each. I honestly haven’t heard some of them asked in my own interviews so I’m not sure how common they all are. Be sure to read the comments because there are some really good additions from several HR people and other experienced interviewers there. [...]
[...] Strategies for answering 50 common interview questions. [...]
I actually interviewed for a job today (3rd time around) with the V.P. Some of the above questions came up, the one that sticks out the most is the “What areas of improvement would your current supervisor say you need to work on?” I played it “safe” and thought about it for a few moments then claimed amnesia: “Nothing in particular was emphasized or otherwise brought to my attention during my last performance review.”
This, of course, is a lie. Everyone has an area where they can improve, either a little or a lot. I didn’t feel comfortable stating, “Well, I’m trying hard to not be as big of an asshole as I used to be,” but I also didn’t like playing amnesia. However, the answers, for the super-majority of the interview, were very neutral and helpful.
I tend to agree with some of the comments here regarding never having a conflict with a supervisor, or the ones about what irritates you about coworkers. When it comes to a supervisor, I would mention a conflict I once had about how to best approach a client issue. We disagreed on what was the best solution but we collaborated, listened to each other’s input and in the end we agreed to try both approaches. We agreed we’d try mine first and then we’d try his if that failed. In the end, it was obvious that both solutions would have worked out so I learned how to work out a difference without being confrontational.
About co-workers, things that irritate me: When they’re stealing from the company (lie about timesheets, services, stealing items), racial/sexual harassment/discrimination remarks or anything else that is against the law. I’ve used this before and I was given high points for such.
Not every answer fits every interview nor does every interviewer want to hear the same thing. However, the 50 questions in this blog entry do reflect the safest approach in MOST situations, not EVERY situation. So, yes, while John Q. Interviewer wants you to be neutral about certain items, the guy from Google might want you to tell him all about something in great detail.
How about this question, “Tell me about a time when you were asked to compromise your integrity in behalf of the corporate objectives.”
The CEO to the CFO, “The future success of this company depends upon YOU finding an accounting miracle.”
[...] Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog » 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A 37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own? This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes. [...]
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: interview career jobs questions) [...]
Well I was asked in one interview
‘Give me 3 reasons why we shudnt hire you’
And I got that job
“What is your biggest flaw as an employee?”
I ask that at interviews every time, and I don’t particularly care what the answer is, because the interviewee will either be too startled to answer effectively, or is going to lie to me. What I’m looking for is what the person does in response to the question. Yes, I can tell if you’re giving me a well-planned response, because you won’t be startled by the question and will answer too soon, and too assuredly. I can also tell if you’re going to lie to me, just by watching your eyes.
What I can’t tell is if you actually become introspective, think about something important, and then lie to me. So if you’re going to lie in response to this question, that’s what you need to do. Think about some pleasant experience for a few moments, then give your canned response, slowly, as if recalling the experience.
Any time I have a candidate who answers all of my questions without pausing to think or recall, I begin to wonder how much he has been interviewing and why nobody else has hired him.
Great! This is absolutely wonderful. Looking for another position at the moment and I have a face-to-face interview at Sophos, UK. Has anyone in the UK being to a interview at Sophos or works at Sophos? I’d love to read what they have to say about their interview with them.
Q: What is your greatest weakness?
A: Answering to question about my greatest weakness!
Got called back for my “second” interview next week for a job. I’m assuming that’s a good thing, but is it OK to ask the interviewer (will be same person as “first” round) how many other “final” candidates I’m up against? Is that appropriate? Is it OK to ask the person where I stand in the rankings, and how I can improve my chances? Or does that seem too desperate, even for a finalist?
What do you recommend saying if an interviewer asks a question about your field that you do not know the answer to?
I have my job interview tomorrow and I must say that I was a little worried and nervous at first but this site has really helped me. I feel much more confident now. Thanks!
#37
Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about
the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.
—–
If you say yes, ‘they’ will immediately recognise that you are trying to trick them with your answers, and you’ll instantly loose credibility you built up with previous answers…
You are applying for the job for your own interest… not theirs. It’s not like you are applying for your favourite pass-time.
Arguably you are forced to put their interest above your own all the time, when your total hours amount to twice what you are being payed for.
You work to live… not the other way around. Be honest about that and explain that you have no problem of putting in the extra effort when the need arises. Explain as well, that if it becomes a habbit, you’d like it to be reflected in your sallary.
[...] Nice tips from Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s site. [...]
I happen to visit your site. Congrats! It’s a wonderful site. But may I ask if you can give me a clue or two about how to set up additional navigational bars, in addition to home, and about… ie, Java Tutorial and Technical? Thank you in advance.
Yeo Zhenry
Email: firsttellfastsell@yahoo.com
Great post!
In resposne to #61:
“What do you recommend saying if an interviewer asks a question about your field that you do not know the answer to?”
Be honest. Don’t lie. Don’t try to make things up. You can approach this two ways:
#1 - “That’s an area where I do not have experience.”
#2 - “I have not professionally trained in that area, but I have been trained/have extensive experience in area ‘x’ which is very similar.”
I used to B.S. when asked this if I had no experience, and I know I was transparent. Now I’m brutally honest with #1 being my preferred answer. Just look them straight in the eye and say, “I do not have experience in that area, but I am very motivated and a quick learner.” Give ‘em the let down first with the BUT I AM WILLING TO LEARN part second so they remember that.
that’s funny… i seem to remember commenting on this post, but i cant see my comment.
and, i wrote a post on my blog (lifepbs.wordpress.com) about some differing opinions i had about some of these answers… but i can’t see my trackback anywhere…
ugh, i wonder when i’ll stop being a “new” blogger!
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog [...]
People who say they have no weaknesses have no real sense of themselves. I ask this question, and as long as they pick an answer and have addressed it (I will ask how they overcome it if they do not tell me), I will move on. I have had at least a dozen people tell me they had no weaknesses. (Thanks. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.) I have had a few tell me about serious flaws (rather than weaknesses), and several had not addressed their weaknesses in any way. These are weak candidates.
One trackback said the question is a sign of a weak interviewer, but I disagree. Not every question is looking for a philosophical answer or performance. I ask some questions because I know that some people who are not prepared or who have serious personality flaws will eliminate themselves. (Every workplace killer came in the door and applied for a job.)
I also use silence in interviews. Some people cannot stand silence. They will get nervous and add to canned answers, and the follow up words will give a better insight into their true personalities. One interviewee, after a silence, told me that sometimes you have to “tell callers how it is” - a sign that he would be brusque with people when he ran out of patience. The position was for an emergency dispatcher who would have been dealing with distraught people - people who need someone who has infinite patience. He went to work for someone else as a 9-1-1 operator and was fired this year for inappropriate behavior.
I am a retired highway patrol commander and have asked a lot of questions to people trying to hide the truth and their true intent. In HR I am not looking to interrogate a criminal (at least not on purpose), but the interview questions listed here all have their purpose and they can all in their way contribute to finding the best employees if used skillfully.
Interesting list! Just what i need for my interview later today. . .
Great site for interview tips - thankyou!
Could i ask if anyone has had been for an assessment day with HSBC? Any advice on what happens on the assesment days please?
Hi, On the HSBC online application form, could some one give me some example answers for the personal quality section please?
Sarah
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog [...]
What is your major weakness?
Try this…
I like to keep busy and productive at work. I always feel really bad during slow times because I feel that I am not contributing. So, when those times do come up, and that does happen on occasion, I have learned to ask other collegues if they need assistance or to ask my supervisor if there is anything that they would like me to help them with.
This shows initiative and teamwork, something all employers want.
Oh this is a good post.Thank alot.
Hi there, I need help
I applied for a certain job and they have sent me an email with these questions to support my application:
1. Give an example when you have worked in a team
2. What do you like and dislike about team working?
3. Give an example of when you have had to follow technical procedures or technical instructions
I’d appreciate any answers!
thank You
[...] Por mientras, me encontré este Blog, que sugiere como reponder a las preguntas comúnes en una entrevista. Creo que podrá se de ayuda, ya que no hay buen vendedor si no ha sido preparado para el ataque. Sugerencias puede haber muchas, y creo que todo el mundo opina de la mejor manera, pero la verdad es que está en cada uno de nosotros poder hacer lo que queramos. [...]
50 Common Interview Questions
Collection of Common Interview Questions. It also contains about how to answer them.
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thank you
Wow, this is a really great post: almost a month later, people are still reading it and leaving comments.
I just wrote a related post and posted it at my site (lifepbs.wordpress.com) a few minutes ago. It’s about dealing with the first few days at a new job.
I hope some day I’ll be able to write a post which will continue to have people commenting on it one month later
If you were asked something and you doesn’t understand the question and is happened for a second time, especially in a technical interview, you can answer:
Please be more specific!
you will have some extra time and information
[...] 60. EV - September 1, 2006 [...]
good job
Think you are on track with this post
Hi everyone — I’m going on an interview and my boss of course does not have a clue about this…but always at interviews and their forms they ask the question — can we contact ur previous employer…the first answer is of course (bc I dont have anything to hide and I know hes quite fond of me) but in the same respect if I dont get the job then my current supervisor will know and it wouldnt be a good situation.
How would you handle this? Any help is appreciated.
I would respond to this question saying that, of course they can contact your current employer once you have an agreement with them. Most employers understand that if a current employer is contacted before the employee has an opportunity to speak with them first that this may cause problems and possible termination.
just tell your boss to go to zacks house
or just tell him you dont want his job but you might have to take it anyway if you cant get this one
thanks rochelle!!!!
re: #11 - The salary question (see HR person’s comment posted below my comment)
This is a loaded question, some people will work for less based on a number of factors. It depends on the economy (unemployment rates, etc.) and also the industry you are in (for instance pharmaceutical companies tend to pay more than many other industries, given similiar job function and experience).
If you have the exact qualifications that a company is looking for and the hiring manager likes your personality - in many instances a company will make exceptions and pay a LOT more than they were originally willing to offer for the position. Don’t believe what a HR manager says (they are hired to find the best fit for a position for the LEAST amount they can get away with - I don’t care if they claim “they just want you to be happy”, it’s a load of crock- and the HR Director get’s paid based on their ability to save a company.
————————————————-
re: #11 - The salary question
you wrote: “I’m in HR and do a lot of interviews and I think that the best answer is:
I would expect to be paid competitively and commensurate with the level of skill, experience and responsibility that this particular job requires.”
[...] read more | digg story [...]
Interview
how r u?
by khan
[...] I’ve found a job I want to apply for, what are the next steps? If you are applying for a design position you’ll need to be sure you prepare a resume, cover letter, and portfolio samples to send on to prospective employers. (That in itself is a completely separate topic!) And if you get a call back for an interview you might be interested in the article “50 Common Interview Q&A” or you could digg other suggestion questions by users of digg.com. [...]
Tips for all (During the Interview..)
When you some one take your interview than during the interview, No take tension and don’t think that we are not eligable for this post. Sitting be cool and give answer with ful of confidence.
the question that i am always asked on intervies is “What is one that that you can use to describe yourself” I dread that question because I can never think of a word. any suggestions?
Be careful, I think a lot of the people writing these comments don’t know squat about interviews - some of them seem to be making up witty come-backs. For example, don’t ignore weaknesses - not being able to analyse your weaknesses is a weakness - remember, they are particular to you, your weak spot may be better than anyone elses good point - but you need to demonstrate being self critical.
The main post was very good though, so thanks for that.
plz send me interview question for call center along with answer i will change my name
[...] Now a days, it is more often that we are switching jobs. So there are more times than before that we have to face interviews. Even if one is not switching (that means he/she is not already employed) and is a fresher, sooner or later, he/she has to sit and face one!You can’t change it and you definitely don’t want to be unsuccessful in one too. So if your going for an interview very soon or you are going to appear in it later future, before going, have a read of the following tips to avoid some common errors that you can make in an interview and 50 most common interview questions and their answers. Well answers are in general but they will give you a good baseline what to say when you will be asked the same question. I found these when I was stumbling over net. I found them quiet useful so thought will share with you all. Very common stuff but still useful I guess. Check out the links given below:10 Avoidable interview Flubs 50 Most Common interview Q/A Explore posts in the same categories: Random Stuff [...]
In response to no. 77…
Neal, I’d be happy to provide some answers for you. But first, can you please tell me a little about youself?
First, Can you give an example when you have worked in a team?
Second, What do you like and dislike about team working?
Last, Give an example of when you have had to follow technical procedures or technical instructions
please give me a list of strength and weakness that have aked in interview and how to over come weakness ??? also tell me
hi thanks for urs comments and help .these is helping a lot of people .i have never faced any interview .know days i am planning to apply for job .so i am searching in the net so i got here.can u people send sample answers u have answered in the interview because these can help the who r attending there first interview .
[...] Job seekers have access to a number of books and websites that describe canned ‘best’ responses to the most popular interview questions. One response to the oft-asked “What are your weaknesses?” question is the predictable “I work too hard and ignore my social life.” Avoid old standby questions and ask incisive questions that make the candidate think. [...]
Thanks for the list. I have an interview later today. This sure comes in handy!
[...] 25 Questions or 50 Questions [...]
I have an interview tomorrow and this has really helped.
Thank you
I found the Q&A list as well as the discussion quite informative and interesting. Thanks!!
THANKS FOR THE GREAT POST
HELPED ME OUT
GOOD TO SEE PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE
hi
sending yuo a great information.
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: jobsearch articles 2do) [...]
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: jobsearch articles 2do) [...]
great post!
This is a great preparation sheet for game planning an interview offensively & defensively.
Good work! I’m expecting a few TDs w this.
Great Post..!
i struggled with the “what is your weakness” question before.. this post just gave me an idea how to answer if someone ask me this question again.
THanks!
Excellent Post. I am going to try it soon. hopefully, will success
Another Week, Another Beginning
While browsing the web, I came across 50 interview questions; some of them are guaranteed to show up in just about every interview you’ll ever have. I know - I’ve gotten the “why did you leave your last job”…
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: interview career) [...]
I really appreciate the answers that were given on this site because sometime employers like to put you on the spot I know that they are just doing there jobs but it can be nerve racking at times if you are not prepared.
I struggle with the what’s your leadership style or what kind of leader are you?
I answer, that I’m honest and fair with my employees. accessible and approachable with an open door policy and I don’t hesitate to jump in and get my hands dirty when necessary (I’m a multi-unit retail manager). I lead by example in other words. I’m wondering if that answer seems cliche?
I currently employed, but testing the waters.
[...] Reference: Bhuvana’s Blog [...]
If you have been terminated from your previous job, how do you relate that to a prospective employer?
bjm
[...] 50 Common Interview Question and Answers - definitely need this for those dreaded interviews [...]
Excellent post. I appreciate the insight into the inner workings of interview questions.
[...] Bhuvans: 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A August “1. Tell me about yourself: The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.” [...]
this site has helped me a lot with my interviews.. but ive been interviewed 5 times in 5 diferrent companies now, but im unemployed still.. anyway, ive got an interview tomorrow afternoon, and im hoping that i would be hired. i will do my best, and with these tips on hand, i’d be more confident. thank you so much.
PS: my problem would be the “do you have any questions?” part, coz i cant think of one… huhu
pls pray for me that id find a job ASAP! thank u!
[...] ostatnio na jednym z interesujących technicznych blogów pojawił się ciekawy wpis. zawiera on listę 50 najczęściej zadawanych pytań. zadawanych podczas rozmów kwalifikacyjnych. wpis ten zgrał mi się w czasie z tym o czym pisałem niedawno - wskazówkach guya kawasakiego nt. pisania cv. co ciekawe - cv kobiety od dzisiejszego bloga (nazywa się bhuvana muruganandam (albo sundaramoorthy, jak pisze elf), nie ma szans bym to napisał nie przepisując z czegoś, więc nazywam ją po prostu kobiętą) - ma 14 stron! tym niemniej, lista pytań i tego jak się na nie przygotować jest dosyć interesująca dla każdej osoby. no chyba, że uważasz, że nigdy więcej nie będziesz brał udziału w rozmowie kwalifikacyjnej [...]
[...] It’s never possible to be too prepared for an interview. One of the best ways of preparing is to read and consider as many interview questions as possible. That way, you will not be surprised if any particular interview question is asked. You can find 50 interview questions here. It’s also important to remember that being ready to answer questions is only half of the process. Be prepared to ask questions! Interviews can be long, have at least 10 questions prepared. [...]
Hi,
Iam an MCA graduate (Fresher)
So for i know to answer the technical questions
I can clear the aptitudes
but i felt it is very difficult for me to face the HR round
and now iam feeling like i can answer for any type of question
through this i learnt a thing ‘ Facing HR round is really an art ‘
Thank you for this
[...] Just stashing this link for future reference. [...]
Hi,
The only thing I can think to mention is to always remember that there will be other people interviewing for the same position that you are…..You don’t want to blow it by being a smart ass. It will get you nowhere fast!!!!!
Weakness: How about telling your interviewer that sometimes you let your co-workers take advantage of you. For example, if someone gives you something to do, which they were supposed to do and you do it happily.
I havent tried it but would like to hear your comments on this.
During the interview, keep this mindset, “You know you are best person for this job. You are fully confident about yourself and your abilities. All you got to do is convey this message to your interviewer”
As soon as you adopt this mindset, natural, positive and great answers will follow automatically.
Good luck.
list the factors you think are important to present you as a professional at the time of interview
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A [...]
Why did you leave you last company when you made good money? Also ties into are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
I am a over a Hunderd thousand number during my last position and left for health reason. My delima is do I tell the true about my health or some story about how I made to much money. What is the best why to handle this question without lose the opportunity because no one what to hire someone that has been sick?
Why did you leave you last company when you made good money? Also ties into are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
I made over a Hunderd thousand in 2002 now wanting to return in 2004. During my position and left for health reason. My delima is do I tell the true about my health or some other story. What is the best why to handle this question without loosing the opportunity because noone what to hire someone that has been sick?
I was asked what do u mean by multi-disciplined environment,when i was attending an intrview
I was not able to answer…
Pipka 4
My 4
where do yo u see urself in next 5 yers , 10 years
pls answer my question no. 139
AS A INTERIOR DESIGNER,HAVING MY OWN BUSINESS WITH 3/4 NO.S OF STAFF
I once got asked “What sort of person are you”. I thought what a pathetic question so I told them “I was a good bloke”. Needless to say I didn’t get the job but I did get satisfaction in knowing that I thrown the interview on purpose. I just couldn’t work for someone who considered a question like that to be anything other than insulting.
I was told to bring something I was proud of and then explain why.
I brought a newspaper that i did the graphics for and then gave the ’show and tell’
got the job
Good list of questions and points. Thanks I enjoyed.
Iam attending interview in big company tomorrow can u please help me on what type of questions they will ask.
Hi there! I’m wondering how to handle this question if it comes up in my interview.
I see that you did not include a reference from your previous employer, may we contact him?
I’m not sure how to address this because even though technically I left work to go back to school, the real reason I left though is because my boss was conducting himself in an unprofessional manner towards the women in our workplace and I called him on it, since then we have not been able to get along and I don’t trust him now to give me any sort of good reference.
How do I answer this?
To 101: Now that’s just funny.
To everyone who’s posting specific questions and hoping for answers: Consider that the HR process is designed to hire YOU. If you get hired based off of someone else’s answers because you do not have the eloquence or originality, that may come back and bite you in the butt when your personality and answers don’t match. I don’t know about hiring processes internationally (or even in any state in the USA besides Florida), but employers here usually hire you on a 90-day “trial” basis where you can be dismissed for any reason during the trial period. Be careful lest you find yourself washed out of the company because your clever answers found on the internet do not match your actual work philosophy.
[...] first ever successful interview Bhuvans’s post had triggered an array of past memories. Yeah! Its an array with no bounds checking. Lots & [...]
Has anyone been for a graduate interview at Northern Rock? If so, could you tell me what sort of questions get asked and if there are any tests to do?
Thank you!
Thanks everyone, V useful.
I think that if you are HONEST, do your Homework about yourself and the company then all may well go well, BUT remember just because you didn’t get the job it doesn’t mean YOU are unwanted or less than you were before the job interview, just a little wiser perhaps IF…you learn from you mistakes; i.e. review the job interview experience
best wishes
I got a question for an interview asking about my salary expecation and then why I think it is my worth. The interview is in 3 days I am making a power point presentation and that is the question I am struggling with . Any pointers?
what is the best way to answer the question “Why should we hire you?”..please I need an answer now…. next week will be my job interview. thanks.
great posts…
plz send me more abt que n answers for the same
I really enjoyed myself and able to digest more from your web but i still need more.Therefore, i would not mind if more of this can still be sent to my mailbhox.Thbanks
I am from Nigeria boirn in a jcity of Lagos. I am a fresh graduate of Economics with 2nd class Lower Division and presently rounding up my service this month,so i need more experience on how questions are being answered.
great article - thx for the help
one i had was “tell me a time when you were proactive, what was the plan, and how did you go about implementing/getting approval?”.
in the same interview, they also asked, “describe a time when you had to ask for help from a co-worker”.
Hi G,
Where was your interview for, if you dont mind me asking?
what were your replies to those questions that you were given?
Sara
what would you do if you find a better company than us?….
how ca i answer this……
Hello everyone great site, i have question…what is the BEST Animal to say when asked….If you were or could be an animal which would you be and why?
Quick reply needed as ive got the interview tomorrow
Thank peeps
back to the weakness thing:
an answer i used was :
“i can sometimes get frustrated if i am working hard and others around me do not seem to be”
what are your expectations from an employer?
How do you feel about upgrading/ learning new skills (for eight weeks)?
Here’s a question I havent heard in years.
(Q)What kind of animal would you be and why?
(A) I answer this one with “a Rino” A Rino is the baddest creature in the jungle always charging, nothing stops him from geting what he wants. Did you know a rino is the Fireman of the jungle? He will stomp out every fire he see’s?
Good evening I am sending you this interview guideline to help you in your jod search.
Wish you success
Are you able to work on several assignments at once?
can anyone send me best answer
People have to understand that interviewers have heard pretty much every possible answer to their questions. Your best bet is to be honest, because honest answers always come out sounding better than the answers they want to hear. Another key thing is that you have to be up beat in an interview, be excited that you there and always keep a positive attitude. Don’t answer every question right of the bat because even if you’re not lying, it will come out sounding fake. Body language also depicts a lot in an interview. If you answer a question and use your hands, a slight shift of your body and tone of voice as if you’re answering with passion, the interviewer will concentrate less on your answer but rather more on your form and tone of response. You will come off that you are truly excited to be there and that you want to engage the interviewer in your answer so they could feel what you are feeling. Key is not to sound like everyone else, be distinct: be honest.
For all recruiters out there, keep in mind that the most effective interviews are the ones where the interviewer try’s to build a rapport with the interviewee and asks basic life questions as opposed to the standard questions because they know they are not prepared for that type of interview so they like to see how you react and answer the questions. It’s a good way to lead into an interview and then ask some of the more formal questions.
And remember 8 out of 10 interviews result with the interviewer asking you if you have any questions for them, and you better, and they better be good ones because that will make the interviewer think (you are interviewing them) about how to answer the question(s) thus it will reflect positively on you. Always go out of your way to look presentable even when not required and prepare a couple of days in advance, you will be surprised what a difference it will make.
One last thing, the question that will almost always arise in an interview is “Why do you want to work at (company)?” Make sure you give a good answer because that question is the pivotal question of why you are there in the first place and it is usually asked at the beginning of the interview so if you blow that one, the rest of the answers to the coming questions won’t really matter.
my self dharmenmdra shukla i have complited my b. tech mechanical engg. past time i m givin an interview in a company
he tellinng me tell me about your strenth
but i m not give hopefull answer.he also asking me about analysis power
he ask me voice analysis but i m not understaand plz
teling me abot strenth ex. and abot self
thanking you
dharmendra
“Can You Describe Your Weaknesses? “ This is not designed to be a personal question at all. They are simply looking to see how well you’ll express yourself, as most people tend to look inside & it throws them off completely. Simple answer: “Well I used to have a problem saying NO to people, today I prioritize my day completely and in so doing I let my time management skills decide what I can truly say Yes & No to” .. now you have an answer that is in fact very personal & yet perfectly job related & in your answer you identified another attribute you have, Time Management Skills .. or at least you understand the term well enough to explain it. If you answer sounds sincere and genuine, you’ll score 10 out of 10 in any interview.
