PHP-MySQL Interview Questions

Last few days I have been working to compile a question and answer set for PHP-MySQL interview questions. There are roughly 60 questions and i will be adding more as days to come. These questions and answers are compiled from different online resources.

1.What's PHP ?

The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically used for developing web based software applications.

2.What Is a Session?

A session is a logical object created by the PHP engine to allow you to preserve data across subsequent HTTP requests.

There is only one session object available to your PHP scripts at any time. Data saved to the session by a script can be retrieved by the same script or another script when requested from the same visitor.

Sessions are commonly used to store temporary data to allow multiple PHP pages to offer a complete functional transaction for the same visitor.

3.What is meant by PEAR in php?

Answer1:

PEAR is the next revolution in PHP. This repository is bringing higher level programming to PHP. PEAR is a framework and distribution system for reusable PHP components. It eases installation by bringing an automated wizard, and packing the strength and experience of PHP users into a nicely organised OOP library. PEAR also provides a command-line interface that can be used to automatically install "packages"

Answer2:

PEAR is short for "PHP Extension and Application Repository" and is pronounced just like the fruit. The purpose of PEAR is to provide:

A structured library of open-sourced code for PHP users

A system for code distribution and package maintenance

A standard style for code written in PHP

The PHP Foundation Classes (PFC),

The PHP Extension Community Library (PECL),

A web site, mailing lists and download mirrors to support the PHP/PEAR community

PEAR is a community-driven project with the PEAR Group as the governing body. The project has been founded by Stig S. Bakken in 1999 and quite a lot of people have joined the project since then.

4.How can we know the number of days between two given dates using PHP?

Simple arithmetic:

$date1 = date('Y-m-d');

$date2 = '2006-07-01';

$days = (strtotime() - strtotime()) / (60 * 60 * 24);

echo "Number of days since '2006-07-01': $days";

How can we repair a MySQL table?

The syntex for repairing a mysql table is:

REPAIR TABLE tablename

REPAIR TABLE tablename QUICK

REPAIR TABLE tablename EXTENDED

This command will repair the table specified.

If QUICK is given, MySQL will do a repair of only the index tree.

If EXTENDED is given, it will create index row by row.

5.What is the difference between $message and $$message?

Anwser 1:

$message is a simple variable whereas $$message is a reference variable. Example:

$user = 'bob'

is equivalent to

$holder = 'user';

$$holder = 'bob';

Anwser 2:

They are both variables. But $message is a variable with a fixed name. $$message is a variable who's name is stored in $message. For example, if $message contains "var", $$message is the same as $var.

6.What Is a Persistent Cookie?

A persistent cookie is a cookie which is stored in a cookie file permanently on the browser's computer. By default, cookies are created as temporary cookies which stored only in the browser's memory. When the browser is closed, temporary cookies will be erased. You should decide when to use temporary cookies and when to use persistent cookies based on their differences:

*Temporary cookies can not be used for tracking long-term information.

*Persistent cookies can be used for tracking long-term information.

*Temporary cookies are safer because no programs other than the browser can access them.

*Persistent cookies are less secure because users can open cookie files see the cookie values.

7.What does a special set of tags do in PHP?

The output is displayed directly to the browser.

8.How do you define a constant?

Via define() directive, like define ("MYCONSTANT", 100);

9.What are the differences between require and include, include_once?

Anwser 1:

require_once() and include_once() are both the functions to include and evaluate the specified file only once. If the specified file is included previous to the present call occurrence, it will not be done again.

But require() and include() will do it as many times they are asked to do.

Anwser 2:

The include_once() statement includes and evaluates the specified file during the execution of the script. This is a behavior similar to the include() statement, with the only difference being that if the code from a file has already been included, it will not be included again. The major difference between include() and require() is that in failure include() produces a warning message whereas require() produces a fatal errors.

Anwser 3:

All three are used to an include file into the current page.

If the file is not present, require(), calls a fatal error, while in include() does not.

The include_once() statement includes and evaluates the specified file during the execution of the script. This is a behavior similar to the include() statement, with the only difference being that if the code from a file has already been included, it will not be included again. It des not call a fatal error if file not exists. require_once() does the same as include_once(), but it calls a fatal error if file not exists.

Anwser 4:

File will not be included more than once. If we want to include a file once only and further calling of the file will be ignored then we have to use the PHP function include_once(). This will prevent problems with function redefinitions, variable value reassignments, etc.

10.What is meant by urlencode and urldecode?

Anwser 1:

urlencode() returns the URL encoded version of the given string. URL coding converts special characters into % signs followed by two hex digits. For example: urlencode("10.00%") will return "10%2E00%25". URL encoded strings are safe to be used as part of URLs.

urldecode() returns the URL decoded version of the given string.

