Commonly asked interview questions in an Insurance company

1. Why did you choose this particular vocation?
Answer: Well, I choose the particular profession as I am skilled in marketing of products, and insurance business requires marketing skills to promote it. Usually people with good marketing skills can persuade other people over adopting any specific product or service. So, I want to invest my skills in this particular vocation so that I could have a better career and by the same time I could be of great use to my employer.

2. Why did you think you might like to work for our company?
Answer: Your company is one of the largest insurance companies in the country and the scopes for working here is wider than any other places. Besides, your company has a very good reputation in the market, and everybody wants to work for such a company. Thus I want to be a part of your company.

3. What do you know about our company?
Answer: This company is one of the oldest and most successful insurance companies in the country and has several branches in the other parts of Asia. The most important factor about the company is that it never delays or shows any complexities regarding payment of the insured objects and lives which has increased its reputation in the country. Besides, the company is an equal opportunity organization for its employees.

4. What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be successful in your field?
Answer: I have completed my MBA, major in Marketing and have served several other companies related with life insurance and marketing. Thereby, I have gained skills and experiences to deal with the clients as I did before for others. So, my academic studies and practical knowledge has made me confident enough to be successful in my field.
 
5. What do you think determines a person's progress in a good company?
Answer: I think sincerity, hard work, honesty, punctuality and devotion to the employer etc. are the key essentials set by the company for the growth of an individual. If the person could abide by the criteria, certainly s/ he could be able to go ahead for progress in the career track.

6. Can you get recommendations from previous employers?
Answer: Of course, I can get recommendations from each of my former employers and they will do it for me gladly. I believe that all of them will praise highly for me as I served all of them with sincerity.

7. What contributions to profits have you made in your present or former position to justify your salary level there?
Answer: I always have filled up the monthly target and often the targets surpassed in some of the months. As a result, the company got benefited in different terms including the monetary issues and thus they increased my salary level to my expectation.

8. Can you take instructions without feeling upset?
Answer: Yes, I can take instruction without feeling upset and can apply the instruction in the real life events. To me taking instruction is a part of professional attitude.

9. What is your major weakness?
Answer: Well, I do not have any major weakness regarding any issues. At times there might be some mistakes done by me which are quite natural for any human being. 

10. Are you willing to relocate?
Answer: I would prefer not be relocated except the urban areas but if the authority suggests any such changes, I certainly will gladly agree with the decision.

11. How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies?
Answer: In my leisure hours, I read books or watch movies. Sometimes I go to enjoy movies at theatres or sometimes I pass the moments with my family members. I like cooking and cook for my family in the holidays. Moreover, visiting my friends and families in their respective places is the other task I do in the leisure hours. 

12. What type of books do you read? How many books you read per year?
Answer: Usually I like to read thrillers but I also read other types of books like romantic novels, detective stories etc. The number of books is around 60 in a year. 

13. Have you saved any money? Do you have any debts?
Answer: Yes, I have a savings account but I do not have any debts to anyone, I guarantee.

14. What job in our company do you want to work toward?
Answer: I would like to get the job of visiting clients and inspire them on receiving services offered from your company. Apart from that I am ready to handle files and get involved in tasks that will be necessary in my position. 

15. What jobs have you enjoyed the most? Why?
Answer: I have always visited the clients in the other offices and I enjoyed that. Usually people have different ideas about insurance and services provided by the companies. Convincing them with different logic, comments and examples is really tough and I enjoy the challenges as I am able to persuade them over adopting the specific service or product.

16. What are your own special abilities?
Answer: I am a good public speaker and quick learner. Besides, I am able to persuade even the toughest guy who is unwilling to receive any product or service and adopt different techniques for the persuasion. The results are outstanding.

17. What types of people seem to rub you the wrong way?
Answer: There are some people who do not want to take the service or the product and are predetermined not to take any service. When I try to make them understand the issues, they rub me to the wrong way.

18. Define cooperation.
Answer: Cooperation is the way to work together to achieve any certain goal. It may also be defined as joint action for any specific purposes. Usually, in a cooperative mood, a couple of entities work together to attain any goal which will benefit all the parties together. 

19. Do you like regular hours?
Answer: Normally I like to work in regular hours but I have experiences to work in irregular hours or for longer hours. Even I have worked for months without having any holidays.

20. What have you done which shows initiative and willingness to work?
Answer: I have gathered clients for insurance and sometimes I had to persuade them on buying different objects. This is the most difficult task of marketing and as I am a successful man here, it is enough to testify my willingness to work. I often arranged extra sessions with my team members and decided to work on day-off quite frequently in my previous offices.

21. What is general insurance? Name 5 types of general insurance?
Answer: Usually general insurance refers to the insurance policy which is not related to life insurance rather it is better known as insurance or casualty insurance. There are a wide number of general insurance available. Five of them are – motor insurance, two wheeler insurance, travel insurance, home insurance, liability insurance etc. 

23. You will be working as part of a team? How good are you working in a team?
Answer: I am a very good team player, and I think it would be enjoyable for me to work in a team. In fact working in a team is beneficial than working alone and in marketing, formulation of team is important than working alone.

24. Where do you see yourself five, ten or fifteen years from now?
Answer: I see myself on the top of a leading insurance company operating in the country and I am liable to administer the company as the leading executive. It may take 10 to 15 years for me to reach the position. However I am determined to reach my goal.

25. What is the formula for the calculation of Gratuity?
Answer: Gratuity is the amount that a company provides to its employee(s) when they leave the organization. It is one of the benefits served from the company in return of serving there. The formula is simple: Gratuity = Last Drawn Salary × 15/26 × Number of Years of Service

Here, the ratio 15/26 refers 15 days out of 26 working days in a month, while the last drawn salary = Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance. Years are counted in round figure.

26. What is assessment year and previous year?
Answer: The terms are popular in taxation and mostly used for calculating income tax. Assessment year is the period of 12 months and that starts from April 1 each year. On the other hand, previous refers to former or before, and hence previous year refers to the former year of any event. It is also known as the financial year which is immediate before of the assessment year.

27. What is an insurance?
Answer: Generally, insurance is they way to compensate a specific loss by any agency or government body in exchange of a certain amount of premium submitted against any specific object or life. It is a kind of protection against any sudden disorders or accidents and transfers the risks from the insured to the insurer. If the insured object or life is under threat or suffers damage unintentionally, then the insurer will provide the compensation to the insured as per the commitment.

28. What are the different types of insurance?
Answer: Primarily there are two types of insurance policies available around the world naming – life insurance and general insurance. Usually the life insurance covers the risks of life while all the other issues are brought under the general insurance.

29. Tell me what is a life insurance?
Answer: Life insurance is the policy or coverage which pays a specific amount of money to the insured people or the selected beneficiaries in case of death of the insured individual. There are different approaches of life insurance and people adopt the coverage based on their requirements. 

30. What is a premium?
Answer: Premium is the money that is paid to the insurance company by people for the insured object or life. Usually the premium is given in each month and the amount is set based the value of the insured object. 

31. Who is the beneficiary?
Answer: Beneficiary is the individual or a group of people who will receive the money if the insured object is damaged unintentionally or the insured person dies (death benefits). 

32. What is the 'contestable period’ in insurance policy?
Answer: Usually the contestable period in insurance policy refers to the time during which the validity of an agreement or contract may be challenged. Typically, the contestable period is set for two years in case of life insurance policies.

