Sample Answer:

“Well, to me there’s a difference between criticism and constructive criticism. No one responds well to criticism that is mean-spirited or unjustified. If I feel I am the target of such criticism, I try to find out the underlying cause.  Constructive criticism, on the other hand, is something I greatly value. I’m always eager to accept advice from colleagues; I feel it’s one of the best ways to learn and I am grateful to receive it.  In my current job, I designed a data validation engine on .NET platform.  In the first review meeting, I heard a lot of cristicsm.  Of course I didn’t take it personally but rather tried to find out what was behind it.  By talking to them individually, I found that they don’t have much opinion about my design, but doubt about choosing the .NET platform since it was a new technology to them.  Therefore I called second meeting to give them a detailed overview of the .NET platform and explained the advantages of using .NET for this project.  After they understood my technical approaches, my design was well accepted.”

Are there difficult people?  If you think they are difficult, you imply that you may not be able to get along with them well.  So, the answer this question, first deny there are any difficult people to you.

Sample Answer:

“To me people are different but not difficult.  I honestly don’t think there’s any type of people that I don’t get along with. Of course, some people are more pleasant to be around than others, but I’ve worked with all kinds of personalities and never had any problems with anyone. I understand this consulting position requires interaction with a lot of client, I am very good at this.”

For example, if the job announcement asked for J2EE development project lead for multiple projects, you could answer: “I’m an experienced J2EE developer with team leadership skills such as project planning, task prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines.” To make you answer accountable, you may include brief examples about how your strengths have been beneficial in past situations.

Don’t forget to mention your non-technical strength, — hard working, commitment, dedicatation, etc.

Let’s see a sample answer:

“I have strong Java programming skills. With over 5 years of Java experience, I have developed several highly-complicated Java applications in both client/server and web-based platforms. I work very hard and always to whatever it takes to get my job done. That’s my greatest strength.”

It is not a matter of whether or not you can handle stressful situations or you like to work under pressure.  Everyone can do it but no one wants it.  To play the interview game, you just need to explain how have you dealt with stressful situations in the past, how have you used time management and problem-solving skills to reduce stress, and tell interviews you get used to work under pressure.

Sample Answer:

“I’m not afraid of stress and pressures.  I can do a good job in difficult situations.  In my previous job I always had to face stress when I was involved in multiple projects and deadlines were near.  But I’ve built time management and problem-solving skills to handle this situation and I’ve learned how to adapt to changing situations and shift priorities.  Personally I have a few ways to reduce stress:  take a break to stretch, have a short walk in fresh air, or get a little exercise, they are all helpful.  If I find that the stressful situation would affect my team’s productivity, I would discuss it with my manager.”

“First I would check with my supervisor to see if anyone else needs help. I could use the time for self training. I may research for new technologies, and check for the next release of our software tools. In the past I’ve used my spare to review my previous work such as a component or interface I developed, and find improvement options.”

It’s not question of whether or not you want to change or you can change.  Facing this question you have no choice but saying that you handle change very well.  It’s better you give a example of how you successfully handled a major change in your job before.

Sample Answer:

“I am not afraid of change.  By all means, IT is a fast-changing field, I’m very flexible and adapt quickly and easily to change. In my last job the company re-organized IT infrastructure and all of IT staff including myself in each division were moved to the data center where we were required to work by following different procedures and more restricted rules.  It was quite a shake-up and many of my coworkers were upset by the changes. I just adjusted the change of my work environment and worked the new management team to set my priorities for new tasks.  No matter changes occur, I just focus on doing my job to the best of my ability.”

Instead, emphasize several reasons why you should be hired, focusing on how your skills and abilities will benefit the company. Use that list you created of your best selling points.

Sample Answers:

“I’ve got five years of experience in systems administration and have the specific systems support and service skills you are looking for. I’m a fast learner who adapts quickly to change and will hit the ground running. I’m dedicated and enthusiastic about helping your orgnization to meet its expansion goals, and will provide top-quality results with minimal oversight. I’m a proven performer who takes pride in my work. You won’t have any regrets when
you hire me.”

Another example:

“You need a data center manager who can work effectively with diverse employees in a very fast-paced, hectic environment, and I’m that person. I have five years of experience supervising developers, systems engineers, and DBAs from diverse backgrounds, helping them to become more productive and efficient. I have reduced employee turnover by more than 25% in the past three years, which saved my employer more than $2 million in related hiring and training costs. I also streamlined operations by automating several processes. I am confident that I can make similar improvements for you and your organization.”

Sample Answers:

“I honestly can’t think of anything about my last job that I disliked.  I really enjoy working with people there.  If they had more career advancement opportunities, I would like to stay  with them.”

Or you may say something that is no significant, and not on people:

“I’d say it was their lack of a training program. I enjoyed working there and understand they have severe budget restrictions which limited their training opportunities. That’s one of the reasons I’m so eager to work for your company. I know you have an excellent training program here. I’m always looking to improve my skills and make myself more useful.”

A good answer is to say a lot of good things of your formal bosses, then point out a little thing which is no significant that you wish could be improved.

Sample Answers:

“I’ve honestly never had a boss that I disliked.  In my previous jobs, I worked really well with the management teams, they were very supportive.  I had one boss a few years ago, he was a nice guy, but he didn’t interact with our team often.  I wished that he could give us more feedback about our performance and kept us informed about what was going on in the company. “

1. CIO – Chief Information Officer is the head of IT within an organization. It’s highly competitive position since there is only one for each company. CIO’s annual salary is well above 100K.
2. CSO – Chief Security Officer is the executive responsible for the organization’s entire security posture, both physical and digital. In most companies the CSO’s main responsibility is in IT security. CSO is a relatively new, competitive, and highly paid position with salary above 100K. CSO Job Description.
3. Project Manager – Project manager leads and manages IT projects such as application development, systems implementation and upgrades, integration and consolidation, etc. Most project managers make 100K or more.
4. IT Security Specialist – IT Security Specialist is responsible for performing multiple security risk and vulnerability assessments, as well as operational projects and functions including monitoring of the network intrusion detection system. Many of them are paid over 100K.
5. Enterprise Architect – Enterprise architects design and architecture large scale enterprise information systems using state-of-art technologies such as web services, service oritented architecture (SOA), enterprise service bus (ESB), etc. Enterprise architects earn 100K or higher.
6. Enterprise Software Specialist – Enterprise software specialists configure, implement, and customize commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) systems such as ERP, CRM, PLM, etc. Many enterprise software specialists make around 100K.
7. IT Consultant – IT consultants provide consulting solutions for application development and systems integraton. Many consultants are hourly paid, that make them earn over 100K annually.
8. Database Administrator – DBA is a stable and high rpofile job in IT.  It plays impoprtant role within an organization.  The average salary of DBA is 80K-90K.  Many experienced DBAs who maintain very large database and data warehouses make 100K or more.
9. Systems/Network Administrator – Systems and network administrators manage an organization’s network system and server facilities.  They make 80K-90K in general.  Some can get more than 100K.
10. Software Engineer – Software engineers design and build complicated computer systems.  The average salary for software engineer is around 80K.  Highly experienced software engineers in special fields make above 100K.