Anwser 2:

string urlencode(str) - Returns the URL encoded version of the input string. String values to be used in URL query string need to be URL encoded. In the URL encoded version:

Alphanumeric characters are maintained as is.

Space characters are converted to "+" characters.

Other non-alphanumeric characters are converted "%" followed by two hex digits representing the converted character.

string urldecode(str) - Returns the original string of the input URL encoded string.

For example:

$discount ="10.00%";

$url = "http://domain.com/submit.php?disc=".urlencode($discount);

echo $url;

You will get http://domain.com/submit.php?disc=10%2E00%25

11.How To Get the Uploaded File Information in the Receiving Script?

Once the Web server received the uploaded file, it will call the PHP script specified in the form action attribute to process them. This receiving PHP script can get the uploaded file information through the predefined array called $_FILES. Uploaded file information is organized in $_FILES as a two-dimensional array as:

$_FILES[$fieldName]['name'] - The Original file name on the browser system.

$_FILES[$fieldName]['type'] - The file type determined by the browser.

$_FILES[$fieldName]['size'] - The Number of bytes of the file content.

$_FILES[$fieldName]['tmp_name'] - The temporary filename of the file in which the uploaded file was stored on the server.

$_FILES[$fieldName]['error'] - The error code associated with this file upload.

The $fieldName is the name used in the .

12.What is the difference between mysql_fetch_object and mysql_fetch_array?

MySQL fetch object will collect first single matching record where mysql_fetch_array will collect all matching records from the table in an array

13.How can I execute a PHP script using command line?

Just run the PHP CLI (Command Line Interface) program and provide the PHP script file name as the command line argument. For example, "php myScript.php", assuming "php" is the command to invoke the CLI program.

Be aware that if your PHP script was written for the Web CGI interface, it may not execute properly in command line environment.

14.I am trying to assign a variable the value of 0123, but it keeps coming up with a different number, what’s the problem?

PHP Interpreter treats numbers beginning with 0 as octal. Look at the similar PHP interview questions for more numeric problems.

15.Would I use print "$a dollars" or "{$a} dollars" to print out the amount of dollars in this example?

In this example it wouldn’t matter, since the variable is all by itself, but if you were to print something like "{$a},000,000 mln dollars", then you definitely need to use the braces.

16.What are the different tables present in MySQL? Which type of table is generated when we are creating a table in the following syntax: create table employee(eno int(2),ename varchar(10))?

Total 5 types of tables we can create

1. MyISAM

2. Heap

3. Merge

4. INNO DB

5. ISAM

MyISAM is the default storage engine as of MySQL 3.23. When you fire the above create query MySQL will create a MyISAM table.

17.How To Create a Table?

If you want to create a table, you can run the CREATE TABLE statement as shown in the following sample script:

include "mysql_connection.php";

$sql = "CREATE TABLE Tech_links ("

. " id INTEGER NOT NULL"

. ", url VARCHAR(80) NOT NULL"

. ", notes VARCHAR(1024)"

. ", counts INTEGER"

. ", time TIMESTAMP DEFAULT sysdate()"

. ")";

if (mysql_query($sql, $con)) {

print("Table Tech_links created.\n");

} else {

print("Table creation failed.\n");

}

mysql_close($con);

?>

Remember that mysql_query() returns TRUE/FALSE on CREATE statements. If you run this script, you will get something like this:

Table Tech_links created.

18.How can we encrypt the username and password using PHP?

Answer1

You can encrypt a password with the following Mysql>SET PASSWORD=PASSWORD("Password");

Answer2

You can use the MySQL PASSWORD() function to encrypt username and password. For example,

INSERT into user (password, ...) VALUES (PASSWORD($password”)), ...);

19.How do you pass a variable by value?

Just like in C++, put an ampersand in front of it, like $a = &$b

What is the functionality of the functions STRSTR() and STRISTR()?

string strstr ( string haystack, string needle ) returns part of haystack string from the first occurrence of needle to the end of haystack. This function is case-sensitive.

stristr() is idential to strstr() except that it is case insensitive.

20.When are you supposed to use endif to end the conditional statement?

When the original if was followed by : and then the code block without braces.

21.How can we send mail using JavaScript?

No. There is no way to send emails directly using JavaScript.

But you can use JavaScript to execute a client side email program send the email using the "mailto" code. Here is an example:

function myfunction(form)

{

tdata=document.myform.tbox1.value;

location="mailto: mailid@domain.com?subject=...";

return true;

}

22.What is the functionality of the function strstr and stristr?

strstr() returns part of a given string from the first occurrence of a given substring to the end of the string. For example: strstr(" user@example.com","@") will return "@example.com".

stristr() is idential to strstr() except that it is case insensitive.