33. What is the difference between “revocable beneficiary” and “irrevocable beneficiary”?
Answer: Revocable beneficiary refers to the designation where the insurance policy holder can change the beneficiary and for this the policy holder do not need to take any consent from any one and even from the beneficiary. On the other side, for the case of irrevocable beneficiary, there are no such options left. If the policy holder wants to change the name of the beneficiary, the consent from the beneficiary is required.

34. What is no-claim bonus?
Answer: No-claim bonus, better known as NCB is a discount premium. It is offered by the insurance companies to the vehicle owners if they do not make any claim for the term of the insurance policy. This is a kind of reward to the vehicle owners from the insurance company for their regular use of the vehicle without damaging it.

35. What is ‘declaration page’ in insurance policy?
Answer: The page is also known as the dec or dec page in brief. This is the front page of an insurance policy which mostly contains the details about the insured. The details include the name of the insured, location, policy tenure, address, causes of loss, coverage method and related other information. 

36.  What do you mean by ‘Loss Payee’?
Answer: This is a clause in the insurance policy which refers that the payment will be made to any third party instead of the beneficiary by the insurance company. The payment is made in relation to the insured risk.

37. What do you mean by ‘Deductible’?
Answer: This is the money that an insurance policy holder should pay to the insurance company before claiming to the company for any damage. The amount is given by the insured before claiming his or her demurrage if there are any pre adjustments needed with the company over the insured object. 

38. What is Co-insurance?
Answer: Co-insurance is another type of insurance. The policy holder pays a share of the insurance against any claim in line with the insurance company.

39. What do you mean by term “Annuity”?
Answer: The term is quite popular in insurance sector and usually annuity refers to a fixed amount of money to be paid to someone for the rest of the life or for a series of years. 

40. What is the Surrender Value?
Answer: The tern is used for life insurance. Here, the surrender value refers the amount payable to any life insurance holder after surrendering the life insurance policy before it matures.

41. What is Paid Value?
Answer: Paid value is another important term in insurance policy. This is the reduced amount of money paid by the insurer. The amount is paid if the insured person wants to discontinue the policy but the premiums should be paid at least for first three years.

42. Is it advisable to replace the policy with another policy?
Answer: In some cases, the insured can replace the policy to another policy but if the second policy does not provide any special benefits, it is wise not to change the policy.

43. How to claim the policy?
Answer: If someone wants to claim the policy, firstly, the contacts should be made with the insurance company and the necessary documents should be submitted against the claim. Then if the insurance company believes that this is a real claim, they will take necessary measures to compensate or distribute the benefits.

44. What happens if you fail to make required premium payments?
Answer: The policy of late payment varies and most of the insurance companies take an extra charge in the next month for such cases. Further, if someone completely fails to pay the required premium, it is imperative to discuss the issue with the insurance company and come to a possible solution against the problem. 

45. Is it safe to pay the premium through Insurance Agent?
Answer: Well, it is not always safe to pay the premium through the insurance agent as they may create some inconsistency with the money. So, it is better to submit the premium to the insurance company directly. 

46. Is it possible to get the full payment on cancelling the new policy in free look period?
Answer: In most of the cases it is possible to have the full payment on cancelling the new policy in free look period. In this period, a new insurance holder is able to terminate the policy without any penalties.

47. What is the difference between the participating and non-participating policy?
Answer: In participating policy, usually the insured people are allowed to enjoy the profits of the insurance company. The company makes the insured people as its partner. On the other hand, in non-participating policy, the insured people do not have the chance to enjoy such benefits. They are not allowed to participate in any activities of the insurance company and thus they are not eligible for any profits or other benefits.

48. Is it possible to restrict the premium payment for a lesser number of years than the duration of the policy?
Answer: No, this is not possible. Everything goes on with the policies set earlier and if the insured person wants to restrict the premium payment for lesser number, the insurance company would not allow that.

49. Can beneficiary claim the policy if the insured person is missing or disappeared for several years?
Answer: No, the beneficiaries cannot claim the policy unless they can show the exact evidence of death of the insured. It may happen that an insured person is missing or disappeared, and the disappearance may continue for years and unless the fact is proven that he has died, realization of the claim is impossible.

50. Can an individual take two policies and claim for both of them?
Answer: Sure, an individual can take two policies and claim for them, but adopting two policies together for a life insurance is inapplicable. The individual can claim for general insurance and simultaneously the insurance companies will not allow an individual to adopt two life insurance policies together.

51. What do you mean by ‘Additional Insured’?
Answer: This a type of policy when a person or organization enjoys the insurance benefits without adopting any polices. Rather, the insurance is done by anyone else and allows the person or organization to get benefitted from the policy. 

52. What is General Insurance policy? What does it cover?
Answer: General insurance policy is the policy that covers everything except the life of a human. It covers a wide range of issues including cars, properties, health, travel, body injuries, casualty, and many other miscellaneous issues.

53. What does ‘Indemnity’ term means?
Answer: Usually indemnity refers to the compensation for any damages of losses and it is used mostly for insurance. This is the base of the contract of the parties – the insurer and the insured. One of the parties agrees to pay for the potential loss of the other party under different preset terms and conditions.

54. What do you mean by term ‘Double Indemnity’?
Answer: Double indemnity refers to pay the double amount against the insured objects under certain circumstances. Usually the terms are set based on some special issues and the contract is carefully signed by both the parties. 

55. What is subrogation?
Answer: This is the way to transfer the legal rights of a claim. For instance, an individual has a motor insurance and he has transferred the legal rights to his brother, and if any accident occurs, the brother could claim and the insurance company is bound to pay the insurer’s brother.

56. What do you mean by term ‘cash value’?
Answer: Cash value is also known as the cash surrender value. This is offered to the policy holder when the contract between them is cancelled. This is mostly applicable for the life insurance and sometimes life annuity also uses the term. 

57. What happens to the cash value after the policy is fully paid up?
Answer: The insurance company gets the premiums as invest to the company when the policy is fully paid up. In that case, the insured person can take the money as loan from the insurance company or if the person surrenders the policy, the cash value is paid by the insurer.

58. What is the different type of Life Insurance?
Answer: Usually there are two types of life insurance – level term and decreasing term. In level term, the death benefits set by the insurance company remains the same as long as the insurance policy lasts. This policy covers the rest of the life and considered as the permanent policy. On the other hand, in decreasing terms, the death benefits get reduced to some extent and considered as the temporary policy.

59. What is Elimination period in insurance?
Answer: This is the period when a person receives all the insurance benefits between his injury and the benefit receiving time. Simply, this is the time period between the injury and receiving of the insurance benefits provided by the insurance company. 

60. What do you mean by term ‘Insurer’ and ‘Insured’?
Answer: Insurer refers to the insurance company and insured points to the object which is under the insurance policy. Usually the risks are transferred to the insurer from the insured and the risks are born after the exchange of premium.

Interview questions for Translator job

Q. Tell me about yourself. 

A. My name is Rick and I am a professional translator and able to translate several languages to and from English. Usually I translate Chinese, Japanese, German, Hindi and Arabic to English and vice versa. I have completed my MA in English and also have attended professional courses on German, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and Hindi. I have been working as a professional translator on full time basis and did the job for numerous organizations and individuals. I have been working as a translator for around last six consecutive years.

Q. Why do you want this job?

A. I want this job as my current translation project is almost done and the authority appointed me asked to search for a new one as the project I worked in is about to close. I worked here for last one year and translated different documents from German to English and English to German. I also find your company very good one and think this will be an excellent career opportunity for me to work here. I am also a very deserving candidate for this post. 

