For a majority of jobs in Singapore, potential employees are called for an interview by the business hiring staff after reviewing the resumes received. Typically depending on the job profile, the business will have an interview panel or a staff member interview the job seekers. The main aim of the interview is to determine whether the job applicant is suitable for the vacancy. All job applicants would like to maximize their chances of being selected. For this it is recommended that the candidate anticipates and prepares for some of the common interview questions and answers, especially if he has not given many interviews earlier. While some of the questions may be specific to the job, some peer interview questions are usually asked in most interviews.

Questions

One of the most common questions which the interviewer asks is telling the job seeker to provide some information about himself. This question is usually asked in the beginning of the interview so that the interviewer/interviewers understand the background of the applicant, which aspects of his career he feels are relevant to the job. Another major question which is asked is the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate, to understand why he is better than the other candidates who are also interested in the same job. In some cases, the interviewer may also ask the applicant his future plans, what he plans to do 5 or 10 years later

Job specific questions

In addition to the general questions which are listed above, the candidate will also be asked questions to test his expertise and knowledge for the job he is applying for. Freshers who have no professional experience are usually asked questions related to the job based on subjects which they may have studied in college to check whether the applicant understands the subject well. Experienced professionals are often asked questions related to the previous jobs which they have held, the work they did, to find out whether they understand the industry specific terminology and other industry trends.

Preparing answers

It is advisable for every job applicant to plan the answers he will give, especially of the commonly asked questions. This will help the applicant reply promptly when he is asked the question, he will not stammer or fumble. For some jobs, especially sales jobs where verbal communication skills are important, stammering can create the wrong impression and the applicant may not get the job. All job applicants should also do some research on the company which has called them for the interview, and update their knowledge related to the position which they are applying for.

What to avoid

Job applicants should also be aware that giving the wrong or irrelevant information may also disqualify them from getting the job or some of the interviewers may get bored. One of the major mistakes which younger job applicants are making is providing personal information about themselves, which is not relevant to the job. Additionally while providing information about their weakness, they should be careful, so that the weakness appears to be a strength for the job.