MCA Exam

61. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Answer :”Making a more significant contribution to whatever organisation I’m working for. To have developed new skills, abilities, maturity - perhaps a little wisdom even. To have become better qualified in whatever way suits the situation and opportunities I have. To be better regarded by my peers, and respected by my superiors as someone who can continue to increase the value and scale of what I do for the organisation.”

”I’d like more responsibility, because that’s a result of personal growth and progression, and it’s important for my personal satisfaction.”

”I have no set aspirations about money and reward - if I contribute and add value to the organisation then generally increased reward follows - you get out what you put in.”

”Long term I want to make the most of my abilities - if possible to build a serious career, but in this day and age nothing is certain or guaranteed; things can change. I’ll do my best and believe that opportunities will arise which will enable me to keep contributing, increasing my worth, and developing my ability in a way that benefits the organisation and me.”

Employers will respond well if they see that you are mature, independent, self-motivated; that you will make a positive and growing contribution, and that you understand that reward (financial, promotion, responsibility, etc) will always be based on the quality and value of your input.

62. How do you make yourself indispensable to a company?
Answer :“We are looking for both technical and interpersonal competence,” says Doris J. Smith-Brooks, recruiting and advertising manager for Boeing Co. in Seattle, Washington.

Smith-Brooks explains that students who have interned or completed cooperative education assignments generally answer the question best because they know what working for a company entails.

63. What’s your greatest strength?
Answer :“Don’t just talk about your strength—relate it to the position,” Ferguson says. “Let them know you are a qualified candidate.”

64. What’s your greatest weakness?
Answer :“Say something along the lines of, ‘I have difficulty with this thing, and these are the strategies I use to get around it,” Ferguson says. “For example, you could say, ‘I’m not the most organized of individuals, so I always answer my e-mails and phone calls right away. I’m aware of the problem and I have strategies to deal with it.”

65. Where do you see yourself five (ten or fifteen) years from now?
Answer :Explain your career-advancement goals that are in line with the job for which you are interviewing. Your interviewer is likely more interested in how he, she or the company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you’ll get from it, but it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It’s not a good idea to tell your potential new boss that you’ll be going after his or her job, but it’s okay to mention that you’d like to earn a senior or management position.

66. Why did you leave your previous jobs (if any)?
Answer :The interviewer may want to know if you had any problems on your last job. If you did not have any problems, simply give a reason, such as: relocated away from job; company went out of business; laid off; temporary job; no possibility of advancement; wanted a job better suited to your skills.

If you did have problems, be honest. Show that you can accept responsibility and learn from your mistakes. You should explain any problems you had (or still have) with an employer, but don’t describe that employer in negative terms. Demonstrate that it was a learning experience that will not affect your future work.

67. What major challenges have you encountered and how did you deal with them?
Answer :When going to an interview, you should always be prepared to speak about difficult situations that you have encountered in the past and how you were able to effectively resolve them. It is good to remember at least three. And remember, the situation should always reflect an attribute that you think the employer/interviewer would admire.

68. Tell me how you handled an ethical dilemma.
Answer :“Suppose you worked at a bank and a long-time customer wanted a check cashed right away but didn’t have the fund balance in his account to cover the check,” Martinez says, explaining that if the bank’s policy prohibited cashing checks in that manner, the teller would have a choice of violating bank policy or alienating a good customer.

Martinez says the best way to handle such a situation would be to go to a supervisor, explain the situation, and ask for advice. He adds that students who can’t offer a situation that they handled correctly the first time can explain how they learned from making mistakes.

“Explain that the next time, this was how you handled it,” he says.

69. Tell me about the culture at your last company/employer.
Answer :If the past culture was good them explain how and why in terms that the interviewee is likely to identify with, for example:

”The culture encouraged people to develop, grow, take responsibility. People were coached and mentored towards quality and productive effort. All of this helped me a great deal because I identify with these values, and respond to these opportunities.”

A good answer, in referring to a non-supportive culture would be to express the positive aspects (eg lots of freedom for me to take initiative, responsibility, find new ways to contribute, a free market allowing the good workers to naturally excel and develop reputation and internal working relationships, etc.)

70. Tell me about your life at College or University (or even your time in your previous job).
Answer :The question is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the qualities that the interviewer is seeking in for the job, so orientate your answer towards these expectations (without distorting the truth obviously).

In your answer, emphasise the positive behaviour, experience and achievements (ideally backed up with examples and evidence) which will impress the interviewer because of its relevance to the role requirements.

The interviewer is looking for the same capabilities and behaviour in your college (or university or previous job) life that they want in the job.

Your emphasis should be on your achievements, and how you achieved them, that are relevant to the job requirements.

Interviewers with special interest in behaviour and personality may also use a question like this to assess your self-awareness and maturity, in the way you consider your answer and relate it to your own experience and development.

The sample interview questions offers possible interview questions. Based on the requirements/duties of the job, identify possible interview questions:

The sample interview questions for each interview are based on the knowledges, skills and abilities required to perform the job. The key knowledges, skills and abilities from the job description of the job that you’re interviewing for.

