Difficult Interview Questions and Winning Answers (part II)

[lovelylove]

the interviewer asked "what do you like best about this position?" (csr)

what are the best possible answer kaya?  pls. help...

[FoxyPhoenix]

^ i enjoy talking and dealing with diff types of people, especially when i am able to assist them and help them out with their concern.

[lovelylove]

thank you very much sis FoxyPhoenix... 

[Juricks]

it is a valid reply. for example, nag reorg and nililipat ka sa position na hindi in line with the path you wish to take, your goals are no longer in line with the company's plan for you.

happened to me na once. they dissolved the SAP team and they moved us to another group. i didn't want to start again and wanted to continue being an SAP professional. i resigned and moved the that company that gave me a 100% increase.

when i resigned from my last job, same thing. their plan was to send me abroad, which was not in line with my plan. i left.

some may think of this as negative but for me, it shows that i have direction. i know what i want, i know where i want to go and i am doing something to get there.

plans change - yours and the company's and if it comes to a point that they are no longer aligned, why stay if it won't bring you any closer to your goal?

I was supposed to ask if tinanong ka kung may pending applications ka.  Buti na lang nasagot na.

Here's my story.  I came from a company na maganda naman magbigay ng sweldo but susulitin talaga nila yun sa employee.  Now dumating yung time na yung mga taga-IT e nilipat sa BPO, HR and other departments kasi walang new projects na dumadating.  I was one of them and sobrang disappointed ako kasi ang layo sa career path ko yung work na gusto nilang gawin namin.  I requested them if possible na itransfer sa isang project na somehow IT din naman, kaso the manager took it against me and belittled me.  Verbal harassment yung nangyari tapos siya pa yung nagsabi sa HR (at sa lahat ng mga TL dun) na insubordinate ako.  After that, marami pang ibang hindi magandang nangyari (harassment, power-tripping, etc.), hindi lang sa akin kundi sa ibang kasama ko dun.  Kahit ganon yung situation, I still stayed kasi sayang yung work ko.  Kaso after 3.5 months, I was super stressed and feeling ko magbbreakdown na talaga ako so I resigned and took a break from employment.

Now, kapag tinatanong ako kung bakit ako nagresign, sinasabi ko na lang yung partial story, which means, di ko na binanggit yung harassment part.  Sinasabi ko na lang na kaya ako umalis kasi
walang IT projects and I tried to stay din naman kaso hindi ko talaga yun linya.  Any suggestions mga sis kung pano sagutin nang maganda yung tanong na yun?

Sorry ha, napahaba.

[clueless]

^ is your skill somehow specialized?

i've experience something similar kasi sa first employer ko. 2 years into my SAP career, they decided to dissolve the SAP team and moved all the SAP consulatans to a different group. the new role was not in line with what i wanted for myself so i resigned.

when asked why, i say na my professional goals were no longer in line with the company's plan for me. i wanted to continue with my SAP career and i coudln't get that from my employer so i decided to leave.

maybe something similar to that might work for you?

[Juricks]

wow, thank you sis sa super fast na reply. 

yes, my skills are specialized.  Sayang naman kasi yung 3 years na ganon yung ginagawa ko tapos malilipat ako sa isang work na totally e wala sa mga goals ko, skillset at experience ko. 

Yung reply mo na sis yung isasagot ko sa tanong bakit ako umalis.  Kapag nagpa-elaborate na lang, siguro dun ako magkkwento.  Pero partial version pa din siyempre.

[Juricks]

^^^ sis another question po: when I resigned, wala pang kapalit na bagong work kasi that time super harassed and stressed na ako (not to mention na na-burn out na din.)  After I resigned, nagbakasyon ako then I was suppose to start this business while looking for a job.  Kaso something went wrong with the supplier, so kailangan kong maghanap ng bagong supplier kaya di pa nagmamaterialize yung business ko.   How should I explain this na hindi ako lalabas na "irresponsible" kasi umalis ako nang wala pang work na kapalit?  TIA sis!

[clueless]

^ how long were you out of a job?

[Juricks]

almost 6months na din..  This January ako nagstart maghanap ulit.

[blooming]

sis pa help how about umalis ka sa job mo ng walang paalam ano pwede dito isagot sa interview? need ko ba sabihin yong totoo or tell ko na lang na nagresign?

ang hirap naman nito sis. you may opt not to tell, and hope na hindi tanungin.  You can just say na nagresign.  pero the problem kasi baka tanungin nila yung company na pinanggalingan mo.

wala ka na bang way to settle things from the previous company?  as in bigla ka nalang hindi pumasok and no communication to your old company?

[jarjarbinks]

sis pa help how about umalis ka sa job mo ng walang paalam ano pwede dito isagot sa interview? need ko ba sabihin yong totoo or tell ko na lang na nagresign?

when i was still young ganyan din ginawa ko. umalis ako sa company nang walang paalam at hindi iniiinform ang immediate supervisors ko. Then ni-forward ng friend ko yung resume ko sa another company. Eh nakasulat sa resume ko na i've been with this previous company na bigla ko na nga lang nilayasan. I already signed the contract to company number 2 and then bigla na  lang ako nakatanggap ng demand letter from HR na nanghihingi ng explanation why I did not declare na AWOL ako sa previous company ko.

