Job interviews are stressful and can get the best of us. There are many things that can help calm you for that dreaded D-day, but preparing for the kind of things you could be asked, imagining possible scenarios and then rehearsing how you will respond could be a very relaxing thing for you. Almost all questions that can be asked come into the following four categories, courtesy of Us News Money.
Question 1: "How equipped are you to perform certain tasks?"
The hiring manager will tell you about a list of tasks and then ask you how your skills, qualifications or experience, or a combination of these, will help you do this job. He might be more specific than that, too. He might give you a task then and ask you for an outline or the process you will follow to solve it. Don't panic, not even if he gives you no time to prep. Be cool and confident and do the best you can. Keeping your cool will actually help you come up with the right answer more often. When explaining your process, try to refer to work you might have done in the past. This will help highlight your skills and your experience in one go, and you won't even look bigheadeded about it!
Question 2: "The Attitude-Related Queries"
Attitude is crucial in a workplace. Your recruiter might ask you questions that are aimed to judge your patience, your people skills, your communication, or how you work in face of a crisis. He might make up a situation that is difficult and ask you how you would handle it. This kind of question is to figure out your personality, professionalism and maturity. Recruiters will also be watching out for how uncomfortable a question makes you, so try not to show that. While it may not be possible to rehearse personality-questions, if you are a kind, sincere, professional adult, you have nothing to worry about.
Question 3: "The Specific Situation Questions"
Similar to behavior questions, these set of questions are very specific. The recruiter might give you a situation and gauge your depth, critical thinking and maturity by your reaction, response and your handling of the imaginary situation. One way you can answer these is by giving actual examples of similar examples from your past. Don't worry too much about making one up, though, if you can't think of a real one. Never lie in an interview, it will catch up to you.
Question 4: "The Skills Test and IQ Questions"
Companies like Google or Facebook that are extremely competitive and a little out of the box have interview style and questions that are out of the box, too. If you are aiming for a company of this kind, be prepared to go through elaborate logical tests or similar. Again, there is no reason to panic. Sometimes, despite not having the exact qualifications for a job like this, companies like these might hire you for your ability and eagerness to learn, or your sincerity. Also remember that sometimes it is not your skills that are being put to the test but rather your resilience, creativity or speed.
