1. Tell me something about yourself.
That is usually the foremost question asked in an interview. It is not hard to answer as you think.
The main objective of this question is to analyze how you are better / different than other applicants. Also, to evaluate that your skills will add value to their organization.
Here, hiring managers are not looking for your entire life story. They want your brief introduction in between 30-60 seconds.
Your brief introduction should include
- Name
- Professional Journey: This should answer your working experience in the same profession or college graduate with internship experience or changing career, your current job title, and any professional accomplishment relevant to the applied job.
Sample Examples Of Brief Introduction In An Interview:
🖋️Sample Answer 1:
“Firstly, thank you so much for providing me with this opportunity. I am Akshita Singh. My father is an assistant manager, and my mother is a homemaker. I have one younger sister, and she is in class XII.
I completed my graduation from Delhi University in 2019, and since then, I have been working as an HR for ABC International. Also, I have won several awards based on my performance and promoted once.
Although I love my current role and organization, I feel I am now ready for more challenging job roles to expand my career graph .”
🖋️Sample Answer 2:
“I am Jenifer from Mumbai. Recently I completed my graduation. I am an avid book reader, learner, and active listener.
So far, I have completed several freelancing projects – website designing, graphic designing, and content writing. I have also worked with the college market team and even got a certificate for the college.
I am looking forward to opportunities that will expand my career graph as a Digital Marketer.”
✐Tip
We all have a different journey. So our brief introduction will always be different from others. Always add your element to the brief introduction.
📝 Exercise
Write down your brief introduction.
2. Why is there a gap in your work experience?
Firstly, taking a gap is okay!
There should be a valid reason for taking the gap. The hiring managers will ask for a reason during the interview & that time answer should be satisfactory to them.
They know possible reasons for the gap could be
- Maternity break
- Pursuing any training/ profession course
- Taking care of your ailing parents or any other family member
- Relocating from one city to another
- Working on any freelancing projects or business
- Medical issues
Just make sure that whatever the reason for the gap, you explain it to the hiring managers briefly.
If you have quit a job or laid off from a previous organization, and facing challenges in getting a new job, be truthful about that.
And, also make sure that this gap does not impact your skills. After conducting many interviews, I have seen applicants not using the gap period, brushing up their skills.
✐Tip
Read regular updates of your industry and create projects or reports. It will make you more confident and help to prove your worth to the HR recruiters.
Sample Examples To Explain Employment Gaps In An Interview:
🖋️Sample Answer 1:
“I took a break from my previous job after the birth of my son. Now that my son is in preschool, I am ready to pursue my profession again.”
🖋️Sample Answer 2:
“My mother was sick, so I had to resign from my previous position to take care of her. Since from last six months, I have been taking care. Thankfully she has now fully recovered from the illness. And I am fully available to work now and in the future. So I am focused on finding an HR executive or manager position to add significant value to my future organization.”
🖋️Sample Answer 3:
“I took time off to complete my MBA.”
3. Why have you switched jobs so many times?
If your resume has job changes in a short spans ( 2 or more job changes in 1 year), then HR may want to know the reason of change.
There could be many reasons of job changes.
Some possible reasons could be
- Company has changed your job role. Initially, they hired for different position, and after joining company, they have changed your role.
- You are getting better opportunities for career and salary growth.
- Your current job location is far from your home.
- Previous company culture/ethics is not good- late working hours, salary not paid on time, no payouts on overtime, etc.
- You have to relocate to a different city/state/country due to work.
- You do not like your current job role.
Too many job switches in the resume might make Hiring managers feel that
- You lack commitment, or you are not loyal employee.
- You might be incapable for the previous jobs. You are unable to deliver, so you quit jobs.
- You get bored, so you are frequently changing jobs.
Go well prepared to answer this question to the Hiring Managers because they might believe that you fell in upon category.
Sample Examples Of Why You Have Switched Jobs So Many Times In An Interview:
🖋️Sample Answer 1:
I resigned from my previous organization within two months of joining. Although it was a great organization, their expectations from the position was different.
As you already know, I am a CRM manager – My specialization is customer interactions and handling software that makes those interactions possible.
After two weeks of joining the company, I realized that there were expecting something completely different from my expertise. They asked me to generate new leads organically and started giving weekly targets.
🖋️Sample Answer 2:
“I liked my previous organization. But, it was a startup, and I was functioning in several areas. My role demanded long and late working hours. All this was impacting my work-life balance.”