Difficult Interview Questions and Winning Answers (part II)

[clueless]

^^ i wouldn't have said it if i didn't think it was ok. 

^ good luck.

will answer na din your question on annual gross though may samples naman given by jezamae.

by law, companies are required to give 13 months of wages per year so your annual gross = monthly gross x 13, or monthly gross = annual gross/13.

some companies, as in jezamae's example, give guaranteed pay of up to 22 months so annual gross = monthly gross x 22.

[imnuttz]

thanks sa mga nagreply re: interview Qs for the PA post. unfortunately wala lahat sa mga sinabi nyo ang ginawa namin hindi pala sya one on one interview at group assessment pala sya. oh well bago lang mga HR people nung company and iniba daw nila ang system ng hiring process.

[blooming]

I know people who have been working for almost 10 years, and there are gaps, pero mga 1-2 months only.

Pag ganito, parang ok lang. esp if the person has skills and delivered himself well during the interview.  1-2 months is short relative to a 10yr career.  pero kung 2 yrs palang working, tapos from 2 companies pa, then may 1-2 months gap, iba na ang usapan.

I know someone who recently got "terminated" not because of poor performance pero kasi napulitika talaga siya. But of course you cannot say this during the interview. Next, it will not appear that you got terminated because you were forced to resign. So may resignation letter from you talaga.

kapag ganito naman, may mga references right?  the person has to make sure may matatakbuhan din sya for references from the previous company re his achievements.  so I guess papasa ang "differences" in principles, you are looking for greener pasture, etc.  At hindi naman lalabas na delinquent ka kasi may mga tao willing to "back you up" sa past performance mo fr the previous company.

[blooming]

totoo ba ito? so never sila naghire ng w/ experience?

I am assuming Mgr level and up. They hire fresh grads from 3 universities.  Kapag rank and file, not sure, baka open sila sa other uni's

[blooming]

ok lang ba na ang sagot ko nalang dito eh, since last year, they've been doing lots of reorganization and i dont feel "secure" with my future in this company anymore. I used to feel secure with them but lately, I'm not sure anymore if my future is bright with them hence I'm planning to leave the company..ok lang ba yun? or will they take this against me dahil iiwan ko ang company for my selfish motives? (ie for my own gain)

My take on this, hindi ok. Pero sis, depende yan sa company at interviewer ha.  Sakin kasi hindi sya ok na sagot, not bec you are selfish (am assuming all applicants are selfish anyway).  But bec lately, I believe that there is no such thing na as a stable company.  Almost ALL BIG companies I know undergo re-org every now and then.  Eh normally takbuhan ng applicants ang mga big ones, bec of the notion na hindi nagugulo ang org nila.   

Regarding your feeling of security within the company.  Why? what makes you feel insecure?  Do you have some doubts with your capability such that the company can drop you like a hot potato anytime?  So napapaisip ako (opinion ko lang naman) about your capabilities/skills/contributions sa company why you think that you are not secure.  So baka kelangan mo pa i-explain further -- maybe bec the company is to close shop anytime soon would be a more credible answer. 

[blooming]

sis...pwede question, how do you compute for net pay pag binigay annual gross?  sorry, di ko kasi alam how they compute the taxes and all eh...kasi diba usually sa job offer, annual ang nakalagay? so how will i know how much will my nett pay be?

also, would you know if its possible for a company to offer me higher pay than my current pay even if I'm applying for a position I've no experience with? (Gusto ko kasi mag change ng career path eh)

Please do some research as far as your tax computations are concerned. Nasa likod yan ng ITR.  Know the company's benefits din, baka may tax shield sila or something.  Kasi di naman namin malalaman ang tax mo if di namin alam sweldo mo.

In sis clueless case, since 6 digits, ma-estimate mo na na nasa 30% ang tax level nya sa normal companies.  So assuming take home mo 100k, igross up mo sya with 30% tax.  so approx 150k gross yan. 

[blooming]

also, would you know if its possible for a company to offer me higher pay than my current pay even if I'm applying for a position I've no experience with? (Gusto ko kasi mag change ng career path eh)

possible, but depends on the position you are applying for.  if it is an entry level, kahit walang experience ok sa kanila, then compensation for the employer's entry level happens to be higher than your current pay, e di possible. 

or if the employer realizes that may experience ka na compared to other fresh grads applying for the entry level position, baka bigyan ka ng premium din, that is, if they value your experience from your previous company.

[blooming]

So its ok to say the level of stress in my previous job is no longer healthy?

should be fine, so long as you can back up your statement.  kasi kung sinabi mo no longer healthy, tapos nasabi mo rin sa interviewer na normal working hours mo 9-5 lang. hindi credible d b? 

unlike if you say Mon-Sun ang work mo na tipong 8am to 12mn, yun baka maniwala pa interviewer. 

