Entries Tagged 'Personal Interview' ↓

These are the actual questions asked in interviews, arranged according to the respective institutes and academic stream of interviewees. The list spans interviews over 4 calender years.

IIM-Kozhikode

Engineering
Aman Batra (BE Mech.) ( DCE)
1. What are your career goals?
2. Consultancy — I was grilled on consultancy.
3. Why shift from engineering to management?
4. Why do you want to leave a job from L&T?
5. Questions on quality control and quality assurance
6. How to find the faulty machine?
7. How do you rectify design faults?
8. Calls you have got. Which one do you prefer?

Sachin Sharma (B.Tech, Industrial Engineering)
1. Work and time study
2. Fredrick Taylor —why is he known as the father of industrial engineering?
3. Production process — types of system.
4. Product cycle time
5. Five sentences about yourself
6. Hobbies — team activities.
7. CAD-CAM: how can a company benefit?
8. Have you got placed in the campus interviews?

Commerce
Rahul Joshi (BCom Hons.)
1. What is financial leverage/operating leverage?
2. Questions on differentiation — solve couple of problems.
3. Why MBA?
4. What are Producer surplus, Consumer surplus?

Prashant Gulati (BCom)
1. What is e-commerce?
2. What is your job description?
3. What is the most significant achievement in your life?
4. Why don’t journalists start their own ventures independently? (”I was the editor of the college mag”)
5. Is there a management’s interference in the running of newspapers?

Science
Amrita Verma (BSc, Statistics)
1. Statistical quality control — acceptance sampling, control charts
2. Differences in education between the schools in England and India
3. Piano grades and evaluation process in music .
4. Stochastic processes

Economics
Malavika Pillai (BA Hons., Economics)
1. Where are you from?
2. Questions on Kerala and God of Small Things.
3. What are consumer surplus and producer surplus — graphs?
4. Applications of statistics — time series
5. What is linear programming?
6. Elasticity of demand — examples of elastic and inelastic goods
7. Revenue maximization vs profit maximization
8. Is India going through stagnation and why?
9. Hobbies

Gaurav Vohra (BA Hons., Economics)
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why is India poor?
3. What are the different welfare indices?
4. What are your extra curricular activities?
5. Which is your favourite T.V. program?
6. What types of books do you read? How do they affect your moral values?
7. Talk about your father’s business.
8. Would you pay Rs 5 lakhs as the fee here?

These are the actual questions asked in interviews, arranged according to the respective institutes and academic stream of interviewees. The list spans interviews over 4 calender years.

IIM-Indore

Engineering
Sachin Sharma (B.Tech,Industrial Engineering) (IITD)
1. What is pulp fiction?
2. Pop music vs pulp fiction — difference
3. Wood pulp, fruit pulp — uses
4. Sawdust — uses
5. Why is outer covering of a tree darker?
6. What is plywood?
7. What is ebony? Where is it grown? What is bamboo?
8. Cactus — give example of a hallow cactus.
9. History of OR. Simple dual problem.
10. Why IIM Indore?
11. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai — story, moral, music director
12. Weakness — impatience

Amit Agarwal (BE Electronics and Instrumentation)
1. About case study — short-term and long-term solutions
2. Why IIM Indore — grilled?
3. About cricket — Bradman, Sachin, Gavaskar’s averages
4. What was special about Wasim Akram’s hat-tricks?
5. Latest all-rounder
6. Latest happenings in cricket
7. Which other calls? Which one would you prefer?
8. How will you contribute to your birth place?
9. What did you gain from your job?
10. Why management?

