What is your opinion about working on weekends ?

Just YES or NO is not sufficient for such question, You always need to support what you say. Such Interview Questions may have following Insights.

Possible Insights:

• To know if you are flexible enough to come on weekends to work if need be.
• To know how is your work style and planning and do you usually overrun schedule.

Insights:

• Response should say that are flexible to come on weekends, holidays; work over time etc. whenever it is critical for the project.
• Make sure that overrunning the schedule is not a usual case for you because you plan better.
• Proactively you can also add what you will do, so that you do not have to face this situation often.

Example Answer:

I will be ready to work on weekends or holidays if it is really critical for the project. However, generally, that is not the working style I would like to adopt. In my opinion, if the initial planning is done with care, such situations would not occur frequently. In my last project, we had similar issues in the schedule, after the first client delivery, we had team meeting to understand the schedule slippage and then corrective action of adding a domain of expert in the team who was missing initially to deal with the problem.

Anti Pattern:

• Do not just say "yes" or "no". Elaborate.
• Never say that in my last project we have worked all weekends and holidays thinking that your hard work impress the interviewer.

Interviewer's Interpretation;

• Just saying yes indicates you are gullible whereas saying no indicates your inflexibility.
• Interviewer would form an opinion that if you have to work all weekends for a longer duration, someting is wrong with you or previous organization you worked with.

What would be your reaction if somebody finds your error?

In the list of interview questions and answers this question is one to the favorite question asked by the HRs.

Possible Intention:

• To know if you are honest and open.
• To know if you take responsibility for what you have done.
• To know if you are ready to accept your mistakes or hist shrug it off.

Insights:

• You need to give confidence to the interviewer that you accept the mistake you did and ready to do whatever to correct it.
• To err is human. Nobody would be upset if you make mistakes. But disowning it is bad.

Example Answer:

If I am genuinely unaware that i have erred, i will apologize and will be ready to do whatever required to fix it. If it involves apologizing to the level of client, obviously, I will feel bad; but I will do it. I would use this incident to improve to myself and ensure that nothing of this sort would happen again.

In my project, it happened that some of the bugs which I put in the defect management software were rejected by developers. After discussion I could find that my interpretation if the requirements stated in the Software Requirements Specification (SRS) had some problem. This gave me an opportunity to sit with the developer and understand the business domain better. These helped me gain a sound understanding of the domain.

Anti Pattern:

• ' This has never happened with me and I would take care that it would not happen with me ever' is crafted answer very difficult to believe to be true.
• Do not just say that you would apologize and fix it. Important point is that you will learn from it.

Interviewer's Interpretation;

• Making an error is human nature and you learn from mistakes. Accepting your mistakes shows you are honest and willing to improve.
• Shows politeness and willing to learn.
• it also shows leader attitude of accepting your own mistakes and being responsible for the consequences rather than passing the buck to process, system or others.

Where do you see yourself in next 5 years.

"Where do you see yourself in next 5 years?" This question is strongly asked to not to know your future goal but to know the steps you takes to achieve the goal.

Possible Intention:

• To know if you have really thought through on what you are going to do in your career.
• To know if you can think of bigger picture.

Insights:

• Think through what you want to do in life and why? write down and have a tentative plan of what you want to achieve.
• Obviously expect a next question like how will you achieve it? Or how this job which you have applied for fits into the gamut of what you aspire to do.

Example Answer:

I was passionate about technology from my childhood. I am very curious to know how things work. Applying technology and doing new creative things is what gives me satisfaction. I want to become a software architect who will be able to use technology in the best way to create solution for real world problems. I know that it is easier said that done. I have discussed this and understood about an architect's role from some relatives who have that kind of experience. I have read many articles and related blogs about architecture. From my study, i came to know that the basic characteristic required to become a good architecture are thinking skills, technology knowledge and hands-on experience. I think this job would give me the required exposure to that i can move a step further towards achievement of my goal.

Anti Pattern:

• Do not give standard answer like CEO or interviewer's position like project manager without thinking.
• Do not suggest any role without knowing what they are or what it takes to became that or what you will get if you become one?

Interviewer's Interpretation:

• Any well thought answer displays seriousness and commitment towards your career and hence the job work.
• Any shoddy answer without substance would ruin any good impression created so far.