I am not sure if there is a good way to answer this, I suppose they want to see how you'd react to such a question.

Giving a beat-around--the-bush answer also may not be helpful. I think best way is not to act too blur and composedly answer with a positive answer...

my 1st reaction is 'laugh out loud'. i really did laugh because i think is a ridiculous question.

Me (smiling broadly) : I had totally no idea

Interviewer : just give a rough guess

Me : Erm.... 3000? Oh, you mean both the building, rite? then, i suppose 6000?

Interviewer : Okay.

Me : So what's the right answer?

Interviewer : Actually, there's no right or wrong answer

over 9000 would be a good bet.

my dad suggest 10k. then i was so worried for few days, wondering was my answer not good enough. but anyway, i still passed the interview

ask them back. do u mean windows as a windows.. or "Windows" as an operating system?

or u can answer back.. its none. coz actually its not a window but more towards a wall..

or.. i dun dare to look down below if there is any windows..

probably they just want to know how u answer such question.. like other said.. there is no right or wrong answer for this kind of question..

just my 2 cents..

i got a question here...
when the company ask for current salary and expected salary
does it mean basic salary?
or include all the allowances like petrol, housing....which made up the total salary?

State what you are currently getting, in total.
It doesnt make sense to just tell them your basic, you are looking for better pay, right?

In most cases, they are only asking your basic... because allowances varies, they are not your salary. They are more like staff benefits that you get. For example, Sales Personnel get commissions which will then be added to their basic salary. Commission rate also varies from one company to another... as a matter of fact, some company don't even pay commissions, they provide fixed salary - regardless of whether staff achieve sales target or not. So i wouldn't categorize commission and allowances into "salary".

Look at it this way... Salary is purely the basic/ money you will definitely get every month despite anything. Allowances and commissions are something extra on top of your basic. Company can forfeit, change, remain or add benefits anytime but they can't do that to you basic as they like [anything further gotta ask HR hahahahahaha]. Some company pays staff petrol in accordance to the mileage they claim, while others provide a fixed petrol card. Plus, some company allows RM0.30 per km while others range up to RM0.80 per km. So there's a distinction here that would be hard to justify.

Normally in the HR form they'll be a column that asks for your Salary, and sometimes another column that requires you to state any Benefits/ Allowances you receive from your current company. If that particular column is not there, then it is safe to assume that you should only put your Basic Salary. The benefits/ allowances would normally be discussed during the interview. Or, if the interviewer did not mention anything you can casually ask eg. "May I know what are the staff benefits or allowances that the company provide?" during the part where interviewer said to you: Do you have any questions?

Then again, it is not wrong for you to put the total but I believe the company will be skeptical. You can justify by saying that is total including allowances. However, i assure you that during the interview they will ask you to break them down: eg. how much is your petrol allowance, how much is your basic etc...

I totally agree that there are no right or wrong answers to every question that the interviewer asked. Don’t be afraid that you might give the wrong answers because interviewers are looking at HOW you answer their questions, HOW you reacted to questions, and HOW you present yourself.

And of course, try to be different by giving them outstanding but logical answers. Don’t ever lie or give bullshit responses because they might ask you to further elaborate your answers. Just tell the truths and if you do not know the answer, just tell them that you do not know.

I remembered when the interviewer asked me to "tell more about myself", the first thing that I told them is “ Im graduated from xxx university with a degree in xxx”. Then I explained about my internship in xxx company (what I did during the internship and what I’ve learnt). In the meantime, the interviewer stopped me to ask me to explain what I’ve contributed to xxx company during the internship. One thing I want to say here is that the interviewer would ask new questions based on your previous answer. So be honest when answering questions.

For me, preparation is very important before attending an interview. Try to look for standard questions that interviewer would ask and prepare your answers.

Read through others opinions, ideas, feedbacks or experiences as it helps improve your communication skills.

Just relax, and pretend that you are talking to a foreign on a road who is asking for direction. In fact, interview is just like the process of a foreign asking for directions. If you know where the place is, of course you will tell the foreign how to go.

Bear in mind that different people will have different ways of giving directions. Some might suggest using this road and some might suggest using that road. Some might be a little bit helpful by providing fastest way, which shortcut to use, which transportation to use and etc. How well you can impress the foreign is all depends on you. As long as you don’t give wrong direction, then the foreign will have good impression on you.

Who knows the foreign might get back to you later on to present you rewards?

Is there really a need to know about the company that you are going to interview for? Because I just had my first interview with Deloitte today and the interviewer didn't even ask me anything about the company. He asked questions like:

Why are you interested to work here?