Commerce
Bankim Mitra (BCom, Hons.)
1. Current affairs — events in last six months.
2. Difference in IRR and NPV
3. How do you compare firms of different industries?
4. Concept of cash flows and fund flows
5. How do you calculate the net profit of a firm (accrual and cash basis)?
6. Difference between cash basis and accrual basis
7. Disadvantages of accrual basis

Rahul Joshi (BCom Hons.)
1. Differentiate monopolistic competition from monopoly with examples.
2. What is perfect competition?
3. Correlation and its applications
4. Difference between balance sheets of Godrej and SAIL
5. Differentiation and its applications
6. Questions on cricket( ” That was my hobby”)

Science
Mukut (BSc, Chem)
1. What do your name and surname mean?
2. Caste system
3. Fractional distillation chamber — advantages and disadvantages.
4. Where do you see yourself 10 years down the line — entrepreneur?
5. Which industry — what would you like to set up?
6. Hindi as a national language — for and against, give reasons.
7. Who has been the best prime minister? Why?
8. Global company vs MNCs of pharma industry

Shantanu Jain (BSc Hons., Physics)
1. How was your GD?
2. Physics laws applied to GD
3. Questions on physics — (”I was thoroughly grilled on some concepts”)
4. What was your job role? Why financial job?
5. Why physics then in graduation?
6. Which companies would you join?
7. What kind of company you want to set up?
8. Why do you want to quit your job?

Economics
Aman Jain (BA Hons., Economics)
1. Can you name some Nobel laureates in physics and economics?
2. Why shift from science to economics?
3. Indifference curves and isoquant curves.
4. What do their slopes signify?
5. What is the least-cost resource combination?
6. Amartya Sen and welfare economics
7. Ceat ratings — how many Indians and their position?
8. Who is all-time best test player?
9. Who will win the World Cup?
10. Mt Kilimanjaro, Alps — where are they?
11. Name of Kolkata port?
12. What is Nhavasheva?

Ruchika Rishi (BA Economics, MIB)
1. Impressions of the interview panel.
2. Extra-curriculars
3. Variations in marks in academics — give rationale.
4. Statistics — mean, median, mode with examples.
5. Difference between an MNC and globally-oriented firm
6. Define marketing and international marketing.
7. Explain your weaknesses.
8. Relevant examples for some weaknesses portrayed as strength.

There is always some or the other reason behind failures in an interview!! In order to succeed, it is very essential to remove all your weaknesses as soon as you come across them. Explore a few common reasons for rejection of individuals in the interview through this article!!

Not taking the interview seriously. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the interview is just a formality. Even if all the preliminaries have gone well, don’t be cavalier and start imagining how you’ll start spending your new salary. The biggest error you can make is to assume that, because you’ve gotten this far, the job is in.

Poor attitude. Many candidates come across as arrogant. While employers can afford to be self-centered, candidates cannot.

Dressing down. Many candidates do not consider their appearance as much as they should. First impressions are quickly made in the first three to five minutes. How you present yourself during your initial meeting with a potential employer is very important, and your physical appearance can speak volumes to someone who is meeting you for the first time. Even if you know that the firm allows employees to wear jeans, don’t sabotage yourself by showing up to the interview in casual clothing. Err on the side of conservative and show up in neat, professional clothing, preferably a business suit.

Lack of research. It’s obvious when candidates haven’t learned about the job, company or industry prior to the interview. Visit the library or use the Internet to research the company, and then talk with friends, peers and other professionals about the opportunity before each meeting.

Not having questions to ask. Your résumé may be impressive on paper, but employers also appreciate a candidate who can ask several intelligent questions during an interview. Prepare at least 3 or 4 questions in advance to ask the interviewer. Interviews are an exchange of information, and not having questions to ask can reveal a lack of preparation. Asking questions shows your interest in the company and the position.

Not readily knowing the answers to interviewers’ questions. Anticipate and rehearse answers to tough questions about your background, such as recent termination or an employment gap. Practicing with your spouse or a friend before the interview will help you to frame intelligent responses.

Relying too much on resumes. Employees hire people, not paper. Although a resume can list qualifications and skills, it’s the interview dialogue that will portray you as a committed, responsive team player.

Too much humility. Being conditioned not to brag, candidates are sometimes reluctant to describe their accomplishments. Explaining how you reach difficult or impressive goals helps portray you as a committed, responsive team player.

Talking too much. Be careful not to talk over the interviewer. This meeting should be a two-way conversation, and many interviewees cover up their nervousness by blathering on. Sit calmly and listen carefully, answering questions thoughtfully.

