2021 is here and most of us are going to look out for a change in employment considering the way 2020 went by. So, lets prepare you for facing the interviews in the new year. The interviewers are going to be the same and so would be the questions. You are going to face the same questions that you had faced years ago, but what makes the difference is how you can answer them in an effective manner.
Lets now look at the frequently asked questions at any job interview and tips on how to answer them:
Tell me about yourself:
The classic opening question at any interview, but the most important one because your response to this question is the opportunity to give them the best impression. You could have answered this question a hundred times, but here are some tips to improvise on it:

Tell me about yourself:
The classic opening question at any interview, but the most important one because your response to this question is the opportunity to give them the best impression. You could have answered this question a hundred times, but here are some tips to improvise on it:

• ^{Keep the answer short and to the point.}
• ^{Do not deviate from the professional side while answering, talk about the experience you have had in the past and why this opportunity excites you.}
• ^{Prepare yourself adequately with the information about the employer that you are interviewing with, research on the skills that they are seeking and showcase this when this question is asked. Bring in keywords into your discussion that sparks interest when they hear it. It is equally important that your resume should support what you say. Ensure that your resume is updated and customized to the job you are applying for. You could seek support from a professional resume writer if you wish to have a resume tailor made to the present market conditions.}
• ^{Do not get into your personal side too much. The hiring manager is not too keen to know where you grew up or the school you went to.}
• ^{Stay away from providing information that are not relevant to work or the role that you are being interviewed for and do not divert the discussion to a situation where the interviewer can pick questions out of your statements.}

Now you know how to answer this question effectively. Try practicing this with your responses multiple times until you are able to arrive at a flow to your response. Record this and hear it out, make the necessary tweaks at places where you feel that the interviewer will lose interest. Once you have perfected it, use it at your next interview.

Moving on to the next question:

Why should we hire you:

Yet another question that you would have answered at every other interview, yet important. Look at this as the best opportunity where you can differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicants and use it wisely.

• _{Again, the rule of the thumb is to be specific.}
• _{Put to best use the information that you have gathered about the organization and sync your skills with the organization’s requirement. Showcase that you are the best fit for the role. Show them that you are the solution to their problem.}
• _{Show that you understand the organization’s culture and how you would easily fit into the same and if possible, enhance it.}
• _{Don’t be disappointed if the interviewer starts this question by saying that there are several other qualified applicants for this position, so why should they hire you. This is a trick that they use to see how you overcome the obstacle.}
• _{Don’t be humble or modest at this situation, it is the opportunity to showcase who you are, so get the best out in you.}
• _{At the same time, ensure that you don’t portray yourself as arrogant.}
• _{Finally focus on the question, the question is why are you a perfect fit for this job and not why you want this job.}

The reason why this question is asked your way is because the hiring manager likes to understand your thought process and your ability to think through the situation and foresight. We’ve seen applicants who are stranded answering this question because they have not taken the effort to study the requirement at detail and therefore not in a position to address the pain areas that they are being hired to solve. When you are able to address this in specific, using instances such as understanding of a new technology that the organization lacks expertise with or ability to bring in revenue through a particular initiative, it gives the impression to the interviewer that you can be an asset if they hire you. Setting this impression right at the start of the interview is important to ensure that the rest of the discussion is a smooth sail.

Come back to this space tomorrow for the next question: What is your greatest strength?