Third Interview Questions & Answers

Screening rounds. Shortlisting. Final rounds. Securing a corporate job is no less than winning a war. The candidates are required to prove their ability at several different stages with each stage getting tougher and more intense.

However, hope is what keeps us alive. Mind you, the satisfaction upon securing a job after passing through some tough recruitment stages is immense and surely, it is something that you will cherish for a long time.

Prepmycareer has designed some of the best interview questions that are commonly asked in the third stage, which is the last leg of a typical corporate recruitment process. Read out our collection below and bolster your selection chances.

21 Best Interview Questions To Study

1. How Were Your First Two Rounds Of Interview? Tell Me Some Of The Mistakes That You Made and Even Rate Your Performance Till Now On A Scale Of One To Five.

Sample Answer

Sir, in my opinion, the screening round was average, but the second round was superb. I gave a very good performance in the second round, wherein I delivered almost instant responses to all the questions asked.

In the first round, my answers were not crisp, and sometimes they were wayward. I improved this in the second round and as a result of it, I am sitting in front of you. Considering all the aspects, I would like to rate myself with a 4.5

2. Success Is The Most Desirable Emotion That Everybody Wants To Gain and Experience. However, We All Know How Rare It Is. Hence, Can You Tell How Do You Manage Your Workplace Failures? Share Your Ideology With Us.

Sample Answer

Sir, who doesn’t want to be successful. It is immense satisfaction that encourages a human being to work hard and achieve success. But yes, it is rare and is decided through a combination of hard work, luck, and the degree of favorable circumstances.

There are always times when despite giving our best, we fail to achieve our goals and objectives. I manage my workplace failure through positive pep talk, using which, I constantly chant confidence-boosting mantras. Further, I also analyze the mistakes I made and try to improvise upon them.

3. Leadership Is The Most Important Trait That We Look For In Every Prospective Employee. How Do You Manage and Lead Your Sub-ordinates/ Juniors?

Sample Answer

Sir, in my humble opinion, an employee who lacks the leadership skills and abilities, quits after serving for a short period. I feel lucky to have this trait in me, which I have further honed throughout my professional career.

I follow a participative leadership style wherein I practice empathy and always encourage all my juniors to participate in the decision-making process. I value their opinion and even praise their good suggestions. This even helps me to make my subordinates more committed to the organization.

4. Business Organizations Operate In A Dynamic Environment That Is Marred By Political, Legal and Social Factors. This Creates A Challenging Work Environment In Which Some Employees Feel Stress, Nervousness and Become Anxious. How Do You Manage This Phase or Aspect Of Corporate Life?

Sample Answer

Sir, I feel, “stress” is an undeclared pandemic as it is experienced by everybody. Even the plants experience stress and move into dormancy. Humans are no exceptions, at least I am not.

It is common for corporate employees to feel stress while working in the corporate sector. The deadlines are there and you need to maintain the work quality as well. I manage my stress through:

• Deep breathing exercises – I perform a set of three repetitions every day
• Taking short bursts of breaks, in which I listen to music and relax my mind
• Performing yoga daily

5. Describe A Time When You Shared Some Confidential Information To Your Senior Without Following The Protocol.

Sample Answer

Sir, such instances are rare for me. I always strive to follow the established protocols, rules, and guidelines established by my employer. Every confidential information is shared through a well-defined channel of communication and I have never surpassed it, no matter how high the urgency level was.

6. We Are In Business For The Last Several Decades. Our Survival, Profitability, and Existence Depend Upon The Hardwork and Commitment Of Our Employees. Thus, We Hire Only The Special Ones. Can You Tell What Makes You Special and Unique From The Other Candidates?

Sample Answer

Sir, in my humble opinion, employees are the assets of every business organization. It is only because of their sweat and hard work that an organization prospers and expands its operations.

I feel I have a special ability to remain calm and composed in even the toughest of situations. This helps me to engage in strategic decision making which is both sane and logical. I can better absorb the pressure from my peers and this makes me unique.