  

Q. Why did you become a translator and what path did you take to get to this point in your career?

A. I became a translator as it is my passion to explore different languages. When I was a student of English Literature, I explored the entire language and the language appeared too interesting to me. Thereby, I decided to attend some professional course on other languages and after completing these courses, it popped up in my mind that translation would be my potential profession. I also had to undergo different situations and had to do hard work for learning the languages perfectly. I travelled extensively and tried to learn the difference of spoken and written for of a language and also read a lot and worked quite hard to get to this point of my career.

Q. What has been your biggest professional challenge?

A. Well, the challenges are always difficult to overcome. The biggest challenge in my profession is that I am non-native to every language I learnt and translating. Often I have to experience some unwanted issues like the literal or verbal meaning of the phrases and proverbs or any specific words. Sometimes the translation work involves tasks that I have to work on for long hours and this to an extent contradicts my family life. Apart from that, I would say I quite enjoy my job and I am ready to face any challenges in my professional life.

Q. What advice would you give to an up and coming translator?
A. This is the age of globalization and learning languages is one of the most important keys to success. If the coming translators do not focus on learning several languages, there are chances that they may fail to keep pace with the fast world. So, the coming translators should start learning several languages to sustain in the competition. I would also advise them to get in to this profession only if they have real passion in this job.  

Q. Are there any pitfalls to avoid in the translation business?
A. Yes, there are some pitfalls and those are the literal meaning. The literal meanings are not always suited with the translations and may change the entire meaning of the translated sentence. So, the translators should try to avoid the literal meanings and use their intuition to guess what could be the exact sense of the sentence and translate accordingly. Besides, only famous books or literature works should not be translated and translation industry should not be able making money rather than to expand knowledge and literary works among all nationalities of the world. In my opinion if this is followed, translation business will flourish more in the upcoming future.   
   
Q. What’s unique or interesting about your particular language combination? Do you have any specific advice for up and coming translators pursuing the same combination?
A. I find interest in translating from German to English as I am a German by birth. So, everything appears easier to me in this particular case. I have mastered English as like my mother tongue and the coming translators should also pursue language(s) like me. Aspiring translator should master at least one language perfectly so that the language turns interesting for them. They should also make a habit to travel different parts of the people and observing the difference between written and spoken languages.  
   
Q. How would you explain our organization’s mission?
A. Your organization mainly focuses on expanding knowledge in the world regardless of a person’s language. It also aims at creating awareness about child health and particularly the child mortality issue among the families in Poor countries in the world. Since all the documents are in English, a translation in other languages is a must so that all the people could understand the missions of your organization. This is definitely a praiseworthy initiative to save the lives of the children in the country.   

Q. What qualifications do you have for the post?
A. I am a skilled translator of Hindi, Malay, German and three other languages and have attended a professional course of one year where I passed with distinctions. Moreover, I am able to speak, understand, read and write a standard form of Hindi and Malay which backs my candidature against the post. I have been in this industry for more than 5 years and I closely understand the need of a quality translation. My dedication and passion for my work would make me a deserving candidate for this post. 

Q. What other skills are needed for this profession?
A. The profession also requires frequent field trips for communicating with the targeted populations and I am mentally prepared to undertake the field trips. The profession also needs to speak with the people of all class in their language and bring out their opinions about the child mortality or neonatal health. I am also a voracious reader and passion in reading is another important requirement for this profession, I guess.    

Q. In which area are you more convenient: reading or writing?
A. Well, I am passionate in both reading and writing. Reading and writing are equally preferred to me. I am a good writer and reader of the language.  I consider reading as learning and writing as to gather and express my thoughts. 

Q. What languages can you translate into and from?
A. I am able to translate several languages into and from naming - German, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Arabic and English. 

Q. How many years of translation experience do you hold?
A. I have six years of experiences as a professional translator. 

Q. What types of clients do you typically work with?
A. Generally I work with book publishers, development organizations, local and international NGOs and sometimes I work as a freelance translator.

Q. Why did you leave your last translation position or job?
A. I have to seek another position of translator into any different organization as my current position is about to be over shortly. 

Q. Would you ever want to work on your own and start your own freelance translation business or translation agency?
A. Initially I am not planning to have my own translation agency but I have a plan to form my own translation agency where I should serve different clients together and will work with my own team. But my idea will require much more time to materialize and seek out the right hands to form the team. 

Q. What kinds of people do you have the most difficulty working with?
A. There are some people and organizations that set a strict deadline to complete the tasks and when I am to do the work, I find the work volume is larger than it was told and it becomes tougher for me to meet the deadline. It happens mostly when I work with individuals. Sometimes people who have little knowledge on translation job manage translation project and those are the people who are tougher to work with.   

Q. How much do you currently charge for your translation work?
A. I charge the minimum for the translation and usually I charge one dollar ($1) for per 20 words in any language. However sometimes I charge for the entire work and that depends on the work volume and the amount of effort it requires. 

Q. Do you have any references available that we could speak with regarding the quality of your work?
A. Sure. You can speak or communicate with my current employer or I also could provide references of some individuals who will speak for me honestly. There are some well known publishers and writers who I guess would be better people you can talk to about my translation quality.  

Q. Did you bring any sample translations with you today?
A. Yes, I did. Here it is. Alternatively you can visit some URLs that have my work published with my credential.

Q. How well can you understand different dialects and accents?
A. Well, at times it becomes difficult when I work from recordings as the dialects are not the same everywhere. But after playing the record for several times, I understand the dialects and accents properly.  

Q. Do you have a certain area of specialization or do you work on generic translation projects of many types?
A. Sorry, I do not have any certain area of specialization and I prefer working on generic translations. However I am quite flexible and can adopt with any short of translation work unless they are quite technical and full of jargon. 

Q. What is your biggest strength as a translator? What about the biggest weakness?
A. I have mastered several languages and able to use them in different circumstances which is my biggest strength. I do not own any weakness over the same issue. 

Q. Do you hold any translation certifications?
A. Yes, I have certificates from the language centers and the university where I learnt the courses. Besides, I also have achieved translation certificates from a couple of international NGOs working in over 50 countries across the world. 

Q. Why do you enjoy being a translator?
A. When I started learning the course, all of the students had to submit home assignments and I scored the best among them in the assignments. I found that it is natural for me to translate the languages while the others had to struggle a lot with different words and sentences. But the most difficult one appeared to be easier to me. I started enjoying and since then, it has become a passion for me to translate. My passion has become my profession now.  

Q. What type of ethical dilemmas have you encountered as a translator and how did you deal with those?
A. When I worked with individuals, some ethical issues emerged there. Most of the cases, the deadlines were strict but once the tasks were submitted, they used to make delay with the payment. It was irritating indeed. At times I had to wait for the payment for longer days, and sometimes I asked them politely to clear the due payments when a month was over after the translation submission.  Sometimes my appeal worked and often the individuals avoided me with the excuse of their highly occupied business schedules.

Apart from that, sometimes project owners of individual projects want me to reflect something they want rather than what it really should be. This is a dilemma I usually solve with the project owners with extensive discussion.

Q. Have you had any client or employer conflicts in the past over translation projects not being completed on time or accurately?
A. No, there are no such records over project completion. When I am assigned with the tasks of translations, I work hard and sincerely to complete the project. In all of the cases, I have completed the tasks before the end of the deadline. So, there were no chances for any conflict with the clients or employers.    

Q. Where do you want to be in your translation career in 4 or 5 years from now?
A. I want to see myself as professional translator of at least 10 languages and accordingly I have started learning some other languages as well in the local university. I want to translate some other languages like French, Spanish, Italian, Bengali etc.  Obviously I want to be popular in some parts of the world though my works.