I asked my father ako gagawin ko kasi kahit sya hindi nya alam na nag AWOL ako. Ayun, binigay  ko yung explanation letter ko sa HR ng company number 2. I am still with company number 2 till now.

Dati nasabi sa akin ng kaibigan ko na kapag nag AWOL ka sa previous company mo, syempre walang clearance form yun, wag na lang daw isulat sa resume na you were employed to that company. Pero alam ko mate-trace naman yun nang current employer mo sa SSS and TIN mo

[snowhite_12]

question, im still working in my previous job but the interviewer asked me, if yung Hr namin knows im applying for another job? whats the best answer na hindi bad sa kanila pakinggan.

another question... do you have plans to continue your studies? example 2 yrs lang natapus mo. sana may mag reply.tnx

[blooming]

^ sis the truth.
ano ba sagot mo dun sa HR question?

kasi kung sakin itanong yan, sagot ko, No, I dont think so.  pag Yes, eh di "perhaps but I am not sure" then elaborate why you think so (you have to be careful).


Sa 2nd question mo, ano ulit ang sagot mo - yes or no.  kasi its not practical for other people to provide canned answers to you pero salungat sa katotohanan. pinakamaganda parin to answer truthfully, pero pag-isipan mo pano sagutin.  if you can provide your answers muna then perhaps more GTers can help you inputs on how to craft your answers.

[petlovah]

if yung Hr namin knows im applying for another job? whats the best answer na hindi bad sa kanila pakinggan.

i would answer this way, imo:
i am looking for greener pasture and better company which would help me achieve my career goal. frankly speaking, the HR does not know that i am applying for another job because if they do, i am sure im not here undergoing the interview. (then i would state here the good things of my company and some of the disadvantages of my job kaya ka lilipat, some lang ha para hindi magmukang bad impression)

...medyo mahaba sagot ko depende kasi sa position you're applying for and the company eh..

[miming]

im a tourism graduate and i applied before as a csa and the interviewer ask me " Your a tourism graduate more and greater opportunities but why did you apply as a csa?"...hindi niya na typan sagot ko...masyado yatang mabaho...ano bang magandang isagot na pwedeng pumasa ako

[fall2pieces]

hi pretty sisses!
i just want to ask some questions in case this comes up in the interview.
what is the best way to say these and not look whiny and like i am bad mouthing my old employer?

what if hr asks why i want to transfer?
my reasons:
1. there are some disadvantages in my work like i cannot file for leave when someone in our branch is on leave, since i am assigned at branch.
2. i don't like the fact that sometimes i am being assigned to places that is not very accessible to me.
3. i personally don't believe in our products/industry so how can i properly sell our company properly?
4. there are some issues with management that i don't agree with. our company is business oriented and not employee-oriented. they don't prioritize the welfare of employees. we are not given chances to voice out our side or retract their decisions.
5. i am very stressed with my job.

in short im not happy anymore.

[clueless]

miming, so bakit nga ba? give us your reaons and we will help you find a way to say them in a good/positive way. we cannot think of answers for you, especially for that type of question.

fall2pieces, imo, you need not say all those reasons when you get asked.

you may focus on reasons 3 and 4 and say you don't believe in the company or in its values or in its business ethics, something like that. maybe you can also say that you are looking for an employer that not only values its business but its people as well. if people are not happy, they do not delivery quality work so the business suffers. you're not naman looking for a ocmpany that will give you everything you want but at least a company that considers the welfare of its employees and who give value to their employees.

as for stress levels and work-life balance, medyo mahirap kasi to use those if you're not 100% sure of what you're getting into. you won't know these things until you're actually doing the job yourself. iba yung perception mo lang sa reality. mas lalo pang mahirap if you're moving to the same kind of job. if for example dati nagf-field work ka tapos ngayon desk job na, maybe that can be a possible reason.

[tabularasa08]

hello!

ask ko lang sana if ok ba na isagot ko na ang reason lang kung bakit ako aalis sa present company ko is because maliit yung salary? yan lang naman kase ang reason ko talaga. i've been in my present company for almost 4 yrs pero ang liit pa din kase ng salary. i've been promoted twice pero maliit lang din yung increase nung 2 promotions na yun. thanks!

[clueless]

^ maliit may be relative.

do you know the industry average for the kind of work you do? if yes and it is low compared to that, you can be honest in saying that the pay is too low. it is one of your motivational factors so you're looking for another opportunity that is fulfilling and rewarding.

but make sure you know the industry average so you have basis when you say maliit ang sweldo.

[miming]

sis clueless gusto ko lang mag kawork at alam naman natin na ang call center ang isa sa mga madali dali na job na mataas mag pa sweldo.  marami naman siguro din sa call center na hindi related yung course nila dun and yet dun sila nag aapply at luckily natatanggap at ngayon eh dun na sila nagwowork.  hindi pa kasi ako prepared mag work sa mga hotel at airports where in alam ko na dun naman talaga ako dapat.