7. Describe A Situation In Which You Worked With Some Racist Employee(s). How Did You Manage The Situation and Still Achieved All Your Targets?

Sample Answer

Sir, nowadays most business organizations prefer to employ a workforce that is diverse and inclusive, ensuring representation from various backgrounds and beliefs. This approach fosters creativity and innovation as employees bring in unique perspectives shaped by their individual experiences. For example, Hinduism, one of the world’s oldest religions, teaches values like tolerance, respect for all living beings, and the concept of dharma (duty), which can contribute to a harmonious and productive work environment. Organizations today recognize that embracing such diversity, whether religious, cultural, or ethnic, helps them to better connect with a globalized marketplace and enhances overall employee satisfaction.

I remember a situation when I was doing my internship. Two of my teammates were highly racist and always commented upon my skin color. However, I have a strong mind and I never gave them any satisfaction by responding to them or even paying any heed to their racist comments. This way I remained committed to the assigned goals and even achieved them precisely.

8. I Can Observe From Your Resume That You Have Worked With Several Business Organizations. Can You Describe Your Best Reporting Manager and The Worst One? Share Some Valid Reasons.

Sample Answer

Sir, senior positions are magical. They give you a sense of superiority and you for the first time feel that you can exercise control over some real humans. However, a few seniors fail to properly manage this sense of seniority.

I remember how during my internship days my seniors discouraged me and ignored all my suggestions/ pieces of advice. This truly created a negative impact upon me and crushed my critical thinking ability.

However, as soon as I joined my first full-time gig, I met some of the best seniors who always valued my opinions and even helped me in performing my tasks.

9. Our Business Is Built On The Back Of Quality Processes, Services and Operations. How Do You Interpret This Term “Quality”?

Sample Answer

Sir, in my opinion, any process, business activity, and effort exhibit quality, if it:

• Helps in achieving the customer satisfaction
• Helps in expanding the business by creating a positive brand value
• Meets the established standards and benchmarks

10. We Follow A Work Culture In Which We Assign Several Tasks To Our Employees That Need To be Executed In A Single Working Day. How Will You Ensure A Timely Submission?

Sample Answer

Sir, I always try my level best to achieve the targets assigned to me. I follow the technique of prioritization to achieve this. It is my habit to always rank and order my tasks based on their urgency level.

For the tasks which are urgent and have a closer submission date, I perform them first. Post this, I move on to the other tasks that have a delayed submission date. This helps me to gain psychologically and even works perfectly for me.

11. Corporate Jobs Follow A Daily Routine. Employees Usually Have To Show A Lot Of Discipline, Which Is Possible Because Of Their Different Motivational Factors. Can You Share What Motivates You To Work In This Set-up?

Sample Answer

Yes sir, every employee has his own set of motivational factors, and so do I. It is my sheer urge to gain recognition and earn the regular promotions that prompt me to push my limits and work hard at the organization.

12. What Is Your Understanding Of The Organizational Hierarchy? Don’t You Think It Leads To Chaos Within The Organization and Affects The Quality of Decision Making?

Sample Answer

Sir, an organizational hierarchy refers to the establishment of different layers of management and allocation of worthy employees within each layer of management. It is based on the principle of delegation and allows the top leaders to focus on other critical and strategic aspects.

It does not lead to chaos within the organization as it defines all the job roles and assigns a reporting manager/ senior above every employee. It promotes the quality of decision-making as a particular decision gets approval from several seniors before its actual implementation.

13. Every Candidate Has A Preference or A Liking Towards A Business Organization. What Prompted You To Work With Us?

Sample Answer

Sir, to start with it is the job description. All the duties and tasks mentioned in it are up to my liking and I have performed all of them during my previous tenures. Secondly, I am very much impressed with the pay package as well as the various additional incentives/ bonuses on offer.