Trash talking. Even if you hated your former boss or felt you were treated unfairly by your previous employer, a job interview is not the place to launch into a litany of complaints. Don’t go there. If you were laid off or fired from a previous position, be prepared with an explanation that puts a positive spin on the circumstances.

Not relating skills to employers’ needs. A list of sterling accomplishments means little if you can’t relate them to a company’s requirements. Reiterate your skills and convince the employer that you can “do the same for them”.

Not showing why you’re the best choice. Be familiar with the job description of the position you’re interviewing for so you can illustrate how your experience, abilities, and strengths are in line with the company’s needs. Many potential employers want to know why they should hire you specifically. Make it clear to them.

Handling salary issues inaptly. Candidates often ask about salary and benefit packages too early. If they believe an employer is interested, they may demand inappropriate amounts and price themselves out of the jobs. Candidates who ask for too little undervalue themselves or appear desperate.

Lack of career direction. Job hunters who aren’t clear about their career goals often can’t spot or commit to appropriate opportunities. Not knowing what you want wastes everybody’s time.

Job shopping. Some applicants, particularly those in certain high-tech, sales and marketing fields, will admit they’re just “shopping” for opportunities and have little intention of changing jobs. This wastes time and leaves a bad impression with employers they may need to contact in the future.

Lack of enthusiasm. This is your first and sometimes only chance to showcase your personality. Don’t walk in announcing how you’re having a bad day. Be polite and upbeat. Show your enthusiasm for both the job and the opportunity to interview for it. And don’t forget to thank the person at the end of the interview!

Forgetting the follow-up: Make sure to send a handwritten thank-you note or polite email to the interviewer expressing gratitude for his or her time and consideration. And while you don’t want to start calling the company on a daily basis, a phone call checking in a week after the interview is perfectly acceptable.

There is enough literature on what you should do at an interview. But here’s a list of things that you would definitely not want to do at an interview, unless you don’t want that job or that B-school admit that you have so wanted.

Never Go Unprepared

Yes sir, I hear you. You know it all. You even counted the number of steps on that staircase to the interview room. But you know that funny thing called odds. It’s always a damp squib. You might want to do a bit of preparation. If you have stated, Accountancy as your best subject on your CV, you’d better be darned well at it. Learn every rule in every accounting principle, by rote. And while you’re at it, it probably isn’t a bad idea to memorize the number of pages in the Accounting Standards Book. Some interviewers ask for weakness. What a silly thing to ask, like your weakness would be of any help anyway. But you can’t argue with their logic. So turn around any weakness on its head and make it your strength. If you’re a weirdo, say you are quite innovative. If you’re a lazy goose and leave things to last minute, say you work well with short deadlines. If you have had a not so great time at grad school, tell them you believe in holistic education and were active at extra-curriculars (of-course you need to back it up). Now if you think you’re perfect, make up a not so debilitating weakness like unbridled appetite or chewing nails…

Avoid Over Zealous Dressing

‘Green is the new blue’. Nice tagline, no? Did you buy that green shirt already? Tsk, tsk, consumerism. Take my advice and save it for your best friend’s wedding. Yes, I know you bought it for this special occasion, your first interview. Classic white is out, I know. But how about sticking to other safe colors like blue or maybe gray. So what if its boring? At least you won’t look like a radioactive leprechaun. Funny ties. Haha! That’s a good attention grabber my friend. Focus, focus. . . We are here to grab that job… the pink piggies on that yellow tie may prove more an unhealthy distraction than attraction. Oh, I love that crocodile handbag of yours. Lets hide your entire disregard for the ecosystem, in the closet. You can flaunt it in that cocktail party, this weekend.

Never Underestimate Traffic Jams

The venue is only a block away and 15 minutes is all you need to get there. Have you heard of a certain someone called Mr. Murphy? No? I’ll tell you that story later. But he devised some fine laws. One of them says on the day of your interview, every single car will be neatly lined in a jam from your gate till the venue and every signal will chose to turn red the moment you turn the key in the ignition. So leave home at least one hour in advance. Okay, so now you have reached too early. What are books for, silly?

