You have just been through a grueling interview. The questions were tough and some just seemed off-the-wall and some were rather innocent. What was the interviewer really looking for? What did s/he mean by those questions? Well, you can be certain that if you were interviewed by a seasoned interviewer, each and every question had a very distinct purpose. Listed below are some common and not-so-common questions with the potential purpose of the question.
Common questions and what the interviewer is really looking for:
Question: Tell me about yourself?
Answer: The interviewer is looking for you to talk about yourself and to reveal anything that s/he might not otherwise be able to ask. For example, do you have kids? Married? Hobbies? Interests? Single parent? Let’s say the job involves shift work, the need to be at work at 7:00 every day or the flexibility to be on call? Candidates with children are perceived to have more problems getting to work on time, miss more work because of children illnesses, school functions, etc. Is this fair? No. Is this a reality for some hiring managers? Absolutely. So what to do. Talk specifically about...