[jezamae]

sis...pwede question, how do you compute for net pay pag binigay annual gross?  sorry, di ko kasi alam how they compute the taxes and all eh...kasi diba usually sa job offer, annual ang nakalagay? so how will i know how much will my nett pay be?

basically, here's how it computed:

Over P 70,000 but not over P 140,000 = P 8,500 + 20 % of the excess over P 70,000
Over P 140,000 but not over P 250,000 = P 22,500 + 25 % of the excess over P 140,000
Over P 250,000 but not over P 500,000 P 50,000 + 30 % of the excess over P 250,000
Over P 500,000 = P 125,000 + 32 % of the excess over P 500,000

to complicate the computation, there are deductibles before the tax computation such as sss, pag-ibig, philhealth

[/quote] also, would you know if its possible for a company to offer me higher pay than my current pay even if I'm applying for a position I've no experience with? (Gusto ko kasi mag change ng career path eh)
[/quote]

yes. most companies offer higher salaries than your previous companies especially if the applicant impresses them, with or without experience. and always ask for a salary that is higher than your current salary but also say that it's negotiable

[jezamae]

2.) A friend of mine told me about this guy from his previous work. He was assigned to a very difficult project with no training. The goal was to make it appear as if he were incompetent. The company was bad, but the guy was offered to resign( hence forced resignation ) or have the "terminated" label forever on him. Lets not get started that this is illegal, we all know how our courts work here thats why he opted to leave the company and not sue.

this is called constructive dismissal. hr people do this if they want the employee to resign. actually the employee can file a complaint on this. kawawa naman sya.

[jezamae]

this is the usual reply i get when i ask about gaps or resigning w/o a job, at least 2 months na gap ( huwag naman 2 weeks lang)

"i resigned because my sister/family plans to put up a computer shop/ other business but something happened - my sister went abroad/ was hired by a very good company/ we used the money in an emergency/ we were advised by my uncle that it's not a good business - so the business didn't materialize"

"i was supposed to start in another company but the employee whom i supposed to replaced changed mind and she was re-hired"

"i am not happy with my present company because of very limited opportunities for me and i want to explore if i can use my skills more that what i am doing now i my current company"

[parprx]

Hi this is for an airline company, how would you answer these? Thank you so much!

1. "Give 3 nationalities that you would love to live with and 3 that you do not want to live with and why."

2. "What is the effect of media globally ?"

[o_O]

My take on this, hindi ok. Pero sis, depende yan sa company at interviewer ha.  Sakin kasi hindi sya ok na sagot, not bec you are selfish (am assuming all applicants are selfish anyway).  But bec lately, I believe that there is no such thing na as a stable company.  Almost ALL BIG companies I know undergo re-org every now and then.  Eh normally takbuhan ng applicants ang mga big ones, bec of the notion na hindi nagugulo ang org nila.   

Regarding your feeling of security within the company.  Why? what makes you feel insecure?  Do you have some doubts with your capability such that the company can drop you like a hot potato anytime?  So napapaisip ako (opinion ko lang naman) about your capabilities/skills/contributions sa company why you think that you are not secure.  So baka kelangan mo pa i-explain further -- maybe bec the company is to close shop anytime soon would be a more credible answer.

I'm definitely secure naman with my skills but the thing is, parang sa lahat ng points na nakikita ko, puros pagtitipid talaga. Samples: dati may sarili kami work station..now seat sharing na..as in yung night shift, same seat ko so di ako pwede mag OT kahit marami ako work or kung mag OT, siksikan kami like sardines...wala narin kami Xmas party, Summer party at yung christmas basket wala narin...yung mga freebies that they used to give, wala narin...tapos now, they're planning to share 1 pc for every 2 employee...tapos, wala pa kami increase this year! though sabi sa news di affected ang BPO, but still they're doing these things..so parang, i cant take it anymore..i dont want to wait for the time na pati pay namin e tipirin na kami.

So what's a better answer to that question if asked sis?

[o_O]

possible, but depends on the position you are applying for.  if it is an entry level, kahit walang experience ok sa kanila, then compensation for the employer's entry level happens to be higher than your current pay, e di possible. 

or if the employer realizes that may experience ka na compared to other fresh grads applying for the entry level position, baka bigyan ka ng premium din, that is, if they value your experience from your previous company.

ah..ok..sana they'll consider my experience kahit di related sa ibang field.

thanks sis

[o_O]

basically, here's how it computed:

Over P 70,000 but not over P 140,000 = P 8,500 + 20 % of the excess over P 70,000
Over P 140,000 but not over P 250,000 = P 22,500 + 25 % of the excess over P 140,000
Over P 250,000 but not over P 500,000 P 50,000 + 30 % of the excess over P 250,000
Over P 500,000 = P 125,000 + 32 % of the excess over P 500,000

to complicate the computation, there are deductibles before the tax computation such as sss, pag-ibig, philhealth

thanks sis!