Do Not Fake Accent

Does your guy love the way you roll your ‘R’s? Have people told you how close you come to sounding Oxford educated? Good for you, mate. But its hard to keep that up all the time, no? See, now that’s the thing with fake accents. They have a habit of coming undone in the most inappropriate of moments. And chances are it will happen at the interview too. Take my word; the interviewer WILL NOT be impressed. So let your natural accent do the talking this time, eh?

Do Not Invoke Skeletons in the Closet

Everyone has them. I have a closet bursting at its hinges and a new one on its way. No need to be ashamed. But an interview is not the place to unleash them. If you got sacked from your last job, this is not the best place to tell them your sob story. NO, I did NOT ask you to lie about it. All I am saying is, don’t go about telling them what a @$*# %*@ your old boss was or bad mouth your colleagues. Chances are they just might call him up to confirm your little story. So be honest. But leave out the details. In this one exceptional case, the devil is in the details.

Never Lose Your Cool

Surely you have heard of ‘stress interviews’. The ultimate aim of every soul in that room will be to make you scream and run for life, tearing out your hair. So never lose that thing called cool. It’s a slick one, Mr. Cool. Once he’s gone, you might chew those manicured nails, twiddle your fingers or tear at that loose thread on your skirt (imagine all of it coming undone. Very Grim, yes). So pick up that Mr. Cool from under the table and be the pro that you are… By the way, no matter what you do, do not gnash teeth. You might never get it in shape for the next interview, should you lose out on this one.

Although there is no hard and fast rules about these points but they can be called essential enough to be taken care of. These are very general aspects of a human which are given due priority during their interview session.

1. Family Background

2. Education

3. Experience

4. Stability

5. Initiative

6. General Ability

7. Interpersonal Skills

8. Confidence

9. Aptitude

10. Pleasant Looks

What follows is a set of personality questions that are almost always asked during interviews. We are also providing with a few guidelines that could be helpful in answering these!!

What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended?
* Talk about books, sports or films to represent balance in you life.

How would you describe your own personality?
* Balanced.

What are your strong points?
* Present at least three and relate them to the courses offered by the institues.
I’m very focused on what I want, and I don’t give up easily.”
you have to be confident about what you’re doing, and you have to do it well
You have to give your best to your job and focus on what you want to achieve.”

What are your weak points?

Don’t say you have none.
Try not to cite personal characteristics as weaknesses, but be ready to have one if interviewer presses.
Turn a negative into a positive answer: “I am sometimes intent on completing an assignment and get too deeply involved when we are late.”

In a Personal Interview, the questions generally revolve around behaviors, skills and attitudes of the student. The selector aims to gain an insight into the personality of the student by assessing the student in the following areas

* The Strengths and weaknesses of the student
* Aim and objective behind management education
* Stress and Time Management skills
* Past performances and experiences as indicator to future behavior
* Honesty and integrity
* Personality conflicts, if any

Some of the common questions that a candidate faces in an interview

* Why do you wish to choose a career in management?
* Discuss the vocations or professions other than management, which you have considered.
* Give a candid evaluation of yourself discussing those characteristics you feel are your strengths and weaknesses.
* Describe your three most substantial accomplishments and explain why you view them as such.
* Describe a situation or a job in which you felt had some responsibility and tell us what you learned from that experience.
* What did you get out of your academic and extra curricular life at college?
* Describe your vocation and hobbies.
* How do you visualize yourself, five years hence?

Think before answering all these questions. The questions are very simple but difficult to answer because there is no CORRECT answer.

