Sounak Banerjee Associate Content Manager
Associate Content Manager
Personal Interview rounds are considered to be one of the most important rounds when seeking MBA Admissions or MBA placements. In a PI round, candidates are asked various questions which could be about the candidate, their interests, future prospects and many more.
MBA Colleges like IIMs begin their PI rounds after CAT Results, around the month of February, you will need to be well prepared with all of the PI questions and their answers to ace admissions in MBA Courses.
The PI or Personal Interview rounds are generally like a two-way conversation initiated by an interviewer to obtain information from a respondent. The interviewer meets with the candidate to evaluate their skills, capabilities, and level of experience.
Here, we have compiled a list of the top 30 most asked questions in a personal interview, along with some tips to crack the interview which would help a candidate get the gist of what is to expect in a PI.
Also Check: MBA GD Topics
Top 30 Questions Asked in PI
There are numerous questions that are asked during an MBA PI. Mentioned below is the list of the top 30 questions asked in PI, in later sections we have discussed in detail, how to answer these questions, and tips on what to do and what not to do while answering such questions.
| Tell us about yourself | What have you learned from your mistakes on the last job? | What is the most challenging thing about working with you? |
| Why do you want to work for us/this company? | Describe your management skill and style. | How do you cope with stress? |
| Do you consider yourself successful? | How would you know that you have achieved the required success on this job? | Why do you think you deserve this job? |
| Are you willing to travel? | What are your thoughts on working some extra time, night shifts and on weekends? | What irritates you about the people you work with? |
| What would you consider your greatest weakness and strength? | What have you done to improve your skills and knowledge in the last year? | What are your hobbies? |
| What motivates you? | How would you be an asset to the company? | Where do you see yourself in the next five years? |
| What experience do you have in this field? | Describe your ability to work under pressure. | Why are you leaving your current position? |
| Why should we hire you? | Tell us about a problem you had with your supervisor. | What have you learned from your failures? |
| Do you consider yourself a team player? | What role did you tend to play in a team? | How do you deal with criticism? |
| What is your philosophy towards work? | What would you consider the most difficult decision you had to make? | Do you have any questions for us? |
Tell us about yourself
What to do
- Discuss your accomplishments as much as possible.
- Mention the projects and work you have undertaken that match the job description for which you are interviewing.
- Talk about the reason behind your job switch.
- Use terminology like problem-solving, innovative, creative, fast-paced etc. to grab the attention of the interviewer.
- End your answer by mentioning why you are fit for the position.
What not to do
- Don't get into anything that is too personal.
- Do not repeat the same thing that you have already mentioned in your resume.
- Do not ask questions like ‘What do you want to know’ as it sounds unprofessional and rude.
Why do you want to work for us/this company?
What to do
- The first thing to do is go through the company website and articles about the company so that you know about it.
- Go through the company’s vision and mission and future prospects and elaborate on how you can help them achieve it.
- While answering this question, you should be able to let the interviewer know that you are eager to work for the company.
- Your answer should include the fact that you understand the business and what the employer wants from the position you are applying for.
- Mention how you and the company are good for each other and will ensure mutual growth and progress in the future. You should tell them how your skills and experience will make a perfect match for the position.
- You should be able to let the interviewer know that you have an ample amount of belief in the company’s product and services.
Do you consider yourself successful?
What to do
- You can give an answer in the affirmative to this question.
- Summarize your career goals and mention what goals have you achieved and what you wish to achieve after joining the company.
- Be Confident about what you are saying.
What not to do
- You should not sound self-centric while answering this question. Stay humble.
Are you willing to travel?
If the role that you are applying for involves traveling then there is no other answer but to say yes.
What would you consider your greatest weakness and strength?
What to do
- Try to focus more on the strengths.
- Your strengths and weaknesses should be true and should reflect your personality.
- While talking about weaknesses, let the interviewer know that you are working on overcoming them.
- While researching for the position you are applying for, focus on how and where you can apply your strengths.
- While mentioning a weakness make sure it is somewhat relatable to the job in question.
- Make sure you do not confuse interests with strengths and dislikes with weaknesses.
What motivates you?
What to do
- Try to be honest.
- You can talk along the lines of job satisfaction, working towards a goal, developing your skills or contributing to a team. While mentioning one of these, make sure you also mention an example that supports your point.
- You can also mention excitement for new challenges, and quest for personal development as additional motivators.
What not to do
Do not mention material things or fear of failure.
What experience do you have in this field?
What to do
Mention some of the initiatives you took in your previous job or during college that matches the job description.
Why should we hire you?
What to do
- Talk about some of your unique qualities, in short.
- Highlight some of your strengths, skills and of your accomplishments.
- Mention a situation that highlights the fact that you are a quick learner, and team player.
- If possible, talk about how you as an individual helped in the growth of your last employer/company in terms of brand, goodwill and revenue.
What not to do
- Avoid saying things like you need a job, money or things like that.
- Focus on what you can do for the company not the other way around.
- Never compare your skills to others or demerit someone else.
Do you consider yourself a team player?
What to do
- Always answer in the affirmative.
- Also mention how you can work with a team, lead a team or work independently as the situation requires.
- Always remember, while answering your prior concern should be to answer on behalf of the team and not for yourself.
