Common Interview Questions

The aim of a group or party must be

• The mission or purpose of the group - what business they are in.

• The vision or direction they are headed - often expressed as the impact they want to have distinct from their purpose. 

• The strategies for how they will get from where they are today to where they are headed; these are broadly stated, like a 50,000-foot overview, and are typically few in number, usually no more than 3-5 key areas of focus. 

• The goals and objectives for how the strategies will be implemented; these are sometimes referred to as tactics or operational plans; there is usually no specific limit on the number of these, and they are more specific and not so far out in the future, often 1-2 years or less.

Tell us about a time when you missed a deadline.

(or)

Let's discuss a time when you missed a significant deadline.

If you answer something like "You never missed a deadline". Most interviewers will immediately conclude you are not experienced and may also feel you are lying. 

Approach - It is absolutely necessary to accept that you have missed a deadline and give reasons how you resolved and what you learned from it. This will demonstrate your experience.

You could say in one of the first projects earlier in your career you missed an important deadline and made the boss very upset. It was a great learning experience and after doing some introspection, you realized, you could have done better planning, prioritization and communication. Now, you use special tools, processes and methods to address these issues. Now your team, colleagues and management are always up to date so no surprises arise on meeting deadlines. 

Below are few things you may emphasize on in your response...

Effective planning

Procedural Improvements

Better Prioritization

Open communication

Better Status reporting

Yes, I've worked with someone whom I found difficult to like as a person. However, when I focused on the skills they brought to the job, their ability to solve problems and the two things I did appreciate, slowly my attitude towards them changed. We were never friends, but we did work well together.

Most recently, we had a new hire (Prakash) that was really struggling with getting to work on time, and I knew the boss (Dan) was getting irritated. Over lunch one day I explained to Prakash how important it was to our boss for everyone to be there at least 10 minutes early. It was personal with the Harry, but you could really get on his bad side when you were frequently late. The new employee was grateful for the advice. At his previous employment, the boss was only concerned about the work getting done on time; he/she did not "watch the clock".

The best way to respond to the interview question "What are your goals for the future?"

Don't discuss your goals for returning to school or having a family, they are not relevant and could knock you out of contention for the job. Rather, you want to connect your answer to the job you are applying for. Examples of good responses include:

=> My long-term goals involve growing with a company where I can continue to learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as much of value as I can.

=> I see myself as a top performing employee in a well-established organization, like this one. I plan on enhancing my skills and continuing my involvement in (related) professional associations.

=> Once I gain additional experience, I would like to move on from a technical position to management.

=> In the XYZ Corporation, what is a typical career path for someone with my skills and experiences?

I think its 8 because even if i have strength i still have weaknesess.

Deadlines are set in several ways some are artificial while others are real. In a situation where deadlines change frequently and rapidly it is important to be able to tell which are real and which are artificial. One must be flexible and agile with the ability to adapt to the needs of the office. A good attitude would be to imagine you are a juggler who must keep several balls in the air at one time. This would enable you to focus quickly on the job at hand and move on to the next without hesitation or stress. 

I worked closely with Shilpa who, for the most part, always carried her fair share of the work load. During a stressful time, working on a project with a deadline, I realized Shilpa's contributions to the project were almost minimal. I made the decision to wait until after the project to speak with her. I'm glad I did, because I learned she'd been going through a very tough time in her personal life and she appreciated my willingness to go the extra mile so the project was completed on time. As a result, our ability to work well together significantly increased.