Q. What would you do if you were interpreting and a person said something that you did not agree with or found upsetting?
A. You know, every time one cannot agree with the others and this is quite natural. In that case I will take a brake and contemplate over the statement from the other part. If I do not agree with the statement, I will clearly mention about the reason for disagreeing with the issue. On the other hand I would try to understand his reason for believing so. 

Q. What would you do if you were interpreting and a person used gestures which are not understood in the culture of the other person?
A. Well, in such case, I will try to comprehend the inner meaning of the gesture and then start my work accordingly. Often it happens that the gestures are misunderstood and it is better to share the issue with someone who is expert. I will try to discuss with an expert if I have the chance. 

Q. When you are interpreting, do you try to establish a relationship with the person or do you try to keep the relationship formal and more detached?
A. No, I always try to keep the relationship less formal as it helps to build a friendly relation with the person. In some cases, I move forward to make the relationship. The important factor about the informal relationship is that it makes the working environment convenient for me and the person starts trusting on my skills which is essential for my career growth. 

Q. What do you do if you didn't hear exactly what a person said but you get the general "gist"?
A. It may happen that I missed some of the parts of the discussion or need to be clearer about the idea, and in such cases I will describe the entire event in my view so that the other part should point out if there is any discrepancy with my understanding. 

Q. Do you try to translate every single word or idea expressed, or do you try to summarize what was said?
A. Well, it actually depends over the individual or organization. Sometimes, I have to translate every single word and in some cases, I have to summarize the entire idea by my own way. Whatever the method is, I try to get clear instruction from my client, always. 

Q. Do you do anything to prepare for a translating session?
A. Yes, I undergo some home works. Often I try to get a clear idea about the entire issue which I have to translate and then try to sort out the disadvantages of the work. If I find any disadvantages, I try to solve them and inform those to the client. Besides, I also try to seek out the pros and cons of the entire project and after solving all the issues, I start working. I do the ground works so that there are no troubles on the midway of the translation.    

Q. What would you do if you made a mistake in translation or did not understand a term?
A. Mistakes, though unintentional, may happen, and if it is done by me, I try to correct the mistake. If I do not understand any term, I seek that in dictionary of search on the internet. I use the term after the meaning is ensured by the encyclopedia or dictionaries.     

Q. Do you think knowing about the culture of a region is equally important as having knowledge about the language?
A. Yes, knowing a culture is important like knowing a language. The meanings of words often vary from regions to regions and they also have some different senses in different culture. If the translators are aware about the local culture, it becomes easier for them to guess the meaning according to the culture and translate the word accordingly.   

Interview questions for Sales Manager job

Q. What is your best strength at the job?

A. I am skilled in filling up the targets using the employees and been performing the job in the same post for about past nine years. Thereby, I think, my skill in the profession is my best strength.  

Q. What do you like the best about being a sales manager?

A. I like to attain the sales target with my team. As a sales manager I develop different strategies while my other team members implement them. When the target is filled up, I celebrate the occasion with the team and I think this is the best about being a sales manager.

Q. Do you prefer working alone or in a team?

A. Well, working alone as a manager is not possible at all. I need a team to work with. As a manager, I have to develop ideas and implementation strategies to reach the goals and it is nearly impossible for me alone to all the things. So, I prefer a team to work with.

Q. What personality traits should a Sales Manager possess?

A. The sales manager should be confident and certainly generous. Strong will and determination to reach the sales target is another quality for the manager. Since the manager needs to work in a team, s/ he should also be a team player and take care of the other mates as the leader for the team.

Q. What is the difference between ‘managing’ and ‘leading’ & which one is more important?

A. The difference between a manager and leader is huge, I think. A leader only leads the team on the shown paths and often takes decision on some issues for reaching on the goal. But a manager needs to manage everything. He (the manager) sets the rules for reaching the goals, determines the potential problems and also provides solutions to avoid them and takes care of the other issues. In a word, all the managers are leaders but all the leaders are not the managers.  I think a both qualities are equally important to become a leader or to a manager.  

Q. How do you manage solving conflicts within your sales team?

A. Conflicts arise often when working in a team and mostly it happens for communication gap. As a manager, I try to remove the communication gaps between or among the team members and create a situation for open discussion where all the team members participate and share their inner feelings over any specific issue. Then, as the manager, I solve the problem by myself or ask for probable solutions to the other members.

Q. What were you main duties in the previous job?

A. I used to perform several important responsibilities in my previous job and they include – managing all the team members, advising them on reaching the daily, weekly and monthly sales target, resolution the disputes among the team members, preparing sales strategy for specific regions, informing the higher authority about the sales conditions and progress reports, holding weekly meetings with the team members and many other relevant tasks.    

Q. What do you like the best about being a sales manager?
A. When the sales targets are done and the higher authority adores the sales manager and his team, I feel proud being as the team member and the sales manager. Besides, when I have to take responsibility for missing the targets and be accountable to the authority over the issue, I also enjoy that moments.  

Q. How do you arrange your daily work?

A. I have a daily routine for office and I follow that strictly. All my activities are noted on a sheet and I have made that by myself based on my job requirements. Most of the tasks are broken into pieces and I perform them one after another which make all the tasks complete. The tasks begin with the discussion with the team members and advising them over the sales distribution for the day and ends with the closing of the sales accounts.

Q. How did you handle employee / personal / job problems?
A. Often I had to face some unwanted situations like employee or personal problems and in such cases I used to use my intellect and ready wits and came to a potential solution which was beneficial to all. Sometimes I take a deep breath, listen to music and take some time to rethink the whole issue. I believe that every problem has a solution and we need to think rationally until we find the best possible solution to a problem. I usually do not let my personal problem distract me from my professional duties. If I am to solve a problem of an employee, I listen intensely and consider myself in the same situation. Thus I often solve problems that are proven to be very efficient. 

Q. Should reps get warm leads or build their own pipelines?
A. The representatives should get a warm lead instead of building their own pipelines for several reasons. When the leader will behave cordially with them, the reps will be inspired to have some better performance for the company. But if they build some personal relations or build their own pipelines, that would appear detrimental for the company. So, I think the first one should be prioritize more than the latter one. 

Q. Should sales reps be paid commission?
A. Yes, I think they should get some commissions on their sales and it will work as a motivation to them. 

Q. What’s the ideal relationship between sales & marketing, and how do you operationalize that?
A. Sales and marketing is related closely with each other. Without marketing of the product, sale is impossible. Before having sale, the products should be marketed in the right manner so that the customers or clients get attracted to the product. Marketing helps to promote the product and hence the sales increase. Sale is the outcome of marketing and in both states customer feedback is received which could be used to improve the marketing strategy. Firstly, I try to market the products in the beginning so that they are introduced to the consumers, and then set the selling strategies.   

Q. Did you set up sale targets for your staff?
A. Yes, I sat up sales target for each of my staffs who were related to sales activities. Sales target, in my opinion, is better for having a better output from sales team.  

Q. What are some of the typical key tasks of a sales Manager?
A. Some of the typical tasks for a sales manager are gathering information about the similar other products in the market and their sales strategies, setting up counter selling strategies to boost the sales, regularly meet with the distributors and get informed with their feedback of the products the manager is selling, often have to visit the market to be informed about the latest sales conditions and how other competitors are working etc. 

Q. Do you arrange any training programs for your staff development?
A. Yes, I arrange training programs for my staffs’ development and usually I held the program periodically. In the training session, I try to make them aware of all the updated issues of the products they are dealing with. 