I hired and mentored people for 30 years & today teach college students young and old what to expect in the Job Search process (cover letters, resumes etc). Your qualifications & experience get you the interview & that’s all! Your interview skills will land you the job every time. HR is far more about EQ in 2007 than IQ … lots of high IQ’s out there that can’t express themselves at all .. totally internalized & deadly in an interview .. more EQ wins the day !! Best Wishes To All
As far as being REAL in an interview goes. I have talked to a great many employers & believe me, they are tired of the template cover letter approach. Stir it up, be real .. it’ll be your edge. Take that Real person & that edge to an interview .. they may only see you for 20 minutes .. gotta make an impression that lasts. Tell them what motivated in your career path, that’s a thinking person talking, not another template … it’s all about communicating these days & not looking or sounding like everyone else … be yourself .. not who you think they want to see, when they see the genuine deal .. it scores very well too.
I never thought that so easy questions can have so many traps. I’m little bit confused now. I need to preapre now before next interview with employer.
give me the answer to this q:what is your weaknesses
proud
[...] to talk about what could have been in their portfolio i.e. their professional highlights. Among questions that you should be asked will be which projects did you love working on and why? If not, there’s no harm in bringing [...]
what is the best way to answer the question “Why should we hire you?”…
what is the best answer to the question why do I want to leave my current employer?
please I need an answer now…. next week will be my job interview. thanks
Could you please tell me how to answer this question? what if you don’t agree your supervisor?
I said I will discuss it with him untill we get agreement. and the interviewer said what if you still couldn’t get agreement? I said”then, I just follow because he is supervisor”
Kimberly Wilson At a Glance
Nice blog! Great design and cool topics.
Why is “EQ” so important when cognitive ability (IQ) is correlated so strongly with actual job performance? It seems completely unscientific and rather stupid. And what’s to happen to us poor folks with super high IQs but of course, lack the EQ because we are inward looking? Is this fair?
really very helpful blog…
recently i went for an interview and was asked abt my biggest wekness…i just could’nt come up with anything…finally i said bad handwriting….must hv sounded really stupid. ha ha ha
I have my first phone interview with a pharmaceutical company. Anyone have any insight on what they may ask and what they are expecting?
I have an interview tomorrow with a company who is a competitor to a company I was employed with for eight years.
How should I handle a question regarding “loyalty”, as well as assure them I will perform the job their way without comparisons?
i have a job interview tom with a company doing graphic designs. They do commercials and some other visual effects that you see on tv. Does anybody have suggestion on how i can win the job? what type of questions (and answers) should i expect from the interviewer? pls…Thanks!
Thank you for this website! It was extremely useful.
I went for an interview last week for a teaching job. I didn’t get it and i’m sure its partly to my response to this question:
Tell us about a failure you’ve had in the past outside of teaching?
What kind of response are they expecting from this question?
The information contained in this page is brilliant. I had a interview today and stumbled across it yesterday and almost every question they asked was in here so it helped a great deal and the interview went smoothly as i was more than prepared for these questions.
Thankyou so much.
metallica
celebrities
Thanks for this wonderful information. This really helps us a lot to get through in any interview..
I have a known question…I am working presently for a small company (mnc) and applying for one of the leading banks in the world…..I’m afraid of the question “Why do you want to quit your present job”…I know, I should not say -ve about my past company..and ther are no reasons other than looking my future in one of the greatest companies..Even my past company is good but the growth is slow….How to proove my honesty in this situation…..could you please let me know some example answers for this question….any help is much appreciated.
Celebrities
2pac
Shakira
metallica
question are good but answer is not satisfactorial
very good information!
I was once asked if my room was organized. And I lied and said of coarse. But there are studies that prove that people who have messy desks/workspaces are more productive than people with clean and organized desks/workspaces. How do we respond to a question like that? It could go either way.
[...] stashing this link for future [...]
At one Interview I was asked that “Why was your agreegate on a decline ,starting from High School-to-higher secondary-to-Graduation ” It was like 77%-65.14%-63.05% ?”
I am a Engineering Fresher
It was my first Interview. I blew it up!!
what is the answaer of:-
why u leave the previous job???
tell me about urself ?
What do you want to do with your life?
Do you have any actual work experience?
How would you describe your ideal job ?
Why did you choose this career?
When did you decide on this career?
What goals do you have in your career?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
Is money important to you?
What do you want to work in the Industry?
How much money do you need to make to be happy?
Are you willing to travel? In the future?
hi,i would like to have the most important interview questions and answers.i read but it was to much.i need the summary.e.g;ten questions and answers.
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Better to have answers with example so that freshers can implement it directly without hesitating on what to say and what dont.
Hi,
I work in IT and have interviewed many people. Apart from technical knowledge which is easy enough to measure what i always looked for was some one I could work with on a day to day basis. Somebody who appears confrontational or arrogant is doomed from the start. Be yourself, use common sense, and most importantly try and enjoy the experience. Life is too short to be stressing about things which are really out of our control.
I myself have an interview in the next few days which is a second round HR type deal. I believe embracing the idea of failure as a learning experience takes away much of the anxiety and allows for much more natural expression, which I guarantee an interviewer will pick up on and give you an edge over other applicants.
[...] 50 Common Interview Questions by tech specialist Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy [...]
Free Slot Games
great
hello i m sales guy.
i m confused in what to tell in weakness polz guide me
bless all of u who posted….got questions here, i’ll appreciate any respose .
what’s the best answer to the question what do you think is your edge among all other candidates?
I think i am up against those who have all the advantages to get the job and interviewers expect better than answering ” I’m a goal oriented person, flexible, honest, etc etc.Every applicant claims they have these qualities.
and how do you deal with interviewers who keep on rephrasing his questions when you find it difficult to reconstruct your answer on the spot .It’ll sound awkward if u just keep on saying the same thing…any help pls..
what are good answers for what tasks do you like the most and the least?
Basically every job has a little of everything in it. I’m having trouble with the least liked.
thanks
would it be really bad to say i procrastinate as a weakness?
and perhaps follow it up by saying and thats why i started to follow a schedule?
i was asked this question-> do u feel if u dont get this job?… well my ans was no as the previous question was regarding the positive attitude. so lost the interview…i regret tat every time i think of it… my answer should be yes…i felt like i was a fool to say that…anyways i cant do anything now… hope to learn something which will help me for futher interviews
what r some good examples when they say tell me about yourself?? and examples of your strenghts?
how do you handle irate customers?
I keep on getting this question “How do you handle change”, any comments on what to say.
In regards to “How do you handle change”? You have to be able to handle change. If not, how can you move forward? I work in IT and technology is constantly changing. My very last interview I was asked this question. I got the job.
In regards to “How do you handle irate customers”? This is what I said at my last interview.—If a customer calls me yelling and screaming let them vent. Most of the time they just want someone to listen to them. Be empathetic. Understand how they feel. Let the customer know you are there to help them. When you show understanding to the customer/client they usually calm down. Find out exactly what the problem is, gather all pertinent information and resolve the problem.
Your greatest weakness is supposed to be the mirror image of your greatest strength. For example, if you are results oriented and extremely assertive then your greatest weakness could be tailoring your assertiveness carefully so it doesn’t get misunderstood as aggression by those of us that are thinner skinned. This is why these questions are generally asked back to back. Strength and Weakness if answered honestly should be a reflection of each other. To know your weaknesses and improve on them constantly is to show that you are seeking continuos improvement of yourself both personally and professionally.
thank you for the questions
its a simple words…but difficult to answer..
waht is your strength and weaknesses? help..
Does anyone have help with this one? In my last interview I was asked, “If you had a project that you needed to complete, and you didn’t have all the information you needed, how would you handle it?”
I answered that I find asking questions is the best way to get the answers I need to complete something.
I wasn’t called back for a 2nd interview, but I realize now after reading this site that I made quite a few mistakes in my interview (I only had 2 hours to prepare, they called me at 8:30 a.m. for a 10:30 interview! I should have stalled them, I guess). I have another interview tomorrow and would like to have a good response to this question, in case they ask me!!
Thanks.
Michelle,
I would suggest stating that you would compile all inforamation you currently had, then reach out to those that you feel would have additional information and/or resources to be able to complete the task. Also, asking for additional information from the project leader is always acceptable as well.
These are some great answers to possible interview questions…. My problem is that I have not been honest at all in interviews. I have an interview tomorrow in which I am going to be totally honest about myself and strengths and weaknesses. I am not going to fabricate answers but use totally honest responses with no extra crap that they dont care about.
I think after reading a few responses that this will be very helpful for me and will make it feel so much more casual.
A bit off subject– I interviewed for and was offered a position- contingent upon a meeting the company had with an outside entity. When I was offered the job, the HR person said it was “unanimus” , all five people at three different interviews, chose me as their top canidate. After the meeting, the offer was recinded. I was told they needed to do some rethinking, and “would be talking to me”. The next thing I know, the position is being advertised again, and no one has returned my call. Any suggestions? I am confident I am the right canidate for this position. Is there a different blog for this type of question?
I have been interviewing candidates for a job the past few weeks. The biggest purpose of the interview for me is to get a better sense of who each person is, and what their personality is like.
While you should put your best foot forward, I think the best approach is to be honest about who you are. A lot of these questions don’t have right answers, (although I suppose there are some really “wrong” answers).
A lot of these questions are different versions of “tell me about yourself”. I read your resume, I know your last five jobs, so if I ask what are your strengths and weaknesses, I’m thinking about the role the job needs and how that will fit, but I’m also just trying to get a sense of who you are as a person, and if you will fit in. As long as you don’t say your weakness is drinking on the job or something, I think it is ok. Refusing to respond seems a little wierd and defensive to me.
I am trying to create a team, so it takes a balance of different personalities to make it work. If you fake it and still manage to get the job, I promise neither of us will be happy, and you will have to explain to yoru next employer why you got fired after 6 months.
If you don’t get hired or called back, I don’t think there is anything wrong with sending a follow up email asking what the status is, and if there is any feedback. I know that often a certain job can be different things, depending on who is hired, and interviewing process helps the hirers narrow down what they want. (e.g. one candidate might be more analytical, and another more creative- both could do the job, but we need to decide which would be a better fit, and they both bring different strengths to the table.)
Anyway, those are some thoughts. Good luck to all of you.
[...] a quick post today, and it’s and oldie, but goodie. Last summer, Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy put together the top 50 questions that you are likely to get in a job interview. There is also [...]
[...] that in mind, I’m looking to ace any upcoming interviews I going to have. And I found this gem of an article on the vast wastelands of the interweb. It is a list of the top 50 questions asked [...]
Greatest weakness. Give them something that might sound like a weakness but is actually an asset in the workplace. For example, “I tend to get lost in detail… I get so caught up in the task at hand…”
OK
good job……………..
to get good job……..
[...] an improvisation — it’s a rehearsed performance. And it’s no mystery what the most common interview questions are, so prepare you answers. Even if you end up fielding a question you didn’t anticipate, [...]
Great source of information!!!!
How do you answer the question. What would you change about your past?
I hate the dreaded phone interview-when you’ve applied for lots of positions and someone calls you back and goes right into interview mode. Somehow I never get called for a face -o-face interview after a phone interview.
i’m glad i stumbled on this one. the discussion here really informs me a lot. im a fresh graduate and im having an interview day after tomorrow. hope your points of view works. and thanks! haha..
i had a failing grade in college and the interviewer dig me into it asking why ive failed the subject? i was overwhelmed that i decided to be honest answering the question. i told them the truth that i and my professor did’nt get along very well. i wasn’t hired and i thought it was because of that response that i was rejected. can anybody suggest what i should have done or say instead?
you should have mentioned about the exam being touch instead, or that due to many other subjects you were sitting for at that particular time, you had little time for this subject and hence you faild
I was asked about the different between efficiency and effectiveness and I found this to be also one and the same think. what was I supposed to answer. please help.
i was asked by this question during an interview, “how would you describe the color blue to a blind person?”. My answer was that i sang a beautiful song to him and that song meant the color blue. Could he hear the sweetness of the color? I didn’t know what was the most appropriate answer. I was rejected during the technical though.
Would it be appropriate to negotiate your salary based on the hiring manager’s comments of ‘expect regular over time to get the job done’? i would a salaried employee and expected overtime is not part of my pay. I don’t mind the overtime but I would like to be compensated equitably if overtime is expected. Would that be a good negotitation method? Thanks!
hi! i need help. How do you answer this question: What is your expected salary?
okayy well , i have my first job interview tommorow ever. Im 15 years old and alot of these questions are going to be hard to answer because , first of all i havent worked before i have experience with babysitting , my mom’s bridal shop , and extracurricular activities … im basically looking for job expierience and dont expect a big pay . Too the person who was wondering what it meant when someone askes what animal you see yourself as , it is too tell them what kind of person you are , in my career studys class we learned about this … If you say a lion , you are Loyal&independant , if you say something like a mamouth you are more lazy and laidback and not what there looking for .
what is a good example of showing initiative to solve problem??
Jenna
244. Tina: Your 15, don’t worry about an animal question, if that comes up you simply respond I don’t know, I am not familiar enough with animals to answer. I know that I am eager to prove myself in the position I am applying for & will do my best not to disapoint you as an employer. I am older but have been in your position when applying for the first time for employment. I could not understand the intimidating questions as they were trying to stump or scare me? The person that they hired that was not scared was most likely not a good employee but a over confident slacker. The applicant that is concerned will most likely be the better hire. Relax & keep trying you will prevail.
A tip to all. If you have an interviwer ask ridiculous questions, the job is not for you. It will be a ridiculous & politically motivated position. If you are willing & able to answer you may be the right one for the position if not believe me when I tell you it’s not what you wanted. Interviews should not be phony & intimidating just a form of getting to know somone at a first impression & learning the skills they possess. The other stuff is fluff & a sign of a bad job & a worst employer.
I have one word, ENERGY! Show excitement and energy during your interview and dont make an ass of yourself and you are on the right path to getting the job.
What type of questions are safe to ask the interviewer, and how many should generally be asked?
hr interiew questions
very good questions but not what im looking for Lol!!!!!!
the tips r good but ineed a professional answers for all .any way think of subject and make apersonal research and let the blog to be a reference space for the people
In response to ” why were you terminated from your last job ? “, try giving the stated reason (they will get it from HR) followed by “I was stunned and so were my coworkers.” Then you can lead into your good work at that organization, your cooperation with colleagues, and suggestions on which coworkers to contact to get a better insight of how you really were on the job.
Hi I have a friend who is switching fro Telecom to Software.He has only handled Software projects from a PMO level .
He is shit scared that the interviewers might ask him question related to technology as he is not technically qualified , but he is good in concepts and can sell himself well.
Please advise what he can do
i have no prepare to give the answer obout my hoobies.please help me about that.
[...] point or another, but if you’re in the market for a new job, it might be good to study up on these to ace your next [...]
good postings, and really intresting what suggestions people are giving. got an interview tommorrow and its been fun reading this blog.
Very good post… tomorrow i have tomorrow my job interview, so i hope this tips help me.
i will get you posted
Really a great post..But I need answer for ” where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
SAMY: “where do you see yourself in 5 years” always want to be advancing within the industry/company.
…”I see myself in your shoes” to a sup.
… “I want to advance through the company…”
How do you answer the question what can you contribute to this comapany? I always have problems with that question.
great blog …In answer to “why were you terminated from your last job?” it is important to know the why yourself first,if you don’t know simply find out!(ring and get reasons or pretend to be employer and find out how they will answer) If you are responding to this question better to reflect what the reference is likey to say.
also regarding the question on “biggest weakness” an answer like… ” I sometimes delay why own work to assist the needs of my colleagues if they need help (elaborate) this shows you care, are a team player and flexible
“biggest weakness”
I’ve always found that showcasing your greatest strength and double wammi to your greatest weakness.
————
My biggest weakness would probally be multi-tasking because when i’m not busy, I tend to loose focus and day dream.
My greatest strength is my ability to do many tasks at once and being able to stay focus and complete the jobs in front of me.
———–
Was at an interview yesterday and asked ..” What are your salary expectations from this job?” I replied “that I would expect the salary would reflect the responsibility,but that I not only motivated by money alone and that the challenges,new experience count for important motivators as well” Let you know the outcome in due course
Whats the best way to answer the following the question?
What do you do if the project you are managing is not going to meet the deadline?
When I go on interviews I get nervous and have a tendency not to talk very much. Does any one have any suggestions to help me?
In answer to kev, I think a good answer to your question would be:
“Advise all stakeholders involved with the deadline as soon as you realise you may not meet the deadline, but also make them aware that you and your team are doing everything they possibly can to meet the deadline.”
I have worked in the dental field for over 25 years, as front desk, assistant, and collections manager. After a horrific car accident last year (I was rear ended at a light), I lost my position of 15 years because my recovery took too long. So what do I say regarding why I was fired. I was heartbroken when I was told I no longer had a job but will a future employer see my long recovery as a weakness or someone that now has health issues? I am very torn as to what type of answer I should say to this question. Please help.
This blog was awesome.I learned more from this blog.
@groom, @james
Seeking post-interview feedback is as productive as “playing handball against the drapes.” You get nothing useful in return.
Here are several reasons why it’s useless:
1. Some people are very nice and don’t want to hurt your feelings. Or they follow corporate policies, stay quiet and protect themselves.
2. Some people are very nasty with big ego trips. They love seeing candidates squirm after fraternity hazings, especially if they went through one to get hired.
3. So few ever get any formal training in interviewing and evaluating people. This is especially true in fields like engineering where the best programmer becomes software development manager.
4. The very performance that turns one person off turns the next one on. Someone says you’re cocky and another says you’re confident.
5. Someone was threatened by you. Instead of volunteering that, they’ll criticize you and maybe even invent a fault you don’t have.
6. They already have something you don’t, a job at BigNameCo. Therefore, what is in it for them to criticize your performance?
And here’s one other thing people rarely consider — is the feedback valid? Just because they are authorities, does it mean they’re right? Your self-esteem can be needlessly battered in a time you need it most like job search.
And here’s the biggest one of all — hiring is extremely subjective! If they really want you, they’ll let any flaw slip by. If you didn’t know multithreading, for instance, they could say, “Multithreading is no biggie, he’ll pick it up like we did.” If they don’t, someone on the hiring committee will make a federal case out of it, e.g., “He writes code and he doesn’t know multithreading? What a loser!”
When I missed out on a few offers, especially from big-name companies, I used to ask how I did, where to improve, etc. As I collected responses, it was so inconsistent. Some even said they rated me highly, and couldn’t hire me due to politics. So I don’t waste my time any more. Instead, I pursue and work for employers who have their act together.
awesome blog,thanks for the list!,
btw what the best answer if you got this question?
“what do you hope to achieve from the job that we are offering?”
and fyi, the job is for the network engineer.
thanks
thanks
Oh my god…im freaking out…I’m applying as a TV researcher…and this article really helped..
and i was just about to say
My biggest weakness is that I’m a total and absolute perfectionist..
so cliche…
but now i know I wont
42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
That can be another way of asking, “aren’t you too old?”
and not get in trouble.
If you answer politely, you might say, “To have someone with expertise, you need someone with 20 years of experience.”
Of course, you could deflect to question by saying you realize there’s trade-offs to accepting this job, low pay, less responsiblity, get to live in the country….
“Do you have any questions” (from the potential employer) I answered - “Do you have any doubt in my ability to do this Job/perform the role”?. A good one as this gets you feedback that you can respond to. On recently getting promotion at work, it was this question that clinched it for me, although bordering arrogant, it displays confidence and is an open-ended question. Both of my interviewers said that this had stuck in their mind and made my interview a memorable one as none of the other candidates had been as direct, if you are one of many candidates for the role, you need to be as memorable as possible.
Thanx for the post.
This will be helpful for me. I have an interview on Monday and I’ll make sure to read this blog as well as the comments of other people here.
Hope to get the Job.
some of the questions I was asked at a recent interview, may help preparation;
1. give us an example of a difficult decision or task you had to deal with?
2. what are your salary expectations?
3. What do you consider to be the challenges in this new position?
4. what strengths do you bring to this company?
5. What would you consider to be your weaknesses/failings?
(only a sample and not in any specific order)
nice answers
Thanks a lot for this post…
Although im placed in 2-3 companies but this will surely help me
vib
hi this an amzing site thanks
Here is the response I gave to Burger King when they asked me to list five words that ‘best’ describe me:
1. Literate
2. Competent
3. Sober
4. Ambitious
5. Desperate
I got the job!!!
Thankyou for this blog - not just the questions at the start, but mostly the comments over the last six months from people who have given some wonderful advice.
Don’t forget, as well as thinking about the questions they will be asking you, to have a few suitable questions to turn back on the interviewer at the end, during the “that about wraps it up, do you have anything you’d like to ask me” section.
Many people are so pleased to have the interview over with that they will be only too pleased to shake their heads, get up and leave the room. But an interviewer can see a lot more if you ask some intelligent questions back, and it shows that you are interested about the position, and enthusiastic to learn more about the role.
Think of some good questions to ask back - ask about the training opportunities that they will give you, ask about the most and least enjoyable aspects of the position, ask what happened to the person whose job you will be taking - was he/she promoted, did he/she leave? Be positive but curious about the company, ask questions relating to the product or work that you will be doing. Show that you have a genuine interest in the role you are applying for.
Good luck to everyone!
11. What kind of salary do you need?
I had a friend who recently did not answer this question on his phone interview, he gave one of those “it depends on the requirements” answers. When he did the face to face interview he was told the max salary was $20k less then what he was looking for! I advise at least giving a range so you dont waste you time.
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
If I was asked this I would say “It depends on the situation. If the company asked me to do something illegal or unethical b/c it was in their best interest then NO. However, if I needed to stay late to finish a project when I’d rather be home eating dinner then YES”
I had a phone interview the other day and one question that came up was, “Do you consider yourself a competitive person at work?” Then I had to give an example. This was the question I had the hardest time answering.
this helped me a lot to prepare for my interview
List 38 reasons why you would be a horrible employee?
If this were asked, I’d just walk out right then.
[...] Ace the interview by preparing for it. Practice. Show up early in your corporate attire and be polite during the [...]
this is a very good site…i have really enjoyed the answers to the questions. I have an interview with a college and these answers really helped.
This is great information, I stumbled upon it…and had a good laugh at comment 13…by the time I got to comment 60…well almost too much to read…But I am going to take all this information in mind when I go for my future interviews……….good luck to all the job seekers…
Thank u for the post it helps me to be prepare 4my interview..later.. GODBLESS and more power…
thanks for all the tips guys… im going to apply in a c.center after i finish my training and i get hired…
First a fall ” Thanks to you “.
Plz give me a answer for this question.
What is your weakness?
my weekness is i cann’t stay long time in the official parties.
Do you think it is important that your supervisor should know all the jobs ?
I have had some different answers to this question any suggestions?
I just discovered this site, it is awsome. I believe it will be very helpful for the job search .
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
yes or no?? People are telling me different answers.
thanks for this site.i’ll be having my interview tomorrow and this article will be a great help. pls guys wish me luck.
Worst quality:
I would say my worst quality is sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. I love being involved in things, but sometimes I overwhelm myself.
OR….I get bored easily if my job is static. I like to keep learning and I like having constant opportunities and challenges…it makes things interesting.
this site was great. I’m having my interview in 30 min. thank you.
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your greatest weakness
your weaknesses should be your strengths and your strengths should be your weaknesses.
ie competitiveness sometimes it is good to be competitive but other times it can get in the way.
12. Are you a team player?
To be a good team player, you have to be a good individual first. If you have a poor foundation, how are you expecting to be able to support or develop a strong/large house?
I am a player who works well in the team, bringing out the strengths in all team members, and utilizing them for their speciatlies. I am also a player who can hold his own in all areas and am able to support the team.
How I answer that question.
Thank you for the post it helps me to be prepare for my interview.
What kind of salary are you looking for?
Gee, lets say, somewhere in the neighborhood of what the CEO is making! Helloooooo, that is such a stupid question even if we say $100,000 for receptionist we are not going to get it, that answer would answer what irritates me about a (HR) coworker! Why not just throw a salary range, and ask the prospective employee if they would consider a position that pays in that area. I love it when I stumble upon job posting that are bold and honest enough to warn applicants: i.e., Title: Editorial Assistant Salary: Under $35,000.
