You are nervous, your heart is racing and your palms won’t stop sweating! Most of us have been there and many are going to find themselves in a similar situation soon. Yes, job interviews can be a little intimidating, especially when you are a fresher and lack experience. Hence, it’s extremely important to thoroughly prepare for job interviews. Not only do you have to work on your confidence, but also prepare the possible answers. We say this not to scare you, but to help you prepare better. We have put together a list of common interview questions and answers for freshers with tips on how to answer them with perfection.
When you know the questions, it is easier to prepare your answers. Moreover, since you have prepared so well, you will naturally feel more confident during the interview.
Tip: This is one of the most common interview questions asked during interviews to break the ice. Prepare a short and to-the-point answer talking briefly about your education, family, interests, and hobbies. Don’t talk about your strengths and weaknesses unless you are asked. Make sure that your answer doesn’t sound rehearsed. Read More
Tip: This is a tricky question because you haven’t had the opportunity to get a firsthand experience of working anywhere. If you have friends or relatives working in the same field, take guidance from them. They can help you prepare an answer on the basis of their own experience and knowledge of working in the field. It is always best to give an honest answer to such a question.
Tip: This is another tricky question asked basically to judge how deeply a fresher has thought about his / her career. The best way to answer this question is to state your desire to learn as much as you can. Also, talk about contributing to the company’s growth to show the employer that you are goal/result-oriented.
Tip: If the interviewer has asked you about your strengths then this question is asked to judge how good you are actually. Talk about a challenging real-life experience from college and explain how you turned it around using tact. It will surely impress your interviewer.
Tip: Being a fresher, you can’t promise to contribute to the organization’s growth through your expertise in any specific domain because so far you don’t have any. You can prepare a generic answer based on simple qualities such as you being a quick learner, flexible, team player, etc. Organizations truly value such qualities in candidates.
Most job seekers make the mistake of picking a theoretical weakness and convert it into a strength with their answer, which is not the right approach. To answer this interview question, it is important to introspect and choose an actual weakness and talk about it honestly. No person is perfect and it is only human to have certain shortcomings. What the interviewer wants to know is how honestly and willingly you want to identify your shortcomings and improving upon yourself.
Your CV should ideally make it clear to the interviewer regarding your strength. However, if the interviewer still asked ‘What are your strengths?’ do not just simply state your strengths; prove that you indeed possess them. To answer this interview question properly, you can share some real-life scenarios while answering the interviewer. Just make sure not to drag the answer instead keep it short and to the point.
Hiring managers want to hire people who are passionate about their job. This interview question helps the hiring managers judge your seriousness and willingness to work in a certain role. They don’t want to hear how great the company would be to work for, they want to know if you have the understanding that you fit the role perfectly or not. They want to understand how the job role will help you accomplish your professional goals.
This interview question gives you a great opportunity to stand out. The trick to answering this question is not simply stating the source through which learned about the job opening, but sharing what actually caught your attention regarding the job role. So, whether you got to know about the job from a friend, job fair or a random job portal, express your sincerity and passion for the opportunity while answering.
This interview question helps the hiring managers understand whether you are serious regarding the industry and work profile or not. This is especially important when they are hiring fresher since young people are often not very sure about what career path they should opt for at the beginning of their professional life. The best way to answer this interview question is to say that you are looking at similar jobs in the industry.
Tip: Information is easily available on the Internet these days. Spend some time reading about the company including things like its history, owners, what the company deals in, the industry it serves, awards won, locations it operates from, work culture, etc. When you know everything that you need to know about the company, you will answer with a lot of conviction. Plus, it shows that you are genuinely interested in working with the company.
Tip: Talking about the positives is easy once you have researched well about a company. However, when asked about the negatives, refrain from using strong words or saying too much. If the company was in the news for negative reasons, talk about it briefly, but keep a neutral ground stating you only know one side of the story which is not enough for forming an opinion.
Tip: Do not mistake this question as the interviewer’s invitation to talk about your salary expectations. The interviewer wants to know about the vision that you have for yourself. You can never go wrong with answers such as ‘to learn’ or ‘to grow as a professional’. However, you can also add generic things like paying off your education loan, contributing to society, etc.
Tip: It is best to say that you believe the company has a great scope for growth and you will learn immensely by associating with them.
Tip: This interview question is asked to check if you are aware of the company culture. If your answer is yes, the employer will be assured that you are motivated enough to join the company and might even stick for long. However, if you don’t know anybody working with the company, don’t give fake names or else your lie might get caught in case the company decides to verify the same.
Tip: Discuss with your family about this and ponder over it yourself before deciding upon an answer. Usually, recruiters ask about your location preference at the time of screening.
Tip: As a fresher, there are a lot of things you don't know and will have to learn from the very beginning. Therefore, it is advisable to be open to new experiences and opportunities. This doesn’t mean saying 'yes' to anything that is offered to you without giving it a second thought. Think seriously about the options available as well as about your preferences before deciding to change your work profile. So, tell the interviewer that if a change in profile means great professional growth and feels right to you then you will definitely think about it.
Tip: If you are open to working in shifts, that’s great. If not, it is not compulsory to say yes. You can answer honestly.
Tip: You are young and there’s so much you can learn at the beginning of your career. If you are not facing any personal problems or health issues, you should be psyched about joining a company that is offering you the opportunity to travel for work. However, give your answer only after carefully considering all the factors.
Tip: Never say you don’t have any questions. It gives a very negative impression that maybe you are not interested in the job. Ask something relevant. If you can’t think of any question, ask about the next steps in the recruitment process.
There are numerous online resources available that provide common interviews questions with answers for freshers. However, you cannot succeed with a set of answers readily available to you. You can’t predict what will happen in the real-time. The most important thing is to understand the kind of answers interviewer wishes to hear from their candidates. Base your preparation on the tips shared above and there is nothing that can stop you from landing your dream job.
All the best!
