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Tough Interview Questions

Poushali Ganguly
Interview questions can be tough, and there are many questions which you would not expect your prospective employers to ask you. However, one needs to be prepared completely to succeed and get the job offer.
Interviews are a common way to assess a candidate's potential, language skills, and presence of mind. Questions are framed in such a way that, they seem tough to the candidate. At times it is only to assess how a candidate tackles a difficult situation, when he does not have a clue of what he is supposed to do.
Therefore, it has to be remembered that questions are not always to test your skills, but also to test your performance under pressure. Skills such as leadership qualities, team handling qualities, clarity of goal, and stability are put to test. It is important to be confident and not show that you are frightened or tensed.
If you have done your homework which includes finding out information about the company, its performance in the past year, the industry it specializes in, and enough knowledge about the work that they need from you, the job is half done. Here are some of the tough interview questions and their expected answers.

Why do you want this job?

This is a very tricky question, which requires the candidate to research about the company. He needs to emphasize on the positive attributes of the company from an employee's perspective. It should be mentioned that, it is the place where one can gain stability and job satisfaction. The company's reputation also has to be highlighted.

Why do you think we should appoint you for this job?

This is the chance to underline your positive points. It is imperative to show the interviewee that you have the quality that he is in search of, since most of the companies not only look for an efficient employee but also for a person who can effectively contribute towards the growth of the company.
They need results within a short time, an overview is given in the interview but there are certain gaps that candidate needs to fill in, and that should always be kept in mind. If the candidate identifies those gaps and requirements, and if the interviewee feels that this is the right person to fill that gap, which is when the candidate would get the job.
In case of any doubts, questions should be asked, since the urge to know and to have a clear picture in front of you before you start working is always respected.

Why are you quitting your present job?

Please remember not to criticize your previous employer, because once you criticize your last employer, you start showing yourself as a problem employee to the interviewee. You can be honest to tell them that, you are looking forward to professional or financial growth.
You can also say that you are trying to diversify your area of work, or are looking out for further challenges. Also do not say that, you left the job because you could not handle the work environment or the pressure of the superiors, since that would portray a negative picture.

If you were given a chance to start your career again, how would you go about it?

This question might seem absurd, but then it is primarily asked to know the pessimism in a candidate, so be careful while answering it. Do not say that you would like to change many things. Be subtle and say that, you are happy with the way your career has shaped up, except for a few minor changes if you have to mention it.

How do you deal with criticism?

Every employee is criticized at one point or the other, and there has to be some amount of each ability in a person to handle such a situation. So the answer should be such, which reveals that you are open to constructive criticism, since nobody is perfect.
Most of these questions are actually to check how negative or positive a person is. So, it is better to prepare yourself mentally, and not let out anything negative.