Hi,
I found this site today (the day before my interview)!!!
Anyway these are some great tips & these posts are even better. I d just like to thank you all lol.
Wish Me Luck!!!!
I found that best way to go about salary question is to say something like “well, I don’t know, right now I make $80K plus benefits, and my stok option worth about 10K/year etc.” Of course numbers are adjusted to company, but this way I was able to get more $ than I would have otherwise, probably because it makes HR to realize that if others already paying me this much they should as well. Make sure you sound troubled by question at first and telling absolute truth.
[...] be fun. The process is starting to be pretty predictable. I was web surfing and found a list of 50 common interview questions , and most of the questions I’ve been asked is on this list. I’ve also been checking [...]
Fantastic guys!
Thanks for all the brainstorming.
thanks for this site!!! hoping that this tips may help me soon for my interview…….
really great help!
thanks
Found this the day before my interview and I’ll be leaving for it in a few hours. Thanks a lot for the help.
[...] - 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog 12. Are you a team player? You are, of course, a team [...]
Found this site yesterday and found the topic and comments to be very helpful. I got an interview on Monday next week, hopefully it will go well.
i NEED HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THE INTERVIEW IS GOING TO ASK ME
the interview asked “where do you see yourself in 5 years” i said IN A HIGHER POSITION THAN YOUR SELF !!! and the interview went all red in the face and he shook my hand and said im successful……. hahah
Nice thread. Some useful stuff here. If anyone is interested, I have written a complete interview guide — with several winning interview answers for every question. The answers work for any type of job, but are well suited for technical people. Email me and I will send you a copy.
Hi
These are great. I’m an ESL (Eng. as a Second Lang) tchr here in Istanbul and now hv an Upper Interm. Bus. class. They are mainly college seniors and am gearing up for interviews and such. The truly great jobs in Turkey are extremely competitive, as I suppose, they are anywhere. But as people rarely change jobs here, it can mean a lifetime-or at least 7 years–of NOT changing.
Thanks for your help.
These stink i didn’t get the job! they didn’t ask any if these stupid questions
I am trying to give an interview to my Bff Diana! for a school speech!
I have been asked to give an example of customer focus : can you give me some of those and how i can phrase them please
I was asked to answer the questions below for an oil and gas interview .Pls,help me out now:You will need to continuously demonstrate competency in the following areas. You are asked to give real examples (academic or otherwise) of when you have demonstrated the following competencies. Please use no more than 100 words for each.
Flexibility: Give an example of when you have had to change your behaviour or adopt a new approach in order to meet an objective or adapt to a new situation.
Team Working Ethic: Give a recent example of when you were part of a team which met a stretching objective and tell us about your specific contribution to the team.
Communication Skills: Describe a situation where you feel you have communicated effectively. What did you do to ensure the audience understood your message?
Problem Solving / Decision Making: Tell us about a situation where you have resolved a difficulty that you have encountered. Please describe how you came to your final decision.
Achievement Motivation: Apart from your degree, tell us about a major personal achievement.
Leadership Skills: Explain how you have developed your leadership abilities, what you gained from this experience and what you would do differently next time.
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Hey guys!
that was a long list to read! Thanx for sharing all those tips and experience with us! I really appreciate it.
I just started looking for accounting jobs and I got a total of two interviews so far (one per week). Is that too little?? (based on approx. 10-15 resumes sent each week)
I know I blew the first interview cause I didn’t practice any questions. As for the second interview, I feel that I could do better and say more of what I wanted to say but I didn’t get the opportunity to. The interviewer asked me only THREE questions for the WHOLE interview.
For those ppl who want to know the questions… They were: 1.) Tell me a little about yourself. (I think I did pretty well in this question); 2.) Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? (I said I want to open a cosmetic retail business (I really do! but not 100% about the cosmetic part.) –> should I say that? cause I think he wanted to hear something else… should I tell him, I want to grow with the company, continue to learn, and make long-term contributions?;
3.) Do you have any questions?
any comments on my answer for the question 2?? should I tell him what he wants to hear or I want to do (and apparently don’t want to hear.)???? any suggestions?
Thanx for listening guys! again, I really appreciate all the postings and for sharing your experience with us all!
Hi! Thanks for all the advice. Man, I need to really prepare for my next interviews… but I have two questions… how would one answer:
1/ 3 Reasons why we shouldn’t hire you (tough!)
I would say “if you are looking for a workaholic, you would be disappointed because I cherish balance in all life aspects” but then, what about the other 2? Argh!
2 / And another thing. I’ve been traveling, visiting family and in short, doing my own thing, for almost half a year and I dread the moment when they ask what I’ve been doing this time, as there is nothing related to my career or the job. I don’t think “done yoga 3 hours daily and I’m finally capable to do the Headstand.. I’m very proud of it!” will impress National Instruments much.
Help! And thanks to everyone.
Q. What are your weaknesses?
A. I know that’s a common interview question but I admit I really don’t know how to answer it. I do my best at work, but like everyone else, I make mistakes. I learn from my mistakes and move on. [Be ready for the next question which may be to give an example of a mistake from which you learned something. Give a stellar example.]
The point of this question, like many others, is not to get an honest answer. It is to see how cool you are when put into awkward situations.
Q: What is your weakness.
A: I was looking for any appropriate answer of this question. I have read all the comments and replies. These are helpful.
I think one of the best answer to this question is
I don’t say no to anybody for any kind of help. Doing so sometimes it blew me off the track and I loose my momentum. I talked about this to my boss and he suggested me few tips like Prioitize your work. I start prioritizing my work and I am seeing results of that.
IF you have any suggestion to correct or modify this answer please post your views.
This site is really exciting and it can help persons to get the desired job that one aims for.It will be more useful if 20 most common interview questions can be listed with detail answers enough to reply withut pausing during the interview sesson.Tomorrow i have interview in Delhi,i hope will be able to crack it after going through this site.
Sumant Kumar
Hi Jim. Photos i received. Thanks
plz i have interviewes&give me all the questions possible.
Good luck for the interview
wishing myself good luck for my upcoming interview
I wanted to thank you for the time you spent building this page. I will visit your website again. Thank you
how do you handle a situation when you have an upsad customer?
^I had that same question at one of my interviews yesterday as well.
Also, I had, “how do you define leadership?” and “how do you define success?”
It was a tough interview, i tried as hard as i could but didn’t get it. Now i have another in 2 days and i hope this will help me out.
[...] an improvisation — it’s a rehearsed performance. And it’s no mystery what the most common interview questions are, so prepare you answers. Even if you end up fielding a question you didn’t anticipate, [...]
dear sirs,
i would like to tell you that this is the most beneficial site for the interview highlights and thank you very much for sharing and lighting our sight with it
i have an interview up agianst 9 people in 3 days… and i have to say this site is very very helpful! thanks..
This site is very beneficial for all those who are preparing for an interview. I am also preparing for an interview could you please tell me the answer for the below question:
Tell me about your family? Just i would like to ask from where i have to start to answer this question. Just telling about the family members is enough or i have to tell something else.
I don’t believe they are asking you this to find out how dick, jane, and your dog spot are doing, so DO NOT give personal details about them, not only do you not have the right, but they are not interviewing for the position, you are!!!
Feel free to ask them WHY they want to know about your family, so you can decide what it is you want to tell them, and what is none of their business. In truth though, I think what they realy might be wanting to know is whether or not you will put family ahead of your career or visa-versa. You need to answer this question as honestly as posible. If they don’t like the answer, then it’s not the company you want to work for anyway.
I had this question once before, my answer was simple: “they are good, thank you for asking. how are yours?” the interviewer smiled, said good too, and moved on. I got an offer, but took something else instead.
Yeah you guys really suk
This site is so fuck ass stupaid.Why would you want to know the shit ass interview questions. i can make up my own interview questions like right now. For example: Why are you telling us about these fuck ass questions?
Are you made of shit? Because I think you are.
Why do you always smeel like yo’ momma’s ass?
See So you can just shut that ass hole of yours and tell people that you can make up your own interview questions!
“You suk” you need to go back to middle school and learn to spell. and i think you need to go back and read some of the things on this site so you could actually go out and get a real job insead of working at mickey d’s your whole life. I think this site really helped me prepare for my interview tomorrow with good example questions and a great responce to them. Thanks much
Hi, anyone can answer my question. And i would really appreciate your answers if you’re gonna help me. I am applying for a job right now in a call center hope you could help me in a little way.I need sample answers with explanations.Heres my questions:
1. What motivates you to work?
2. What are your strength and weaknesses ?
3. Why we should hire you?
4. What is your short and long term goal?
5. Why do you want to apply in our company?
1. You can always say your family movitates you to work. To be able to provide for them.
2. It’s always good to stay positive when it comes to your strengths you can talk about your positive attitude, your ability to work well with others, your ability to prioritize and your ability to work under pressure. Your weakness is a hard one you don’t want to say too much but you don’t want to ignore the question you are going to have to think about that one.
3. For this question you should point out how your skills can contribute to the company’s needs.
4. Be realistic, otherwise you can sound immature. You can say to find a job where you will be can be happy and contribute to the company’s success. Long Term you can say that you have proven yourself and hopefully be considered for a manager or supervisors position.
5. Your going to have to do some research for this one and see what the company is all about. Match your qualifications to what the position and company are looking for.
Stay positive and good luck.
I recently interviewed three females for a job position and following all the usual questions I asked each one the same question: “you find a £20 note on the shopfloor - what would you do?” the first girl said She would pick up the money bring upto the store manager and allow the manager to keep it safe in case someone distressed had lost it,it could be given back (she would give her name and address as well just in case it wasn’t claimed)
Thought this was a good answer until I asked the second person the same question, she replied “I would pick up the money - bring it to the local police and declare that I found the money and if unclaimed after 1 year and a day ask that you give the money a local charity.
Very good answer but then when I asked the last person this same question she said that she would “pick up the money, look around and pocket the money as it my good luck that i found it” who should I give the job to???
I gave the job to the one with the biggest Boobs!
I was asked during the interview in a FMCG company,What sales process would you adopt in this FMCG company and name the sales Process you are aware of?
This blog really helped me so much in my interviews. I got hired by a multi-national. It is really great.
good question:
what’s your biggest achievement?
thanks alot for this kind of message. it has given me an insight on what i would expect in an interview. being a fresh graduate without any experience. i wish you could provide a mechanism where i could send my questions and have them answered back to my e-mail. good day.
I must say this site is REALLY GOOD.
Good work dude(s)!!!
Read the postings, which are many but definately worth reading, filter out the HR people responses and get prepared for your interview.
That’s what I did and I think it worked.
I definately had a good “feeling” after the interview
(I will let you know if I got the job……)
A big advice…..
Be relaxed, sound natural, dress well and be smart in any way
Blessings+Luck 2 all the job hunters out there
after going thru the sample Qs? i’m confident enough that i will get that intern job tomorrow.
Nice site! I am preparing for my 2nd interview later in the afternoon and this site really helped me a lot! I’ll inform everyone about the result of my interview. Thanks so much1 more power and good Luck to all the jobseekers out there! May we find the best job that is most suitable to us!
gr8888888888888888888
i really liked tips to handle interviews……..i m gonna 2morrow to face an interview……….
best luck for the interviewee…………………………………………
This site is realy gud but one thing which i feel missing is that no body told taht how to react when u r in starting carrer
like “what is ur weakness” what should i say beacuase the mention answer above is not appropraite for a freash candiadate.
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If somebody asks you ” what do you know about this company?”
How would you answer it? I had this question before and I told the interviewer about something I found from their company websites. But the interviewer thought I did a bad job by doing that. How should we handle this question?
hi
“Amanda - June 13, 2007
“You suk” you need to go back to middle school and learn to spell … and a great [*]responce[*] to them. Thanks much
”
LOL. Pot, black, kettle… well you know.
I’ve found that it’s definitely best to be yourself in interviews, and other than being smartly presented, not to *try* as such as that’ll come across negatively. Without being cocky, remember that the interview process is a great chance for you to interview the company for whom you’re considering lending your skills to (assuming that it is a skilled job and not one where candidates are 10 a penny) as well as to give the interviewer an impression of yourself. At the end of the day, literally, the interviewers are just people like yourself that you might have a pint with down the pub, and coming across friendly and open whilst not overly ingratiating works well. The interviewer may also be nervous, and helping to put them at ease is likely to have a positive effect.
With tricky questions, if you’re not sure of an answer then you can always say so or ask the interviewer to clarify. Not knowing an answer isn’t always the wrong answer and could be the right answer in a sense because not everyone knows everything. Other answers such as going to a book, looking up on google or asking peers can be valid answers because there will be times when you can’t do something, and having the initiative to solve the problem is a skill in itself.
With “tricky” questions like “what do you know about this company”, you might be honest and with a smile (but not a smirk) say “probably not enough”, and then immediately say that you did want to ask “XYZ about them”. Or you might say that you did some research but wanted to ask them… Obviously you need to know something about what they do, and should have been prepared by the recruitment consultant, whch of course you won’t get with any job boards and which is why they have a much less than 5% success rate and are a disaster.
Biggest weakness, I would say “perfectionist”. It happens to be true (or at least one my biggest ones), and conveniently can be seen as a strength, particularly when qualified to show that you’re aware of it and that actually you know when to stop.
Good luck to all.
i definately have to say that this is a very good post. i read every single thing on this website because i’m going for an interview for my first full time job on wednesday. Ive been employ twice before in the summer and now im done with college its time to get a real job.the tips on here are very helpful, they put me at ease a bit cz im very nervous cuz i had no idea what they were going to ask and how were am i going to answer them. well wish me luck, i hope i get the job, i really want it. i’ll let you guys know how the interview went and if i got the job. guys…pray for me, wish me luck…thnks…later
name a time when one of your co-workers wasn’t carrying their own and what you did about it?
good information
its really good
testing!!
I am terrified of interviews hence I’ve stuck to 1job for many many years, even when I read the materials and tips I get memory loss. How do I gain the confidence and be able to remember what I read?
Anyone any apple interview questions??
i had a job interview that i thought went very well. i recieved a phone call that i did not meet their credentials. i felt short changed as that was left on my machine. i really liked the position offered and felt there were things that needed to be discussed further. i asked for another interview and asked them to reconsider their decision as i still thought that i would be an asset to them. was that wrong? i looked at it two ways. i believe in determination and yet i did not want to seem as though i was begging. but how would one know if they did not try or ask what the credential was that was missing?
thanks for this site I gained a lot of confidence reading those suggestions..thanks guys
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VEry Useful Stuff…..COOOL !!
I’m terrible at interviews and I think these sample questions will really help me to prepare for future interviews.
One thing I wanted to state was that with the biggest weakness question, you should try to surround your answer with positive things even if it’s negative when it first comes out of your mouth.
For example, one of my biggest weaknesses is that I don’t trust my instincts. A way to put a positive spin on this would be “I don’t trust my instincts which sometimes results in my double checking everything to make sure it’s correct.” Something of that nature.
Hi everyone,
This is a brilliant blog! I am going for my 3rd interview tomorrow with the same company and i am “NERVOUS”!!!
I am also confident that i will make it cos i did make it all the way to the end
The interview is 3HOURS long.
Is there anyone here that has been for an interview with this duration?
Please let me know what i should be expecting
Thanks
Hi Guys,tomorrow is my first interview..hope your advices will help me a lot to answers question to the interview..
what would be the beat answer for the question:
greater strength and weakness?
hop you help me guys……
what would be the best answer for the question:
greater strength and weakness?
hop you help me guys…
Will definitely use this at my interview tomorrow. Good stuff.
I agree with dan. I have an interview tomorrow, and this is very helpful. Thank you.
lovin this
This has been somewhat helpful as I have not searched for a job for a long time…Some things I disagree with of course but I beleive i can make this work…..I have interview tomorrow and yeah… Ima nail It! Thanks
Got an assessment at TFL assessment centre tommorrow. Wish me luck everyone
I got the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hey guyzzz.. cn u pls answer the ff:
1. What is your philosophy towards work?
2. What is you ideal employer-employee relationship?
3. What is your positive attitude towards work?
4. What challenges are you looking for in the organization?
5. Can you give me an example of leadership skills?
6. What irritates you about co-workers?
7.Explain how you would be an asset to the organization.
8. What are your expectations from the company?
9. What do you consider to be the challenges in this organization?
10. What strenhts do you bring to this company?
11. What are your expectations on the job?
12. Do you consider yourself competoitive at work?
13. What is ypour ideal work environment?
14. Describe your work ethic.
15. Tell me about a suggestion you have made.
16. Give me an example of a difficult decision or tasdk you had to deal with
17. Waht is your notable accomplishment?
thanx..more power and godbless!!!!
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hii
I am applying for the jobboom.com website jobs
and needs your feed back to make myself in a right direction.
Here are some questions and need your guidance to answer these questions.
1. Describe the most important challenge you have encountered during your career
2. Describe the most important accomplishment of your career
3. Describe what you look for in your ideal employer
4. Briefly describe your vision of your career path over the next 5 to 10 years
Best Regards
I got asked the question ‘what made you the man are you are today?’ anybody have any ideas. honest answers only.
thanks
HI
i got asked the question .
i got asked the question & their answer in a interview.
how did u spend the time yesterday
Good stuff !
The questions really came in handy. I have an interview today and i feel so confident that i’ll ace it in JESUS name (Amen)
important
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Thankz for the gr8888 site. I feel much stronger now that i’ve gone through the Q&A, i’ve got an interview soon…
Just planning ahead…
Thankz again..
has anyone interviewed with corning’s? if so, what kind of questions do they ask. i’m out of wilmington, nc. I got an interview with them this week.
I am so thankful I found this site. I am going for my first real job interview very soon. I am startled at the kinds of questions I may be asked.
I have been working in a temporary part time position for over a year. They have opened the job as a full-time position, which means my temp job will no longer exist and I have to apply for the full time one.
My co-workers are crazy as batshite, but I love them and my job. How do I be tactful when or if I get asked about if I’ve ever had any problems at a job, or with a supervisor or co-workers? They are all going to be on the initial interview and hiring committee!
“Yeah, it annoys me when Sally gets all drama-queeny and off-topic, and Jane criticizes me for simply not doing a job exactly as she’d do it, and Pam sits around all day and does nothing but talk about the bars she went to the night before. They all waste my time when I’m trying to work.”
I guess this is where I have to lie?
Great site:
I can give everybody some of my experiences where I answered the question in the wrong way and was not hired.
1) Greatest Weakness
This is a real twit of a question. I was asked it only once and it changed my whole perception of the company and the interviewer ( although in retrospect they may have said it to test my reaction ). I wasn’t going to trot out the old “ my greatest weakness is my hard working nature/ I am too much of a perfectionist/ I am never happy until I give 150%” type of BS. So I was honest ( instead of just laughing out loud ) – I said that I had a weakness for doing paperwork and got bored with it – bad move. I never got recalled. I agree that it is a bit of an invitation to put your head in a noose and must be resisted.
2) Making Jokes with the interviewer
Bad move – the guy was playing it 100% straight and I put in a weak joke ( saying my salary included a Per Diem allowance and a Per Collate allowance for coffee etc – geddit? Per collate – percolate – coffee??? Side splitting eh? Well no , not in any sense – I wasn’t called back needless to say.
3) Disagreeing with interviewee on technical point – no no and no ( although since he started to disagree with me I had probally lost the job anyway.)
I had an interview today for a city job, and I WISH they had asked me ANY of the questions listed, as I might have actually been able to answer them. Instead, I got questions that were so unexpected that I still don’t know how I was supposed to answer them. For example:
What would you do if a supervisor directed you to do something that was against departmental policy? My response was that I would first make sure that I understood correctly what the supervisor had told me. Then I would have a sit-down with the supervisor to confirm that he understood the possible ramifications of what he was asking me to do. I then said that, in order to not be insubordinate, I would document everything and send a memo to the supervisor, confirming my understanding of what he wanted done, and then I would do it. Basically, I said that if the supervisor had no problem with his superiors knowing that he did directed me to do it, then I had no problem following his directives.
Everyone I’ve talked to said “NO!!! Wrong answer!!!” Easy for them to say, as they weren’t sitting there being glared at by four people who were asking technical questions from a list that I couldn’t get clarification on, because they were just a panel of people hired to screen people, not the actual hiring managers. Also, I showed up early, the receptionist handed me a piece of paper, and before I could sit down and read it, they hustled me in to the room and started the interview. Only later did I get to read the paper & find out that these people had not been given a copy of my resume, and thus had no idea of what my background or experience was. And at the end, when they asked me if I had any questions, I asked two, and was told they didn’t know on one, and couldn’t disclose that information on the other. I was so thrown off by this, I couldn’t think of anything else to ask. Questions to them like: “Why did you accept your present job here?” wouldn’t really have worked, since they didn’t work in the group I would be hired by. They were just an HR screening board.
I totally spaced on some questions, totally put my foot in my mouth once (something relating to my being the only ‘girl’ in the group, so I was asked to do all the documentation because I had the best writing skills), and stupidly apologized at the end for being nervous.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be getting a call back. That’s okay, as there is another job I’d much prefer that I just got an ad for. I just hate these stupid questions. Tech people aren’t necessarily the best B.S. artists in the world, so it’s hard for some of us to play this little “game”.
hi,
I quite my job about 5 months ago. partly because my supervisor and also it was coincident with me being diagnosed with an early cancer. the surgery went well and I am up and running and have an interview soon. I heard they will be keen to know why I quite. I am not to mention the supervisor but should I mention the cancer? isn’t it an negative thing, despite the fact that I am cured now.
I’ve had an interviewee ask me, “Which is more important to you…being liked or being respected?” I tried to straddle the fence and take the stand that both were important.
It was for a finance position and I think it ended up costing me the opportunity for a second interview. I’d recommend taking the respect angle.
Hi this really helped me in my interview last week.. i got a invitation for my 2nd interview next week friday..
Thanks..
i want many interviw question papers, and about my self in this question, how should be represnt in correct manner and tell some example. some hr question and techanical question in c and c++.
please tell me about questions asked in interviews of biotechnology industries
A NEW ONE -
“WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT?”
My immediate response was to laugh and reply ‘As if I’m going to tell you that!’, which produced a hearty laugh from the panel. I was relieved. All of ‘the most’ embarrassing moments are going to be inappropriate. Thought I had got away with it, as was thinking something very very personal, when someone cleared their voice and said ‘ahem, no, really…’ and then all i could think about was that one really emabarrssing moment and nothing else.
In retrospect i should have said ‘well, this is getting close…’
But now I have being sick down the side of a freshly-cleaned bullet train at a platform in Tokyo, trying to aim it out of the open door between the platfomr edge and the side of the train onto the tracks by using my hands as a funnel. I looked up, and there, having just left the train, were the uniformed cleaning crew staring at me from the platform in complete disgust.
Here’s one for ‘What’s your greatest weakness?”
First start with the response given earlier in this blog: My innability to fully show my potential in a job interview such as this.
Then sell yourself by stating that while you work, you show passion and dedication to whatever task that’s assigned to you.
Then follow up with that by stating: The solution to that would be to offer me the position and then in 1-2 months after evaluating my performance, give me feedback on what my weaknesses are. I welcome feedback that helps me to improve what I do and make me a better employee.
If you try this, let me know how this worked out for you!
is there a really good site, which as the questions and answers for Business Analyst?
is there a really good site, which as the interview questions and answers for Business Analyst?
Hi please do send me some Interview Questions and Answers for the Warehouseman/Chauffuer position,
Worst questions I’ve ever seen asked (and was done so just to judge how you react to something you don’t expect and how you think on your feet) were:
“If you could paint your front door any color, which color would it be?”
“If you out on a boat and you dropped a cannon ball off the side, how long would it take to hit the bottom of the water?”
Kind of ridiculous if you ask me but I did actually get the job…by the way, for the 2nd question, I said “Honestly, I guess it would depend on the depth of the water, but my main concern would be why we were throwing away our ammo.”
Hi i just came back from thje interview and they want me to meet the director next time because he was not in today….so what do u think guys????? is it a positive response????i need your suggestion….Please wish i get this job….and yes this site ROCKS!!!!
