Q: Tell me something about your backgrounds?

A: This is a simple and open question but too general to answer. Skillful candidates can focus on a certain aspect by a counter-question asking the interviewer what specific area of background he would like to know such as family, academic, working experience, etc. This approach can show your attention to details and clear understanding for the interviewer's question before answering instead of wasting time on background introduction of all kinds.

Q: How much salary do you expect for this assignment?

A: This is a "knock-out" question which is critical enough to rule out the candidate being proceeded to next round of interview or consideration for the post. Actually the interviewer has a range of salary budget for the post so it is unwise for the candidate to quote an exact amount which may either be too high to rule out the candidate from interviewer's consideration list or too low to make the candidate receive a lower-than-attainable salary.

One appropriate technique for this question is diverting the focus from salary to emphasis on the importance of career goal, long-term prospect, etc. in order to show enthusiasm in the post and show the confidence in a reasonable amount being offered by the interviewer. Alternatively, the candidate can raise a counter-question to probe the salary range offered from the interviewer to justify the appointment.

Q: What are your greatest weakness?

A: Although this is a straightforward question, a frank answer listing your defects definitely eliminates the candidate's opportunity since no company will intentionally hire a employee with critical deficiency. The key for this question is to convert the weakness to strength, for example, less care and concern on family members due to eagerness and devotion in the work could be a major drawback to an individual but would be appreciated on the company side.

Q: What will you do if we turn down your application?

A: This is a test on candidate's emotional response and behavior in case of failure. Candidate should continue to show positive and aggressive attitude rather than immediate frustration. This question can be handled by demonstrating one's desire to encounter challenges in a company with good prospect and committing one's persistency to improve oneself for fitting other relevant vacancies opened in the company. Try to impress the interviewer by your calm mind and sincerity.

Q: What are the things that you can do but not other applicants?

A: To manage this question, the approach should be qualitative instead of quantitative. Quantitative qualification such as number of degrees and years of working experience may not necessarily be one's competitive edge since there is always someone ahead in these aspects. Candidate should make himself outstanding among other applicants of the post by putting emphasis on qualitative competency which is the right and unique combination of skill set such as self-initiative, team spirit, analytical power and organization ability which must be relevant to the job. Addressing one's uniqueness in aptitude is the competitive edge to beat other applicants since no individuals is identical in the world.