14."How do you make important decisions?"
There are many ways to answer this question, and if you have a reasonable method of making decisions, it will probably be sufficient. One answer I thought of included not being afraid of asking your manager. You can follow up by saying even the best needs mentoring, and you always want to improve. So basically, this could work as an answer, but depending on the job, you might have a better shot with an answer like my example.
Short Answers
"I make important decisions by examining all the details and then weighing the pro’s and con’s for each decision."
"I gather all the information I can find and based on the information, I’ll come to the best decision I can. If I know a coworker was in a similar situation, I wouldn’t hesitate to find out the results to make sure my decision is the best one."
"I believe all decisions should be made by having all the information. If you are missing an important detail, it’s easy to make a bad decision. So I make important decisions by having all of the information."
"Important decisions are made by knowledge through information and wisdom through experience. I’ll gather all the information I can find and then apply my experience while analyzing the information. With this combination, I’m confident I’ll make the correct important decisions."
Long Answer
"I think all decisions are important, and having as much information about the decision is one of the most important aspects. After examining all the facts, I would think about the outcome and consequences of each action and after weighing the pro’s and con’s, I would come to the best decision possible. However, I’m aware that some decisions are not as black and white. In this situation, I would rely on my experience, or even work with my team members to come up with the best decision."
This is a decent answer, but I think you might be able to think of a better one. Feel free to be creative with your answers because those are the answers the interviewer will remember the most.
15."Do you work well under pressure?"
In most cases, the best answer to this question is answering yes. Working well under pressure is a good trait to have. However, I think if you answer that you work the same with pressure and without pressure, the interviewer will be more impressed. However, you will need to explain in words why this is better. Here are some of my answers.
Short Answers
"I work well under pressure because I use the pressure to help me work more efficiently."
"I enjoy working under pressure because I believe it helps me grow. In my previous experience, I always worked well during deadlines, and I always learned how to work more efficiently afterwards."
"I work well under pressure because I don’t panic. I maintain self control and work as efficiently as possible. In all my experiences, I did well and I always enjoyed the experience."
"During times of pressure, I try to prioritize and plan as much as I can. After I’m organized, I really just put my head down and work hard in a smart way. I don’t let the pressure affect me. So I believe I work well under pressure."
Long Answers
"To tell you the truth, I think I work the same if there’s pressure or if there’s no pressure. I try and take out negative emotional factors and work hard regardless of down time or busy time. I always prioritize and organize my work, and from there, work efficiently. If the situation involved pressure due to a lack of time, then the only difference in my work would be the extra time I would need to put in to meet the deadline on time. Since I believe my normal work is great work, then I suppose I work well under pressure."
I like this answer because it is different than the standard answer. If you are not comfortable with this answer, then you can use the next one.
"I have a couple of friends who hate working under pressure. I don’t know if it’s odd, but I really enjoy working under pressure. I use the feelings of pressure as a tool to motivate me to work harder and more efficiently. In my last job, I remember we had a project to complete in 4 days where it usually took 10 days. There was a lot of panic by some team members, but I ensured everyone that if we concentrate on the task and work real hard, we can complete the project. It took a lot of overtime, and the last day we were in the office until two AM, but we managed to finish. It was hard work, but I really enjoyed that experience."
You might not have experienced this example before, but what is preventing you from making something up? To tell you the truth, I never experienced it before either. There are some things you shouldn’t lie about because they can find out about it such as your GPA or what school you attended, but a story such as the one I included above cannot be verified by the interviewer. The only thing you have to be careful about is being able to answer follow up questions.
3."Why should I hire you?"
I don’t know if this is a common question, but I heard many people use this question. In all the interviews I’ve been through, I never received this question, nor did I ask this question in any interviews I gave. But, there are a lot of people asking this question, so preparing for it is a must. To answer this question, you need to know exactly what they are looking for. With this information, tie it in with your strong traits. This will verify that you are completely qualified for the job. Second and more importantly, you need to stand out more than the other people interviewing for this position. I will give two examples for the long answers, one for a person with a lot of experience, and the other for a recent college graduate.
Short Answers
"I’m a perfect fit for this position. I have the experience and the traits you are looking for. On top of that, I’m a great team player that gets a long with everyone."
"I should be hired because I’m efficient, smart, and friendly. I’m great at solving problems and love challenges. Most importantly, I’m dependable and reliable."
"There are two reasons I should be hired. First, my qualifications match your needs perfectly. Second, I’m excited and passionate about this industry and will always give 100%."
"You should hire me because I’m confident and I’ll do the best job. I have a proven track record of success starting from high school until now. I’m responsible and smart.
This position requires someone that will work well without supervision. I know how to manage my time and organize my work well. So, I’m confident I’ll be the best candidate for this position."
Long Answers
"This position is for a quality assurance manager, I’m confident I’m the best person for this job because of my past experience. At ABC Software Company, I was in charge of a team that was responsible for the quality of three different applications. I have intimate knowledge of quality assurance, product support, and even some creative processes that will benefit a quality assurance team. I’ve built a team from scratch and fully understand the product development cycle. Finally, one of my traits is in developing and mentoring junior employees. I believe in transferring knowledge to everyone in the company and investing a little more effort into the people who work for me. So I strongly believe that I’ll be the best candidate due to the combination of my experience, my managerial skills, and my desire to provide growth in employees."
"The reason I applied for this position is because the qualifications matched my strengths perfectly. I’m good at juggling multiple tasks, I’m very detail oriented, and I organize my time very efficiently. But the truth is that many people have these traits. But if I were in your position, I would hire myself because of the passion I have for this industry, and my optimistic personality. My education background and my strengths show that I can do this job. But I want to make more of an impact than just doing my job. I don’t want to blend in with the company, I would rather want my addition to improve it."
The first answer is using experience and skills to convince the interviewer to hire him or her. In addition to talking about past experiences, this example also emphasizes the strong ability to mentor people. The second example is more on the personal level and definitely more creative. Everyone one will claim to have all the good traits. So this candidate says it by saying, "… the truth is that many people have these traits." On top of these traits, this candidate is including passion and excitement. This is very important during interviews. Finally, the last sentence is a good line that the interviewer will remember. It is creative and bold.
Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:06 pm by Khách viếng thăm