GOOD infromation guys Keep it up
Good one Sweety76, thats a green light to meet the Director that means you have impressed them and all they need is confirmation fro the director and they can take you to the director if you were not yourself!!! WEll done
Guys i have an interview tomo now the guys who are interviewing me are my friends outside work what would be the advice on how i should handle the interview!!!
Thanks triple K
hey…. good work…these will be really helpful i hope.. tthank u…
this is so shit
fuck this thing is so ass
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This site is AWESOME. I have a interview on Tuesday and the questions are similar to the ones I have been having problems answering during my interview. Thanks everyone for putting in your comments.
In my Interview the question asked is
“Why was your agreegate on a decline ,starting from High School-to-higher secondary-to-Graduation ”.
I foolishly say due to lack of concentration.I think this is not right answer.
please reply best answer for this question,because tomorrow there is an Interview for me.
i have an interview today and want to answers to the followig questions: tell us about yourself, do you drink, why should we employe you? tell us about your achievements. what are you worth.
has anyone ever been asked about their GPA? just curious.
anyone have experience with a marketing or marketing assistant job interview?
Hello everyone, I just went in for an interview today and I have to say I feel 95-99% good about my chances of landing the job. I researched the company, made a list of responses or replies I would make about myself, both negative and positive, and went in there looking professional. I made myself comfortable before the interview in the lobby by joking inside my head and smiling slightly but no so obvious that I would look like an idiot.
I did a basic skills test regarding math and it was easy, nothing beyond algebra, but it was time consuming, and later proceeded to the interview. I was very relaxed, the individual who interviewed me was a great person, very positive person and not shady whatsoever. This helped me to relax even further. The interview felt more like a chat than an interview where we discussed what I had to offer. Needless to say, I was almost disappointed the interview was over when it ended (about 30 minutes).
Luckily there were no weird questions, or even any tough questions. The question that can probably be considered toughest was, “what would you improve about yourself?” and I had little trouble with it.
Hopefully they will call me back for another a second round.
I do not know what to write but i just feel like writing. I’m on my way to discovering new heights. I was surfing to this net to look for some possible or I might say best answers for job interviews. But I’m lost with lots of this stuff in the internet. Besides I’m running out of time. Will somebody lend me a hand?
Thanks for the information. I was asked these very same questions just yesterday. I know the lady used this site, do to the order of the questions she asked. I also believe I answered most of them well. However, I find it ridiculous! How about asking questions that pertain to the work? Good people being filtered out by people that don’t have a clue about IT/IS. {it could also be other departments. I only know about IT/IS} This website offers good information to have, but it is laughable. Not only do I need to make sure my resume is perfect. That when I apply for a position, I know how to achieve everything they are asking me to do. I also need to play games with arrogant goofballs that can’t do anything technical or ask technical questions. Yes people in HR.
Again thank you for this information. I will have the canned answers that don’t sound too rehearsed for the next interview.
Good luck to everyone looking for a job. It’s more a popularity issue than the amount knowledge you have.
just a side note to everyone reading this, follow up your interview with a thank you note. put “ATTN:” name of the people who interviewed u. if there’s a tie, you’ll have the upper hand.
Do you have any principale towards job?
My answer will be - Don’t do the task which are acceptable, do the task which is right.
hai
i liked the collection & i am yet to face a job interview
Smiling really helps too and if you’re goodlooking..like me!
If its a google job position, well forget it, you might as well start wearing glasses and acting nerdy. They love that.
Am I wrong in saying that?
Thaks a lot for this quations and answers.
If an interviewer ask you what kind of animal you are and why, what do you suggest?
Lol..I would say a dog because it’s man’s best friend!
hi great site has anyone any tips on internal interviews i have an interview for quality co ordinator
Another question that I find some interviewers ask in the UK is “What kind of boss do you like to work with?”
The expectation here is to determine how the candidate handles having to answer a question where the answer that might be most acceptable is unknown.
In my experience such a question has the same result as “tell me your weaknesses” because the interviewee will not say anything that is controversial.
Yestrday, i hav attended the interview…..
questions they hav askd are..
tell me abt urself and why should we hire you??
the answers tht i hav provided were no sufficient……
Plz anyone gv better answers???
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: career interview questions) [...]
Greatest Strength : That Im a hardworker
Greatest Weakness : That I sometimes get frustrated that I am working hard and that my co-workers are not. I overcome this by staying focused on doing my job to the best of my ability and staying positive as well as not worrying that my co-workers may be slacking off.
One aspect of the interview is the questions that should be asked of the interviewers.
This shows an understanding of the company (gained from the internet) and should also allow the interviewee to determine if the boss is someone that can act as a good employer.
My two favourite questions are as follows:
1) How would you describe the company’s management style?
(reward management / communication)
2) What efforts do you take to retain your top talent within the business? (Training/ communication etc)
MADAM,
I NEED “ONE WORD” ANSWERS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS::
01. IT MEANS WE DO NOT HAVE ANY ILLNESS
02.WE ARE GETTING BIGGER
“37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?”
Um, how about a big no, hell no to this one? Why would I work for an organization that was against my own interests in the first place? It is possible to NOT hate where and why you work, people. Not every business in America (where I live and work) is a soul sucking job that makes you want to jump out your office window into oncoming traffic, even if some are.
Re: Do you have any weaknesses? / What’s your biggest weakness? Etc..
My inclination is always to ponder for just a moment, remarking that it’s a very difficult question to answer. Consider throwing in “Well, I can look a bit serious at times, but it’s only because I tend to get very involved in my work.” But the curve ball is this: “I don’t think I have any weaknesses that would affect my ability to perform well in this job!”
I am not sure how to answer the following questions, so let me know your thoughts-
What two major contributions will you provide to the department for short term, and also for long term?
Thanks for the input.
“why are you wearing pink color shirt”?
Uug…..
I have been asked to fill in the application job. how to answer this question? What is your ambition and why?
Thanks for the question examples. I’m autistic, so these will help big time. Luckly I got a two week advance notice to get ready for an interview, in eight days.
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I was in great confusion this site really helped
hi plz tell me how to start when in interview they ask about the work experiece.
I agree with Gav on the ‘What’s your biggest weakness’ question.
I always pause and say ‘this question always throws me because, while i know i am not perfect and realise that from time to time there may be areas that i need to work on or improve I cannot think of anything that i would consider a weakness’.
If asked to ellaborate on an area that i felt i needed to improve on in the past i always answer honestly with a minor flaw that would not have any great impact on the role i am applying for and then discuss how i improved on that flaw. . . eg,
In the past I noticed that I was a little dis-organized in the way i kept my work space, i had to work out a system for keeping my desk in a more organised way.
Or another time I said that in my first job after I left college I had trouble with time-keeping and punctuallity but luckily I was able to see it as a weakness and do something about it before it became a problem. Now i pride myself in always being on time and in my current job i received an award for my exceptional attendance and adherance. This was an interview for a job with Flexi-Time so lateness wasn’t an issue.
I always try to pick something that wouldn’t affect the current job but show that i have the ability to recognize weaknesses and work out how to fix them.
Another few tricky questions that I have come across quite a bit are;
- Tell me about a challenge you faced, How did you overcome it.
- What was the last thing you voluntered for.
- Tell me about a time you overcame a conflict.
- If you thought that something was being done wrong what would you do about it.
- If you addressed an issue with a Superior and you were told that is the way it is done around here and you can’t change it. What would you do?
- Here is a pen sell it to me. ( Sales interviews )
- What do you think this job involves?
- Ok, so you’ve had a look around our organization. What would you do to improve it? ( I hate that one )
This is a reply to:
TR Bobby - August 19, 2006
Your criticism of the answer about perfectionist shows just how inexperienced you are across industries. Having been a hiring manager for many years in the IT industry I have found that the “perfectionist” flaw is indeed a real one at times. When dealing with programmers, QA analysts, BAs, and PMs that need to be extremely detail oriented most of the time it is not always easy for them to turn this characteristic off when they are asked to give a “rough pass” at something.
Most of the time people can do it, but there are some individuals that simply cannot. These people are the ones that put every ounce of themselves into their work even when it is not needed or desired. They just don’t have the ability to turn in what they consider to be “sub-par”, but apparently you are not one of those people and have not worked with them.
Extremely detail oriented people or perfectionists are very hard to find in a lot of industries, but for those of you out there that are interviewing for an IT related position, please do not discount that answer or wrongfully judge the person who gives it. Just ask them to give you an example how that has been a problem in the past. If they have to think about it, then maybe it is a canned answer. Just don’t write people off based upon the biased opinion of someone like “TR Bobby.”
I mean no disrespect to TR Bobby, but please do not negatively editorialize unless you are a subject matter expert in every sence of the term. It is far better to have a positive outlook on people.
Cheers!
I’m not sure if this topic was discussed, but I’ve been interviewing with several companies over the past few weeks and have had this question/scenario thrown at me. “How do you deal with a supervisor/manager who’s unwilling to accept that he/she is performing a job function incorrectly?” (something to that nature) What are recruitment managers seeking when a candidate is answering that question? I believe it’s important to share ideas and explore options to get the job done, but if leadership is unwilling to you suggest your way, or allow them to continue on a path of distruction?
I have taken an aptitude test for a company and need to send an email thanking them. (I did well and will get an interview) But, I don’t know how long it will be before the interview. How should I ask this without sounding to pushy in the email?
This has also helped me so much.
Thank you all, including the people responding, for the tips.
I have an Interview in an hour. I’ll use this the best I can.
Thank you, again.
Thank your for the tips, it really helped a lot and i’m very muach sure that i will be the best candidate
this is a great post!! thanks!!
plz tell me such websites INTERVIEW ANSWERS was available
plz tell me such websites INTERVIEW ANSWERS was available
I spent lot of money to institutes learn for these methods
i
Thanks. Example questions are always helpful… especially to those who are attending their first interview.
hi help me with these questions….im a doctor and need to reply these questions for applying for the post.
1. Briefly describe your ideal job?
2. Why did you choose this career?
7. Do you have reference list?
8. Why do you want to work here?
9. Why should we hire you over the others waiting to be interviewed?
10. Give us details of your present Employment Status.
11. How soon can you travel down to any Location posted you(united kingdom)?
12. What three Specific Job Positions do you target from the Company?
13. Give us your full details on the Following; Full Name, Permanent Mailing address, Office/Work Mailing Address, Direct Contact Number(s), E-mail addresses (es).
14. What is your Country of Nationality? Is it different from your Present Location?
15. What is your Future Plans for the Hospital if Permanently Employed?
[...] 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog (tags: Interview Career) [...]
hi i am working as an HR in a Bank and taking interviews is my daily activities…..i do not know wether you will be able to help me out with this ore not…..what kind of role dose body language play in the interview…? are there any king of questions that can be asked in an interview to judge a person’s attitude and behaviour.can you give some examples….that will help me and i am sure other people also who go for intervies….
Hi
We got Our some answer in which we had confusion.
Thank you lot off
from Pinakin(P.K) and Arshi
Give me my answer
1) What is your weakness?
felling my self bad for not achieving the set target or goals at desired time set by me,which make me to worka bit harder for the next time..
what is the best answer for the question tell me about youself?
please give me an answer
1. what are your potentials
Hi,
I am very much deprresed that I was not able to get addm for MBA , Now I am trying to get diverted towards Animation and to do MBA externally from any deemed univ or to work in BPO,
Please suggest me in which industry I should go for …
Animation or BPO …?
It has helped me a lot to prepare for the interveiw and after it has helped me to face the HR while asking the personal ambitions at the time of apprasial
Just i want to know , what is the correct answer for How long do you work
Probably best answer fro 1) What is your weakness? is
“Answering trully to every question” (is my biggest weaknes)
Excellent tips, Good and helpful enough. Thanks a lot.
i have a interwiew 2 morro with a clothing store at the mall im so nervous!!!! but this has really helped me .thanks!!!
[...] 50 Common Interview Question and Answers Tags:interview phoneBookmark [...]
thank u for giving me a lot of confidence to attend the interviews .u given very good information abt the interviews and how to told the answers with respectively .thanks sir.Thank u my dear friends 4r giving thier own thoughts & suggestions on interviews.
regards:
pradeepkumar
Wow…There are a lot of interviewers with personal issues!!! The one post where the interviewer said if the interviewee answered every question without hesitation, then I would be questioning how many interviews the candidate has been on, and why he/she has not been hired.???!!! R u serious??? Why the hell would you come up with that!!! Your the reason why candidate wouldn’t get the job!!! Do you feel great about that??? Ruining a persons chance of getting a job b/c of your beliefs, or what YOU think is right, or wrong!!! You suck
I`m off to an interview on the 5th Sep. These are a few of the questions I managed to get hold of:
Please summarise your career aspirations and your reasons for applying for a position within the Food Industry. What research have you done for your application? What else do you want to know and why?
Describe a time when you were proactive in seeking responsibility for a task or activity. What were you trying to achieve? How did you know you were doing the right thing?
What is the biggest ‘people problem’ you have faced when working in a team? What part did you play in creating and/or resolving the problem? What did you learn from the experience?
Describe a time when you simply had too much to do and you needed help. What did you do? How did you feel at the time?
Tips would be gratefully accepted.
i need help on this Question
Please give an example of what you have done to build a good team spirit when working with others. Please include details of what you did, how you contributed personally to the outcome and what you learnt.
what do i say
Its rally very very good.
Can any 1 help me plz what should i say.
What is your biggest achievement so far? Please describe what obstacles / setbacks you have had to overcome to achieve this.
In my interview last week, the guy asked me: what do you think my perception is of you right now?
i felt like shouting out: i frikking hope u like me! altho i think i just stared blankly at him for a while and babbled a bit….
This is realy good and worth to read.
Regards
Ajith Kumar,
Manager - HR & Administration,
Talent resources
Doha - Qatar.
I was once asked to explain the color red to a visually impaired person.
gee how should i know that?
i told him that once you put a redlight behind closed eyes, the blind could determine the color.
And i was rejected.
did he really think i knew such?
hi guys, could u help me to answer the question like ” what’s yr plan for next 5 years since u’ve been hired?”
that came from the interview i had yesterday. i answerd ” i’d like to develop my career in yr company and try to extend my education to get a master degree in 5 years (i’m a bachelor of civil engineering graduat) by part-time study)”
my answer correct?
how will say my introduction . give me any reply i should be give my information to you or not .
how will say my introduction . give me any reply i should be give my information to you or not .PLZ FAST
Thankyou for the information I really hope that it does me some good, I have been practicing so I’ma pray and try to do my best, but I appreciate the advice and questions. Thanks and God Bless.
Great site !! Its interesting to see the different questions and answers.
I have one technique that has helped me get 3 job offers, and I took 2 of them. I hestitate to tell them, but I wish to share them for the benefit of everyone. Just don’t use them where I’m interviewing in the future…. LOL.
At any point in the interview, if they haven’t suggested it to you, ask to see the area/office that you would be working in, or mention something positive/negative that you may have seen in the parking lot, bathroom, cafeteria, lounge, anywhere. Make it seem that you have been “looking” at their company as well as them looking at you.
It really takes the interviewer by surprise if you ask for a brief tour, since they probably haven’t budgeted time for this request, and it puts them on the defensive to show the good side of the company. I actually was able to land a job because I asked to see the manufacturing floor I would be responsible for, instead of seeing it on day one. The hiring manager said she NEVER had someone ask to see where they would be working before they were hired, and she said that impressed her.
Wouldn’t YOU like to see where you would be working before you said “yes” ? If your office was next to the bathroom, or 5 steps from the loading dock, or next to the timeclock, would you be very productive every day? Do you buy a car without at least driving first? Do you buy a house without inspecting it? A job should be no different.
thanks for this big effort ana god will help you so much as you help us
hi,
I went to my first interview and they asked me about salary and my answer was lower than what is expected in the industry. now they called for the second interview, i really want this job and i am just graduated and it is my first professional job in IT sector. I was wondering how I can fix the mistake that i made in the first interview about the salary? I really really want the job and i am sure i will have great future with this company. but i messed up the salary question, what should i do?
please help me, many thanks
i used this for my homework..fuck yeah!!
Awesome. I am in state government and this has been so helpful. I will post some great stuff I have found as well once I get past the interview. I am researching right now.
please read all interviews which will imorove your ccc skills
Sobrina,
I doubt you can really bring up the salary again. That’s probably one of the reasons they’re bringing you in for a second interview. If you gave them a specific number, you’ve basically locked yourself into that. If you gave them a range, you have some room to negotiate. Go towards the high end of the range if you can. ALWAYS give them a range, never a specific number, unless they ask what your salary was at a previous other job (they can find out anyways, so you might as well just tell them)
Maybe you could try for some other benefits, like flex time, extra days off, laptop computer, work from home. Ask if your work can be reviewed in 3-6 months, and maybe you can negotiate for some extra money.
Being that this is your first job, you may not have alot of stuff you can ask for. Use it as a learning experience, if anything. Sorry.
Can someone help with the following:
Describe Success and professionlism
Well I put them in my own words, but for whatever reason I never get the job. I dont know if I am answering wrong or what. I know the definition of them both but I am not sure where I go wrong.
they’ll have you suicidal suicida. Serafino Raimondo.
see it
ANIMAL = DOLPHIN (everyones loves them) they are smart and easily trained…. aka I learn quick, hire me
This is quite comprehensive and i have really learnt a lot from it. I have an interview tomorrow morning and i know i am going to get the job. This has really been helpful
I get very confused / embarassed when the interviewer asks me the quaetion ” So, Mr. Anil why do you want to change your current job when you are getting the best in the industry, your Employer and co-workers appreciate your performance, and even when you are also enjoying your job”.
and the situation worsens when they ask
” I can’t believe that you want to change your job just for a better position / salary package or just because you believe we are better than your present Employer and you want to learn or do something new”.
thank you…
[...] Interview Questions [CNN] The 25 most difficult questions you’ll be asked on a job interview 50 Common Interview Questions [...]
these are some great questions and they have really helped me prepare. I also got some more great questions at http://www.acetheinterview.com.
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What do you consider is the most important when working with customers?
I had one questions which I wasn’t too sure of when I replied. The question was ” what does success mean to you”.
I CAN JOIN AND THEN I GIVE MY SUGGESSION
Will some help me please teach my spanish class, and will coach Q ever stop giving me bananas in the morning? if you know what i mean
well, you should probably contact the po,ice with your banana problem, unless you are following the rainbow
[...] Fifty common interview questions and answers: Blogger Bhuvans provides answers to the most common interview questions, excerpted from the book “The Accelerated Job Search.” [...]
[...] shall I hire you?”, “What do you think you can contribute to my team?” and etc. Click here (or Chinese version) to view the interview [...]
There are some awesome interview questions for teens at http://www.TeenJobSection.com
I do a fair number of interviews as an interviewer, and one item I haven’t seen covered yet in these comments is the need to be prepared for situational questions. These will give a scenario to the interviewee and ask for a response, usually along the lines of “How would you handle the situation?” Important points to remember are prioritization of tasks, following generally accepted procedures/best management practices, and not going above your pay grade/responsibility in making decisions. That said, make sure to answer in a way that shows you can get the job done.
Lastly, I agree with TR Bobby…the weakness question sucks.
Hi people!
I have an important interview for a notorious UK Bank tomorrow (graduate position) and I really want to thank you all for all the tips given.
It sounds like a common statement to say, but work out things with honesty. It is more profitable than you think.
Regarding the “talk about your weknesses” question I will tell the truth about myself, that is: I tend to be shy with people I don’t know and to overcome this, at University, I spoke with as many unknown students as possible, at meetings/classes and even parties.
I then realised it wasn’t a real problem, but only a little fear inside myself. And when you overcome your fears, it made you stronger.
Hope it can help.
plz tell me what r the questions asked in the interview related to s/w testing? that will be my first interview in US.
Actually i am a science back ground .now i am selected my profession in accounts.So pls answer the question why do like to choose this field?
I have always made up to final round & then get rejected in the Operation manager round. Because of questions like why did you leave your current job? I have worked for 3yrs in an organisation as an accountant & admin & in a call center for 1 yr which i had to leave as i was unable to handle almost 120calls in day due to health problems & working for US shift. I quit the company 8 months back & still jobless don know what to say when asked. I have also done Fashion desingning but really dint work in this field as it was a 1yr course, dint fetch me a job besides this i have done B.A. Im always asked why dint you choose job in your field? Why there is so much of confusion in your resume? whats your weakness? Its become great challenge for me to get a job. Seriously dont know what to do please help me with these questions.
Firstly, great site n great tips. have an interview with a biggg finance company in a hour so helped me brush up my skills.
Mark, thts a great weekness answer. im gona use it if asked. thanks!!
With regards to the ‘weakness’ question, I think the best answer is to be honest and point out a weakness in a skill and NOT a personality trait.
For example I might say while I have great IT skills, I do not know that many software packages outside of the usual Microsoft Office and internet programmes. Obviously if the job involves knowing a lot of progammes this would be a bad answer, but generally it is a good answer because it really just focuses on something that can easily changed and is not an inherent flaw in your personality.
This one may not be useful to everyone; but the idea is be honest and talk about something that can be improved on which is skill-based raterh than personality based.
i don’t have nothing to say, just good jobs.
hai
i have interview at 16/10/07 for IBM. So tell something about ” tell me about yourself” question with some examples
im looking for a high paying job helo me!
shit fuk
:]
pretty useful blog
I recently had an interview….which I wish I had seen this sight before having…
A couple of questions that caught me off guard:
1. What is the worse decision you’ve made in the past year?
2. What is the best decision you’ve made in the past year?
I really didn’t know what to say! “Not eating that extra slice of pizza”?
Q. What is more important to you- your job/work or your salary?
this question becomes more tricky when the candidate is a fresher.. coz here he can’t demand for much & not knowing what to expect, he might just spoil this vry gud ball at hand… a gud answr can be: sir, definitely work stands first for me but i wont go for a job that brings me misery. if my hardwork pays for nuts then it is useless..
(any other suggestions???)
keep up the good work Fellas .. its alot of help this blog that is !
Keep sharing .. !
Thanks a ton .. Mr Owner ..
I have an interview in 2 days, I blew my last interview because I was so nervous and unprepared. Now I feel much more confident! Thank you!!
Also, I was laid off from my last job due to the company moving its operations dept. to another state. I have been off work for a year by choice, so I could spend time with my family. How should I approach questions about my absense from the work force? I am applying for admin/receptionist positions in small offices, not large companies.
Thank you
you guys are fags
chi town
Heather,
Explain that you were laid-off, but tell them you were looking for work while you were taking care of your family. Or say that because you were laid-off, you wanted to take a look at all options, not just the first job that came your way.
Was this the first time you were laid-off? Its always stressful, and people know this. Sometimes it takes 3-6 months or more to find work.
great site . got many useful information , i m confident now to attend interviews
DEA - October 16, 2007
Thank you for all this great information. I have applied for many job openings and this can be really helpful. Once again thank you and keep up the good work.
Hey…by the way one Q I was asked was: If your co-worker was slacking/or falling behind with her duties how would you help her/him? Would you let management know, or would you try to talk to her/him? How would you answers this?
Very useful information….Thanks alot….am having an interview tommorrow..hope all goes well…Thanks guys…
how do i handle the question why i left a job,where the reason i left was because my boss/ owner hit me??? (in the head 3 or 4 times)
I need to offer you some advice that helped me land a very good job recently.
When they ask you about your weakness, tell them this:
I prefer to think that I do not have any character weaknesses, however my biggest weakness in the workplace would be attempting to do too much at times without asking for help.
This is can be a huge hit with your potential employer because they see that as a strength! I even had the head boss tell me that! Atleast that way, you are not selling yourself out.
Here are two more of the interview questions:
Who was your worst boss? A) To be honest with you, I cannot recall ever having a bad boss. Each had their own way of effectively running the business.
Was there ever a time when your integrity was tested? A) You have to give your own personal take on this.
If a manager told you to do something that was against company standards, would you confront them on this issue? A) Yes, I would always adhere to company policy/standards no matter what, and hope that my supervisor would do the same.
how do I answer Behavior -based skills questions, give me some examples of behavior-based questions that might ask during a respiratory therapy job interview, please.
give me some questions that might ask during my respiratory care interview.
can somebody answer those question for me?
think of a specific time when you demonstrated each skills or ability.