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What do you want to do with your life?
3. Do you have any actual work experience?
4. How would you describe your ideal job?
5. Why did you choose this career?
6. When did you decide on this career?
7. What goals do you have in your career?
8. How do you plan to achieve these goals?
9. How do you evaluate success?
10. Describe a situation in which you were successful.
11. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
12. What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
13. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?
14. Would your rather work with information or with people?
15. Are you a team player?
16. What motivates you?
17. Why should I hire you?
18. Are you a goal-oriented person?
19. Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.
20. What are your short-term goals?
21. What is your long-range objective?
22. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
23. Where do you want to be ten years from now?
24. Do you handle conflict well?
25. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it?
26. What major problem have you had to deal with recently?
27. Do you handle pressure well?
28. What is your greatest strength?
29. What is your greatest weakness?
30. If I were to ask one of your professors to describe you, what would he or she say?
31. Why did you choose to attend your college?
32. What changes would you make at your college?
33. How has your education prepared you for your career?
34. What were your favorite classes? Why?
35. Do you enjoy doing independent research?
36. Who were your favorite professors? Why?
37. Why is your GPA not higher?
38. Do you have any plans for further education?
39. How much training do you think you’ll need to become a productive employee?
40. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
41. Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
42. What do you know about our company?
43. Why are you interested in our company?
44. Do you have any location preferences?
45. How familiar are you with the community that we’re located in?
46. Will you relocate? In the future?
47. Are you willing to travel? How much?
48. Is money important to you?
49. How much money do you need to make to be happy?
50. What kind of salary are you looking for?

Everybody tends to make mistakes during their interview. It could be due to nervousness or may be just because its not their day. Still in most of the cases, mistakes we made are avoidable. Just have a look at 2 very common mistakes through this article and promise yourself - never to let that happen in your case!!

Avoid the dreaded electronic interruption

Cellular phone and pager etiquette might seem a trivial thing to those that are hooked up, but you can kiss any approaching opportunity goodbye if you interrupt an interview to take a telephone call, especially if the human resources representative has a low tolerance for personal digital devices. Only if you are exchanging information by invitation should you reveal the fact that you carry a PDA. If you wear it on a belt loop or somewhere that is exposed, lose it, along with any other electrical device hooks and loops, and store them in pocket, purse, or briefcase. If you can’t spare the time away from the rest of the world to do an interview, why are you applying for it?

For interviewers watching a person being silently buzzed is terribly distracting and also aggravating.

If you think getting rid of electronic communications devices isn’t important, just ask any human resources rep who has had a person answer a cellular phone during a job interview. Then ask if the person got the job.

Don’t Forget to say thank you

Beyond thanking your interviewers for their time as you leave, it’s vital that you follow up in written form. If the competition for a position is tight, a follow-up thank you note can mean a lot. If the manager is slow to hire, the arrival of a thank-you note can serve as a reminder about the candidate who’s awaiting the manager’s next move.

Just after you’ve completed the interview, take note of anything specific you discussed and make a point of referencing it in your thank you letter. Even a nice greeting card is better than nothing.

Education & Career Plans

Why did you choose to study __________?
How are you enjoying the program? Why?
Why did you get involved with the co-op program? What do you hope to get out of participating?
What are your grades like? (If not good, why?)
Which courses do you enjoy best? Least? Why?
Which area(s) of the __________ field interests you most? Why?
What do you think it takes to succeed in the __________ field?
You’re in school now, but what do you expect to be doing in five years?

Experience & Skills

Which past jobs have you enjoyed the most? The least? Why?
Under what circumstances did you leave your last job?
Describe your working relationship with your last supervisor.
Are you currently working part-time? (If yes,) do you plan to quit taking a co-op position?
What experience related to this position have you had?
(If no related experience,) how specifically will your past experience be valuable in the __________ field?
(For non-CS students) How computer literate are you? What kinds of computer equipment and software have you used?

Personal

What are your strengths? Weaknesses? How do you know? Can you give an example of each? (Relate to work environment)
Which three adjectives best describe you? (e.g., reliable, kind, etc.)
Can you give an example of how you have shown initiative in a past job or volunteer experience?
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Why?
Do you prefer working on your own or in a team? Why?
What are some of your leisure interests?
Do you have a car or some other reliable form of transportation?
Are you willing to relocate for co-op/permanent employment?

Your Questions

At the end of the interview, you will usually be given an opportunity to ask questions. Ask about the work itself and the people you will be working with.