Fresh Grad Interview Questions - A Laundry List: Part 2

Hey everyone! As promised, here is a fresher grad’s special edition of common questions asked during interviews on campus or for entry-level jobs.

As always, do make mental notes as you go through these questions, on how you'd approach the answer and tackle them. Practicing these verbally, or in your mind will help you prepare for these questions (and versions of these questions) better, with a cool mind!

Remember, as you are stepping into the work environment for the very first time, most of the questions will focus around:

· How you plan to transition from being a student to being part of the workforce (your attitude and personality)

· How you plan to contribute to your new employer (ideas and hypothetical scenarios)

Keeping these 2 aspects in mind will help you better streamline your answers at the interview. Remember, stay consistent with your responses, as a question can and will be repeated in different ways.

For Example: You could be asked What skills have you gained that you can transfer to the current role? & have a version of the query resurface in the 2nd interview, or even maybe in the same interview: What did you pick up from your academics, that you plan to apply here?

I remember giving an interview as a fresh grad where I did notice that throughout all 5 rounds (even though they had detailed notes about me) they repeated many of the same questions. A few years down the line, when I was on the other side - interviewing candidates for sales, I realized that it was a great way to measure consistency in a applicant’s answers.

Before you read the list however, remember to keep your responses positive and definite. And one more thing before we jump in, know this: While you can prepare your best for interview questions, know that you can never really complete your preparation to have that elusive cookie cutter answer. Responses will constantly evolve, as they should. But what you can bet on, is that each question needs a unique flavor, that special something- a bit of You :)

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What made you choose the major you are pursuing?

Why did you choose this particular college?

Does being successful in academics equal success in career? If yes, why? If no, why not?

What transferable, tangible skills have you gained that can be applied to this role?

How does your education help you prepare for the outside world in general?

How does your education help you prepare for your chosen career path?

How does your education thus far help you prepare for this role/job?

Why are you interviewing with us?

How will this job help you achieve your long-term career goals?

What do you plan to learn from this role?

What timeframes do you have in your mind for getting a promotion?

Do you see yourself shifting fields in a few years?

Do you see yourself shifting roles in a few years?

If you do not get this role, what would you do next?

(For those with unrelated degrees) You majored in 'X', but you have applied for a job in the 'Y' field. Why do you want to move fields? How do you justify this jump?

What skills did you discover you are good at during your time in college?

What were your biggest challenges in college?

What was your biggest academic disappointment? How did you cope with it?

What are some of your biggest achievements?

How did your contributions in college impact people around you?

Give us an instance where you solved a persistent problem.

Give us an instance where you lead a group of people/team? What were the challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?

Give us an instance where you executed a given task without supervision?

Did you take part in any internship program? Can you elaborate on your tasks and learnings?

(For those who took part in internships) What did you expect from a environment? How was it different?

(For those who did not take part in internships) I notice you were not a part of any internships throughout college. Any specific reasons you chose not to participate in any?

In your view, do internships help or hinder the academic flow of a student?

What skills would you need to transition from academics to a work environment? How do you plan to develop those skills?

Why do you seek out this major? What was your second preference and why?

Does your academic focus align with your skill set?

Does your career focus align with your skills set?

What type of a learner are you?

Which is your least favorite learning method?

Academics is at times based on memorisation. Do you support the system? If yes, why? If not, what changes would you propose?

Do you think present day academic systems are geared towards preparing students for the real world? What do you think are some of the shortfalls?

What qualifications do you have, beyond your academic achievements, that will enable you to excel or succeed within our company?

Where do you see yourself in 1/5/10 years from now?

Do you plan to go for higher studies? If yes, when do you intend to do the same and how does it tie with your career plans?

As a fresher, how important is your job remuneration to you?

Are you willing to relocate for this job?

How do you imagine your work environment here to be? What is your ideal work environment?

What are the 3 traits you expect from your manager?

Describe an ideal manager?

If you had several important tasks assigned to you, how would you go about completing them?

Have you had a dispute/conflict among your teammates in a certain task? How was it solved?

What is your biggest failure?

If you were the CEO of this company, what would you change in our company? 

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The list can go on, however these are some of the top ones to keep in mind and prepare for. I hope you picked the theme and the purpose behind these queries. At the very least get acquainted with the query set so you are not caught off-guard or worse, don’t blank out. But remember, while you can familiarize yourself with hem and borrow the basic approach to responding to them, the crux of the answer, that special something that will make you stand out above other candidates, lies within you- where adding a bit of yourself to the answer will go a long way. Search within yourself to draw answers from your thoughts and past experiences; capture these and communicate your unique value through them.

One more thing! One important question the interviewer will have for you towards the end: "Do you have any questions for us?". Should you have questions? If so, what are you at liberty to ask in such a situation? In our next blog, I will discuss ways in which you can use this question to your advantage in any interview!

In the meanwhile, comment and let us know which of the above queries you find most challenging and how you would approach the same.

Stay tuned!!

Manish Gaba

(Pic courtesy - www.pexels.com)
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