Q. What selling techniques will you suggest?
A. There are several selling techniques and I suggest following both the indirect and direct selling techniques to reach the goals. I also inspire my team members to practice up-selling wherever possible.  

Q. How many first sales appointments a week are considered as a successful week?
A. I think if around 30 sales appointments are done in a week, the week might be considered as a successful week.  

Q. Describe a typical sales process (or sales cycle) for big ticket items and for smaller ones.
A. The most common sales process for both the larger and smaller items is the direct sales method. In this case, the salesmen meet directly with the consumers and persuade them to get the product or service. This is one of the most effective sales process so far I have used.

For big ticket items I recommend establishing customer relationship first while for smaller one being able to illustrate the advantages of a product over competitors is a far better technique.

Q. What are your selling techniques, how do you present/launch a new product? What presentation skills are require?
A. I try to make the presentation in a different manner. Firstly I discuss about the consumers and what they need to do any specific task. Before presenting the product or service, I try to depict the troubles that the consumers are having with their current services. For this I need to do a lot of ground works and master the entire thing. After that stage, I describe how my product or service is designed to make the use comfortable. The entire task requires very good presentation skills and often the presentations are done before a large group of audience and sometimes I have to answer queries from the consumers or audience. Finally, when I conclude the presentation, I leave it to the judgment of the audiences and most of the time they are convinced with my presentation and agree to use the product or the service.

Q. What are your goals in term of professional development and advancement?
A. I want to see myself on the top of any company where I will deal the sales manager, get reports from them and invent newer strategies to expand the products in the market by competing with the other products. Experience is the key to success here and that needs hard efforts. So, I am working hard so that it could bring benefits for my company and uphold my career. 

Q. How did you develop your best-selling techniques?
A. When I got involved with the profession, I experienced massive rejections all including the potential clients while my office was pressuring me to fill up the targets. After a couple of years, I found that I could persuade other people to agree with my opinion and selling increased. I used to speak directly with clients and did not inform them about my products rather tried to be one of their friends, literally. By this way I developed my best-selling techniques. 

Q. Describe some success stories and some difficulties you have had. How did you handle the difficulties?
A. In the first year of my job, I was assigned to sell around 25 shaving kits for my company and it was difficult for me to reach my target. Each of the months I failed to sell 25 shaving kits. Then I started reading books on marketing and selling techniques. Some of the methods proved failure while some other worked well. The sale started to increase and at the end of month I found that I have crossed 30 which was a great success for me. But not only the books helped me to handle all the failures rather I applied my own intelligence and wits to overcome the hurdles.

I have been awarded employee of the month more than 8-9 times. I motivate employees and my team mates and they usually like me. This is in my opinion a great success for me.

Q. What have you found to be the most important skills in negotiating and succeeding in sales?
A. Listening to others and paying attention on their needs is the most important skills, I believe, to negotiate with others and come up with a success. Most of the times people want to express them but there is no one to pay heed on their arguments, and hence appears the disagreement which causes damage to the sales. 

Q. How do you handle rejections?
A. Well, I do not insist the consumers or clients to get the specific things. Most of the times they reject me and in that case, I try to point out about the troubles they are having in absence of the service or product. I also reveal the benefits of having the service or product and then let them to think for moments. When they reject me severely, I ask them to think over the issue and try meeting them on the next day. I become successful on the next day whereas they rejected me on the first day.  

Q. Describe sales-teamwork; how did you handle your team challenges?
A. Sales-teamwork is a kind of challenging task to handle. The team members are assigned with specific targets and they also get rewards if they can fill up the targets in due time. So, always there are some sorts of competitions among the team members and everyone wants to surpass the others. Thereby, the task to handle is a kind of challenge. I set a generic target and if someone could reach there, I would appreciate the work with some small rewards and that helped to handle the challenge to some extent.    

Q. If I were to interview the people who have reported to you in the past, how would they describe your management style?
A. Well, everyone who worked with me still adores me for my management styles. They would say about my effective and instant decision making quality, resolving conflicts among the employees, setting up effective and newer strategies to launch and promote a product etc. I hope none of them would make any detrimental comments that may hamper my career as I was honest with all of them.  

Q. If I were to interview your reporting staff members, how would they describe your strengths and weaknesses as a manager and supervisor?
A. I cared for each of the staffs I worked with and they would have said about my benevolent nature and benefits they received from me time to time. They also would have mentioned that I never get angry with anyone and know how to get the works done smoothly without applying any force.  They would mention my skill, talent and persuasion ability as my greatest strengths while they might mention my detailed oriented supervision as a weakness, though I would say this is actually my strength, not weakness! 

Q. Give me an example from your past work experiences, about a time when you had an under-performing employee reporting to you. How did you address the situation? Did the employee’s performance improve? If not, what did you do next?
A. Yes, I had an experience to get an under-performing employee. He was unable to reach the daily sales target. So, I discussed with him in private and offered some tips learnt from my own experience. When he applied the tips, the situation improved. But if I did the opposite thing like arranging a public discussion session with the other employees or with the higher authority over the issue, the situation may get worsened.  

Q. Rate your management skills on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 representing excellent management skills. Provide three examples from your past work experiences that demonstrate your selected number is accurate.
A. I can rate myself 10 in 10. There was a disorder among the sales team members regarding the salary increment and many of them left the job. I discussed the issue with the higher authority and suggested a plan. I individually met with the members who left the job and restored them on their former position and the salary was increased to a notable ration. Secondly, the products I was dealing with had some bad performance on the market. Thereby, I observed the strategies of the other companies dealing with the same product and found that some of products were faulty which cast a negative impact on the consumers. Accordingly I informed the authority to manufacture the product perfectly and had applied some simple marketing strategies. The plan worked very well and the sales improved from the same month. Finally, I had to solve some personal disputes among the sales team members. One of them got involved into a mental clash with another over reaching the monthly goal. Both of the performed well and now I had to declare one winner of the month. To be strategic and avoid any further troubles, I broke a common rule. I declared both of them as the winner for that month. As a result, both the team members were happy.   

Q. Describe the work environment or culture and its management style in which you have experienced the most success.
A. The work environment should be liberal. Most of the cases I succeeded because I was allowed to express myself. When I am unable to express myself and work after the directive from the higher authority, it becomes impossible for me to work with. Primarily I try to provide some real life solutions of the emerged problems and when the authority agrees, it becomes easier for me to overcome. But when they try to impose their own decision on me, the results become negative as the decisions are not practically thought. When I am allowed to share my own views and it the management finds any inconsistency with the view, I acknowledge my fault and work after their orders. But most of the cases, the management is unable to find any fault with my thoughts. 

Q. Tell me about a time when you had a reporting employee who performed very well. The employee exceeded goals and sought more responsibility. Describe how you handled this situation day-to-day and over time.
A. I also found such an employee who exceeded the goals and when he sought for more responsibilities, I tried to make a balance. There was another employee who was unable to reach the targets and I asked that employee, who surpassed the targets, to assist the weaker one. The result of the decision was simply splendid. 

Q. Describe three components of your philosophy of sales management that demonstrate what you value and add, as an individual, to an organization’s culture and work environment.
A. I have some specific set of rules or philosophies to follow in my work environment. Firstly, I love to work in a team with full responsibilities imposed on me as the team in charge. Secondly, I never compromise with insincerity and stricter in such cases. I also try to represent my organization everywhere I go and never tolerate any detrimental attempts planned to defame my organization. Always I try to do thing in different ways so that the task is cited as an example and similarly I take care that my organization is also highlighted with me.   