23.What is the difference between ereg_replace() and eregi_replace()?

eregi_replace() function is identical to ereg_replace() except that it ignores case distinction when matching alphabetic characters.

24.How do I find out the number of parameters passed into function9. ?

func_num_args() function returns the number of parameters passed in.

25.What is the purpose of the following files having extensions: frm, myd, and myi? What these files contain?

In MySQL, the default table type is MyISAM.

Each MyISAM table is stored on disk in three files. The files have names that begin with the table name and have an extension to indicate the file type.

The '.frm' file stores the table definition.

The data file has a '.MYD' (MYData) extension.

The index file has a '.MYI' (MYIndex) extension,

26.If the variable $a is equal to 5 and variable $b is equal to character a, what’s the value of $$b?

100, it’s a reference to existing variable.

27.Are objects passed by value or by reference?

Everything is passed by value.

28.What are the differences between DROP a table and TRUNCATE a table?

DROP TABLE table_name - This will delete the table and its data.

TRUNCATE TABLE table_name - This will delete the data of the table, but not the table definition.

29.How do you call a constructor for a parent class?

parent::constructor($value)

30.WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ERRORS IN PHP?

Here are three basic types of runtime errors in PHP:

1. Notices: These are trivial, non-critical errors that PHP encounters while executing a script - for example, accessing a variable that has not yet been defined. By default, such errors are not displayed to the user at all - although you can change this default behavior.

2. Warnings: These are more serious errors - for example, attempting to include() a file which does not exist. By default, these errors are displayed to the user, but they do not result in script termination.

3. Fatal errors: These are critical errors - for example, instantiating an object of a non-existent class, or calling a non-existent function. These errors cause the immediate termination of the script, and PHP's default behavior is to display them to the user when they take place.

Internally, these variations are represented by twelve different error types

31.What’s the special meaning of __sleep and __wakeup?

__sleep returns the array of all the variables than need to be saved, while __wakeup retrieves them.

32.How can we submit a form without a submit button?

If you don't want to use the Submit button to submit a form, you can use normal hyper links to submit a form. But you need to use some JavaScript code in the URL of the link. For example:

Submit Me

33.Why doesn’t the following code print the newline properly?

Because inside the single quotes the \n character is not interpreted as newline, just as a sequence of two characters - \ and n.

34.Would you initialize your strings with single quotes or double quotes?

Since the data inside the single-quoted string is not parsed for variable substitution, it’s always a better idea speed-wise to initialize a string with single quotes, unless you specifically need variable substitution.

35.How can we extract string 'abc.com ' from a string http:// info@abc.com using regular expression of php?

We can use the preg_match() function with "/.*@(.*)$/" as

the regular expression pattern. For example:

preg_match("/.*@(.*)$/","http:// info@abc.com",$data);

echo $data[1];

36.What are the differences between GET and POST methods in form submitting, give the case where we can use GET and we can use POST methods?

Anwser 1:

When we submit a form, which has the GET method it displays pair of name/value used in the form at the address bar of the browser preceded by url. Post method doesn't display these values.

Anwser 2:

When you want to send short or small data, not containing ASCII characters, then you can use GET” Method. But for long data sending, say more then 100 character you can use POST method.

Once most important difference is when you are sending the form with GET method. You can see the output which you are sending in the address bar. Whereas if you send the form with POST” method then user can not see that information.

Anwser 3:

37.What are "GET" and "POST"?

GET and POST are methods used to send data to the server: With the GET method, the browser appends the data onto the URL. With the Post method, the data is sent as "standard input."

Major Difference

In simple words, in POST method data is sent by standard input (nothing shown in URL when posting while in GET method data is sent through query string.

Ex: Assume we are logging in with username and password.

GET: we are submitting a form to login.php, when we do submit or similar action, values are sent through visible query string (notice ./login.php?username=...&password=... as URL when executing the script login.php) and is retrieved by login.php by $_GET['username'] and $_GET['password'].

POST: we are submitting a form to login.php, when we do submit or similar action, values are sent through invisible standard input (notice ./login.php) and is retrieved by login.php by $_POST['username'] and $_POST['password'].

POST is assumed more secure and we can send lot more data than that of GET method is limited (they say Internet Explorer can take care of maximum 2083 character as a query string).

Anwser 4:

In the get method the data made available to the action page ( where data is received ) by the URL so data can be seen in the address bar. Not advisable if you are sending login info like password etc. In the post method the data will be available as data blocks and not as query string in case of get method.

