Tough Interview Questions and Best Answers:

 IF SELECTED, CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE FIRST 60 DAYS? In the first 60 days, I would try and understand my role in the context of its contribution to the overall profitability and growth of the company. I would like to progressively work with my line manager on understanding the things that have been done in the past and formulating a forward-looking plan to accomplish set goals or targets with specific timelines.

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE ON OUR COMPANY OR PRODUCT? I will be able to bring in a new perspective into the business and question things that existing people might not. Also, with a strong focus on consumers and the market environment, I would be able to develop better and more improved products through better consumer insights.

 IF YOU FOUND OUT YOUR COMPANY WAS DOING SOMETHING AGAINST THE LAW, LIKE FRAUD,WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I am a very methodical person and before I take any actions, I always analyse and assess the situation at hand. So clearly my first step would be to , fully determine and assess whether a fraud or any unlawful activity, has in fact taken place, and this will have to be substantiated by conclusive evidence. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, I will try and approach the right channels to address the issue.

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TAKE A SALARY CUT?

Yes. Salary is a notional number. I expect a job to have several dimensions: a learning environment; great people to work with; respect and a pay package – in that order. A great pay package without the other three is a mirage. Sooner or later, you will discover there is no water there. I believe that a good company ensures its people are paid well.

NARRATE AN INSTANCE WHEN YOU HAD A PROBLEM WITH A PEER. Sometimes, what you think is a positive facet ends up biting you in the back. At a company, I crossed interdepartmental lines to make a friendly offer to a peer to move from his department to marketing. He went and reported it to his boss and it flared up into a big issue. I did not realise that this peer will make a big deal based on that friendly chat. I learnt never to cross inter-departmental barriers unless your boss is clearly authorising it.

AREN’T YOU OVERQUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION? Not at all. I am an engineer, an MBA and I recently completed my PhD. If you ask me, I need to learn a lot of new things since the marketing scenario is changing so rapidly. In order to keep redundancy at bay, I need to update myself from time to time.

WHY IS THERE A GAP IN YOUR WORK HISTORY? I took some time off to spend with my family and do some research into areas that have always fascinated me. I am sure this has made me a better professional and today, I am able to add more value in the work environment.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOUR LAST (OR CURRENT) JOB? I think that it started out well, but towards the later stages, I have felt a loss of challenges. A person with my level of capability and aspirations always looks for challenges and that is what I seek in any future role.

HOW LONG WOULD YOU STAY WITH US? I would stay as long as we find mutual satisfaction. I have set no timeframe for my tenure and if we are both happy, I look forward to a very long relationship.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PREVIOUS BOSS? My boss had some great skills, which I leveraged. I have chosen to learn from my bosses. The present one is no exception.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I would like to know what career path I can expect if I deliver the results. I am an ambitious person and a knowledge of future directions would help.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MANAGER OR COLLEAGUE CHALLENGE YOUR DECISION?

Absolutely. The fact that my decisions are challenged is actually a good thing, since it means that I am with people who are extremely engaged in solving problems and thinking about our roles more critically. I believe that unilateral decision-making points to an organisational problem, and vigorous debate with multiple points of view often seed the best ideas.

WHAT SALARY DO YOU THINK YOU DESERVE? I believe that an ideal compensation recognises ability; rewards results and provides the opportunity to indulge in my passion.

CAN YOU THINK OF A RECENT ISSUE IN WHICH OLD SOLUTIONS WOULDN’T WORK? A cross-silo approach is more effective in an era where communication technology allows anyone with a good idea, regardless of his/her location, to work with peers anywhere in the globe to bring it to fruition. This also means a top-down approach to business decisions is being replaced by a more hands-on model where employees are engaged collaboratively.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LAST JOB, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? As a leader, I am often making decisions in real-time, based on multiple – often incomplete – parameters and constrained by data available at that time. I usually like to go over my decisions at a later time to understand if there could have been a better alternative. This helps me ensure that every time I make a mistake, it’s a new one. During one such exercise, I realised that a product strategy that I led in my last job could have perhaps been approached differently for greater success.