Tell us about a time when you had to communicate under difficult circumstances with a customer or a colleague.
please describe a situation in which you experienced a lot of pressure in meeting deadlines. how did you handle the situation?
give me an example of a time when you handled a customer complaint.
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Any advice for phone interviews?What question should i expect?It’s my first one…Pls help!!
Thanks
The Tips and answers are great to say the list
Enigma - phone interviews are actually quite easy, since you can have your list of questions, answers, and key words in front of you as they ask questions. They didn’t ask any questions that were out of the ordinary. You do have some thoughts and ideas written down, don’t you? If not, get writing!
You can be in your jeans and a t-shirt, with a cup of coffee or soda nearby. I actually had a phone interview while watching TV. I got a second interview in person, but unfortunately didn’t get the offer due to not enough international business experience.
me ageni qweers
Hi i just wanted to leave a message but anyone planning to use this website to prepare for there interview i would say it is definitely Thumbs up !!!!!!!!!!!!me and my partner both used this website to prepare and we both were employed. Thank you so much. This is the best advice for people who havent had an interview in a long time it also made me realise where i alway went wrong. Thank You so much again. me and my partner are definitley looking forward to starting our new jobs.
Hi,
Today is THE DAY!!!Wish me luck….i need this job!Hope everything will be ok.This site is amazing,exremely helpful.
i ment to say extremely…sorry
I was asked to come back for a second interview. During the first interview I asked questions related to the organization, management style, and an ideal employee. What are some other questions I need to prepare for the second interview? Also, do I need to handshake with interviewers again?
THANK U…THANK U…GOD BLESS U..I GOT THE JOB!!!
Not only i got the job but i got the job of my dreams!!!!I can’t thank u enough!It’s so good 2 know that in this world you can still find good people willing to help!Thank u for the bottom of my heart!
good luck enigma.!
remember to jot down the questions and post them here please!
Oki-doki
Here are the questions they asked me:
Of course,,tell me about yourself”….Then about my experience i have for the position i am applying for.After that i was asked about a typical day at my job.I am still working for a company so they asked me why i want 2 leave,what are my duties there in details.My position is customer service supervisor so she asked me how many employees i have in my team,how i motivated them 2 work,and then about customer service :how i handle difficult customer,if i am willing 2 work overtime if they will ask me 2…Very easy questions….
Then she told me about the position,she asked me if i am willing 2 attend 8 weeks training…she told me the salary,and that was it!
P.S
Another question:What i know about the company….
great… it seems you had a great interview!
Excellenet… do you have interivew questions asked in engineering interiviews?
if yes, please send it to me,
David
I just like to say this will be my resource blog when I hit that interview time again soon. Very informative, I’d also like to plug my blog (my web site is undergoing some reconstruction)
blog: http://www.walkfar.ca/blog
Hi Rehan how r u
Hi! how are u
please can u explain how to answer the question;
1. explain your self;please give an example
2. why are want this job
for the procurement soecialist job
564. Karen - October, 31, 2007
I just read your articles. And, I was truly impressed. I previously had an interview, and would have liked to have known about this website. Good job!
Thank,
Karen
565. I just wrote a message to you. Please, remove my last name. Thanks. That was my fault. Oops, sorry.
Thanks. Have a good day.
Karen
i dont htink this site helps at all i peronlly thnk sellling weed works best
Thanks a lot this helps a lot. Do you site that have any interview with any person. I just want to see any live interview Just want to know how people ans when you throw quetion on them.
hi! thanks to this website, can you give some interview tips
My question isnt directly related to the questions posted but I figured since there were so many people responding I would see what you guys say.
I graduated from universtiy about 14 months ago and literally fell into the job I have right now. The pay isnt the best and the work is boring but I enjoy my work environment and the people I work with. I reciently got a job interview for another company. I was just wondering how I would go abouts telling my boss or even if I should be telling my boss. I don’t want to lie about why I will need the time off but if I am too vague she might ask what im going to be doing. I get along well with her and I don’t want it to affect our work relationship just incase I don’t get the position. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
got my phone interview today and went great. I really prepared for it. Now im on my second interview, which wont be over the phone
they started asking about question 1 “Tell me about yourself” it seems this is the kicker for all interviews I had. The best way is to use your past experiences and education towards the job description. I tried to check all the points on the job description; so just build your presentation around that and you’ll be fine.
message should be syncronised according to the particular question that are ask during interview .It helps us to know how a particular question is asked in different way and how we have answer.
what does a customer mean to you?
anybody who comes to you for assistance is regarded as a customer
had face to face interview today… so they asked q’s
2. Why did you leave your last job?
5. What do co-workers say about you?
6. What do you know about this organization?
11. What kind of salary do you need?
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
15. What is your philosophy towards work?
18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
19. Why should we hire you?
21. What irritates you about co-workers?
22. What is your greatest strength?
24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
30. What has disappointed you about a job?
34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
50. Do you have any questions for me?
I think the problem at least for me is to stop TALKING. sometimes I try to prove the point when I got the answer right.
As they say, only say whats necessary! so hard to do. Overall Investigating the company and looking about what the position was about made a good impact on the interview. hope those extra things I said didn’t screw me up.
This was for a Fortune 500 company, ranked top 5 on customer satisfaction plus other awards and the position is for a DBA.
If all goes well I’ll have an interview with the manager…. till next time.
-n
wow !!!thanks a million. I have an interview on 12 Nov. The site is really helpful.
Good luck to everyone who will be having an interview or waiting for the result.
Good stuff
Going for a promotion Friday, It all comes down to the inerview
wau these are wonderfull tips. i have been to interviews and asked quite a number of them. i am goign for another interview next week and with this tips, am hoping for the best
Even though i am only looking for my first job, i am very confident that these tips will help me in my upcoming interview.
Has anyone had an interview with American Funds? I have a phone interview Monday–any suggestions?
the questions are very corrective and with excellent answer. it help me a lot about knowing of the interview. its a guide line to me .you should read them if u want a idea of job interview it help u a lot
Thanks Bhuvan and everyone else who posted their useful comments. I’m going to to be interviewed tomorrow and am pretty confident that I will win the job.
Cheers.
Zain
Myself an aviation trainer, i have found many a questions being answered wrongly, i would like to quote one such question. Once one of my trained student was asked “Do you think you need to give special treatment to a passenger”
Well the student gave the answer, “No, we need to treat all passengers at the same level, blahblah”. Here we need to know there are certain areas and certain situations where you need to think out of the box, see for yourself how these both answers fit into it
ans.1. All passengers should be treated the same
ans.2. : It is okay to “spoil” a passenger, provided all work is done and it is not against the law or company rules
You know second one fits the bills more appropriately but it may look out of sync with customer care regulations, sigh.
byaa
u guys r all faggets u bunch of homos i hope u never find a job u should all go kill ur selfs!
bitches
hey!thanks for all these tips!it will be very helpful for my upcoming job interview…i hope i don’t mess up….sigh…
hi guyz… i have a job interview today . . . wish me luck!!!!!
Hi friends,
In my interview asked is
What is the quality of good leader?
Please give me reply about best answer.
Please i have an interview on monday…was asked to complete a form with the below question….
I need urgent responses: see below
Please tell us about a time when you set clear direction for a group of people and followed through to achieve excellent results?
Please give a brief example of a time when you had a difficult problem to solve. How did you go about solving it ?
Please provide an example of when you put a plan in place and followed through to achieve a successful result?
[...] be prepared with good responses. Here are some examples of answers to commonly asked questions. 13.Fifty common interview questions and answers: Blogger Bhuvans provides answers to the most common interview questions, excerpted from the book [...]
Great Resource! Great for interview questions.
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What value would you add to our company? I still cant figure out the best answer.
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i think ibanez36 is right u are all fags
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thanks for the GREAT post! Very useful…
this is just great. just wanted to thanks the person who had that big and creative mind todo this this great. i also have a couple questions to ask that didnt understand, i’m going to custumers services job interveiw next month and i would like to know what to say on the next questions if u can help me please/
1 :describe your work ethic?
2:how would you work fast without affecting the quality of ur job?
3:what would u say and do to try to calm down a mad or unsatisfyed custumer?
4:describe your management style?
I just wanted to thank all of you for this usefull information. I am deathly afraid of my interview. I really want this job. I don’t want to blow it. You have helped me overcome my fears. I feel comfadent now.
i have a very simple que.- introduce yourself and tell sth about urself. well i m still confused over this one coz i have seen few people saying thr name , qulification, work exp and hobbies. some people say u must include ur strength , ur key skills, thr permanent o correspondence address etc….. but i m not satisfied yet. i just want to know which sections we must include and which one should be avoided. i m gong to face my first interv iew in my life n i m very nurvous….
thanks people for post this 50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A and your comments are GREAT ….i’ve got a job interview tomorrow i feel so confident after reading this website …
thanks again
hi,
tell me about a time when you had to accomplish a with someone who was particularly difficult to get along with?
what are some examples of activities and surrounding that motivate you?
tell me how u handle an ethical dilemma?
what do you see yourself doing after five years?
how do u make yourself indispensable to a company?
are u compititive? Example…….
why do u want to work for this company?
what are looking in a new job?
tell me about your course load was heavy. How did you complete your work?
please reply soon
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why do u like red col9our
who do u think is a good manager man or woman
Those 50 questions and answers you provided here are very helpfull.
I hope people are going to use them to make the best out of it or to get a always wishes dream job.
cheers
dave
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Thank you for this great job.
Thanks this is a great list..esp for someone who has my first ever interview next week
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ur q & a is good for the others and like me b’coz it ’s hard to find a job for me like an IT and i thank u b’coz i love ur questions.
Elow,,,,,,,,,
i am horizon, student of ama-clc…i am looking for top 50’s interview questions for professional. because we have a project for interview for professional’s like a graduating in colleges and her/his course is education and now her/his a principal that is only example…and it’s so hard to find a people who’s a professional…now i have 50 questions for my interviewee and i thank u for that…
hope more power and god bless…bavusssssssss……………….
bye…
WOW! I got the job!!!!!! this is such a lucky site. thanks everyone who left tips, comments, suggestions here.
All the best for everyone!
[...] links emailed to us–some of them are ordinary and some of them are awesome. And this list of 50 common interview questions and answers is pretty darn awesome. They’re helpful, concise, and accurate. Here are a couple [...]
there is a typo on 23. genetic versus generic
help - im interviewing someone more professionally skilled than myself tomorrow? I dont want to sound patronising but need to ask important questions as will be working together in a small business. What do i ask?
what about the question 43 how do answer a question like this one
A very well compiled collection of questions and practical explanations
[...] most important thing for you to keep in mind is: Be Prepared. Know typical interview questions and how you can answer them. Practice those until it’s comfortable to answer them. Practice [...]
this is a brilliant post thanks for this
This is amazing! I have an interview with Google tomorrow and this sure comes in handy!!! Can anybody provide good questions I can ask the interviewer?? Thanks a lot.
questions of interview
[...] Interview Questions [CNN] The 25 most difficult questions you’ll be asked on a job interview 50 Common Interview Questions [...]
What is the best answer when they ask: “What was your original face before your parents were born?”
Please send me suitable anwers of above 5o questions
Yeasterday, I filled one feedback for interview. In this feedback, they asked about the weakness in one word.
Would anyone help me about weakness in one word because today I have an interview.
please help me as soon as possible.
tee me answer for first quetion and DERSCRIBE URSELF
I have been interviewing many people in the past and the trick to get them to “babble” more than they would have shared is to make them very very comfortable. Many candidates have told me that they were let go from other departments, whined about how they were overworked and under-payed and how they have a troubled dog at home who will needs their constant attention and hence leave from work…And I have also found those enthusiastic and dedicated few who have formed great team members. So be careful what you say and keep a positive attitude throughout !! Oh and one more thing: PLEASE have a “professional” email address rather than ’strawberrylips’ or something to that effect….my pet peev !!
Hello: It has been great reading this website and feeling confident. Does anyone have any Qs for ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN Interviews? Thanks.
Sush: you are right about the interviewer making you feel very comfortable and there is always tendency to “babble” more. One must be alert at all times. After-all, once you get the job, you have to spend all that time together working - sometimes more than you do with your family !! Its a good weeding-out technique.
Also, Thanks for the email tip
Another of my numero uno Q: ‘Have you encountered an upset customer and how have you handled the situation?’. The best possible answer I look for is that the sales-person keep calm and then tries to calm down the customer and re-assuring them they will help them out and look into the matter personally AND follow through on their promise !! Nothing can piss you off more when something with your order goes wrong and now the person who promised you the moon did not follow through !! During an interview a sense of how you can solve a problem, come up with solution and ALL this with a smile and a positive upbeat attitude is very important.
Happy New Year, Everyone. I am so glad I found this website and it is really helpful. I got an interview tomorrow. It is my first interview in 2008. I hope I can land this job.
interview data
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
what sales process would u implement for a confectionery company?Quality of a sales training manager?
This is a great site! I have an interview tomorrow for a leasing manager. Anyone in the residential leasing industry that could help me with a suggestion?
Or anyone that is in sales management industry? I am currently a leasing manager I would be changing companies this would be a lateral move.
Really useful tips to face the job interviews as well as to conduct
I’m kind of looking for questions to ace my CCA interview. Great!
Dear Friends,
Please help me “how i should answer for my failures in academics”?
Though I’ve succeeded well in Jobs and within 7 years of my experience I’m a Manager (Projects) at an Iron ore Project.
I’ve international work experience also.
please help me..
heey guys thank u so much u r doing an amzing Job
i am wondering if anyone recommand a pro answers or tips for the following questions:
1.Describe a situation where you have been responsible for leading and building a team in order to achieve results. *
2.Describe a situation when you were required to ensure that customers (or others) were satisfied with a service or product you provided.
3.Describe a situation when you were required to plan and implement a project or a specific assignment. *
4.Describe a situation where you were responsible for achieving specific target(s) within a challenging timescale.
5.Tell us about a time when you felt you could not tell the truth or say how you truly felt.
What was the situation? What did you do?
6.Tell us about a time when you provided assistance to others.
7.Tell us about a decision you made which you felt was a good and fair decision.
8.Describe a situation when you felt there was a need to improve yourself. What did you do?*
to susan,
why not try to call the company and find out what has gone wrong or ask them if you did say anything that prevented them from offering you the job..simply say you need those infos for some reasons. they have no reasons not to answer your questions.
kutomoto..
i think i have encountered those questions. i was not able to answer right…nnaahhh..haahaha! just wanna voice it out..
plz answer all the 50 question u have given in ur site, plz mail me on mail id my educational background is public relation’s
hai
Thank you very much for a kind helping to given this interview questions with answers.
Hey I just wanted to say that this is a wonderful site and it has helped my on my interview….needless to say I got the job!!!
Love you guys and thanks. My start date is Jan 14, 2008. My interview was held in December on a Wednesday and by Friday I landed the job and it pays GREAT!!!
Congratulations Nicole!
Need some help with the question, “Why did you leave your last job”? The reason for the call out for help is I was terminated from my last employer. To make a short story long I got cross ways with one of my bosses, and I made 2 of my subordinate managers mad by forcing them to do their jobs. So, they made false accusations about me. I was fired and filed for unemployment. My former employer tried to fight it and when it went before the TWC, my former employer showed the TWC they had no real grounds or evidence to terminate me. Therefore I kept my unemployment benefits.
Now back to my question, how do I explain this to a potential employer without “talking bad” about my former employer and at the same time not make me look bad?
i would like you to send me questions and answers on how to approach to interviews
[...] *cough* stumbled across this list of interview questions and HR insights. The body and comments both are well worth the read for anyone thinking of [...]
when you asked about you kpi what should you answer be ?
Great Interview Advice!
Hi,I have a phone interview tonight for a travel consultant position,does anyone have any advice for me?Thanks!
thank you for the great tips. i have an interview tomorrow. wish me luck. many prayers and review of your tips will surely land me the position. YOU’RE THE BEST!!! SIMPLY FAB!!!
[...] 50 Common Interview Questions: practice your answers to these, and it greatly reduces your chance of getting flustered in the interview. [...]
Great Article.
Gr8t tips … I have an interview in the morning … I usaully DO NOT do well on interviews. I will rehearse these Q&A and say a pray or two .. maybe even three. Thanks!
Hello people. I find this page useful too. I know one person who is willing to find a new job. I will show her these tips!
Please go on sharing your suggestions. It is a very useful input.
THIS IS USEFUL TIPS I NEVER HAD B 4, AM XPECTNG INTERVIEW SOON AFTER FINISH 1st IT CALLED ASSESSEMENT NEXT IS ORAL I THINK AND AM SURE THIS GUIDE WILL HELP ME, WULD LIKE TO WISH ALL THE BEST OTHERS WHO WAITING FOR INTERVIEW MAY ALMIGHT GOD B WIT US AND THE ONE WO CREATED THIS WONDERFULL TIPS,
BE BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!
why should we hire you?
because i have such a nice ass and all the guys here will have something to look forward to come to work everyday and always be happy. i can be the whore of this company sleeping with every guy and i will suck your dick if i have to to get in this company.
Preparation for Interview
Hey
I have an interview in 3 day…URGENT HELP NEEDED!!!!!!!!
My interview has a 10 minute ‘presentation’ which I have to do at the start. I am only told what the presentation is on 30 minutes before i go in.
Anyone got any tips?
I was asked about salary in the interview I had before xmass for the job I am now in. The recruiter had told me over the phone the range they were offering so when asked in interview I said I knew the range was x to y and I would obviously prefer the upper end of that range. I got the most they were offering and have a top job now.
Tom, I was asked to prepare a 10minute presentation on a specific topic related directly to the job, I am not sure how you can prepare a 10 minute presentation half an hour before the interview. I think you should phone the person in charge of the interview and ask for more information. This might be difficult considering it is now the weekend and I assume your interview in on Monday? Maybe you should have took the initiative to ask or phone them back. Perhaps drop them a polite email and hope someone picks it up over the weekend.
The presentation was a God send for me as I am not the most ‘people friendly’ person and I really wanted to show off my technical knowledge. I played this up and expressively thanked them for the opportunity to do the presentation and that I was excited about it (which I genuinely was). The presentation also forced me to research extensively the area I am now working in.
If its a technical job you are going for you can research around the job role and pick something relevant.
You have found one of the best pages on the net for interviews, this page is really helpful to quell your nerves.
I got my mum to ask me random questions from the list above, it was really sad and quite embarrassing, but it helped me so maybe its worth a shot for others.
best of luck to everyone viewing this page!
Dont be worried though Tom, they might not tell you anything or your competitors anything anyway. Be as prepared as you can be, do not say anything negative- at all- and be yourself. Try and find a way to highlight all your best attributes as well as possible in each question they ask. They will be taking notes which they will use to summarise everyone at a later date. If you can have some killer points for them to write down this will help you when they come to reviewing the interviewee’s. Dropping an email to thank them for their time, and letting them know how you thought the interview went never hurts, keep it to 3 or 4 lines and you may just sway their minds if you are equally placed to get the job with another person.
I didn’t get the first job I went for interview to and am now thinking this was due to over enthusiasm for the role they were offering. I dont think they believed me, slightly unfair in my opinion, but it was good practice for the next interview for which I got the job. I kept professional throughout this next interview and didnt allow myself to get as relaxed as I was in the first one.
If you dont get the job, put it down to experience.
Since they told you you will only have 30minutes to prepare the interview I cant see it holding much weight compared to your answers to the questions they have set already. Hopefully they will be some of the ones on here, or easier.
thanks M!
I am thinking they probably purposely only give you all the information 30 mins before so you have to get it done quickly. I
did try to snoop out more information off the recruiter who phoned me but he was very cagey yet implied it would be job related when I probed him.
Strange thing is …it is an interview with no visual aids apparently. seems more like a briefing or speech to me.
it is not a technical role by the way it is public sector Border and Immigration
I had a question I was asked in an interview which was: Who are you?
I suppose that’s similar to #1, but I was a little stumped. I don’t have much experience in interviews, so I was hoping for some more in depth tips on how to answer #1 and the other question I posted.
Thanks,
Sunny..if it was me I would say…
i am a recent university graduate who has successfully combined my studies with bleh blah blah experience and now i am ready for blah blah blah
short and sharp. but i have no experience, but i still think that answers good.
[...] Here’s where you might get tripped up a little. Not only do you have to be well-dressed and have answers to various questons ready for a smooth delivery, you have to think about your setting—lighting, background, angles. Not to worry, Interview [...]
One of the question i faced in the interview was..
Tell me an instance when you have shown a quality of leadership?
and why do you think others were not able to do that?
I think this should make to the to 50 list.
I think that this is a great site to consider in every interview!
I have used this Q&A for a interview I had mid Dec. for a senior job.
Actually I get told that I was considered to be in the final round, but the company could not make an offer while the company policy says that at least 2 candidates need to be in the loop.
Needless to say that I am bit confused and disappointed..since the information was shared with me beg. of January.
The feedback was then, that the HR people will go quickly through a 2nd round of getting CV´s and closing of the process by latest mid Feb. They repeatatly said how much they appreciated me.
I am now in a phase of no communication and asked actually Friday last week the HR manager to have a quick chat about the current status quo. Was tough getting here..so she committed to call me Mon-Tue. Actually I have not received a call so far.
I am a bit unsure how and what to do with that kind of situation…
My current thinking is to tell them that I need to make now a decision and want this close off within the next 1-2 weeks latest.. Not sure whether the feedback can be then, well, thats to short for us….
Any recommendation on what to do and what not to do?
Thx
Ralf
IT WAS GREAT AND HELPFULL SITE BUT STILL I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE HELPFULL IF WE ARE INCLUDE “WAY OF ANSWER” LIKE HOW MANY ITEM WE CAN INCLUDE WHILE WE ARE REPLY FOR ANY QUEST. OR SOME WAYS OF ANSWER TO PREPARE OUR LINE TO GIVE REPLY ….
HI GUYS IT WAS HELPFULL …..
i’ve been sitting here for hours and hours reading preparation for an interview i have tommorow morning. in all honesty i don’t know A LOT of things about what i’m getting myself into. Fresh out of college with no experience what-so-ever. in addition to that, i have been ‘disconnected’ from the real world because of some deep issues, motivation has decreased, curiosity and staying on the top of my game…..flat. now i’m going for a system support interview, i applied online and didn’t check what it entailed, oh! that’s not all…when i got the call to come thru i didn’t take down the name of the person who called me.
it’s a panel interview!
HhhhhHelllllppp!
pardon my manners. thanks for the tips
Thanks!!!!!!!!! for the tips a really appreciate them
just pray that my phone interview is successful XXX
have any of you had a phone interview for hsbc call centre?? if yeah then please could you help me!!! by telling me what sort of questions they asked you? i really need help!!!!!!!!
How do you answer the following question:
Describe a time when your drive for results got you into trouble. Detail the situation and the outcome. What did you learn from that?
i have been here for hours trying t oanswer it and my deadline is tomorrow!!! help please
Hi, I need to apply chance of “customer care work force planner” in one organization. Can you guys help me to give some ideas on this question ” What if” questions.
Hi .. Regarding weekness question. Since my English is not my first language,do you think I should tell them that is my weekness?
Thanks for your advice !!
HEY i HAVE AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW AND iM NERVOUS CAUSE i DONT KNOW WHAT THEY GONNA ASK ME? HAS ANYONE HAD A INTERVIEW IN A BANK? WHAT WILL THEY ASK? CAN YOU HELP ME PLEASE!!
hi help me with these questions….im a Quality Assurnce and qulality control inspector in avaition presently working in civil avaition authority pakistan and i had applied in ALSALAM AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING FACTORY for the post of quality control inspector and need to reply these following questions
1. Why did you choose this career?
2. Do you have reference list?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. Why should we hire you over the others waiting to be interviewed?
5. Give us details of your present Employment Status.
6. How soon can you travel down to any Location posted you?
7. What is your Future Plans for the organization if Permanently Employed?
how i want discribe my selff…. arrgghhh…
hi im doing my m.b.a..i just want to know what are the questions should a HR ask to the interviewer ?
hi
im am applying for a post as complaint coordinator in a telecommunication company.
