Winning at Interviews, 4th Edition

95

questions usuALLy Asked in interviews

if it is an interview for your rst job and the interviewer asks,

“Do you have any administrative experience?” then say yes and

expand your answer by adding something like how you handled

a particular group while in college. You may say, “Sir, in my col-

lege days I had been in charge of the hostel mess where I had to

manage the servants, attendants and mess funds.” Or, you may

say, “Sir, during my college days I conducted several educational

tours where I had to manage everything, right from arranging rail

reservations, seeking various permissions, managing the funds

and taking care of several little details to ensure that the tour was

successful.”

If you are already working in a place where you are not indepen-

dently looking aer the administrative function, you may say, “Sir, I

assist my superior in day-to-day administrative work” or “Sir, when

my boss is away I get the opportunity to look aer the administrative

work independently.”



During the interview you are being asked many questions by the

panel and in all possibility you will be asked to shoot a few ques-

tions towards them as well. is is not an opportunity for you to

have a reverse-interview; instead it is a platform where you can ask

valid questions to gather information about the company, industry

and job prole. Don’t pass this opportunity to gather such initial

information but also avoid shoving questions on emoluments and

postings. e interviewer may not have decided to pick you for the

job yet. However, if the interviewer signals you to ask about such

specic details, you may politely check on these issues. It indicates

that you are interested in the job and the information can help you

MYTH: Candidates must ask important ques-

tions during the interview.

FACT: By asking relevant questions, candidates

can obtain critical information about the job and

organization. This will especially help the candidate when it

comes to deciding on a job offer if one is made.

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96

winninG At interviews

decide if you actually want it. Here are some questions you may

want to ask:



• How large is the department where the job lies within the

company?

• What is the hierarchy of the concerned department?

• How much travel does this job require?

• What is the rate of employee turnover?

• Was the job opening created by somebody exiting the job or

due to expansions planned by the company?

• What are the possibilities of transfers and what are the general

frequencies?

• What type of orientation or training do new employees

receive?

• How oen are performances reviewed and how are the KPIs

(Key Performance Indicators) structured?

• How good the opportunities for career growth and promotion

are?

• What employee benets does the company oer?



• What would be my job prole and responsibilities?

• What are my immediate goals and what training will be pro-

vided to me for achieving them?

• What role am I supposed to play in the department’s ongoing

and future projects, if any?

• How much exposure and synchronization does the depart-

ment and employees have with the management?



• How long have you been in this department/with the company?

• How secure do you think is your future here?

• What do you like best about working for this department/

company?

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