Review each interview question and notice how small changes in the interview question will change your answer. Review each interview question to give you the confidence to answer any interview question that may be asked.

1. If offered to you, how long do you plan to stay in this role?
Answer :I approach every new job with a long-term view. I would like to think that I can make a positive contribution to XYZ Corp for the foreseeable future.

2. What kind of salary are you seeking?
Answer1 : I would expect a salary which reflects the experience and qualifications that I bring to the role. What range do you have in mind?
Answer2 : I’ve got a strong background in this industry and my skills are a perfect match for this role. I would expect my compensation to be at the upper end of the position’s salary band. Can you tell me what that salary band is?
Answer3 : Based on the information I have about the position, a salary in the range 28,000-32,000 would reflect the experience and expertise that I would bring to the role.

3. What do you think it takes to be successful in an organization like this?
Answer :I think that determination, a willingness to work hard and a desire to excel in everything you do are key attributes for a successful employee in a company like XYZ Corp. A successful employee would also need to handle pressure well, be a great communicator and an excellent team member. These are attributes that have helped me succeed in my past positions and ones that I would like to apply in XYZ Corp..

4. What do you know about this organization?
Answer :I know that XYZ Corp. has been in existence for four years. It was founded by John Rush in his garage and he has built it into the third largest office supplies firm in the state with aspirations to make it number one within two years. It’s renowned as an ambitious and highly progressive company and I believe it has a very bright future. I also like the fact that XYZ Corp isn’t a company that rests on its laurels.

5. What do you know about the position you’ve applied for?
What duties do you think this job entails?
Answer :The Media Marketing Co-ordinator reports to the Marketing Director. Her role is to co-ordinate all media advertising, particularly print, radio, and television. The Co-ordinator works with Media agencies to profile advertising opportunities, then, working within a strict budget, she organizes cross-media advertising campaigns. An important aspect of the role is to disseminate the customer response to the adverts in order to measure its success and thus improve future campaigns.

At my last job in ABC & Co I worked closely with several different media agencies, including some that specialized in new media platforms such as the Internet. I also gained invaluable experience as a member of the team that established ABC & Co as a national brand by launching ABC DooDaa nationwide. I feel that I can bring this expertise to the Media Marketing Co-ordinator role and help XYZ Corp achieve it’s goal of doubling it’s customer base every year for the next three years.

6.What do you know about this industry?
Answer :The telecommunications industry is currently going through a period of rapid expansion. The major industry players are positioning themselves for the delivery of the next generation of telecommunication services. New developments in mobile, broadband and satellite communications mean that it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in the industry. I’ve no doubt that the telecommunications industry will be a driving force of the worldwide economy in the 21st century. I know that XYZ Corp intends to be a frontrunner in that expansion. For that reason, this job is highly attractive.

7. Why would you like to work for me?
Answer :I’ve been aware of your reputation for some time. You’re regarded as an innovator within the industry and beyond. I appreciate that your team’s success is due to a number of factors, not least of which is hard work. I’m an excellent team player, I’m a very good problem solver, and I work hard to get the job done. For these reasons, I’m confident I’d be an asset to your group. I hope that my experience shows I’m suitably qualified to fulfill the position.

I know that your position within this firm speaks for itself. My ideal manager is someone that fosters excellence, innovation, and success, as well as personal and professional growth. It’s widely recognized that XYZ Corp’s strongest asset is its staff thanks to its strong belief in training and development. For these reasons, this is a highly desirable role.

8. What challenges do you think you’ll face in this job?
What problems do you think you’ll face in this job?
Answer :Having worked in a similar role at ABC & Co, I expect that this job will present regular deadlines to meet, strains on resource availability, conflicting priorities, and budgetary concerns to name but a few issues. These are challenges that I’ve successfully tackled in the past and I’m sure that record would continue here. I relish a challenge and there’s nothing that I’ve seen in this job that intimidates me in any way.

9. What salary do you think you deserve?
Answer :Having worked in the advertising industry for seven years, I bring a valuable combination of expertise, experience and dedication to each new job. I expect that a compensation towards the top of the salary range for this position would adequately reflect the value of my skills.

10. What is your salary history? Do you expect that pattern to continue?
Answer 1 :(Candidate with good salary increases)
In the four years of my employment at ABC & Co I was very happy with my salary growth. My most recent increase was a 15% rise after the successful completion of a year-long project. I feel that the increase reflected my performance and the extra responsibilities I assumed during the course of the project. I hope XYZ Corp is an organization that rewards excellent performances in a similar fashion. Is it?

Answer 2 :(Candidate with disappointing salary increases)
My average salary increase during the course of my career has been 6%, although as I moved jobs and assumed extra responsibilities that increase has invariably been higher. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the salary increases at my last job, which averaged 2.5% . This was due to a firm-wide rigid salary structure that I felt did not reward excellent employees over those that made a significantly worse effort. This is one of the reasons that I have decided to look for a job with a more ambitious company where I will be rewarded according to my performance.