Please help.Really Urgent…
I was just recently called for an opportunity to interview with the DA’s office as a legal assistant. The legal field is the place I’ve always wanted to work for and I’m really excited about it. The thing is that the day before I was hired by another company in the mortgage industry which pays less but is a sure thing. I don’t know what is the right thing to do, because I really want to work for the DA’s office but I don’t know if I should tell the company that hired me. I don’t have an interview date yet with the D.A, so I don’t know the outcome of the interview. HELP
On the question, “What is your greatest weakness” I have a good answer that has gotten me through this part with little problem.
My greatest weakness is the way I ask questions. I ask them to learn how something is done because I feel that there are more than one way generally to do something. I really like to learn from others. I never ask a question to belittle someone but to learn a different and possibly a better way to do a particular task. The weakness lies in the fact that I am sometimes perceived as challenging they way someone does that task.
I have softened this up significantly in over the past few years by qualifying the question with a statement that the way you did that task was amazing. I have never seen it done that way. Can you help me understand the process you went through to accomplish that.
It puts the fear that I am trying to make them look bad to rest and the individual generally opens up and will share their process with me and I have prevented a potentially uncomfortable situation.
q3r
I need to know how to respond to the question: tell us about your self ,where to start?
i’ve got an interview tomorrow and i know they are looking for buzz words. it’s a very structured interview and unless i say these words, i’ll get marked down. how do i know what words they are looking for?
how long do you think you will work with us?
please answer this question……
HI,
I am having an interview as Travel Consultant/agent what are the question they ask in an interview. If anyone gone through it please suggest me.
What if an interviewer ask a question Why do you want change your career from IT to Travel Consultant? what is the best way to answer?
Please answer this question
This post is amazing…to put it bluntly. It answered multiple questions that I had. I’ve never stumbled across a website that was so helpful! Thank you to whoever created this list!!! =]
Can someone help with these questions, please!
1) What do you consider to be your greatest achievement either in the workplace or in your personal life?
2) What do you hope to achieve in the future?
Can someone tell me what would be a good answer when they ask you: How do you deal with stressful situations at work?
Thanks
the good answer is
“i deal with great care”
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH THIS HELPED ME GET AN “A” ON MY PROJECT WHOEVER DID THIS I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!1
I got this site very helpful to me…Thanks for all for your contribution…
if hr asks why are we select you
Or another one that seems absolutely innofensive but is a tricky one disguised!
“when are you ready to start working?”
Never answer NOW cuz HR will get the indication that you are desperate to work! Let them beleive that you have add other offers and your life is not depending on the job they are offering you. Best answer if you are currently unemployed is “1 week”.
This is just another example of questions wich HR people expect you to answer “by the book”.
Can someone help with these questions, please!
1) where do want to see in five years in our organization?
2) what salary you will take?
where do want to see in five years in our organization?
what are u r strengths and weekness(plz i want clear answer)
BASED ON YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS, HOW CAN YOU ADD VALUE TO THE JOB SECTOR
WHAT WE HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THIS QUESTION
KINDLY HELP ME
if they ask, “what salary you will take?” reply back and ask them what salary did the person have who previously held this position.
just tell them that you are very motivated about this position and with your skills and experience, you feel that you can make a difference.
[...] 50 Common Interview Questions & Answers [...]
iam basha gradute in b.com from nagarjuna university after completion of degree i did my pgdca from bdps after completion of my pgdca i worked as a lab assistant i worked for 2 years after i worked as back end executive in a leading general insurence company for 5 years coming to my family my mother is house wife and father is no more iam the younger one in the family i have 3 brothers all are married and settled in their buisness.
i have an interview tmarrow u pls tell me how to answer in a perfect way
hi i am meenakshi and i am doing mba from mdu and i want to know that how do i prepare for my interview .Can you tell me some good questions that i will prepare
Can someone help with this question, please?
Are you career able ?
hai i send this message for u
blah blah blah blah…..u ppl suck
cacci puddae boys
I am a recruiter…
I want to ask from you guys “is it good to sit and wait for the candidate for interview or not”
There are a lot of answers here that seem to be about “snowing” the interviewer. Not necessarily a good idea. Assuming a decent job market, you _will_ find a job. You want to find the right one. If something isn’t going to fit, it’s a lot better to find it out in the interview. And if they find you are the same person as the one you presented in the interview, that likely to be a lot better for your prospects at the company.
i think this could be helpful
Does anyone know what the best answer is for what animal would you be and why?
Thanks
anyone know company named frost and sullivan…does anyone ever work here??
If I were an animal I’d be a tiger.
A tiger never changes his stripes.
I learned a lot from this website. I had second interview with a big oil field services company and after two weeks, I got an email yesterday that I have been selected. Second interview was a whole day event. First all the candidates presented their work through powerpoint. The intervie team asks you question. Then we had presentation from HR about the company and benefits. then lunch and then all the interview started. I had 3 interview for 3 hours straight. Well, This site prepared me for the behavior interview and i was able to ace it without any problem. Thanks guys, you all are great.
Does anyone have a good answer for: If you were a pickel, what kind of pickel would you be?
That was pretty exhaustive!Thanx for posting it !
HI.
This website has some real usefull and easy forms of interview tips.
I would rate this site as an a1.
And want to thank the creater of this site, it helps every individual looking for a job.
Realy this one is the best for helping us to except,the face to face challenge of life.thank u so much for giving us the correct guidence at the correct time.the golden stars may be in our hands .
Good efforts , Thank you
interview question
this website is te best! I am having an interview on thursday, great tips!! you ll saved butt.
wish me luck,
Lorena
What should I answer when the interviewer asked ‘why should i pay you more since your previous job wage is lower?’
(the company is pay by hours..eg: their company is paying $8/hour to each workers and my previous job is paying $6/hour)
Im so nervous for this interview at a local movie theater and hope that anyone can give any advice for a 15 year old with only work experience with oddjobs!!! quick the int is in 30 mins!!!!
Interviews are stressful times and even a well rehearsed script can fail if the interviewee is too nervous to remember it, there is also the fact that most of the time no matter how well prepared you are there are always a handful of questions you never thought about that the interviewer is bound to ask you.
great blog ^^
i think that this is a very good blog. It has helped me with my english.
i’m attending an accountancy school in milan, and i’m writing an application letter.
excuse me for the bad english.
goodnight…
I KOW ROBERTO AND I ALWAYS HELP HIM WITH HIS ENGLISH HOWEVER I’M AGREE THIS IS A VERY GOOD BLOG
What causes you stress? Who do you manage your stress?
I have an interview tomorrow!
this is a king blog. i think the most important point to be borne in mind while attending an interview is to be YOURSELF. Advice is OK but do not let the tips dictate you but only help you in presenting you in better, brighter light.
HAVE TALENT. BE NATURAL. HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR. DRESS WELL. LOOK NEAT. SMILE.
With these you could win over most of the CEOs.
pleses 50 common interview answer.
poop
ill get u!!!
HOW about this one:
Where do you expect yourself to be in 5 years time??
[...] How to answer 23 of the most common interview questions Common job interview questions 50 Common Interview Q&A [...]
Great set of questions. Always good to get a refresher when you are getting ready for an interview. And, yes, some of these questions were asked. It is always good to be prepared. It is stressful enough that you are being drilled with questions. It is always good to go through the questions and think about the answers to give. Obviously these answers should be related to your past jobs and not rehearsed. I passed this site to my other friends.
Great question bank.I had 2 interviews in 2 days and got both jobs.Biggest decision is choosing right job! Although only some of the questions were used in the interview it did give me an insight into what type of questions may be asked and direction HR is heading in thus giving me more confidence prior to the interview.Good tool
yo
its the best post from you, thanks a lot
I will have an interview soon on Human Rresources and Administrative Assistant jobs. Kindly send me some interview questions and answers. Most common questions they ask is like What was your most challenge and did you solve it; What are your weaknesses and you strengths.
Thank you
pi
i think these questions will be a great help for me..thanks!!
Hi
I resigned from my job because it had a hostile working enviromemnt.
My question is, if I go to a job interview how do I approach this issue if asked about: why I left previous job?
I do not want to be negative in my answer.
sarah
if it was me i wouldnt tell them the real reason why you left the job.
Just inform them you felt there were no further opportunities for you within that company, so decided to resign…to take a short career brake for instance and spend some time with the family and then re-focus your career.
just what I would do I think. avoid negatives, but if you cant…make sure you have overcome the negative with a positive
sarah
take note of question 2)
I have an interview on Thursday and was told there will be given a situation to respond to orally and a different situation to respond to in writting. Orally, should not be a problem. I can read people pretty well and I come across confident. It is the written portion. My writing skills are my greatest weakness. (I would never tell them so!) Any suggestions?
how to answer to a job interview it’s hard for me to express through english language
I did once answer the weakness question with “do you want me to tell you that my biggest weakness is that I like to complete my work no matter how late in the day it is, or another lie? I’ve got one on helping colleagues if you want?”
I got the job as I don’t think they’d ever had anyone throw it back in their face. Sure enough the job sucked so I moved on six months later.
I suppose when I get asked that again I’ll just refer them to my references..
Great great page you have here. I read this, tomorrow I have an interview in Volvo for a design position in Sweden. I hope for the best for you all (and myself also
)
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DRESS is a huge part of an interview. First impressions are very important when walking into that room. The Employer will make his first decision by seeing how you are dressed. You better learn how to tie a tie, and choose one your very best suits. If you come into that interview with grungy shirt and jeans. You label yourself as a slob.
Please dress your very best. and don’t worry, you’ll do awesome!
Erin,
I agree greatly with you. For your employer to even notice you, you m ust dress your best. As you shop around, shop at home, or shop online, you really need to think before you buy those jeans that flop down and show your but crack (EEEK!!) Employers hate seeing things like that.
Hi guys help please,
I was told to prepare the following three questions for the interview next wednsday. what they are looking for and what examples i shoud give;
1. tell me about a time when you utillised your knowledge of another person’s point of view in order to communicate with them more effectively?
2. tell me about the last time that you leveraged one of your external relationships in order to accomplish a business related goal?
3.staying abreast of current developments in your professional field can be chanllenging. describe what you have done to stay informed?
(what was the opportunity you identified, what actin did you take and what was the outcome), how did you assess its effectiveness?
Thanks for any comments,
sir
Frequently i failing in interviews for lack some reguler questions i.e. what way you are fit for this expected salary,
How for can do justise for your company, tell me your self
i am working as a purchase executive
Pl give some tips for me which are usful to in intervwive
thanking u
Yadaya chary
i just want to say a singal word …….Superb .its really useful for any kind of interview. keep it con…………
thanks
I am going for a job interview with a local School Board does anyone have any ideas of the kind of questions they might be asking. It has been almost 15 years since I have gone through the process of a job interview. Any help
Here are some more example of good interview ? I have no recommendation on how to answer these questions except be positive and try to add figures ex: successfully fund raised $1500 in a two period for a ‘blank’ Drive.
20. Tell me about a time when …
you contributed to the team
you had conflict with a co-worker
you worked independently
you helped resolve a dispute between others.
I always have problems with questions like these in interview because of the stress make my mind go blank. These are most definitely question you need to prepare for
i love the cooment and suggestion here.well i must say this is a pure luck.no matter how much prepare you are if the thiings are decided before then forget about it.referral i hate this thing.the employer is looking every single thing in a person how come it is possible.
the need to work on .they are on hot seat and get advantage of that.
hola
sir this article is very-2 helpful for us as a student. but as i m aoil and gas sector student try to give some q&a on oil & gas sector
thank you
I guess the technical sector has a different approach to interview preparation. I have been in the computer science field for quite a while and what I’ve noticed is that the interview questions here are almost always technical.
Thus, questions like “Tell me about yourself” etc almost never figure in a routine interview. Infact many companies instruct the interviewer to ask as little as possible about the candidate.
This information has been *such* a help…thank you all!!
Agree…a huge help!
Hey Sarah,
Here’s the negative: The work environment was hostile, so I resigned.
Here’s a positive approach: I realized there were certain barriers to my advancement in the previous position, and I tried several approaches to resolving them, but in the end I felt it would be more productive for me to consider a new position instead.
In other words, every solution has a problem at its root, and you can keep the solutions even when the problem is solved. Your next employer wants the solutions…
i think in regards to the what is ur greatest weakness is to say that “i am a perfectionist. and that if anything is just a tad bit off it HAS to be fixed
I’m trying to get an internship position at an engineering company. Being comfortable while working with other team members is very important to most engineering companies.
So, on an engineering interview, what is the best way to approach to the following questions?
1) What is your greatest weakness? (it almost seems like u have to be perfect in everything for an engineering position)
2) What is your 5-year (or future) plans? (i’m still in my 3rd year of engineering, is there a good way of saying i’m doing internship to find out exactly what i wanna become?)
BOSS BOSS BOSS
One time I was asked “What is your greatest weakness” and I could not come up with one answer that I thought was worth stating and so, I simply said, How about that I don’t recognize having any. It brought a simle to their faces and it was definitely the truth.
I have my final interview for Toyota Canadas new plant coming up..any suggestions to prepare??. They have an incredible hiring process, 7 steps..been in the process since sept. 06. This will be my 4th assessment.
Im going into a competition , it will base who has the best interviewing skills, iv been searching the whole web for some answers to recently asked interviewing questions, if any ideas or more info. plz tell me. even if you have any good sites to find it on i could use all the help i can get. the cometition is april 17-18 so in less than a month hurry plz i need answers and fast.
How to select right candidate?
Arun Dave
DGM.
With regard to #715, the animal question, how about a beaver….they are hard workers, they are creative thinkers and they never give up.
Great Post!! Helps a lot!!! Thanks Bhuvan!
Ashok.
where do you see yourself in (say) 5 years?
I wish I could just run away from all this political mumble jumble
suk ma balls
What should I do if an interviewer tells me I’m not the right person for the job I’m applying for?
thanks for the questions, it helped loads on my interview, but i ended up shagging the boss anyways
. anyone else want my big dick let me know.
woow hell yh, im so freaking horney i want to ride you, we can ply boss and employee
.
I am returning to work after a career break to raise a family and I’m looking to get back into a job as a Credit Controller or Finance Assistant. Does anyone have any good possible Questions and Answers for these roles? Your help would be kindly appreciated.
give me sum sample of interview
I am pursuing MBA(Marketing) i need help for that what r the major questions asking in the Interviews
Great list ofinterview questions - many of which I never would have thought of such as “how long do you plan to work here?”
Hi everyone!
I really love this site.I am preparing for an interview and I found the information here very useful!Thanks a lot!!!
And those of you who have negative opinion about this site, maybe shouldn’t be here at all! If you think you can do better then prove it or stay away!!!
i am still in school and trying to get a babysitting jog in florida and there is no one looking for a babysitter i need big help is there any info on that?
oops i mean job
love J3ss!c@
i love me like so much and i love to go to school but just for the friends can u stay in school forever? helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp
Please give me a interview tips like
1 Why did you leave your last job?
2. What do co-workers say about you?
3. What do you know about this organization?
4. What kind of salary do you need?
5. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
6. What is your philosophy towards work?
7. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
8. Why should we hire you?
9. What irritates you about co-workers?
10. What is your greatest strength?
11. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
12. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
13. What has disappointed you about a job?
14. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
15. Do you have any questions for me?
Warm Regards
Vikas Tandon
Please give me a interview tips like
1 Why did you leave your last job?
2. What do co-workers say about you?
3. What do you know about this organization?
4. What kind of salary do you need?
5. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
6. What is your philosophy towards work?
7. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
8. Why should we hire you?
9. What irritates you about co-workers?
10. What is your greatest strength?
11. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
12. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
13. What has disappointed you about a job?
14. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
15. Do you have any questions for me?
Warm Regards
Vikas Tandon
im a new electrical engineeer from philippines, im now in hongkong looking for jobs related to my profession,can anyone give me some tips for my 1st interview?pls email me red161122@yahoo.com im hoping for your reply…..
Please give me a interview tips like
1 Why did you leave your last job?
2. What do co-workers say about you?
3. What do you know about this organization?
4. What kind of salary do you need?
5. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
6. What is your philosophy towards work?
7. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
8. Why should we hire you?
9. What irritates you about co-workers?
10. What is your greatest strength?
11. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
12. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
13. What has disappointed you about a job?
14. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
15. Do you have any questions for me?
Warm Regards
Bhupen
GREAT!!!!!!!!
que
1. Tell me about a time you went out of your way at work to complete a task.
2. If you seen a safety issue where you someone got hurt, what would you do?
3. Describe a professional skill you have developed.
4. So…what exactly can you do with your schooling…? PWNED…
Should have walked out after # 4 but oh well
brutal questions
plz try clear it more and more as simple as possible so that it is easy for the reader to understand the questions
I love this site. i am preparing for interview and it is really helping.
some questions are unique, i like that
its useeful site
I had to share this….at an Interview for a payroll position at Polo/Ralph Lauren, first question I was asked as soon as I sat down was….Create a 30 second commercial about yourself…GO!, followed by several other condesending and ridiculous questions. I was glad I didn’t get the job because I did not want to work for that guy!!
Great site… We have been receiving a ton of feedback for citing it on Jobosity.com
Thanks!
Coach Phil
hi there! i’m a fresh graduate of a 4 year business related course in one of the most prestigious schools in the philippines. when i was on my last semester before graduation, i applied as an erep of a call center in the city, the question “what is your weaknesses?” really shocked me…after seconds under shock, i confidently answered ” my weakness is that sometimes i tend to be workaholic”. and guess what? i was hired. we should remember that the answers the interviewer wants to hear from us is the ones that will benefit the company.
hi
I am being considered for another job within the same company I work for, and I have to fill out some Q & A’s pre-interview. The one that is getting me is “How do you organize your email account?”
I said I organized into folders for large projects requireing multiple email responses and that I frequently archive old emails for future reference and that my inbox is sorted by date. Which is the truth.. hope that is what they are looking for…
hii sir after few days my interveiw in one retal company so want the complite answer of all your 50question . i know the answer but i want some affective answer that can affect much on interviewver so please help and send soonr
1. Tell me about yourself:
2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What experience do you have in this field?
4. Do you consider yourself successful
5. What do co-workers say about you?
6. What do you know about this organization
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
11. What kind of salary do you need?
12. Are you a team player?
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
…
…
…etc
Hey, wondering if this is a good answer for the weakness question…
My weakness is that coming out of college I am not acclimated to the proper business vocabulary and I tend to be fairly abrupt and sometimes too honest.
Hello,
I’m about to have a second phone interview with the same company. My question is; Is anyone familar with a structured phone interview that is “Talent-Based” and was explained to me by one of the managers as a interview technique that is supposedly capable of extracting the “IT” quality regardless of the what your actual answers are? I believe the coin the phrase of the “Talent-Plus” strategy!
Thank you for you input! George
dear sir,
I have an interview job for an executive assistant to the executive vice predident of a company and i have to fill out some Q & A pre- interview :
1Q:give an example that will illustrate that u r able to multitask ?
2 Q:how do u proritise your work in order of importance ?
3Q : how u will ensure that a busy managersits down and listen to u ?
4 Q : how do u ensure that u are doing ur job in the best possible way ?
can u help me awnsering of all these questions
thank u in advance
waiting ur prompt reply
really good!! I love it.. It can help a lot of jobseekers..
I have a banking interview next week please help
hi,
I have a job but not satisfied with the salaery so I’m applying for jobs. I had an interview where I’ve been asked ‘what salary you have at the moment?’ What should I say about it? cause I thinks it’s a little tricky so that they will know what sallary I have, etc..
Cool
It’s funny to read all this. As someone who was educated as part of one of the best University co-op programs in the world and has since interviewed hundreds of developers and testers for various positions it’s definitely enlightening to see what people discuss on the other side of the table.
Re: Salary. If you give a range, the only number the interviewer remembers is the lower number. 50k to 60k = 48k, 50k if you give them grief over it. This is one area where you have very little leverage. The company already knows EXACTLY how much they can spend and so long as your lower number fits in, that’s all they care about.
Re: Greatest Weakness. Find a clever way to refuse to answer the question, but provide useful information to the interviewer in its place - and show that you can THINK! This is the most rediculous question ever.
Also, if you’re asked a very specific technical question you’d best know the answer, especially if you’re right out of school. If you had just spent the greater part of 4 years learning something and you’ve already purged all knowledge of it, learn to lie very well, or you’re screwed. There are a 100 of others just like you who will have the correct answer in their back pocket.
There’s always a trick question or two. Best advice: Ask yourself, “Why are they asking me this?”. It’s never just to be an ass. The interviewer might be a moron, but the questions are never asked just to fill time. If you can figure out why they’re asking the question, the answers will become more obvious.
I have a job interview tomorrow, very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
Can you tell if an interviewer doesn’t like you no matter how good you try to represent your personality and skills? I have a little bit of accent when I speak English. I had an interview 2 days ago and it went very well to my opinion. I was interviewed by two persons. the first one (younger) didn’t seem so friendly and had sort of a bitter personality and still I’ve answered the questions the same way that I did to my next interviewer. The next one was so friendly and made me so comfortable answering the questions. things like “it’s good to have someone with your abilities here or you’re in the right place for the growth since that’s what you’re looking for” were the comments I’ve received from her.
They had sent me the wrong job description before the interview which my second interviewer corrected and gave me the right one. and then the computer failed to save my test that I was asked to perform. I requested to reset the test and said that I wouldn’t mind to do it again. they tried but the computer failed and didn’t work at all. They said the test wasn’t necessary anyway and I assured them that I was very good at the test and they said that they know that because my experience in my previous jobs shows that. I walked out happy thinking that I’ve got the job.
considering that she was the one who had sent me the wrong job description and couldn’t fix the computer for me to perform the tests required, that was a speedy rejection letter she managed to send me in no time.
Guess what! I received a rejection/indecision letter from my first interviewer in less than 24 hours.
So disappointed and am trying to write back to her and ask her the reason why she didn’t consider me for the position. Well I remember I’ve had a few awkward silent moments when asked the same questions repeatedly thinking that I had to come up with different answers if my first answers weren’t convincing enough. Could that be the case or could it be a case of discrimination?
Any adivce would be appreciated.
am attending a teaching interview tomorrow. What should I Expect?
hi! i was so amazed reading this blog! And really, this could be a big help to everyone who’s looking for a job that wants to learn more and more about job interviews! with my case, well i admit that it helps me too! Actually, I’ve experienced an interview before with my last job, and its not that hard. All you really have to do is to wear that SMILE once you enter the door and show some enthusiasm while talking to the interviewer and then.. everything will follow.. Just be confident and be urself! Take it from me..
I don’t know if this post is still “alive” but I’m in that horrible stage where I’ve been shortlisted with great companies but can’t seem to close the deal. I’m on a 2nd interview with the same manager, first I did an hour long phone interview & now I’m going to do a in-person interview. My problem is that he’s new to the company too so he doesn’t know his background, the position, and company & the product strategy that thoroughly, so I don’t know what questions to ask him at the end of my interview? What else will there be to talk to ask the prospective manager?
I’m interviewing for software sales.
OMG INTERVIEW TODAY IM GUNNA BLANK!! THEY ARE SO HARD YOU GUYS OUT OF 70 interviews the average person will get 1 job. SO MOST LIKELY IF ITS UR FIRST INTERVIEW UR GUNNA FAIL HARD CORE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Just few weeks remains b4 i complete my first degree. i found it as a miracle b’cause always i was asking my self ‘how shall i tackle interview problems’. This blog is very important because it made me to have confidence. WOW! Keep it up.
The blog is a mirror for pre-employed workers. It enhances self-confidence and prepares one to get employment. I admire it in many ways, 1st the content gives one insight even for answering other questions out of the listed ones.
Recently, I’ve had some pretty good interviews. By pretty good I mean that the feedback I’ve gotten from employers has been “good fit”, “good person to work with”, etc. What I’m not getting though is the job! In analyzing what’s going wrong, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need a better way to respond to questions that I’m not sure of what the answer is or I downright don’t know. I’m thinking that if I’m asked something and the answer doesn’t come immediately, I should come off confidently rather get flustered, sweaty, etc. I’m just not sure the best way to do that.
