Interview Questions & Answers !

Question 1. Tell me about yourself.
This is the first question you could be asked in any interview. This may sound simple but if you are unprepared you could be in big problem. So just prepare yourself for this simple yet difficult question Start with one two lines about yourself, who you are ? a brief 1 line about your family [ this depends on what kind of interview you are going through] and lastly why are you the best suited person for this job. Tell about your achievements but never sound too proud of your achievements, highlight yourself but with decency. Remember the golden rule

“First Impression is the last impression.”
 Question 2: What are your greatest strengths?
This question is to judge how you present yourself, are you the person who talks too much, are you arrogant or are you the one who just do what others say and thus never realized your strengths.
The answer to this question should be linked with facts and figures if possible. If you had any previous achievements say you lead a team which did wonderful and thus you are a team leader and all. Highlight yourself, tell your strengths but be sure it is well supported and you just don’t start sayings just to impress. Remember the HR person will grill you if he even finds an iota of doubt in what you are saying. Some points on which you could support your answer could be – honesty, leadership, tech savvy, confident, good communication skills, positive attitude, motivational and inspirational leader etc.
So just prepare yourself for this question, make a mental note of all your achievements.
Question 3: What are your greatest weaknesses?
Now this is the question which could either end your interview or could just get you the job. Don’t mince with words, at the same time just don’t be too blunt. Tell your weakness but also tell what you are doing to over come it. Never say I can not do this. Instead say, I have never done this but I am eager to learn and am sure if our company needs it I will do it.
Note – Never say your company or what would be my position in your company, use our company. Some HR people might ask you why you are saying our before selection then do say – its because I am confident that I am the best person for this vacancy.
Question 4: Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of.
This question is just to see how you react to embarrassing situations. Of course you just can not say “SKIP THIS PLEASE.” So better prepare yourself. Take your time to reply to this one, at first say I am really finding it very hard to find any such situation as I believe the best way to avoid shame is never do such things.
Most of the interviewers just will proceed to another question but if he or she insists to elaborate then give any appropriate reply but be sure it should not sound that you are so regretful that it still has a mental impact on you. Remember
”Life must go on….no matter what”
Question 5: Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?
By asking this question, the interviewer just wishes to see how much respect you give to your management, colleagues etc. So never say bad words about any of your earlier employers or management. Remember – Never talk bad about any one even if he or she has been the worst boss.
There can be two situation –
First is when you already have one job – In this situation tell truthfully that you see a bright future or this work profile suits you more than current one or so. Never say – I am joining you because you pay more. If you say so, 99% chances are you would be thrown out of interview.
Secondly when you are a fresher or you don’t have any job
If you have been fired, then tell them why you were fired, what you have learnt from that incident and what are you doing to make sure this would never happen again in life. Don’t hide the facts, companies do check each and every individual so even if you don’t tell them, they know it.
If you are a fresher then you just say I am fresher and you are done with this question
Question 6: Why should I hire you?
The most commonly asked question but the question which is most difficult to answer. Before you enter any interview make sure you have read about the company, job profile and all. As soon as this question is asked, start matching your personality traits with the job requirements. Show how you are the best suited person for this job.
For example – If you are going for a job which involves marketing, then convince the interview that you have a personality which is best suited for this job.
The bottom line is – Match yourself with what the job profile is and thus the interviewer should feel that you are the best person for the job.
Question 7 : Where do you see yourself five years from now?
This question is usually asked to see how much ambitious you are and what is your actual reason for joining the company. If you say I see myself as one of the richest manager in town – forget about the job and leave. You need to show that you are a person with focused aims and you are willing to work to fulfill your dreams. Don’t be over ambitious and say I want to be in board of directors in next 5 years. Of course that is not possible unless lady luck stays with you 24*7 for all 5 years.
During an interview I said – I want to see me at your post and you in top management and believe me, the interviewer had a very good laugh and said that was really clever. I don’t suggest you to say this every time but yes if you feel the person has a jolly nature you can say so
Question 8: Why do you want to work at our company?
This question is asked to check whether you know about the company and work profile or it was just that you got a call from your friend and you walked in the interview.
So do your homework and check annual reports of company, browse website or any relevant data. See the areas where company is growing and match your skills with it. Show the interviewer how you could add to the overall profit of company.
Question 9: What are your hobbies?
This question is asked to judge your personality. I have seen hundreds of resume which say –
Hobbies – reading books, listening songs, browsing internet , sleeping.
For god sake don’t copy it from other’s resume and use it. Write what you actually do. Don’t write I have a hobby of reading books when you could not even name 1 book if asked for. Never be fake, tell them truthfully what you do.
Mention some hobbies which are directly or indirectly linked with job. But make sure you have that hobby. If not then say what you actually do. Different people have different hobbies, so there is nothing to be ashamed

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9 Steps to Set up a Remote Team