Anwser 5:

When we submit a form, which has the GET method it pass value in the form of query string (set of name/value pair) and display along with URL. With GET we can a small data submit from the form (a set of 255 character) whereas Post method doesn't display value with URL. It passes value in the form of Object and we can submit large data from the form.

Anwser 6:

On the server side, the main difference between GET and POST is where the submitted is stored. The $_GET array stores data submitted by the GET method. The $_POST array stores data submitted by the POST method.

On the browser side, the difference is that data submitted by the GET method will be displayed in the browser’s address field. Data submitted by the POST method will not be displayed anywhere on the browser.

GET method is mostly used for submitting a small amount and less sensitive data. POST method is mostly used for submitting a large amount or sensitive data.

38.What is the difference between the functions unlink and unset?

unlink() is a function for file system handling. It will simply delete the file in context.

unset() is a function for variable management. It will make a variable undefined.

39.How come the code works, but doesn’t for two-dimensional array of mine?

Any time you have an array with more than one dimension, complex parsing syntax is required. print "Contents: {$arr[1][2]}" would’ve worked.

40.How can we register the variables into a session?

session_register($session_var);

$_SESSION['var'] = 'value';

41.What is the difference between characters \023 and \x23?

The first one is octal 23, the second is hex 23.

42.With a heredoc syntax, do I get variable substitution inside the heredoc contents?

Yes.

43.How can we submit form without a submit button?

We can use a simple JavaScript code linked to an event trigger of any form field. In the JavaScript code, we can call the document.form.submit() function to submit the form. For example:

44.How can we create a database using PHP and mysql?

We can create MySQL database with the use of mysql_create_db($databaseName) to create a database.

45.How many ways we can retrieve the date in result set of mysql using php?

As individual objects so single record or as a set or arrays.

46.Can we use include ("abc.php") two times in a php page "makeit.php"?

Yes.

47.For printing out strings, there are echo, print and printf. Explain the differences.

echo is the most primitive of them, and just outputs the contents following the construct to the screen. print is also a construct (so parentheses are optional when calling it), but it returns TRUE on successful output and FALSE if it was unable to print out the string. However, you can pass multiple parameters to echo, like:

and it will output the string "Welcome to techpreparations!" print does not take multiple parameters. It is also generally argued that echo is faster, but usually the speed advantage is negligible, and might not be there for future versions of PHP. printf is a function, not a construct, and allows such advantages as formatted output, but it’s the slowest way to print out data out of echo, print and printf.

48.I am writing an application in PHP that outputs a printable version of driving directions. It contains some long sentences, and I am a neat freak, and would like to make sure that no line exceeds 50 characters. How do I accomplish that with PHP?

On large strings that need to be formatted according to some length specifications, use wordwrap() or chunk_split().

49.What’s the output of the ucwords function in this example?

$formatted = ucwords("TECHPREPARATIONS IS COLLECTION OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS");

print $formatted;

What will be printed is TECHPREPARATIONS IS COLLECTION OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.

ucwords() makes every first letter of every word capital, but it does not lower-case anything else. To avoid this, and get a properly formatted string, it’s worth using strtolower() first.

49.What’s the difference between htmlentities() and htmlspecialchars()?

htmlspecialchars only takes care of <, >, single quote ‘, double quote " and ampersand. htmlentities translates all occurrences of character sequences that have different meaning in HTML.

50.How can we extract string "abc.com" from a string "mailto: info@abc.com?subject=Feedback" using regular expression of PHP?

$text = "mailto: info@abc.com?subject=Feedback";

preg_match('|.*@([^?]*)|', $text, $output);

echo $output[1];

Note that the second index of $output, $output[1], gives the match, not the first one, $output[0].

51.So if md5() generates the most secure hash, why would you ever use the less secure crc32() and sha1()?

Crypto usage in PHP is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s free. First off, depending on the data that you’re encrypting, you might have reasons to store a 32-bit value in the database instead of the 160-bit value to save on space. Second, the more secure the crypto is, the longer is the computation time to deliver the hash value. A high volume site might be significantly slowed down, if frequent md5() generation is required.

52.How can we destroy the session, how can we unset the variable of a session?

session_unregister() - Unregister a global variable from the current session

session_unset() - Free all session variables

53.Sorting functions in PHP:

asort()

arsort()

ksort()

krsort()

uksort()

sort()

natsort()

rsort()

54.How can we know the count/number of elements of an array?

2 ways:

a) sizeof($array) - This function is an alias of count()

b) count($urarray) - This function returns the number of elements in an array.

Interestingly if you just pass a simple var instead of an array, count() will return 1.

55.How many ways we can pass the variable through the navigation between the pages?