I am security gaurd,know I go on some campus police.I have one yaer security expriance also my gob location is that compus.My day to day superviseres are campus police but my campany is security campany.know they resive my application and i will be interviwe nexst day than what is my interviwe qustions and my answer? please tell me some……THANK YOU.
May I ask some questions on that 50 common interviewing questions. I mean that some questions that you can ask them about the salary, did I get the job, or when they are asking you a questions with highly big definitions can you ask if they can explain it to them?
Sincerely,
Alina A. Wikky
thanks alote about there adivices
My best advice… Go into the interview with the mindset that you already have the job and are ready to get started. Stay positive, and be confident but a bit subdued–not overconfident unless its a sales job. Pause before you answer, and if you find you are running your mouth… cut yourself short, and say you tend to do that when you are excited and laugh (for real…not nervous!). I do this all the time, it breaks the atmosphere but ultimately the interviewer WANTS you talking. It makes it easier, so slam some capachino beforehand.
When the chance arises to ask questions about the job functions. Don’t ask general stuff, ask about some real specific day-to-day work. Then say “Oh, I love that software program… I can get you up and running in no time.” You want to really wow? Mention a book, website, or study material you’ve done on your own related to the job. Simply saying “I’m a fast learner” in an interview with me is instant thumbs down.
I’m about to interview someone right now actually… and I will not be asking any of the above questions. I cant stand hearing cliche answers to cliche questions.
I have a job interview tomorrow, very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
A quick peice of advice to all of you interviewers out there……go to every single job interview that you possibly can! Apply at any place of business remotely relating to what you really want in a career. This way, you learn how to not be so nervous, because frankly, you don’t care if you get the job, and it will help you practice with real people conducting real interviews. I did this over the course of 3 or 4 months, and was mildly interested in some of the positions, but there wasn’t going to be some big loss if I didn’t get an offer. Also, when offered a second interview or an offer, let them know that another offer came up and you are going to take it (this way you don’t waste too much of anyones time!) Most companies interview a bunch of people during their first round and then cut it down for then second and third interviews. Trust me, if you haven’t interviewed very much or if you are a new college grad….this is the best advise you can be given. You will learn more about yourself and what you really want in a career, which will then make you SO MUCH more comfortable when that whale of a job comes along!! Thanks!
Oops! Sorry about some of the spelling errors…I am working very quickly today!!
what will i answer for this question ,how much salary you are expecting..?
Tomorrow i have a job interview please reply soon…
Has anyone have sample answers for the top 50?
If so please mail me, Thanks Piush
I’m an interviewer and here’s what I’m looking for: THE RIGHT ATTITUDE. A person can be smart and skillful but not motivated. Try focusing on that. I’ve interviewed a number of times and, in time, learned to interview the business. When I figured out how important that was (Are these the kind of PEOPLE that I would enjoy being in the trenches with? Will I grow and be challenged? Will I have to be concerned about my treatment here a year from now?
I would like for what the interviewer is looking for when they ask this question….
What would you do if you was sitting next to someone who you overheard yelling at a customer on the phone and then slamming the phone down? Would you notify your supervisor?
OR
A simular question might be..
What would you do if you noticed someone using the internet …
or
taking something home that didn’t belong to them.
I have gotten this type of question the last 3 or 4 interviews and I still don’t know if they are looking for someone that can try to handle the situation by themselves or a tattle tail for the company.. or what..
Can anyone tell me the proper response?
I normally say… Well, I would advise the person I over heard the foul langange, or noticed them using the internet etc.. and thought that was proper for a workplace…. and let it go at that.. then if it became a continual problem then I would in all probablily take it to management.
Would you say that sounds like a proper response?
I got laid off a day ago and found this blog. It’s a true treasure trove!
BTW — Is anyone else supremely bothered by the lack of the ability of native English speakers to accurately use English? I simply can’t believe the spelling and grammar errors of people with English as their first language, some of them obviously well educated. Thank god they didn’t have to type their response to get their job! Oy!
“Nuts” to #57: “I can also tell if you’re going to lie to me, just by watching your eyes.”
Bullshit. No you can’t. I can fool you every time. The question is, “Why would I want to lie?” The more genuine you are, the more things will work in your favor. (I’ve trademarked “genuine” by the way. You can’t use it to “describe yourself in one word.” — What an absolutely inane thing to ask someone to do!!)
Back to lying. Face it. If you lie (and I’ve heard some whoppers!) you set yourself up for all sorts of bad ju-ju. Not just at the potential job, but virtually everywhere in your life. Think of it:
So you con your way into getting this shitty job that brings in mediocre or decent money — and you tolerate or hate the work and the people, but you’re “doing your time”, etc.
At some point, you’ll remind yourself that — at the end of the day — you’re a con. Life is too short to live like this. It will poison your brain and infect every area of your life. Instead, frame it as “This is me! I can do a little monkey dance if you want me to, but this is who I am. I’m bright but teachable. Hard core when I need to be. And I don’t take myself — or you, for that matter — too seriously. Nobody gets outta this thing called life alive.”
Listen to what Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and Pixar, had to say at a commencement speech at Stanford University, June 12, 2005: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
I love his advice, “Follow your heart.” I also love the advice of going on plenty of interviews for practice. There’s no “trick” to this sizable feat of landing a job, other than being prepared for the ringers the interviewers sometimes throw at you and having a genuine interest in the company. You can read this excellent blog for approaches that ring true to you.
But don’t kid yourself. If you’re not ‘following your heart’ you’ll never be happy in any job.
Tell yourself, “I’ve had enough ‘miserable.’ I deserve ‘happy.’”
And you know what?
You do.
I recently went for an Interview with one of the world’s best investment banker for a role in Finance and was thru past the VP hands down. But the APAC CFO asked me a couple of questions and I lost the opportunity. Quite simple questions, but I was just not able to answer them then, though I had practised well.
1. What is your goal in life or say, where do you want to be 5 years from now. (I said my career never went the way I planned it to be, though I have taken baby steps carefully to reach where I am. Well…5 years, may be not, but definitely by say 10 years from now, I intend to be the CFO, till that time I am working on getting the required skills)
2. What has been your areas of improvement as per your Manager (Mmmmm….I think the Manager also wanted me to focus on product knowledge and not only Finance)
3. What areas you think you are good at (Well….I think I do not think one can be good at one thing consistently and at all times, we are all human, but on a given day, I think I am good at execution and follow ups - very stupid answer I knew I lost it there)
4. Between two qualifications (CA & CS), which one do you prefer and why? (I did CS because of my love for law and compliance. Even in my normal financial work, I would look for something in compliance. I have been fortunate enough to work on both the roles so far at all times. So something that offers me both would excite me - This was another stupid answer, as I knew the position did not offer anything in compliance for me.)
5. Do you have any questions. (Well….I think the VP has answered all that I wanted to know. Thank you for asking me this).
I knew I lost it and I did.
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONGFDGDGSDGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDFGSDGDFGSDFGSDFG
Can any answer this question: “What qualify you to apply for this job or what makes you fit for this job?” Somebody please help me with this one. Thanks
[...] or colleague who is experienced with job interviews to roleplay with you. Here’s a list of 50 common interview questions that you can use as a starting point. Just going through some possible interview questions will [...]
COLLEGE IS IMPORTENT BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A JOB TO PAY FOR YOUR COLLEGE BECAUSE NOTHING IN LIFE IS EVER FREE AT ALL AND YOU CANT GET BY JUST SITTING DOWN AND LETTING OTHER PEOPLE PAY FOR YOUR THINGS OR GIVE YOU THINGS YOU CANT LET SOMEONE BUY YOUR LIFE AWAY BACAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY BECAUSE MONEY DO NOT BUY HAPPYNESS SO GO TO COLLEGE GET AN EVEN STRONGER EDUACATION AND LIFE THE LIFE YOU WANT LET PEOPLE WORK FOR YOU SO YOU WONT HAVE TO WORK FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHEN YOU GET A STRONGER EDUACATION YOU FEEL SMARTER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN SO GET AN EDUCATION SO YOU CAN MAKE MONEY WYLL YOU SLEEP AND YOULL FEEL BETTER AND SO WILL EVERY ONE ELSE SO I SAY TO YOU GO TO COLLEGE SP YOU WONT HAVE TO GO THREW INTERVIEW QUISTONS
COLLEGE IS IMPORTENT BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A JOB TO PAY FOR YOUR COLLEGE BECAUSE NOTHING IN LIFE IS EVER FREE AT ALL AND YOU CANT GET BY JUST SITTING DOWN AND LETTING OTHER PEOPLE PAY FOR YOUR THINGS OR GIVE YOU THINGS YOU CANT LET SOMEONE BUY YOUR LIFE AWAY BACAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY BECAUSE MONEY DO NOT BUY HAPPYNESS SO GO TO COLLEGE GET AN EVEN STRONGER EDUACATION AND LIFE THE LIFE YOU WANT LET PEOPLE WORK FOR YOU SO YOU WONT HAVE TO WORK FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHEN YOU GET A STRONGER EDUACATION YOU FEEL SMARTER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN SO GET AN EDUCATION SO YOU CAN MAKE MONEY WYLL YOU SLEEP AND YOULL FEEL BETTER AND SO WILL EVERY ONE ELSE SO I SAY TO YOU GO TO COLLEGE SP YOU WONT HAVE TO GO THREW INTERVIEW QUISTONS
man this is long. i read like the 1st 4 and then quit. bogus.
quites fools!!!
wat if i am asked…why dont you want to do higher studies?
You have no idea how much you are helping , I mean you have absolutely no idea how many students finish their tertiary education ,and having no idea what to expect in job interviews.Its like a hungry some1 having a bread flour and not knowing how to use it.
Cud anybody guide me for this “What are the Four values of your life?”……..wahty kind of respons does d interviewer expect?
plz hepl me
you decide the four. maybe something lile: Integrity, hardworking, Resilient, loyal, ……
not sure , i would ask for clarification before jumping down that one.
hi
How are u ? Just wanted to say hai.
HI! Guys I m Nilesh r pal , working with Idea Inbound Call centers . I have started my job with my third years college I think that education is very much important but there must be some of other activitis you need to know because when you come out in professional field after completing your education it will take great help for U because education learns you a theory but experience of any field learns you how to work in between the unknown people DIFFERENT AND CRITICAL situations , how to show your work that could come out side from others how to show your dedication to the work and get the PPROMOTIONS DESIGNATIONS and many more. Always try to be motivate and think POSITIVE in any situation try to avoid the peoples who try to make U DEMOTIVATE because they r your hiden enemis just think your goals and try to be a professionl you will definetly get the success and U can say confidently ” I GET WHAT I WANT”.
IF YUOR GIVEN AN OFFICE TODAY WHAT IS THE MOST FIRST THING WOULD YOU DO
What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
Do you love beyonce?
Thank you so much for the blog. I had a phone interveiw today and most of the questions started with “Tell me about a time when”. I suggest to anyone getting ready for an interveiw to have many scenarios ready about times they went above and beyond or had difficulty at their most recent job. Interveiwers want to know about a problem you had and how you resolved it.
Also the Question “Do you have any questions for me” - I replied - “Could you maybe tell me a couple things you like about working for your company” I think that was a great tip I found on this blog because I think it lead into a very good conversation I had with my interveiwer. He was very forthcoming and genuinely appreciated my interest.
Thanks Again for the help.
Could anyone help me about the salary question? I know the market value of my current position. Which is 25% higher than my current salary. My interviewer knows about this. The job description exactly matches with my current job description. Does it matter that my interviewer knows about my current salary in asking the market value.
thanks,
hiiiiiiiii khushi,
this question is very useful to you..
Hi, versy usuful site. I have an interview tomorrow. If I get a question What are areas you need to improve on?, how do I deal with that question
hello…this site really in one way helped me refreshed on the tips in an interview…my God this afternoon will be my interview… thanx to these questions!!!
Hi any one help me to finding jobs in Bangalore
2 year exp.
can any give Reference for me in your company
Hey everything is blocked, so I found this website.It was the only one that let me get through.Hope it is okay.Good luck and dont forget to call your mom, It will be harder if the phones are cut off to get them back on. love Christy
hey, i’m vietnamese. therefore my english isn’t good. i will have an interview for job 2 weeks later. i feel very nervous now. everybody!!! help me, please. how can I do to improve my Enghlish??? help!!!!
Thanks!!
is there any right form of answering to tell about question?????????
This blog was exactly what I needed. I haven’t interviewed in over eighteen years and was clueless on what to expect. Looks like it hasn’t really changed much in all that time, but thanks for the input and suggestions. I’m going in tomorrow for my first interview, hopefully with enough confidence, life experience and a great attitude they’ll see a glimpse of what I have to offer.
Thanks!
hi i gave an interview a couple of weeks back and was told I’ll be informed of their decision by the end of the month, however they didn’t call me so I called to ask them and they said they still haven’t reached on any conclusion and I was still on their list of potential candidates. Another week has passed and still no word from them? What should I do? Should I call them again or email them or just wait for them to contact me? By the way the questions really helped me be prepared for the interview.
nce blog….it helps alot.thank u
hi, i have stopped school due to some financial problem yet i still consider going back since it is my dream to finish my studies, but for the meantime i would like to apply for a full internship to finance my future studies ,however, i’m a complete novice, no work experience, no nothing, I’m undergraduate (1st year college) and most of all im underage (17 yrs. old) . I would like to land a job as a call center agent since it pays quite good salary but how will I convince them that I’m highly capable of doing the job though I lack a great deal of experience?
Pls help me, I would like to help my family by getting this job., it’s great oppurtunity to miss.
Thank you (from Philippines)
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Why did you leave you last company when you made good money? Also ties into are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
I am a over a Hunderd thousand number during my last position and left for health reason. My delima is do I tell the true about my health or some story about how I made to much money. What is the best why to handle this question without lose the opportunity because no one what to hire someone that has been sick?
it is very good for us.
This is a good website. Give good suggestion.
Thanks to this website, i went thru’ the interview.
Thanks alot !!
i am pursuing mca(3rd year) .i have 3yrs of gap after my degree. i am worried whether it will effect my interviews.what should i do. how should i present my resume and i even worked for 3yrs not related to IT
wonder full use the questions in the interviews .
i quite appreciate this site. it is of great relevance for interview questions.keep it up and God bless.
joseph
Thank u its great help
you need to cheak your speeling befor you
i love you alanah
love nathen
Hi? Thank you!
Actually, I need the sample answer per each question. - not description. T.T
But anyway~Thank you. ^^
from South Korea
can i ask some questions? this is the situation: i’m a graduate students and im applying for a call center agent.the interviewer asked me why they need to hired me and why i preferred to work on their company and not in the the hospital? please give me some suggestions?thanks
anyway i forgot to say that i’m a nursing graduate and applying as a call center..
This is a very interesting post with some good points and comments. Remember also about HOW to answer interview questions as well as WHAT you say. Using positive, persuasive language is a real winner with me and not enough applicants use this to their advantage.
They focus on what answers to give but not the langauge used which, I think, is just as important.
APPLY FOR A DECENT JOB U SAD BASTARDS
its not fukin rocket science…jus be urself
Tell me abt your self?
pls provid it with an example..
hey gve me dat answer as u r a candidate n u have to gve dat answers
“What is your greatest weakness?”
I generally say the fact that I don’t know everything, then flip it with but I strengthen my weakness by doing the research. Don’t have to be those words but it gains credibility and honesty.
I LIKE TO DO INTERVU
My real life weakness……..
returning phone calls. I hate returning phone calls.
My answer to the interview quesiton………
…I am able to see all sides of an agruement. (middle child) I’ve learned to listen and collaborate where I use to not take sides, now I’m able to decide and take action and move things along.
thenk you so much i am become confidant because of this question and answer thenk you so much
I want knowledge Retail management interviews guidence
please simple Q. and Ans and common answer
as soon
tanking
mahendrasingh
M -9928613330
Email _ mahendrasingh0702@yahoo.com
Thanx for this web, it is so hot to me because am a graduate
i have an interview on monday and this page was a major help to me but i was wondering should i take a copy of my resume’ along with a cover and thank u letter even if my resume has already been viewed by the company online?
Q >>How are you going to manage a team of 10+ for the first time ?
A >>The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gîta which repeatedly proclaims that ‘you try to manage yourself’. The reason is that unless the Person himself reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness that sets him apart from the others whom he is managing or leading, he will be merely a face in the crowd and not an achiever.Lead by example.
Again, a recurring question and a common one in most interview :
Q>> How do you motivate yourself to be consistent on a daily basis especially when work gets routine ?
A >> Simple —ATTITUDE.The disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are psychological while the third is the strong-willed determination to keep the mind free of and above the dualistic pulls of daily experiences. It is in this light that the counsel ‘yogah karmasu kausalam’ should be understood. Kausalam means skill or method or technique of work which is an indispensable component of work ethic. Skill in performance of one’s duty consists in maintaining the evenness of mind in success and failure because the calm mind in failure will lead him to deeper introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken to avoid such shortcomings in future. Although the answer is simple..You need to work without emotions,without attachment and without the worry of results (not that you should forget your goals,NO) but the GOAL is something which will materialise in Future,right NOW the job would be to concentrate fully in your job, if you do this diligently,the GOAL will take care of itself.
I recently had an interview, and im not sure how i did. I answered the questions but the interview seemed short. not sure if thats a good thing or not. i know i didn’t say anything to mess up this interview like i did one.
heellpp
can u pls send me some sample answers a fresher requires 4 hsbc call centre job on my mail
I am sick and tired of all this media around me. It is annoying my family and I to jeebers! I love the troops, I support them - regardless or not if I support the war. Oil drilling doesn’t sound that bad because I am sick of relying on scary oil mongers who live in the middle east, fly their gold plated jets, and live in their 15billion dollar mansions. I think its time for this world rid itself of corruption and put on In-corruption! Politicians should just tell the truth, it makes every person feel more inclined to vote for them. Apologizing for mistakes isn’t that bad either, because we are all human and we all make mistakes. I love America and it saddens me to see the direction we are heading with all the insults, fake press, and senseless bickering.
Thanks for all the tips!
Thanks for thsese tips they are very helpful and informative!!!!
Hi,
very nice collections of questions.
Thanks a lot
I consider this site a very good one for me to face the interview questions ahead of me. Though, im hoping to attend one soon, but i’m confident with the suggestions stated on this site.
Hi
Realy Very Good Collection Of Questions
But we think More information is requerd we mean how to handle them those
Regards Thanks
THIS IS A WONDERFUL SITE ,IT HAS REALLY HELPED ME
I need to jop in big commpany.
Ive got an interview tomorrow and I am soooo nervous!!! I guess itsbecause ive been out of work busey with my child that I seem out of practie and unsure what to say. i enjoyed getting the tips and what I could be looking at tomorrow.
your site is really very good for a fresher, i will go 4 a interview on this saturesday, in questain like what is ur future plan i am not clear about it please help me…..
For the weakness question, always mention that you are improving on something for example “I need to improve myself on Microsoft Powerpoint so I am taking courses and improving myself on it”
The first post above about the weaknesses I need to comment on. This is the absolute PERFECT answer to that question. I always say “interviews” and they ask why. I tell them “because I am unable to show my full potential in just an interview.” They usually laugh and it is quite an icebreaker as well. Try it, it completely throws them off guard!
forward
Please Help.have a job interview in 2 days, very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
What questions can I ask at the end to the panel of board members?
Excellent site.
I appreciate help and advice on .
1. Why do you want to work for this council ( Council had a very bad government audit inspection.
Tell me how and what you did to bring about cultural change
2. How would you raise the moral and motivation here
3. what is your mgt style.
4.How would you measure success after 12 months and 3 years.
5. How do your ensure senior management team achieve their targets.
6. what would you do if your chairman disagreed with you - how would you persuade them - and if that did not work?
6) what is your most achievement to date and what did u do.
7) how do you communicate with diverse teams
9). Tell us how you went about improving the performance in last company.
10) give me an example of where you have acted corporately.
11) What would you do if you could not get your team to do what you wanted them to through persuation.
12) Do you look at things from high and then never complete them.
13) Your BME staff said she is being discriminated by one of the customers - what do you do?
14) The chairman said hold report as they do not agree with its contents , although you know it is correct and needs to be presented to prevent fraud.
15) How would ensure a quality organisation
I work at senior level in a not for profit social housing company. I would welcome any comments and answers to the above. I am will to help anyone who needs help.
Can anyone help me to answer this question, please? I have an interview on tomorrow.
What challenges do you think that you will face in moving from your current position to this position?
Thank you!
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good web site which helps the freshers to get some idea regarding the interview. how to face the interview. thanks for the founder….
where are the fucking answers
Better have a look at this
[...] place of asking hypothetical questions (E.g., “How will you handle …,”) interviewers ask specific questions (E.g., [...]
Let me say this, Thank you for this very informative website. it madde my current interview a lot easier for me because I was able to focus on myanswers because I knew most of the questions. Great site, reccommended to all I know.
Hi i recently moved to the US and have been applying for jobs.
I just stumble when a question like ” Describe your role in your previous company” …i know it needs to be precise but it really confuses me whether i should me talking to the interviewer about MY skills OR MY performance OR about my role in the project OR in general intro of my company and then my achievements?
Please help!
[...] or colleague who is experienced with job interviews to roleplay with you. Here’s a list of 50 common interview questions that you can use as a starting point. Just going through some possible interview questions will [...]
Please Help.have a job interview in 2 days, very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
Thank u for this Information……
Please send me the answers of all this qestions……..
Pls help me out with this one…
How do you MAKE sure service standards are maitained?
Hi, I am from Argentina, and a will have a telephone interview next week?.
Can you give me some advice, how a can manage this?.. A person will call me from United state, and I am worried about the way a have to talk to her.
Thanks in advance.
I have a job interview tomorrow at Ihop. I applied as a waitress, and I was wondering like specific questions they may ask pertaining to the job?
I will have an interview fir the post of Fire Officer. So please help me like the type of question asked
Hi,
The site is full of questions - but not many answers ! May be the site needs updating - with a list of answers to all the questions posed and have not been answered. There are a quite a few “experts” trying to sell their wares - maybe they can post some answers instead of trying to sell them. Perhaps some kind hearted expert will take the time to answer the next 50 tough questions.
this site is very helpful
Hi,
very nice collections of questions.
Thanks a lot
I have a job interview on wednesday ,i m very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
I have a job interview on wednesday ,i m very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
I have a job interview on wednesday ,i m very nervous
Can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help!!
I have a job interview on 16th August’08, i m very nervous can anyone send me the answers for all 50 questions, please help my english is not very good
hello, Pls help me to improve my self in interview. can u send me an answer the out of 50 question pls for reviewer? thank you.
hello, Pls help me to improve my self in interview. can u send me an answer the out of 50 question pls for reviewer? thank you… this is my e mail: crazy_choc_2000@yahoo.com
Thanks, Dan B, for defending perfectionists and those of a SUPER detail-oriented nature. I had major problems in college because of this; there simply was not enough time to do all the work as I had envisioned and stay sane. Now that I’m in the work force, I’m learning when it’s okay to “cut corners” and when I should really utilize my skills.
For question 26, you need to bery careful.
Just say something like “I get on well with all my colleagues, and it’s really difficult for me to find a reason to reject to work with someone. “
Hello everyone! Im Michelle… i need your help.. im looking for a job… Pls. help me to improve my self in interview. can u send me the answers to the 50 common question? you can email michelle_caldino@yahoo.com… pls… i really need you help….. thanks…
If they supposed to ask me, the positive and negative for myself?
How can i explain with them ?
What is a skill do u want to improve
I have gone on four in interviews on jobs that I really want. I don’t do very well. I get really nervous. Can you give me some pointers on how to over come that and can you please e-mail me the answers to the 50 common questions.
Thanks,
Correction on my email
I have gone on four in interviews on jobs that I really want. I don’t do very well. I get really nervous. Can you give me some pointers on how to over come that and can you please e-mail me the answers to the 50 common questions.
Thanks,
lepe
lepe775@msn.com
Are you guys serious about asking for this guy to answer all 50 questions? Do some of your own work! Don’t be lazy, jesus!
I’m working in get an interview with a great company, the only thing that put me in a 100% nervous way is that my English isn’t good. I just immigrate from Mexico and don’t know how to express my bad english as a not too bad wekness, pls help !
