The job interview is a two-way communication process. The interviewers would like to know about you as much as possible during the interview. You can expect the interview to take somewhere between 30 minutes to 45 minutes in each round. During this time the interviewer will also give you some information about herself, the company and the work you are supposed to do. That means you will probably get around 30 minutes to answer different interview questions. You have to know how to give answers to the interview questions to help them to take the decision to hire you. Your objective is to keep the interviewer engaged and drive to discussion to your core strength relevant to the job. important
There is a consensus among the hiring manager that the Content of the answer to the questions has significance. How you are going to answer their questions also make a great impression in their mind. Are they asking you an open-ended question or a closed-ended question? Do they expect you to give answers with real-life examples, or are they looking for a response with an innovative idea?
Now here is an Insider tip, the interviewer is also nervous and anxious to take your interview as you are stressed and bothered to answer surprising questions. The only difference is that they are in a commanding position because you are taking interviews on their turf.
You can expect the interviewer to ask you mostly open-ended questions. They will encourage you to deliver answers to highlight your experience and strength useful for the position. But you can expect some interviewer cutting you short before you finished your answers. There can be two reasons, one they have a constraint on time, or they are rude.
How to Give Answers To The Closed Ended Interview Questions
Try to give an informative answer to the question. Even if some queries are closed one, responds to every question as if it were an open one.
Here is an example of a short question
Do you have experience in public speaking?
You can say Yes. But this is not very informative.
Content of the Answer: Yes, I enjoy the public speaking role, especially the product presentation at the trade fair that I did last month.
How you presented it: Your direct response to their questions, whether you like it or not, and when the last time you have used it.
Your interview preparation should focus on anticipating potential questions and planning the best answers. But do not forget that some of your responses will automatically lead to a follow-up question. It is a good outcome. It usually means you have said something that they want to know more about because it captures their interest. They may ask you to clarify some part of your answer. You can have the most impact when you are well versed with the answer to their question and include your relevant experience and unique selling point. Also, anticipate follow-up questions in response to your response and be prepared with the necessary facts and figures to support your answer.
That is the reason you need to know yourself by going through the article “transferable skills checklist”. Prepare your answers highlighting those transferable skills. Be aware of the time limit you have to answer close-ended and open-ended questions.
How To Give Answers To The Open Ended Interview Questions
You can respond to closed-ended questions in three short sentences. The answer will give a direct response and also let them know how frequently you have been using and when is the last time that you have a similar experience.
Your answer to the open-ended question should follow a structure. You can keep people engaged by answering their queries through a short story because everyone likes to hear a story. You would never go wrong by answering the question with a structured story.
The story gives the background of the problem. It highlights the relevance of your background story with the question asked by the hiring manager. Why this problem is getting the attention of the organization, and how it has affected your department? They would also like to know who came up with the idea and why the idea seems to be a more suitable solution for the problem. It is relevant to get the necessary approval for the solutions from the management to implement it. Let them know how you convince others to approve your solutions.
Answer their curiosity by letting them know how the implementation decision process took place. Did you go to the higher authority with the solution, or you made your own decision and implemented the solution? Have you acted after you have the approval to implement, or you took the decision and asked others to implement it? They would also like to know the outcome of those implementations or decisions. The next part of your answer should highlight the success or failure to achieve the desired returned. The interviewers would be interested to know the lesson learned from the activity if you did not achieve the desired result.
How to Structure Your Story
First, let them know the background of the problem and how you got the solutions to the problem. Then let them know how you took the actions to solve the problem and whether you got success or failure. Quantify the benefits and let them know what you learn from the event.
All your answers should highlight your selling points, your personal qualities and strengths, and your decision-making capacity to the problem you come across. Keep on practicing the common FAQs listed on our websites and become so comfortable with the answers that you can deliver it spontaneously.