 

yes. most companies offer higher salaries than your previous companies especially if the applicant impresses them, with or without experience. and always ask for a salary that is higher than your current salary but also say that it's negotiable

would you know what's the "acceptable" increase range na reasonable hingin if I have 0% experience sa inaapplyan kong position?

If not, what's usually the range of increase ba na binibigay ng HR sa mga nagtatransfer? usually ba mga 50% ng previous pay?

[jezamae]

I'm definitely secure naman with my skills but the thing is, parang sa lahat ng points na nakikita ko, puros pagtitipid talaga. Samples: dati may sarili kami work station..now seat sharing na..as in yung night shift, same seat ko so di ako pwede mag OT kahit marami ako work or kung mag OT, siksikan kami like sardines...wala narin kami Xmas party, Summer party at yung christmas basket wala narin...yung mga freebies that they used to give, wala narin...tapos now, they're planning to share 1 pc for every 2 employee...tapos, wala pa kami increase this year! though sabi sa news di affected ang BPO, but still they're doing these things..so parang, i cant take it anymore..i dont want to wait for the time na pati pay namin e tipirin na kami.

So what's a better answer to that question if asked sis?

it's a case of abandoning the ship before it sinks 

the general rule for managers is to abandon the ship if the payroll is delayed
but for staff position, they usually leave the company when they see signs of cost-cutting to save the company just like what you have mentioned

the best way here is to be honest. you can enumerate these 'pagtitipid', it's effect on you and in performing you functions and emphasize that it makes you nervous. then say that with your financial responsibility, even if it's not true, you can't afford to be jobless. also add that if just you, you will hang on with happening in the company, but since your family depends on you, or that you are helping with the company expenses, you had to explore possible job transfer

in a case like that of your company and with your situation, abandoning the ship is understood. we don't expect staff positions to be super loyal to the company naman
another thing is that at least the applicant is not passive who will just wait for things to happen

[jezamae]

thanks sis!

  would you know what's the "acceptable" increase range na reasonable hingin if I have 0% experience sa inaapplyan kong position?

If not, what's usually the range of increase ba na binibigay ng HR sa mga nagtatransfer? usually ba mga 50% ng previous pay?

for us, 15 to 20% on the average

[desolate_cat]

I have a couple of curious questions now.

1.) I have 9 years of experience with c++ coding. But most companies now are looking for Java or ASP.NET. If I learn those on my own( self study, no work related stuff ), can I still be considered for a senior java/ASP.NET developer position?

2.) I was 8.5 months pregnant when I was looking for work. I told the HR people that I will only take 1 month of maternity leave, and my present company has no policy on 1 month notice( I can leave immediately )Why do they still refuse to process my application? They tell me to get in touch after my maternity is over.

3.) It is very difficult to look for COBOL programmers today. Now, a friend of mine who is a cobol programmer, was interviewed but wasn't shortlisted. He received a regret email. But the company that interviewed him still kept posting the position, labelling it as urgent on the famous jobsites. Any chances that he will be reconsidered? Should he reapply?

4.) Why do some HR ask you about certain skills when you didn't indicate that in your resume? Isn't it obvious that you don't have that skill? 

[blooming]

^ sis, comments lang...

1) tingin ko mas ok kung tumanggap ka ng "sideline" or part time work that deals with JAVA or ASP.NET.  Kahit na mas mababa ang pay, part time naman and gives you exposure. Mas gusto parin ata ng mga companies ang may experience OR may formal na training. Pero pov ko lang, baka may ibang pov ang mga IT companies din.

2) sa 15 years ko na working, wala pakong nakitang company who hired someone pregnant.  moreso 8.5 months pregnant.

3) there must be something that the company is looking for na hindi nya naipakita sa interview nya.

4) siguro more of verifying and to see how the applicant would respond, deal with something the company is looking for but he/she has not been exposed to.

[desolate_cat]

^ sis, comments lang...

sa 15 years ko na working, wala pakong nakitang company who hired someone pregnant.  moreso 8.5 months pregnant.

there must be something that the company is looking for na hindi nya naipakita sa interview nya.

Can they not put the start date in the employment contract after she has given birth and finished maternity leave? Of course they will not make her start working before she gives birth.

Regarding #2, so should my friend re-apply o huwag na lang? And this means no chance of being reconsidered?