BTW, I got the 50 questions and trust me that it is a real help !
I apreciate your response !
Yesi
wow . lol this is hard im going out for a job about next year lol
having an opportunity for an interview needs a lot of research
I find that in an interview that a smile and positive, honest answer will always get you across the line. Most jobs I’ve been for l have gotten, its only the mass interview jobs l don’t seem to fair to well, there inpersonal and too quick, like a cattle yard. So l stay away from those type of jobs. Its true go in believing this isn’t the job you really care for and it will relax you and this will shine through
now i try to sit an interview ,so thank for your web.
i am civil engg.
what kind of questinon can be asked by me in intow.
help
it will be going on
ram21engg@hotmail.com
reviewing the feedbacks on this website can help you figure out what you’re going to answer during the interview.you don’t really need to ask for the answers,just focus on what kind of job you are applying for and have the determination to get that job!
goodluck!
In my last interview for system support i was asked “How would you handle a angry users, who is swearing ??
Ok I have been in restaurant management for over 10 years. The last job I was at I was fired. I was in the position of Assistant General Manager, waiting for a new store to open where I would be a General Manager. I stood up to the General Manager who was yelling at me and talking unprofessionally to me. So I went in the back to call the District Manager and told him what happened. He said he would talk to the GM. Next time I saw him I was fired. So what should I say when asked about my previous job. I was also once let go a few years earlier for another job for being young and stupid and making comments to someone that were politically incorrect.
and the last question I have is how would I be able to turn my lack of job stablilty into a positive or at the very least not something that is negative.
This was very helpful! thank you for the interview advice.
i think it is good…..but it is prove when i got selected
Hi!
i have an interview today at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel as an F&B attendant.i am still nervous.what should i do?!!it’s actually my 3rd application here and i don’t know how will i tell to the interviewer why i was never hired before???
i don’t know what i can respond when iam asked to summarize my achievements
I like this article. The Interview is a challenge for me. The jobs that I have been hired, I was able to actually do work relate to the position I was applying for. Other jobs that I just had the interview, I did not get even though my skills and knowledge were perfect for the position.
[...] desk called my resume or that any semi-intelligent person wouldn’t have read verbatim on an interview Q&A site (which, by the way, I have a word document of answers to questions from that site that I study [...]
I’m having my FIRST REAL job interview tomorrow. Eek! LOL I’m a housewife and I’m getting a job to help support my family. I had no idea what to expect in the interview tomorrow but thanks to this blog, now I do! It really helped me. I have more self-confidence and I don’t feel so lost. Wish me luck tomorrow!
Great article!
I’m in the same situation as Sara #962, in a few minutes im off to my first job interview.. Im a bit nervous but as she said - im feeling self-confident.
Good luck to you all!
Re: the salary question, I agree completely never to answer the question with a number directly. Basic law of negotiating - they that put down the first number loses.
Here’s a little trick I like to use that is a carry over from my days in sales:
You: So what is the range for the position?
HR: It pays between 50,000 and 75,000.
You: …so…likely no more than 90,000 then?
HR: More like 85, but yes (oops!)…
Oldest trick in the book. When someone gives you their maximum, jack it up another 15-20 %, as they are likely still lowballing. People in Purchasing may be used to this trick, but HR people never see it coming - and you’ve just made salary negotiations a whole lot easier should you get to that stage. And, it also puts a quick end to the salary discussion as the HR person wants to quickly move on from their gaffe and try to re-establish control of the meeting.
Hi
I am applying for the internal job within my organization and i was told following are the question they might ask. can some one please tell me how and what to answer. thanks
2 – What would you do if a comitte member comes up to you and says the entire network is down ?
3 – If a “team” member is not pulling their weight on an assignment that is due in 3 days and you are the team lead how would you react ?
4 – Give an example of your leadership ?
5 – Give an example of how you persevered in a situation ?
6 – Give an example of something you do, that other people will start to do exactly the same as you because they think your idea
is very good ?
The dumbest question is “tell me about yourself”? I have submitted my resume already and we are having this conversation and you’re asking me that? Are you out of questions?
Job Interview
I have to appear for Interview for the Job of Subject Teacher (Physics). Please reply me with importnt questions and their answers .Thanks!
i going to face an interveiw and i dont know the important question to be asked.plz tell me the possible and important question which i will have to face….
BILL-AUGUST28,2008
pls am going for an interview on monday next week for a job in the finance department,can someone give me tips of questions to expect.
thanks
I have my frist real interview since college. I have been working for the same company since my soph. year in college and now the manager but I am interviewing for a job in pharm. sales any good interview questions that will help me out.
Thanks
hello sir i really impress with your question who are help to job seeker
thanks sir for good suggestion for interview related question
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i m parul
i read these questions
i m very impressed
this is very important and intelligent questions .
good questions
These question are best question for an interviewer to follow this path
i think this is enough for going on interview by revise this questions
the most important point is to b Loyal and Honest
thanks
This is a nice blog. Maybe most of us here are preparing for an interview and this could really help us. Good luck to all of us..;-)
Going for an interview for police dispatcher. What should I expect?
Thanks
jow should i answer for this few question for my interview?(For good answer to get the job)
-What would you define as the biggest challenge / difficulty in selling?
-How would you overcome this challenge / difficulty?
-Briefly tell us about the most extreme lengths you have taken in order to close a sales.
Hope u can help me prepare to answer & get the job.
Thank you.
Thanks, This has helped me out alot ; )
I will have an interview nextweek for a job that I have never done!!.
I applied to change my career from Communications to Finance, so will see how these questions will help me.
JUSTtell me about news question . these question i`ve read it since 2 years so it`s old
i just want to know what`s new in this intervews question
and mail so
i`m sory i forget to say ( thank you) at all
OMFG! This is a godsend. I JUST went into AF’s NYC flagship and completed the digital job application form, and immediately scheduled for an interview for tomorrow afternoon!!!! CRAZY! I will read this back and forth. MANY THANKS!!
Wow these were great questions, a lot of work to answer them all, but it helped me get the job
Thanks
the question that annoys me most is “why should i hire you?” HELP!!!!
hello
how r u
whar r u doing now a days
I had the following question asked. Can I get some feedback. Thanks,
Describe a typical day where multi-tasking and being detail-oriented is essential to your success.
Hello!! how is everyone??
omg, i love this blog/site. well, i have an interview tomorrow with government position which i’ve always dreamed of. it’s with the local school district. now, i’ve noticed with government jobs, they get pretty detailed about salary, job descriptions, experience, benefits and so on. on almost all job postings for government, there is a salary bracket, for example $2500-$3500.
so my question is, 1.) at the interview, would they even mention salary expectations? and 2.) what questions do you think they might ask? it’s not a teacher position, it’s actually just a simple clerical/assistant position. any advice, tips and/or ideas would be great! thanks!
hi am dennis please help me on this question that i see it as a threat to my interview tommorow,…have you spotted a problem that no one else has.
hey dennis, that’s an easy one. they want to know if you’re detail-oriented, per sa. the answer would be something like…”at work, we deal with alot of cases (if you’re a lawyer, for example), there have been a few times where I would evaluate paperwork or forms and notice that certain forms are missing information and i bring it to attention to the appropriate staff member. it’s important that work leaves the office in completion and on time so that nothing gets delayed… blah, blah, blah.
one quick thing. i was just in an interview yesterday with the public works, and i noticed that they will give you questions, but as long as you just be very very comfortable, you’ll do fine. not too comfortable though. you just don’t want to sound rehearsed. at the interview, we just started to talk about alot of crazy stuff for about an hour, that had nothing to do about the interview at all. always pay attention to their facial expression… do they seem confused by your response? quickly offset it by finding something more professional (maybe?) or opposite (in a positive way) of what you said. and always look them in the eye when responding… always!!! you’re basically lying when you’re looking around the room when you talk, or just not at the interviewer. you honestly have to get used to interviews, it just takes time. and always send in a great thank you letter afterwards.
uhh….
next week i’m gonna be an interviewer and interviewee….
gimme some tips on how to answer the interview answer….ohhhh….
[...] The Accelerated Job Search by Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D, published by The Management Advantage, Inc.) August 19, 2006 Posted by bhuvans in Interview Q & A. [...]
I’m Sara#962. I got the job! Hired on the spot after my interviews. I’ve been working for 3 weeks now and I LOVE IT. My co-workers are great and I love my boss. So happy I read this article before my interview. it helped me out a TON!
I Think it will really help to face my campus interviews. i was not knowing how to answer the questions like my strengths,weakness, how i myself want to be after 5 years and so on, but now i got clear idea, how to tackle it. and to prepare answers for this 50 questions. thank you very much.
Thanks for the advise. It really helped me land a job making over 60,000. It’s a great tool to have.
Great page, this really helped me bag my first proper job. If only to quell nerves regarding the more difficult questions.
987. stevie: Dont be surprised if they do ask about your salary expectations. If they do- dont sell yourself short. To ask for the low end of what they are offering might be seen that you are not sure of yourself. Ask for the maximum as they must be prepared to give it. They may counter with something like your previous experience so assure them you are the best candidate and you expect to be remunerated accordingly.
Best of luck,
Mike
Great Job on the list!
can you pls send me the answers to the 50 common interview questions..
it will surely help me. interview is 5 days from now
zell_keannes@yahoo.com
ty
wat a great site!
he he he! thanks for all ur comments and tips, now i’ved learned and ready for interviews,,,….
Thanks…
The most commonly asked question is “How do you handle stress and pressure?”
The way to answer this is:
“Stress is very important to me. With stress, I do the best possible job. The appropriate way to deal with stress is to make sure I have the correct balance between good stress and bad stress. I need good stress to stay motivated and productive. “
i’ll find acommon mistake done by fresh graduate when attending n interview..can u give me a de\tail an explanation???
[...] isn’t an improvisation — it’s a rehearsed performance. And it’s no mystery what the most common interview questions are, so prepare you answers. Even if you end up fielding a question you didn’t anticipate, surely [...]
WHO CAN HELP ON THIS QUESTION
What can you do with this organization?
I am preparing for an interview on community relations issues. what do i expect especially as it relates to Nigeria.
please help me
how measured in the body language in interviw’s
Hi guys,
wat is a right answer if the employer asked way i want to change a proffession. (I am working as a Tour Executive n wanna a change..)
thats fine.
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hi how are doing guys? i hope everyone’s life going exactly how you want it!!!! I’m gonna ask you a big favor if you could do it for me i would really appreciate it. Could anyone please send me the answers to 50 Common ? Thanks
my email adress is Pretty_here1@hotmail.com
HOLY SSHIT 1000 comments
I am Neeraj pal undergraduate in D.U. stream Arts,
sir
I am working in Info sys BPO.
My work is Data prosscing email check but Company process pros ponds from Poona so company all the candidate recving the region letter
My salary 5000 so please new job providing me . What is the IT Interview tips and wright down the my email and telephone No
Thank you
the questions is excelent its very fain
pls
give me a good answer with examples,if i am asked by a bank (why should i hire u)
Once I was asked how I felt about the expression “A good salesman can sell sand in Sahara”. I said that if your goal is to sell sand to people in Sahara you seriously need to take Bill Hicks advice and shoot yourself, that’s the most unethical thing I’ve ever heard of! I didn’t get the job..
Thank you all very, very much! Your input to this site/blog will not fail to bring much, much fruit. I hope other folks will find this blissful information to be very helpfull, as I can’t stop applauding your effort. Gotta study these Q’s & A’s because my interview is only 12 hours away. For those who belive in our Saviour Jesus Christ please pray that if this is his will for to work at this place that I pass with flying collors. Thanks again. May God Bless us all!
I’m going for a job interview and they told me there is a phsychology test before the inte view, Could any one advise me how to prepare for the test? I never heard that for job postings
actually my graduation(bsc) was completed in 2001.due to mt family financial position i had joined iti.in 2006 my family condition is something bettered so i joined mba and completed in 2008 in finance specialisation.kindly refer some answers to above questions so that i will be able to face in an interview.
[...] 50 Common Interview Questions & Answers (englisch) [...]
[...] questions. Luckily I had a feeling it was going to happen and found this list of common questions (here) which I used to prep all [...]
hello if any one know answer of all 50 question please help me….
I have had great luck recently with my answer to “What is your greatest weakness?”
I always say, “The Friday afternoon potluck - I usually eat too much!” It makes the interviewers laugh, and they have never returned to the question to ask it again.
However, I still am interviewing……must be a different question I got wrong.
ibiby, I think work in a bank, the most important think is honest. Can you prove it? Reference such as work as cashier before, some part time job that involve handling money.
ibiby, I think work in a bank, the most important thing is honest. Can you prove it? Reference such as work as cashier before, some part time job that involve handling money.
“tell me about yourself”? why did you leave your last job?what do you know about inbound and out bound?what kind of salary do you need?what would your previous super say your strongest point is?what have you done to improve your knowledge in the past year?
good day!
this morning i was pretty much sure that i can answer whatever the interviewer gives me,but in some circumtances i think i failed.just my hint!hehehe…but im pretty much sure that i will past.anyway id been to alot of jobs before,now that im planing to face another trial of my life,hoping i would be better this time than before.my previous jobs before was exciting but now by applying again to other companies is more exciting!!!knowing that i gain confidence,bieng more patient,being creative,knowing that im hard working person and have a possitive vision im ready to go back and work again.thanks to all the people who had supported me in my trainings.thank you!
HELLO I HAVE A QUESTION. HOW CAN I GO ABOUT ANSWERING A QUESTION WHAT IS YOUR WEAKNESS ON A INTERVIEW? IF YOU HAVE A ANSWER CAN YOU EMAIL ME BACK SOON AS POSSILE THANK YOU
냉장고는 한번 설치하면 계속 사용하기 때문에 전력소모율이 매우 높다.
한 가정의 한 달 전기요금 중 냉장고가 4분의 1을 차지한다는 통계도 있다.
냉장고는 자주 여닫을수록, 보관하는 음식물이 많을수록 전력소모량이 많다.
냉장고에는 음식물을 60%가량 채우는 것이 적당하다.
방열기에먼지가 끼면 효율이 떨어지므로 자주 청소해야 전력소모를 줄일 수 있다.
출처:다음카페 생활의지혜!
Can someone tell me about the QSP test.
Response to Nattie (# 86) “Hi everyone — I’m going on an interview and my boss of course does not have a clue about this…but always at interviews and their forms they ask the question — can we contact ur previous employer…the first answer is of course (bc I dont have anything to hide and I know hes quite fond of me) but in the same respect if I dont get the job then my current supervisor will know and it wouldnt be a good situation. How would you handle this? Any help is appreciated.”
I would say something to the affect, I would not mind you contacting my employer upon consideration of hiring.
I guess this would mean, if you are interested in hiring me then by all means contact my supervisor but if not, don’t waiste the time and blow my cover.
Hey !!!!
This is really a good one! I started the reading at 11:00 pm and now it’s 3:00am WOWWWW.. it’s all because my interview tommorrow.
I hope I’ll get the job cause it’s been long time now since I left my old job before getting another one. I know it was a mistake but itwas really hard for me to handle all that pressure for not getting my pay check because of pay roll mistakes.
I would like to say that,that was very good responce.it is verry good for every one.when i read all question and answer it was very great for me…………………..
Guys please read it and take it for your future..ok bye
Hello friends
My name is Manoj Sahu from New Delhi in India..
When i read this question & Answer realy it was great thing for every one..So guys please if u have any question so u can ask them and note Upper point in Fifty Command will very great full for us..So guys always prepare some thing cahnge,and last is take Fifty command it it very compulsery for us.
now bye…
Hey Bhuvana, This is AMAZING. Please continue this. I learnt a lot from here & got a good confidence boost.
Thanks Agian,
Servin Pais
When asked what my greatest weakness is, I have used this answer:
“I wish I spoke more than one language. In this day and age it helps to be as well-versed as possible.”
Good sneaky way to get around the questions!
냉장고는 한번 설치하면 계속 사용하기 때문에 전력소모율이 매우 높다.
한 가정의 한 달 전기요금 중 냉장고가 4분의 1을 차지한다는 통계도 있다.
냉장고는 자주 여닫을수록, 보관하는 음식물이 많을수록 전력소모량이 많다.
냉장고에는 음식물을 60%가량 채우는 것이 적당하다.
방열기에먼지가 끼면 효율이 떨어지므로 자주 청소해야 전력소모를 줄일 수 있다.
출처:다음카페 생활의지혜!
Oh my G**….. Help me to translate this character!..
Pastilana pud ning mga pijungot og mata, kbalo baya cya nga english ni nga post, magsulat pa gyod og inintsikwakang nga storya. hay GINOO ko, maayo ra gyud og nabisaya ko,!!! ***
i’ve just read all of your comments pls give an advice coz’ i hav an interview nextweek this is my email anonymous_lhon@yahoo it is an interview for a call center company
hi i want financial interview question and answers
I just spent six hours practicing every one of the fifty questions and reading through all the comments. I have my “dream” interview in 10 hours. Wish me luck.
hi i am an architect
could you help me solve thse questions?
1.Briefly describe your ideal job?
2.Why did you choose this career?
3.What goals do you have in your career?
4.How do you plan to achieve these goals?
5.Can you work under deadlines or pressure?
6.Tell us about a time you have failed to meet your deadline? What were the repercussions?
7.Do you have reference list?
8.Why do you want to work here?
9.Why should we hire you over the others waiting to be interviewed
10.Give us details of your present Employment Status.
11.How soon can you travel down to any Location posted you?
12.What three Specific Job Positions do you target from the Company?
13.Give us your full details on the Following; Full Name, Permanent Mailing address, Office/Work Mailing Address, Direct Contact Number(s), E-mail addresses (es).
14.What is your Country of Nationality? Is it different from your Present Location?
15.What is your Future Plans for the Company if Permanently Employed?
to many commets can’t read all of them
this site is ok i mean it dosent have any thing good you should add more
nobody has answerd me yet come on this sucks
i like this site, lots of question, but too many comments
This site helps a lot on getting a job
[...] is a massive list of the 50 most common inverview questions. I have been doing a lot of interviews at work lately and I think these would have been really [...]
This site,helps me a lot….thanx
i think this site is awsome it is cool and zac is dumb
Can you pls send the best answers to the 50 questions. This will be a good help for my coming interview. ty!
I was wondering if you could just write the answers down, so I would have an idea of what to say. :]
once, during an interview the asked me to formulate a time when I have to think “outside of the box”…I didnt know what to say…can someone give me an example? thanks
[...] Source:50 COMMON INTERVIEW Q&A « Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy’s Blog addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fpreparingforajobinterview.com%2Fjob-interview-questions%2F50-common-interview-qa-%25c2%25ab-bhuvana-sundaramoorthy%25e2%2580%2599s-blog%2F’; addthis_title = ‘50+COMMON+INTERVIEW+Q%26amp%3BA+%C2%AB+Bhuvana+Sundaramoorthy%E2%80%99s+Blog’; addthis_pub = ”; [...]
anybody know how to answer this:
‘What you want offer to your company?’
i have a job interview tommorow so plz can u help out with questions?
1. what r ur weakness as i am applying for airport service agents and it is customers service job?
plz can u provide 3 -4 examples.
Have an interview with Parsons Brinckerhoff tomorrow, these questions gave me the foresight to see what would be thrown at me. Thank you to the author and equal thanks must also go to the comments. 1+ Karma.
All the best to everyone going for an interview, your approach to preparing pre-interview will stand you all in good stead.
hey check this out
WHO CAN HELP ON THIS QUESTION
If you are no longer working, why did you leave.
hi! im janna i have an interview tomorrow in a call center pls. send me some common question and answer pls! help.i know the answer but i want some affective answer that can affect much on interviewver so please help and send soonr
1. Tell me about yourself:
2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What experience do you have in this field?
4. Do you consider yourself successful
5. What do co-workers say about you?
6. What do you know about this organization
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
11. What kind of salary do you need?
12. Are you a team player?
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
hi! im Mehul i have an interview tomorrow in a call center pls. send me some common question and answer pls! help.i know the answer but i want some affective answer that can affect much on interviewver so please help and send soonr
1. Tell me about yourself:
2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What experience do you have in this field?
4. Do you consider yourself successful
5. What do co-workers say about you?
6. What do you know about this organization
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
11. What kind of salary do you need?
12. Are you a team player?
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
First Time I have seen such type of collection and really this is very helpful for those who are preparing for interview, but i want also a answer of my question.
1. if someone will ask where you will find your life after five years then what will be perfect answer?
Vikesh
If i were you I would say something about having a successfull career in the field that most interests you.
I don’t really know though so don’t base your answer on me alone.
I applying in telecomunication sales department and also give the initial interview. please suggest the perfect answer at the following quiestion.
0.Tell me about yourself:
1.Briefly describe your ideal job?
2.Why did you choose this career?
3.What goals do you have in your career?
4.Can you work under deadlines or pressure?
5.Give us details of your present Employment Status.
6.What is your Future Plans for the Company if Permanently Employed?
8. What experience do you have in this field?
9. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year.
10. what is your achivement in past experience.
[...] Interview Questions [CNN] The 25 most difficult questions you’ll be asked on a job interview 50 Common Interview Questions [...]
could you please answer thos question?
1. In a staff meeting you present what you think is a great idea that would improve the effectiveness of processes. Your team objects to your idea. How would you persuade them to listen and believe in the idea?
2. During busy times, there are invariably deadlines that have to be met. Tell me about the last time that you had a deadline to meet. What did you do in order to ensure that you met that deadline, with quality work?
3. What are your design strengths (please list up to three strengths)?
4. In working closely day after day with others, disagreements are bound to arise. Tell me about the most serious work-related disagreement you were involved in. What did you do to resolve the situation?
Would you help me finding Accountant interviews??
I want General idea about interview.
I have an phone interview on today or tomorrow for an MNC as a fresher in Security Adminsitration(software), can u please tell me some common questions and answers for that. I am a fresher.
REAL IT HELP US TO BE IN GOOD POSITION FOR INTERVIEW
Some good interesting questions can be found here
some good and interesting tips on Java and J2EE
실내 온도를 빨리 올리고 싶다면 가습기를 튼다
외출 후 돌아와서 집이 추울 때 보일러 온도를 무작정 높이지 말고 적당한 온도로 맞춘다.
대신 가습기를 틀어 집에 습기를 더한다.
보일러를 작동시키면 바닥이 덥혀지면서 집이 따뜻해지는데,
습도가 높으면 공기 순환이 빨라져 집이 빨리 데워지는 효과가 있다.
출처:다음카페 생활의지혜!
WoW! I am so glad that i was able to run in2 this blog! I have an interview tommorow!
My ADVICE 2 ALL:
Always be HONEST! Dont’t walk in2 the interview and try to sugar coat yourself, skills, and/or experience. Go in2 your interview and just RELAX! Make sure you have it instilled in your mind that ” I BELIEVE THAT I AM THE BEST PERSON FOR THIS POSITION” and last thing, Please Guys, don’t LIE, notice that when you start to make up thing, that you end up FREEZING, and the “UM’s” start to come out along with you answers getting knotted up! JUST BE YOURSELF GUYS and be 100%, well 90% REAL!
THANKS EVERYONE! KEEP THOSE GREAT Q&A’s Rolling!
[...] 50 Common Interview Questions & Answers [...]
THIS IS VERY USEFULLY!!!!!
WILL YOU PLEASE SEND ME,INTERVIEW QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES.
you suck
really appreciate the work
good luck to all
im applying for a job at a video shop.
i dont know what to expect as this is my first job and im 14..
is there anything you can reccomend me doing?
thanks in advance,
Thanks so much for this site.Please keep up the good work
I have an interview for an Accountant vacancy. I would like to know how to best prepare for the questions. I normally get nervous when I go on interviews. What are some of the likely questions to be asked?
Many Thanks to you because I was some Questions regarding interview and I was confused but this site has resolved my problems. My Q was : Why did you leave your last job?
and I got answer at #2.
I love to go and go play around the fairies going to a new place like where turtles live surround them by love and laughter.
Contact me at:
email- vaginalover84@gmail.com
website- givethevaginaanorgasm.com
I read this blog the day before going to my interview and I definately got the job working at Google INC.
I’m very proud of myself!