Congratulations! You have successfully made your way through all the initial stages. Now comes the most crucial phase of your last selection process which is a Personal Interview. In this phase, everything completely depends on your individual performance, such as answering the common interview questions. The situation becomes even more difficult if you are a fresh graduate and this is your first job interview. Therefore, here are some common fresher interview questions and answers to help you prepare and ace your job interview.
1. Tell us about yourself.
Here you certainly not going to tell the interviewer about your favorite food, movie, or actor! This question was asked by the interviewer to examine how optimistic you are and how you offer yourself. The ultimate technique to answer this typical interview question is to tell the hiring manager about your education and family background.
However, this should not describe your life’s story and you should quickly focus on sharing a bit about your strengths that build the platform for further discussion about your suitability for the job opening. Individualizing the answers make it easier for you to sell your skills and support them with suitable examples. It also illustrates that you have not crammed the stuff just to crack the interview.
Bonus Tips:
Don’t tell what is already stated in your CV
Emphasis more on talking about your achievements and learning
Keep it short
2. What are your strengths?
This is one of the most critical fresh graduate interview questions. Through this question, the employer will examine your job role's strengths and try to understand the challenges you might face in the new job role. Therefore, be careful about mentioning any of your strengths or weaknesses. The good idea is to share strengths that are related to the job. For instance, an electrical engineer job interview would be to talk about their expertise in evaluating electrical products, systems and, components if you are confident to answer any question related to it. Lastly, also state that you are a fast learner adds value to your strengths.
3. What are your weaknesses?
It becomes critical when you have to share your weaknesses, that too, with your hiring manager. However, it is not advisable to say that you do not have any weakness as it makes you look arrogant. Therefore, choose a weakness that not affects your present job role. For example, being a perfectionist can be your weakness! You can say that being a perfectionist delay your jobs as you will ensure that to deliver the best in what you do.
Bonus Tips:
Never show off the strengths and skills that you cannot justify.
Always elaborate on your strengths and weaknesses with some quick examples.
4. What are your hobbies?
You can expect some basic interview questions like what are your hobbies in your fresher interview questions. It is an important interview question when the interviewer asks about your hobbies. They try to measure your personality, your energy level, and how fit you can be for the company’s culture. Therefore, tell them something that can add value to your skills such as traveling and meeting people if you are applying for a client-meeting role. Sharing some generic hobbies such as some sports or reading reflects well on your activeness as well.
Bonus Tips :
Avoid sharing hobbies that can give a bad impression such as gambling
Sharing a mix of personal and professional interests shows you a balanced person in life.
5. What do you know about our company?
This is one of the most important questions the interviewer or hiring manager always asks at the beginning of the conversation to see how much you know about the organization where you want to join. Therefore, the best way to ace this interview question is to do proper research about the company. For example, take note of the company’s latest updates through their website or social media, understand its business, and above all, read thoroughly the job description.
6. Why we should hire you?
With this tricky interview question and answer, the employer wants to see your expertise to place your skills and convincing power. Moreover, this interview question is a chance to show the interviewer your eagerness for the job. The best way to answer this interview question for fresh graduates is to mention your skills and strengths that are relevant to the job role. You can even share some more examples of how you managed a few projects or important assignments in your college that reflect your strengths.
Bonus Tips:
Share brief strengths and skills that are a match the job description
Wait and explain if the interviewer wants to know more about specific instances to support your points.
7. Why do you want to work with this company?
Companies usually ask this common interview question to freshers to portray what they want and how much they know about the company they are applying for. Therefore, it is always recommended to know about the company’s background, values, operations, services, and other important details.
Bonus Tip :
Match up your career objective with the company’s values and state how working with the company can help you enhance your skills and knowledge.
8. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
As a first job interview, answering this interview question becomes hard at times. Of course, during this phase, we are more interested in our first year of the job, and planning about 5 years seems disconcerting to many freshers. Worry no more, here’s how you can ace this fresher interview question. The concept of asking this question is to look at two things mainly. Firstly, your willingness to stay longer with the company, and secondly, how well you planned about your career goals.
Bonus Tips:
Don't throw an impression that you need this job just to increase experience and wish for something bigger in the near future.
Keep your answer aligned with the current job role to show your interest in the company.
9. What are your salary expectations?
As a fresh graduate, speaking about your first salary is exciting, yet a hard task. The best way to answer this interview question is to do some research in advance so that you can confidently take a reasonable range. Never ask for either a too less or too high salary package as this might cost you the job at both ends. In case you still do not have any idea about a reasonable salary for the job role, you can simply answer to accept the package as per industry standards. This leaves much scope for the negotiation at the time of the final offer letter.
10. Do you have any questions for us?
Most of the job interviews end at this basic interview question where the interviewer leaves scope for you to clear any uncertainty. Furthermore, asking questions show that you are a confident and focused person who wants to clear up for his/her role. Many fresh graduates are reluctant to ask questions from the interviewer, but it is always recommended to ask some relevant questions.
Bonus Tips:
Prepare a list of questions in advance that can assist you to get used to the job role.
Ask good questions that show your curiosity to know more about the company, its policies, people, any specific skill you need to have for the given role, etc.
Avoid asking unimportant questions such as the duration of lunch hours, how often the company organizes parties, or how soon you will be promoted to the next level!
Preparation is the best way to succeed. Hope this list of some important interview questions and answers for fresh graduates will help you to excel in your job interview. All the best! Don't forget to register at Recruit Hero to discover more outstanding jobs from our website. Do follow our Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube channels for more.