Types Of Interview Questions

Types of Interview Questions There is a great diversity in the types of questions that may be asked at an interview. You should try to anticipate the type of questions likely to be asked. Partly the type will be determined by the situation and the specific purpose that the interviewer has in mind. In general, the questions will be based on what you have stated in your biodata and your reaction to the organization’s visualization of your role in it. We may classify the questions into the following categories: direct questions, open-ended questions, closed questions, bipolar questions and loaded questions. Direct questions, generally used at the initial stage, are explicit, demanding specific information: what’s your name? How old are you? In which company did you work last? Open-ended questions are not so straight; only the topic on which information is required is specific and the interviewee is asked to elaborate: what is your educational background? How did you find your experience of working on this plant in ABC company? Closed questions demand responses from a limited and narrow area. Often these questions provide alternatives from which the response is selected. An extreme form of the closed question is the one which demands ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response. This is also called a bipolar question. A few examples are as follows: if selected, would you be able to join next month? Would you like to be posted in Bombay or Calcutta? We are prepared to offer this job to you on a contract of three years; is it acceptable to you? Loaded questions generally demand a response which the interviewer expects. They are suggestive in nature and encourage the interviewee to agree with the interviewer. Sometimes these may be used as a trap to discover whether the interviewee is clear in his mind about what he is in for. Ideally, as a general rule, loaded questions should not be used by the interviewer. However, as an interviewee, you should be prepared to face any type of questions. The core of the body of the interview is the set of various types of questions discussed above. In a structured interview, apart from these, there are preliminary questions which set the tone for the interview and establish rapport between the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer aims at helping the interviewee to complete the expression of his thoughts and to clarify his stand before the interview ends. It is difficult to visualize the questions that may be asked at an interview. However we give below a sample of questions that could be asked at an employment interview. A. Educational Background. i)

Give a brief resume of your educational career.

ii)

Why did you decide to offer Economics in your M.A?

iii)

Have you studied some books in this field other than those prescribed?

iv)

Could you name a few such books and describe their themes?

v)

Apart from Economics which field of knowledge interests you?

vi)

Could you name some of the books you have real in this area of your interest?

A. Co-curricular Activities i)

You have produced a number of plays during your educational career. Tell us how you got interested in drama.

ii)

Do you think your interest in drama affected your studies?

iii)

What work did you do as a member of the editorial board of your college newsletter?

iv)

Do you think this kind of work has added something to your academic experience?

v)

What difficulties, in your opinion, does an editor face in producing a newsletter of this type?

A. Extra-curricular Activities i)

How is it that although you played badminton throughout your college career, you never participated in any worthwhile tournament?

ii)

Apart from physical exercise, does this game impart any other qualities to the player?

iii)

What is size of the badminton court?

iv)

Do you play any other games?

A. Experience i) Describe the specific work that you were doing in the production department. ii)

What new things have you learnt?

iii)

What the ways of maximizing production?

iv)

Did you introduced any new technique or procedure to increase production?

v)

In what way will your experience help our organization?

A. General Knowledge i) What is your opinion about the new industrial policy announced by the Government of India? ii)

What are the main causes of inflation in India?

iii)

Do you think deficit financing should be stopped? Why?

iv)

Give your comments on the Seventh Five-Year Plan.

v)

Do you think the Government of India’s 20 point programme will usher in a new era? How?

vi)

What further steps should be taken to attract investment from Indians living abroad?

vii)

How should the pace of technology transfer be accelerated?

viii)

Comment on the current economic climate in the country.

A. Miscellaneous i)

What do you understand by team-spirit?

ii)

Do you think it can be cultivated? If yes, how?

iii)

What are the qualities of an efficient manager?

iv)

Do you think you posses these qualities?

v)

How can the conflicts between the management and labour be resolved.

Employer’s Expectations We may classify the information which an employer seeks while considering a person for a job, into the following sub-headings.

i)

State of health: Every organization desires its employees to be in a healthy state. Apart from judging at the interview, the organization requires a new entrant to undergo a medical examination, the standards of which differ from profession to profession.

ii)

Attainments: A probe is made through searching questions to verify what is written by the candidate in the biodata and to assess the nature and quality of this achievements.

iii)

Intelligence: A close observation is made of the reflexes and responses of the interviewee to discover the extent of his grasp and confidence.

iv) Aptitude: Certain questions are directed merely to find out the candidate’s aptitude for

the job he has applied for. v)

Interests: An attempt is made to understand the other dimensions of the personality of the candidate by encouraging him to speak about his intellectual or social pursuits.

vi) Disposition: A vital piece of information that all employers would like to have is

whether the candidate has the ability to work with others. vii) Circumstances: A peep into the interviewee’s previous environment and family

circumstances may give some clue to the candidate’s capacity to work.

Evaluating Oral Presentations You may occasionally be asked to evaluate the quality of presentation made by another officer. You have then to keep in mind the various factors that make a presentation effective and also to quantify your judgment for record or comparison. There could be many ways to perform the task. We suggest below an evaluation plan which we have tried out in various situations and found satisfactory and workable.

Evaluation sheet for Oral Presentation Name of the Presenter _________________ Date of Presentation __________________

Note: the qualitative meaning of the numerals is as follows: 1 = Poor, 2 = Average, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, Excellent = 5

a) Introduction to the topic

1

2

3

4

5

b) Clarity of presentation

1

2

3

4

5

c) Sequence and continuity

1

2

3

4

5

d) Voice, pitch and delivery

1

2

3

4

5

e) Use of audio visual aids

1

2

3

4

5

f) Eye contact & audience awareness

1

2

3

4

5

g) Interaction with audience

1

2

3

4

5

h) General poise and personality

1

2

3

4

5

i) Knowledge of the subject

1

2

3

4

5

j) Style of concluding the presentation

1

2

3

4

5

Total __________ Remarks (if any): Signature of the Evaluator