Q. What factors are crucial within an organization and must be present for you to work most effectively?
A. The communication between me and the higher authority is a crucial factor. As a manager I always need to be informed about the latest updates of the company and it is impossible for me to know unless I am informed. So, I think communication is one of the important factors here. Besides, when decisions are made over any issues, I want to ensure my participation there. So, it also should be present there. 

Q. Tell me about a time when you reorganized a department or significantly changed employee work assignments. How did you approach the task? How did the affected employees respond to your actions?
A. Well, I have an experience to work with a changed employee assignments. I assigned the work gently and before assigning, I had some discussions with the employee. Gradually I approached to the key issue of the changed works or assignments so that the employee could have some mental preparations to cope with the work load. The employees did not show any negative reactions as they were approached slowly. 

Q. One of the jobs of a sales manager or supervisor is to manage performance and perform periodic performance reviews. Tell me how you have managed employee performance in the past. Describe the process you have used for performance feedback.
A. I was assigned to manage performance of the employees and sometimes I also had to perform periodic review of the performance to be submitted to the higher authority. I had made a special chart for that where all the names, designations and targets were noted down, and I placed marks on the sheet for each of the employees. Besides, often I placed some short notes on the comment column of the sheet. At the end of the month or targeted period, I used to count the marks and evaluated each of the employees. They were evaluated based on their performance marks and the short notes helped me remembering about any specific events related with the employee. Regarding the periodic performance management, I used to make an average of the former performances. This was the way how I managed the performance of the employee. 

Most frequently asked interview question in a bus driver job interview

1. Why do you want this job? 

Answer: My former employer is leaving the country, and he has sold his company to another group who is willing to recruit new drivers. Thus I am in need of changing the current job. 

2. Do you mind working nights and weekends?

Answer: No, I am ready to work at nights and in weekends and have also did it in my last job. 

3. Are you willing to work as a substitute driver in all areas of the district?

Answer: Sure, I have no problem to work as a substitute driver across the district. 

4. Are you regularly available to drive, even when called at the last minute?
Answer: Yes, I am always available to drive as this is my profession and I am highly sincere about it.

5. How much education and experience do you have?
Answer: Well, I have completed my graduation and been driving different types of cars for last seven years. I think both of them are enough for driving vehicles.

6. Do you have a driving license for a bus? How long do you have it?
Answer: Yes, I have a driving license for bus driving and I am carrying the license for around two and a half years. 

7. How long are you driving a bus?
Answer: I have been driving bus for around two years. 

8. Have you ever received points on your driving license?
Answer: No, I do not have any penalty points on my driving license

9. How do you plan bus routes?
Answer: Usually I try to figure out the route using the local map where I am planning to drive and try to avoid routes prone to traffic congestion.

10. Why is it important that bus schedules be on time?
Answer: As the passengers have to go different places and most of the cases they are to meet emergencies, it is highly important that the bus schedules be on time. A simple late of one or two minutes of the schedule may bring unwanted troubles to the passengers.

11. How do you plan to adapt to many different bus routes?
Answer: Well, in that case I try to get the most suitable routes first and then select the best one among them. But if there are no such routes available, I will try to sort out the less time-consuming one to reach the destination and will use that often if I am to go the same place regularly.

12. What specific skills do you have that relate to this position?
Answer: I have a sharp sixth sense and my eye sights are clearer than the other people. So, when I drive, naturally I become careful and use my sharp eye sights to seek out the safest routs for my vehicle to reach the destination. I can read any instruction and can interact with others in a friendly manner. I am dedicated to my job and that makes me a deserving candidate for this position. 

13. How would you handle a vehicle in icy conditions?
Answer: I try to move the vehicle slowly so that it remains under my control. Increasing speed on icy surfaces may lead to serious accidents or the car wheels may slip. So, I always keep the speed level in minimum during the drive on icy surface.

14. When driving a "school bus" how would you handle a situation in your bus when a student physically harms you or another student?
Answer: Well, in that case, I would be tolerable and never show any reactions to the student. It may happen that the student is behaving wrong as s/ he is immature. But being a sensible person, it would not look decent for me to get involved into another trouble. I will however treat any injury caused by the incident with the fast-aid box I have with me and would notify the teacher and parents about the incident.    

15. You have come upon a serious accident where it is apparent there may have been loss of life. How would you deal with your bus?
Answer: If I experience such situations, I will stop the bus and rush to the spot. If I see anyone with serious injury, my most important task is to provide all types of first aids and take the victims to the nearest hospital. I would also consider the safely of other passengers. 

16. If you believe that a bus ticket was fake, what would you do?
Answer: Such events may take place often and in that case I would ask the passenger politely to get down of the bus and suggest to talks with the ticket provider. 

17. What characteristics do you possess that make you a good bus driver?
Answer: I have a good concentration and when I drive bus, I do not pay heed to the other events. Moreover, I do not cross the speed limit and do not overtake the other vehicles unless the overtaking appears necessary. I am careful and I totally understand that life is more important than time. Safety and discipline are most important aspect of a good driver and I follow them both very strictly.  

18. In the event of a serious accident, what procedure would you follow?
Answer: I will stop the bus and take information about the accident. Then, if possible, I will extend a helping hand to the victims and take them to medical centers or adjacent hospitals. It is also important to inform the local administration or police station, I will also check that issue and if not informed, I will inform them about the accident. 

19. Have you ever had to control and discipline a group of children between the ages of 5 and 18?
Answer: Sorry, I did not have such experiences before as I did not drive school or college buses. But if I am asked to do, I would be able to handle them smoothly.

20. What techniques do you plan to use in order to maintain control of the students who you will only drive for a few days on a substitute basis?
Answer: I will try to discuss about the importance of discipline among the students and if they follow my instructions, I will declare of a reward to them. I think the students are fond of rewards and thus they will maintain discipline inside the bus. 

21. Do you feel it is important that bus stops and schedules be regular and on time? Why?
Answer: Yes, I think this is important for a bus to arrive at a bus stop and follow schedules. There are several reasons behind my belief. Firstly, the passengers need a specific place to ride on the bus. Majority of the passengers ride buses to reach their destinations in due time as they are to accomplish their respective tasks. If the buses do not arrive in time, the passengers will be unable to reach their destinations in time which may result in serious negative consequence. So, maintaining a schedule for the bus and waiting for the passengers at a particular bus stop is undoubtedly important.  

22. What specific skills have you acquired or used in previous experience that relate to this position?
Answer: I am highly punctual and never miss any schedule at any time of the day unless there are some unwanted situations in my private life. I can drive perfectly and never allow the speedometer to cross the prescribed limit. I always try to drive safely as many of the lives are with me and if there are accidents, I am unable to take their responsibilities. So, I think the best way is to drive slowly and save lives. 

23. Are you prepared to undergo an intensive training program that may take a minimum of six days?
Answer: Yes, I am always eager to learn and if the training program is beneficial to me and my profession, I will gladly participate there no matter how long it takes to get trained. 

24. What experience do you have operating a large vehicle?
Answer: Well, I have driven large truck for one and a half years and carried goods from place to place inside the district. Besides, I drove highway buses as well which are unusually larger than the buses commuting inside the city.

25. How would you handle a situation on your bus in which a student attempted to or did physically harm you or another student?
Answer: I will stop the bus and park it at a side of the road. Then I will check if someone is hurt and if the injuries are serious, I will provide the first aid to the injured. On the other sides, if the other part, I mean the student who assaulted, is guilty, I will do everything to make sure s/ he gets the right punishment from the authority and parents as well.

