Companies utilize a set of interview questions as a tool to analyze the qualities of a job applicant for a certain position required by the company. These questions are specifically designed to thoroughly get substantial information from an applicant to know whether he is qualified for the job. Interview questions are also used to validate the information contained in the applicant's curriculum vitae or resume.

An interviewer prepares a set of interview questions which he asks to all applicants. He will then compare the answers given him and gauge from here who the most qualified applicant is. It is the human resource department who usually prepares these questions. and they have set a standard set of answers also to measure the qualifications of every applicant.

Interview questions vary depending on the company's preference and needs. There are no standards or patterns in these types of questions. Basically there are different types of interview questions which job applicants may encounter during interviews. These types of interview questions are have their specific objectives pertaining to the different qualities of the job applicant.

Credential Authentication Questions

This type of interview question aims to gather enough information on the applicant's previous background. Common question includes “How long have you worked at the company?”

Work Experience Questions

These types of questions aim to evaluate a job applicants' working experience with previous employers. It raises questions related to duties and responsibilities performed with the previous work.

Work Competency Questions

The most common questions with this type includes, “Could you provide examples of your qualities as a leader?” or “Elaborate on how you have provided solutions on certain problems in your work?” The main purpose of this type of question is to measure the behavior and the competency of the applicant which can contribute to the position being applied for.

Opinion Questions

In some cases, interviewers would raise opinion questions to see how an applicant responds to certain scenarios. The interviewer usually provides an example scenario wherein he will ask questions like “If you encountered this problem, what would you do? What are your strategies?” In this type of question, the interviewer may ask the applicant on his or her strength and weaknesses.

Dumb Questions

Some interviewers use dumb questions just to test the applicant's ability to think instantly. This type of question does not have any right or wrong answers. Some of the common questions used are “What is the color which represents your personality?” “If you were given a chance, what animal do you like to be, and why?”

Mathematical Questions

Mathematical questions are basically given in order to measure the mental quickness of the applicant. It also evaluates the ability of formulating mathematical procedure. It also measures how alert an applicant is in mental thought processes.

Case Questions

Case questions are designed to rate the problem solving capability of an applicant in certain situations. Examples of questions used includes “What is your forecast with regards to online retailing?” or “How many gas companies in the European region?”

Behavioral Questions

This type of question is usually used by many companies. Most companies give greater importance on the behavior of its applicants rather than the skills because they believe that an applicant with good behavior can be trained in terms of skills. It is basically designed to predict the future behavior of an applicant by basing it with its past behaviors. Questions used with the interview include “Give specific experiences of how you have handled such situations. What are the specific steps you have implemented in order to finish the task?”

As a job applicant, it is best to be well prepared before any job interview. As much as possible, review the contents of your resume. When undergoing an interview, you must have self confidence and answer questions in a relaxed manner.