What is your philosophy towards work?
What to do
- There should be only one philosophy when it comes to work, that it should be done on time and in the correct manner.
What have you learned from your mistakes on the last job?
What to do
- Talk about something that went wrong and what lessons you learned from it.
- You can also mention a mistake that happened to cause a problem, not necessarily all your fault.
Describe your management skill and style
What to do
- Research what is required while managing a team or a company and try to match your style with that.
- Give one example of something that you achieved because of your management style or how it helped the company.
How would you know that you have achieved the required success on this job?
What to do
Mention how success is only achieved when you achieve your goals, and standards are not compromised and are eventually exceeded.
What are your thoughts on working some extra time, night shifts and on weekends?
What to do
Say how if the work requires extra time you are willing to do so.
What not to do
Never say no or give situations where it would be difficult for you to work overtime.
What have you done to improve your skills and knowledge in the last year?
What to do
- Talk about some seminars you attended that helped you in aspects like time management and personality development.
- Also, talk about certain training sessions you attended related to the industry you are working or applying for.
How would you be an asset to the company?
What to do
- Pick your one key skill that is necessary to succeed in the job.
- You can also mention any awards and certificates you won in the last job.
- Talk about how you can handle pressure and stressful situations.
- Highlight the major plus points within you, that could be 1 or more than 1.
Describe your ability to work under pressure
What to do
- Mention how before applying for the job you knew what you were applying for.
- Tell how you are okay with the pressures that come with the job and how pressure could be the best motivator.
Tell us about a problem you had with your supervisor
What to do
Do not mention any such situation even if you had one. Never pin point any fault of your previous supervisor.
What role did you tend to play in a team?
What to do
- Talk about how versatile you are in terms of playing a role in the team.
- Mention how for you doing the work in the perfect way is more important than what position you hold in the team.
What would you consider as the most difficult decision you had to make?
What to do
- Talk about something related to work.
- If possible mention how that decision turned out to be a good one in the end.
What not to do
- Do not mention anything personal or political.
What is the most challenging thing about working with you?
What to do
Talk about something that is actually not a problem like how you are too serious about work.
How do you cope with stress?
What to do
- Talk about your hobbies and how they help you cope with stress.
- Mention mediation and other stress management techniques that you follow.
Why do you think you deserve this job?
What to do
- Talk about how your skillset and the requirements of the job/position match perfectly.
- Talk about how you can contribute to the company’s growth along with yours.
What irritates you about the people you work with?
What to do
- Mention how you go along with your co-workers.
- Talk about how even when you find yourself in a difficult situation with a co-worker you work on that too by talking things over.
What are your hobbies?
What to do
Tell about what you like honestly, be it reading, dancing etc.
What not to do
Try not to make things up as the following question could very well be based on what you say.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
What to do
- Talk about both personal and professional front
- Mention how the company would help you achieve your five year goals.
What not to do
Try not to be too personal. Keep it concise.
Why are you leaving your current position?
What to do
Mention how you like challenging yourself and how the change is important for your growth.
What not to do
Do not mention things like you got bored, or any issues that you faced in the last job/ company.
What have you learned from your failures?
What to do
- Pick one situation where things didn't go as you planned.
- Talk about how it helped you grow as a person both professionally and personally.
What not to do
Do not talk about a lot of failures.
How do you deal with criticism?
What to do
- Mention how you try to incorporate the suggestions to make yourself better.
- Mention how you respect and value the criticism and the person.
Do you have any questions for us?
What to do
- You can ask what follows this interview in terms of the process.
- Talk about how much interested you are in this position and would like to learn more about it.
Top 30 Questions to be Asked in a PI: FAQs
Ques: How do I prepare for a Personal Interview?
Ans: To improve Interview performance one needs to practice good non-verbal communication skills and use appropriate language. Try to listen more and don’t talk too much.
Ques: What are the types of Personal interviews?
Ans: There are many types of Personal interviews taken. Few of them are Depth interviews, Telephonic Interview, Structured Standardised interviews etc.
Ques: Why Personal interview so important?
Ans: Interviews provide an opportunity for both potential employer and employee to decide if the individual's skills and character align with the firm's needs and culture.
Ques: What you should not say in an interview?
Ans: Unprofessional language and Negativity about the previous Employer is a straight no for any Interview process.
Ques: Is it OK to admit you are nervous at an interview?
Ans: No. Interviews are bound to bring nervousness and anxiety among the interviewee but do not accept it as anything positive comes out of it.
Ques: What are Stress Interviews?
Ans: Stress interviews are conducted to test the abilities of the candidate to handle pressure and adverse behaviours.
Ques: Is it OK to bring notes to a Personal interview?
Ans: Yes, only if the notes contain the questions you plan to ask to the interviewer. It shows that you are eager and motivated to learn about the position offered and the Company.
Ques: How do you look confident in an interview?
Ans: Maintaining a good posture with a firm handshake while making an eye contact brings confidence among the interviewee.
Ques: What makes a successful interview?
Ans: The key to effective interviewing is to project confidence, stay positive, and be able to share examples of your workplace skills and your qualifications for the job.
Ques: What do you learn from an interview?
Ans: You learn many things during as well as after the interview. Are they reliable or do they call back when they say they will do a few things that you learn after the interview.
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