26. Would keeping a schedule or being on time on a bus run be of any importance, in your opinion?
Answer: Yes, it is important. The passengers wait for bus and they rush to ride on to reach their destinations in time. So, if I cannot be on schedule, it would be detrimental for them in many aspects. So, being on schedule or being on time at the bus stop is highly important to me. 

27. What is the most difficult situation you have been faced with involving another person? How did you deal with it?
Answer: When I used to drive bus inside the city, I had found a passenger who was rude to the other passengers and did not allow them to sit beside him. He simply grabbed two seats and used them for his own. So, when he was asked to get aside by another passenger, he made some rude remarks and did not allow sitting the man beside him. Being informed over the issues, I stopped the bus and faced with the man. Still he was unwilling to allow the other passenger to take the seat. Finding no other way, I gently asked him to get down of the bus or I will not drive. Experiencing mass resistance, the man had to get down from the bus and then I started driving again.

28. You have come upon a serious accident where it is apparent there may have been loss of life. How would you deal with your bus?
Answer: In that case I will park the bus in the side of the accident spot and will provide necessary first aids to the injured and in case of serious injury; I will take the victims to the nearest hospital by driving my bus.

29. You have entered a busy intersection and a passenger vehicle cuts in front of you. What would be your response?
Answer: I will press brakes immediately so that nobody could get hurt. If possible, then I will advise the driver of that passenger vehicle to drive more carefully in future. 

30. A student changes seats several times. You have asked him to sit still without success. What would be your response?
Answer: If the student does not follow my request, I will pretend that I will start the bus by dropping him off far away from the school or college. Though I will not allow the student to get down, I think it would be helpful to make him steady inside the bus. 

31. Have you ever had a strong disagreement with another person? How did you handle this conflict?
Answer: Yes, I often experience so. I am a man with no anger but sometimes I have to pretend to be angry if there are some disorders or disagreement which is in fact illegal. Often the passengers occupy seats intentionally so that they could have comfortable journey and they usually do not think of the other passengers. In that moment, I have to act polite and if the politeness does not work, I turn a bit rude with the passenger with illegal comfort. I ask the passenger rudely to behave and if he still is disobeying, then I ask him to get down and sometimes apply force as well. I have to be rude for the sake of the other passengers.  

32. Do you know a bus driver you believe is very good at his job? In what way do you feel that he is doing a good job?
Answer: Yes, I know a bus driver who is good at his job. In fact I took bus driving training with him. He is sensible enough and takes care of the passengers perfectly. He is always on time and follows the bus schedules perfectly. He never wastes time on waiting for passengers in a single bus stop rather moves onward after waiting for about one or two minutes maximum. So, I feel that he is doing a very good job in this profession.  

33. What kind of things would you do to prepare to drive a school bus?
Answer: Firstly I have to know about the school schedule – when it begins or ends. Then I will check the local maps to have a hassle free route to reach the school. I also have to be aware about the bus stops to wait for the students and follow the other instructions (if any) from my recruiting authority. Moreover, I have to be prepared to drive the bus slowly lest there are no accidents. Besides, I also have to check the bus condition like if the brakes are working well, if the seats are neat and clean, if any repairing needed or not etc. I also should check the status of the gas before moving out. If there are any incompatibilities with any of the issues are found, I have to inform it to the authority. Last but not the least, I also have to check all of my bus driving documents if they are updated or not. If everything is fine, then I can start the bus without any stress.

34. Why do you want to make a career of driving a bus?
Answer: I feel a deep sense of enjoyment when I drive buses and have been driving for the past seven years. It is a kind of addiction to me and I have never made any serious accidents at all in the past years. I feel that I am driver by birth and thus driving is the only best thing I can do. As I have not changed the track of my career, I want to continue it as long as I can.

35. What characteristics do you possess that make you a good bus driver?
Answer: In fact I own almost all the characteristics of a good bus driver. I have a sharp sense of remembering the road networks, and the most important thing is that I never break the traffic rules. I always drive the bus under the speed limit and ignore overtaking the others. I have never gained any penalty points on my license. So, for all these reasons, I think I am a good bus driver. 

36. Do you practice defensive driving? On a daily basis, what are the techniques you practice?
Answer: Yes, I practice defensive driving regularly. The techniques I practice include – planning for the unexpected events, controlling the speed limit, respect the other drivers or vehicle users on the road, do not expect the same thing from everyone on the road, remain aware in special weather condition or on special roads, do not use cell phones etc.

37. In the event of a serious accident, what procedure would you follow?
Answer: Firstly, I will stop the car I am driving and get down. If there are passengers inside the car, I will ask or help them to dismount from the car and also will check the conditions of the injured. If someone is found seriously injured, then I will seek help to take the injured to the nearest hospitals or medical centers. Besides, I will inform the local administration about the accident.

38. Have you had time to prepare for this interview? If not, why not? If yes how?
Answer: It is a regret that I could not manage time to get prepared for the interview because I had to drive last night. When I get back home, I barely managed time for the preparation. So, all the answers I gave here were from my real-life experiences and thus there might have incompetence with the answers.

39. Is there anything you would like to add about yourself that you feel we should know when considering you for this position?
Answer: The most important thing about me that I am very careful driver and there are no bad spots in my career so long. I want to serve my employer sincerely and by the same time want the right evaluation of my skills, honesty and efforts. I am always eager to learn and if I have to learn something new for this job, I will do that gladly. Hope you would be satisfied with my cordial services and the relationship between us will last longer for all of my perseverance and positive attitudes on my job. There is nothing more to say for now.

Commonly asked questions in a tour guide job interview

1. Do your skills match Tour Guide job or another job more closely?

Answer: I think the experiences and skills I have gathered for years are similar to the position of a Tour Guide than the other jobs. 

2. Why did you apply for this Tour Guide position?

Answer: I love to travel and thus I played the role of tourist guide at a company which has made me skilled in this profession. Besides, as part of my job, I had to travel in different parts of the world which has enriched my experiences. Thereby, I responded on your advertisement to be recruited as a Tourist Guide. 

3. Give an example of when you had to present complex information in a simplified manner.

Answer: Once I had to guide a group of tourists by a small forest in Africa, and got attacked by a band of robbers. If the information was known to the tourists that they had been attacked by a band of robbers, they would have been afraid and created chaos. I simply told notified them about the issue in a way that this was nothing important to us. They were trying to stop the car but the driver raised the speed to leave the area. I asked the tourists to be patients and sit tight. The manner I used was too simple and we got rescued from the situation by the skill of the driver as he drove faster to get in the highway beside the forest.  

4. What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?

Answer: In the beginning of my career, I made a simple mistake that turned the greatest failure for me. I did not take the route map for a location where I went once at night time. So, thought I would be able to go there again with the tourists. But alas! I was unable to reach the destination in the beginning and it took long hours to reach finally. It was a great lesson for me. After that event, I do not go out without the local map and also study the routes before making the move.

5. Have you ever had to introduce a policy change to your work group?

Answer: Sorry, I did not have to do such a thing before as the authority did not change their policies as long as I worked and maintained a couple of staffs with me. 

6. How do you handle stress and pressure?

Answer: Well, I regularly do some exercises and yoga to remove my stress level and work pressures. I spend around an hour everyday for the yoga and half an hour for physical activities. 
    

7. How do you reach a decision if you don't have all the facts?

Answer: I always try to gather all the facts and if I do not get them properly, I use my instinct and intelligence to come into a probable solution which will not affect me or my surroundings. In fact I try to make the decision as much risk-free as possible in such cases.
    