How much do you know about the related field?

Are you willing to travel?

Are you willing to work late?

How do you know about the company?

Do you have any friends working in other big 4 acc firm?


I pretty much screwed up here and there because I encountered a panic attack when I couldn't answer a question. But I did ask a few questions at the end and said a thank you to the interviewer. It was pretty short I'd say. But at least I think I know how to prepare better for the coming ones..

The IQ tests were quite confusing I'd say. And they didn't really give you much time to think. There's about 3 tests before the interview I believe. The first is an Essay test to test your English (I got "Yourself" and boy I had some difficulty writing it). The second is a MCQ English test. 100 questions in like 20mins? The time limit is quite little.. The third is an IQ test. About say 15 minutes for 50 to 40 questions? Had a hard time with those IQ tests. Kinda wierd.

This was for the position of Audit Assistant. So I hope it helps the rest who are interested to apply with big 4 accounting firms.

do you guys have some clue, to this question " why do you deserve this position" I know it's one of the common question...I already wrote pre-answer and just surveying around for better answer to it

I guess it goes down to see if you know what the company is looking for.. If you are qualified for it I guess you can say that "You have the basic skills and knowledge to do your very best and will continue to improve yourself"

Don't think it's a good one though.

Hmm.. How do you answer this question?

"Why did you choose this particular company?"

And

"Why did you choose this particular field?"

Say for auditing.. I only know that by doing auditing I can gain more exposure and experience fast. Not sure how to put it into a proper sentence

Perhaps some guidance to answering these type of questions? Cause I am quite clueless about it.

This post has been edited by Jason180: Jan 14 2009, 05:57 PM

I guess i'd go with something like: I have experience in xxx and xxx etc, and I have passion for the industry which makes me work harder than anyone else etc

Yeah. The "Why do you choose this particular company" is very popular. Just tell the interviewer how reputable the company is, and how you wish to learn a lot of things from seniors in the company etc etc.

how do i tell my HR that i wanna ask for a leave for an interview...i dont want them to know

Can i joke during interview or must be serious 100% of the time?

I would suggest to just be yourself. Though this thread really did help me go through my interviews. Now I've got a few job offers to consider.

Here's someting that I would like to share from my experience:

After a few questions...
Interviewer: What is your weakness? (in a serious tone)
Me: I'm a hopeless shopaholic! (you can also say you're a hopeless workaholic... )
Interviewer: What item do you shop for exactly? (in an interested tone)
Me: Shoes! I've got a size 3 feet (the interviewer gave me a shocked look. I know! hahaha) which is a challenge for me when it comes to shoes so I kinda like to go hunting for shoes that can actually fit me which can sometimes take all day! But the end result is worth it when I finally find shoes that fit my tiny feet.
Interviewer: So your weakness is shoes. (She said it in a unbelievable tone while laughing)
and then the interview went back to a more serious question.

p/s the interviewer is a woman. It helps.

What i'm trying to say here is just be yourself during the interview (though it does help to practice a bit).

Oh, wow. I joked quite alot during a group interview. Especially when everyone else was so dull. Made everyone laugh. However, I still haven't got any feedback from the company. And then, I thought making jokes is a no-no in interviews. Well, your post above might just prove me wrong

Hm? You're gonna take it from your annual leave right? Just mention that it's something personal/ family affair that you need to tend to. Otherwise, u can also mention you need to go to the bank to settle something etc. It's not hard to look for an excuse, but if it's constant, it'd be tough.

Previously I kept taking half days for interviews and I used my new house as excuse. Renovation, need to buy stuffs, see contractor etc etc ^^; and well, it's partly true. After interview I usually send my mum to check the place.


Surely you can joke. It's to break the 'awkward' or silence in the room and create a bond. Thing is, jokes can be really dangerous. First, never make any insensitive/ bias/ discriminating jokes. Second, the right timing. Third, make sure it's funny. There are times when interviewee failed to amuse the interviewer. It could backfire and you'll be seen as a nuisance.

In any case, smile happily/ broadly when you make your joke. Even if the interviewer doesn't laugh, he/ she will smile because you smiled.

i have a question, if they were to ask where do you see yourself in the next 3, 4 years, etc, must the answer relate to the company? or can it be my own personal answer which doesnt relate to the company?

i answered related to my position in the comp...maybe u can tell em what position/responsibility you would like to be in in the future?

i suggest u answer relating to the comp...at least increase ur chance of getting the job if u really want it...