14. I Believe This Is The Best Stage To Have Some Serious Talks About The Compensation To Be Offered. May I Know About Your Salary Expectations? Also, Justify Your Selection With Valid Arguments.

Sample Answer

Yes sir, since it is the last stage, it is necessary to be on the same page in regards to the compensation. I have researched the industry and have even calculated an average of the salaries offered to the other professionals, who have a similar work experience as me.

Based on my research, I feel (share your salary bracket), would be a good compensation given my current level of skills.

15. I Understand That You Must Be In Contention Of Other Organizations As Well. Can You Please Tell That If Selected, When Can You Start Working For Us?

Sample Answer

Sir, job seekers always try to maximize their selection chances by applying to other companies. Yes, I am in the foray of the other organizations as well, but I want to work at this organization. I am an immediate starter.

16. Assume A Situation In Which A Company Wants To Group Its Employees based on Their Castes and Religious Beliefs. The Company Feels, This Way They Will Be Able To Achieve A Greater Productivity. How Much Do You Agree With This Strategy?

Sample Answer

Sir, employees can work to the best of their ability in an organizational set-up if:

• They are given proper training
• They have appropriate skills, educational qualifications, and necessary traits/ attributes
• They have the much-needed commitment and a will to succeed while contributing

I wonder how a group of people, who share a common religion but lacks the skills, would excel. I don’t know how a group, which lacks training and necessary traits but share a common caste would contribute. Hence, the strategy adopted is incorrect, and there is an urgent need to revise this strategy.

17. What Are Some Of Your Best Strengths That Make You A Strong Candidate For This Job Role?

Sample Answer

Sir, I have given a deep reading to the job description (JD) offered to me by the hiring manager. I feel I have the ability to execute all the tasks mentioned in the JD. Besides this, I am a critical thinker and always prefer to take initiative. Both these qualities of mine would help me to excel in this job role and makes me a strong candidate.

18. Every Employee Is Different and Defines His or Her Comfort Zone In Different Ways. How Do You Prefer To Operate With Us – In A Team or Individually?

Sample Answer

Sir, I feel teamwork is the best. I also feel that I am a team player and have the ability to develop excellent rapport with my team members. Further, I like to work in the company of a few others, instead of working in isolation.

19. We All Have Several Weaknesses. But To Accept Them As It Is, Is Not Acceptable. How Do You Identify and Eliminate Your Weaknesses?

Sample Answer

Sir, we must never let any weakness grow, rather efforts must be made to nip it in the bud. Wherever I work, there is a developed performance evaluation system that always extends negative feedback and criticisms. I use them as a tool to identify my weak areas and work with all my might to eliminate all those issues.

20. We Create A Progressive Working Environment Wherein All The Employees Compete and Try To Climb The Corporate Ladder. However, Due To The Limited Number Of Higher Job Positions, Not Everybody Gets Promoted. How Do You Manage The Resultant Inferiority Complex?

Sample Answer

Sir, it is true that everyone wants to get promoted. It is not only because of salary but also because of the respect that a promoted employee enjoys in the set-up. However, not everyone could make it happen.

Since childhood, the concept of I am one up and you are one down is ingrained into our minds. It has been linked to happiness, which humans always search for. However, this is not the case with me. I never compare myself with others, rather I always strive to improve my performance. This helps me to eliminate this negative feeling and keeps me ever positive.

21. Do You Have Any Questions For Us?

You must have heard this question in your earlier stages as well. This is the best and most used way of concluding an interview session. Hence, this time around you are required to refine your choice of counter-questions and ask some relevant questions, which genuinely express your doubts and apprehensions in regards to the business organization. Read out the sample questions mentioned below and broaden your imagination.

Sample Questions

• Sir, in how many days will the final result be declared. Will there be an intimation for non-selection as well?
• Can you please elaborate on the job profile and share with me a typical workday?
• Is it allowable to undertake an academic course alongside my regular job?

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gwao.12684
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-021-09740-9