8. Do you know anyone who works as Tour Guide at this company? 

Answer: No, I have no one familiar working in this Tour Guide Company. 

9. Give me an example that best describes your organizational skills.

Answer: Sometimes the tourists are found in a scattered condition during different visits and I am able to keep them united until the trip is over. No one is allowed to move alone or walk lonely, especially when they are with me and I do it perfectly.
   

10. Do you find your job exciting or boring?

Answer: Definitely I find my job exciting. It allows me to meet with people of different cultures and nations and I also learn some real-life knowledge from each of the trips. I enjoy from the beginning to the last of the trip. Thereby, my job is highly exciting to me.

11. What performance standards do you have for your unit?

Answer: I consider sincerity, punctuality, honesty and modesty as are the standards for performance for my unit.
    

12. If selected for this Tour Guide position, describe your strategy for the first days?

Answer: I will try to know more about the company like its mission and vision, policies to deal with the clients and the other necessary issues which would help me to adapt with the company. Besides, I also have to learn about the norms and rules of the company as I am going to represent it to the clients, and if I make something wrong with my attitudes, that will be detrimental for the company’s reputation.
    

13. What do you feel is the best educational preparation for this Museum Tour Guide job?

Answer: Well, I think the guide should be at least graduate from a university and have some studies on arts, culture and history because when s/ he will be responsible to guide the tourists, it would be required to describe about the history of any specific object or any particular location or people. Without having the prior knowledge, it is impossible to deliver a good speech.
    

14. What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?

Answer: They would use – simple, honest and hard worker to describe me in three character traits.  
    

15. What were the responsibilities of your last position?

Answer: I was responsible to direct the tours and accompany the tourists in different attractive spots. Sometimes, I had to take care of the entire process like hiring local transportation, arranging fro for the accommodation for the tourists, planning for sightseeing, selecting the risk-free routes, crosschecking about the logistics if they are collected properly, informing the company about the updates and locations periodically etc. were my primary responsibilities.
    

16. Do you ever take work home with you?

Answer: No, I do not like to take work at home. I prefer finishing the job at my office no matter how long it takes for me to complete.
    

17. Describe a situation when you had to convince others.

Answer: During a trip in an African forest, a group of tourists insisted on travelling through the deepest part of the forest though the there were risks of dangers and wild animals. Some of them started arguing with me and I had to convince them with lots of logic and counter arguments.
    

18. What have you done to improve your verbal communication skills?

Answer: I can speak a standard form of English and as I have travelled in different parts of the globe, I learnt the languages of the renowned localities. So, now I am capable in speaking perfectly in French, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, some of the native African languages, Malay, Spanish, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Italian etc. 
    

19. Give an example of how you worked Tour Guide on team.

Answer: Working on a team is interesting. I also worked in a team and a small group made with five members was assigned on me, who belonged to a large group of around 20 members, to guide at a museum. The entire group was divided into four groups under four guides who formed the guide team.
    

20. How did you prepare for this Tour Guide job?

Answer: Initially I had to study about the museum and its histories. Then before the day of guiding, the guide team was taken at the museum by the authority to take a look so that we could guide the tourists properly. Besides, the guide team was instructed to act accordingly during the job.
    

21. Tell me about the most effective presentation you have made.

Answer: When I was playing the role of a guide in India, I had to present some information about a small fort. Since there were no arrangements for multimedia presentation, I had to use my ready wits to make the presentation effective. I invited all the tourists to stand beside me, and then I drew a map of the fort and described everything including the past and present conditions of the fort to them. They comprehended everything easily and were glad on my presentation. No other presentations were as effective as it was.
    

22. How have you coordinated the work of your team to achieve target goals?
Answer: Yes, quite often I have coordinated my team to achieve targets. In fact they could not have reached the goals without my coordination.
    

23. When you are not studying or working, what types of activities do you enjoy?
Answer: Well, I like to watch movie or listen music when I have no work to do. I also love to watch historical documentaries. 
    

24. What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
Answer: I prefer people with calm personalities. I am also a man without any anger and do prefer to get such attitudes that damages my inner peace. When people get angry before me, it becomes difficult for me to tolerate the negative emotions. So, I do not prefer working with hot-tempered people.  
    

25. What type of work environment do you prefer?
Answer: Usually I prefer to work in environment where I would have chances to express myself and I do not like to be imposed over anything. Moreover, I should be allowed to work independently and if any lacking is found on my independent work, I will accept any sort of penalties. So, I prefer the work places where I could exercise my own expertise and skills for the betterment of my career and uphold my company. 
    

26. Why do you feel you're qualified for this Tour Guide job?
Answer: I am qualified for this job as I have almost all the necessary qualifications you desired in your advertisement. I have travelled in several countries and been working as a Tour Guide for last six years which are similar to your requirements. Moreover, I have the necessary academic certificates after your requirements. So, I think I am one of the qualified for this Tour Guide Job.
    

27. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information.
Answer: Before moving to the forest in Africa, I have to collect information about many things. The issues include – safest routes for the tourists, accommodations, safety issues, if required logistics are available on the place camping spot etc.  
    

28. What kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?
Answer: Decisions like changing the preset routes, discarding any staff from the trip list suddenly, or changing the trip schedules etc. are difficult for me. 
    

29. How did you go about making Tour Guide assignments?
Answer: When I am assigned for such issues, I take the right preparation. Firstly I get some studies about the locations and try to have some ideas about the guests. Then I prepare myself to take the final step.   
    

30. How do you show an interest in what another person is saying?
Answer: When I am interested in something which is said by another, I usually pay attention to the speech and often make some postures that represents that I am an attentive listener. Sometimes I help the other person by coordinating words or sentences if s/ he get stuck in the middle of the discussion.  
    

31. Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
Answer: I have to go to a city. Then I have to meet the tourists and finally I have to guide them across the city. There are three goals altogether. I will plan to reach the city in time and start early from my place to reach the city. Then I meet with the tourists within the prescribed schedule, and finally arrange for the trip. By this way, I reach all the goals gradually.  
    

32. What have you gained from your Tour Guide work experiences?
Answer: I have learnt many languages and can speak fluently. Moreover, I know many of the places of the world which would not have been possible unless I played the role of a guide. Besides, my private network has been enriched as I met thousands of people during the trips I made in my career. I have some unusual experiences as well which are far better than the experiences of any ordinary citizen of the country.  
    

33. Could you describe a difficult problem and how you dealt with it?
Answer: A tourist, during a trip in India, mounted into a temple with shoes. It was unknown to him and I also could not pay attention on the issue before it was noticed by some of the locals. Then the locals wanted to create a scene there and in fact they wanted to punish the tourist. The German tourist was not afraid and was ready to fight with the local Indians at the temple. But I did not allow that to happen. I immediately made a phone call to a local influential to come over and solve the issue. Upon his arrival, everything was solved and I succeeded to make the other locals understand that the German did not do that intentionally rather it was a mistake indeed. Then the issue was solved and I got relieved.
    

34. What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
Answer: Well, there are no such things would be found from my last boss, I firmly believe and you can reach him at any time to inquire about me. 
    

35. What parts of your education do you see as relevant to this Tour Guide position?
Answer: Geography is one of the academic subjects that made me interested for the job. I learnt about the countries, forests, wild animals. I learnt many issues from the subject and I think the subject is relevant to this Tour Guide position.
    

36. When were you most satisfied in your job?
Answer: Well, my satisfaction is not limited to some certain extent rather I get satisfied each of the time I complete a trip successfully. Actually the completion of my responsibilities makes me satisfied and glad.