The things you have to know before you start outsourcing business tasks and setting up a remote team.
Remote teams are no longer just the domain of small businesses. Even large companies such as United Health, Xerox, American Express and Deutsche Bank are integrating remote teams in their workforce.
Remote teams contribute to the profitability of the business because it reduces cost of operation, increases productivity and lowers the employee turnover. But setting up an effective remote team needs time, effort, strategy and execution.
Here are some of the essentials needed to set up a remote team:
1. Determine the purpose of the remote team
Before you launch a venture or undertake a new activity, you must always establish the purpose first. The purpose answers the “why” of your business. Purpose sets the ball rolling and charts the course to where your business wants to go.
Defining your purpose is essential before building your remote team because it will guide you in the entire pre- operating stage. You will know who to hire and what to look for in candidates. It will give you clarity in what you want to achieve and most importantly, cultivate the ideal culture of productivity in your organization.
2. Prioritize the project manager or team leader
Once you’ve decided on setting up a remote team, the first position you have to hire is the project manager. Often referred to as the team leader, the project manager is the person in charge of the remote team.
He will be your set of eyes and ears in the remote team. In the organizational hierarchy, everything flows through the project manager. You will consult with him, and he will report directly to you. His primary responsibility is to make sure the remote team is on schedule in accomplishing the identified objectives.
3. Set up the frameworks
When you are working with virtual teams, especially with virtual assistants who come from remote locations where cultural, social differences and time zone differentials are prevalent, it is absolutely important to set up frameworks.
Frameworks act to stabilize operation. The different areas of responsibilities are defined, and the respective tasks are summarized for everyone’s information.
Create the organizational chart to give everyone an idea on where they are in the enterprise. This reduces confusion and prevents team members from over- stepping their boundaries.
4. Establish the workflows
A workflow is a schematic on how work moves along an operational funnel. Each area of responsibility has its specific workflow. The purpose of a workflow is to make work more efficient by defining the process itself.
For example, a workflow for an accounting project could look like this:
Client uploads files to CRM > Account Officer downloads file > Assigns to encoders > Head Auditor reviews work > Head Auditor transfers files to Account Officer > Account Officer uploads files and notifies client > Client downloads file from CRM
5. Create the operational guidelines
The only difference between running a business in a brick-and-mortar establishment and in the virtual world is purely logistical. You still have to ensure the mechanisms that lend organization and efficiency in a brick-and-mortar establishment are in place in the virtual world.
The usual reference guide is the Operational Guidelines. This documents not just the various workflows and descriptions of the frameworks but also the rules and regulations of the organization.
All the Frequently Asked Questions must be answered by your set of guidelines. If a team member has questions or concerns, he should be able to find his answers in the Guidelines.
Make sure everyone on the team has read it then dedicate one half-day to discuss its provisions in full.
6. Recruit right- fit talent
Selecting candidates for your remote team can become a tricky proposition. There is so much talent everywhere in the world. It is hard to measure up the accomplishments of one candidate to another because conditions are different.
This is why instead of focusing too much on the candidate’s resume and his technical and fundamental expertise, you should shift your focus to his behavioral profile.
Remember that your remote team may be composed of people from different nationalities, each with their own unique set of cultural practices and social traditions. It is very important that everyone on the remote team gets along.
Here are a few ways you can assess the candidate’s behavioral profile:
Create a set of three short essay questions that will force the candidate to initiate a deep- dive into his own consciousness. For example: Your ship capsized and there was room for one more person on the lifeboat. Who would you save: Your child or your mother?
Ask the candidate to list down his five non- negotiable core values and ask him why he chose those.
Give each candidate a task to perform with the group then measure success based on the level of completion.
It’s very important to assemble a team of people who can work with each other and accept each other’s social and cultural nuances. Conflict will always arise within an organization but people who understand each other will work to find immediate resolution.
7. Set up the technological profile
Once you’ve set up the frameworks and the workflows, you now should design the technological profile.
The technological profile is a summary of programs and hardware that you will need to support operations. It is usually divided into the following:
Collaboration
File Sharing
File Security
Communication
Repair/ Maintenance
Everyone on the team must have the programs installed in their computers. All hardware must be in fine- working condition to avoid work stoppage and further delays.
8. Design an evaluation process
The only way you can assess the performance of the team is by conducting a regular evaluation.
Create a performance formula to grade the quality of work rendered by each team member. For example, if you are running a lead generation campaign a sample evaluation process would be:
Accuracy; ability to procure accurate information = 50%
Statistics; volume of contacts connected = 40%
Work ethics; attitude, general conduct, time- keeping = 10%
Compile the data on a weekly basis and provide your team members a copy of the month end evaluation. This will be used as the parameter for gauging their performance for the succeeding month.
9. Schedule weekly meetings
Communication is one of the most important qualities to have in an organization. Efficient communication channels prevent careless mistakes from happening, reduces the probability of over- sights and incidents of misunderstandings.
This is the value of having meetings scheduled every week. You have the venue to update the team of developments and address pending issues and concerns. End-of-week meetings are important for setting the stage for the following work week.
It is also an opportunity for you to solidify your relationship with your team. This further improves the channels of communication and fosters trust, transparency and respect.
Setting up a remote team has its set of challenges to deal with. But as long as you establish the ground rules and the guidelines for building the team that you want, you will be able to assemble a group of people you can build your business with.

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