Smart Answers to Interview Questions

Interviews are defined as smart people meeting smarter once to screen the level of their smartness. Many a times, most candidates fail in interviews because of underestimating the interviewer or themselves. Even if the interviewer asks a stupid question, a smart candidate can prove his smartness by giving smart answers to stupid questions. Let us see some of the commonly asked interview  questions and smart way of answering to them. 

Q: Will you be out to take my job?

A: Maybe in about twenty years, but by then, I suspect you'll be running the entire company and will need a good, loyal lieutenant to help you manage this department!

Q: What if you work here for five years and don't get promoted? Many of our employees don't. Won't you find it frustrating?

A: I consider myself ambitious, but I'm also practical. As long as I am continuing to learn and grow within my position, I'll be a happy camper. Different companies promote people at different rates, and I'm pretty confident that working for you will keep me motivated and mentally stimulated for several years to come.

Q: What is your biggest weakness that's really a weakness, and not a secret strength?

A: I am extremely impatient. I expect my employees to prove themselves on the very first assignment. If they fail, my tendency is to stop delegating to them and start doing everything myself.

Q: You have changed careers before. Why should I let you experiment on my nickel?

A. As a career-changer, I believe that I'm a better employee because I've gained a lot of diverse skills from moving around. These skills help me solve problems creatively.

Q: If you knew that things at your company were rocky, why didn't you get out of the company sooner?

A: I was working so hard to keep my job while everyone around me was being cut that I didn't have any time left over to look for another job. With all of the mergers that have been happening in our field, layoffs are a way of life. At least I gave it my best shot!

Q: From your resume, it looks like you were fired twice. How did that make you feel?

A: After I recuperated from the shock both times, it made me feel stronger. It's true that I was fired twice, but I managed to bounce back both times and land jobs that gave me more responsibility, paid me more money, and were at better firms.

Q: How many hours a week do you usually work, and why?

A: I work pretty long hours most of the time. With the extra time, I try to find ways to "add value" to each assignment, both my own and the firm's. When our clients read our reports, I want them to think that no one else could have possibly written them, except for our company.

How to Earn Respect in the Office?

You know your self-worth and are confident in your ability to do good work. Maybe you'd even like to implement changes in your office in order to make it a more efficient and productive operation. There’s just one problem: Your more tenured colleagues dismiss your ideas and give you busy work every chance they get. Just because you’re the least experienced in the room, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any answers or that you should get stuck doing only mundane, tedious tasks. Like anyone else, you deserve to be heard.

There are three things that you can start doing right now to prove your value:

1. Offer to Help With Others’ Workload

If you feel as though the work being assigned to you isn’t allowing you to shine or if it’s a far cry from what you believe you were hired to do, see if you can at least have a hand on a big project that someone in your department is overseeing. This lets you prove you’re a team player, while simultaneously giving you the chance to gain new experiences and display your skills.

If you know where you can deliver, aim to show your colleagues that you’re capable of jumping in and rising to the occasion-no matter how insignificant that task may seem at the time.

2. Share Information and Ideas

Make one of your daily practices reading up on your industry and current trends. It doesn’t matter if you do this by following certain outlets on Twitter or subscribing to newsletters. Simply staying informed allows you to feel confident when giving input and contributing to your team. But don’t stop there: Go ahead and give your team regular updates.

Of course, since you are the least experienced in the group, it is expected that you’ll be seeking guidance and advice from your more tenured peers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give back and contribute to the conversation as well. If you present your learning in a way that’s useful, your co-workers will likely begin to appreciate your presence—especially if they're psyched to try that quick and easy inbox de-cluttering hack you learned over the weekend.

3. Focus on Relationships

It’s always good to have people in your corner. Focus on building relationships with your colleagues, and try to involve them in your career pursuits. Establishing workplace camaraderie takes time and effort, but if it means eventually surrounding yourself with allies and supporters who want to see you become successful, it’s worth it many times over.

Establishing a connection with at least a couple of your co-workers will pay off for so many reasons, and best of all, one of them may even turn into your mentor. And having a mentor in your office is huge. This person can be your biggest advocate while helping you navigate through the first few years of your career.

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