At least 3 ways:

1. Put the variable into session in the first page, and get it back from session in the next page.

2. Put the variable into cookie in the first page, and get it back from the cookie in the next page.

3. Put the variable into a hidden form field, and get it back from the form in the next page.

56.Who is the father of PHP and explain the changes in PHP versions?

Rasmus Lerdorf is known as the father of PHP.PHP/FI 2.0 is an early and no longer supported version of PHP. PHP 3

is the successor to PHP/FI 2.0 and is a lot nicer. PHP 4 is the current

generation of PHP, which uses the

Zend engine

under the

hood. PHP 5 uses

Zend engine 2 which,

among other things, offers many additionalOOP features

Important PHP Interview Questions

1. Which of the following will not add john to the users array?
2. What’s the difference between sort(), assort() and ksort? Under what circumstances would you use each of these?
3. What would the following code print to the browser? Why?
4. What is the difference between a reference and a regular variable? How do you pass by reference & why would you want to?
5. What functions can you use to add library code to the currently running script?
6. What is the difference between foo() & @foo()?
7. How do you debug a PHP application?
8. What does === do? What’s an example of something that will give true for ‘==’, but not ‘===’?
9. How would you declare a class named “myclass” with no methods or properties?
10. How would you create an object, which is an instance of “myclass”?
11. How do you access and set properties of a class from within the class?
12. What is the difference between include & include_once? include & require?
13. What function would you use to redirect the browser to a new page?
14. What function can you use to open a file for reading and writing?
15. What’s the difference between mysql_fetch_row() and mysql_fetch_array()?
16. What does the following code do? Explain what’s going on there.
17. Given a line of text $string, how would you write a regular expression to strip all the HTML tags from it?
18. What’s the difference between the way PHP and Perl distinguish between arrays and hashes?
19. How can you get round the stateless nature of HTTP using PHP?
20. What does the GD library do?
21. Name a few ways to output (print) a block of HTML code in PHP?
22. Is PHP better than Perl? – Discuss

Php Interview Questions and Answers, Php Interview Question, Technical Php Questions

Q1) What is PHP ?
Ans: PHP also termed as Hypertext preprocessor is a Server-side HTML embedded scripting language.

Q2) How can we get second of the current time using date function?
Ans: echo $second = date("s");
?>

Q3) How can we know the number of elements in an array using php?
Ans: There are two ways:
1) sizeof($myarray) - This function is an alias of count()

Q4) What are the different functions in sorting an array?
Ans: asort()
arsort()
ksort()
krsort()
uksort()
sort()
natsort()

Q5) What would the following code print to the browser? And Why?
Ans:
$num = 10;
function multiply()
{
$num = $num * 10;
}
multiply();
echo $num;

Q6) What is mean by LAMP?
Ans: LAMP is the combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP.

Q7) How can you get round the stateless nature of HTTP using PHP?
Ans: using Sessions in PHP

Q8) What function can you use to open a file for reading and writing?
Ans: fopen();

Q9) What function would you use to redirect the browser to a new page?
Ans:header()

Q10) Are PHP function names casesensitive?
Ans: No, It is not case sensitive functions.
Q11) What is scandir() ?
Ans: List files and directories inside the specified path by default files order will be ascending.

Q12) What output do you get here?
$array=array(5,5,5);
echo $r=array_pad($array,5,2);
?>
Ans:Array

Q13) What is the output here?
">var_dump(0 == "a");
?>

Q14) What is the output below mentioned?
$text = 'php m programmer';
echo strpbrk($text, 'm');
?>

Q15) What is the output below mentioned ?
$string = 'APPLE';
echo stristr($string, 97);
?>

Q16) What is the relation between the versions?

Ans: PHP 2.0 is an early and no longer supported version of PHP. PHP 3 is the successor to PHP 2.0 and is a lot nicer. PHP 4 is the current generation of PHP, which uses the Zend engine under the hood. PHP 5 uses the Zend engine 2 which, among other things, offers many additional OOP features.

Q17) What is the output for the following script ?
$s=”hihihi”;
echo $s. “ welcome”.$s;
a) syntax error
b) runtime error
c) all of the above

Q18) php comments will be?
a) //
b) /* fgfg */
c) All of the above
d) First one

Q19) What is the difference between require and include?
Ans: Require function is used to embed another file in php, it gives fatal error if the file does not exists.Include function is also used to embed another file in php, but it gives warning if the file does not exists.

Q20) php supports following database ??

a) Solid & oracle
b) mysql
c) None of the above
d) All of the above

Q21) How do you get the user’s IP address in PHP?
Ans: Using the server variable: $_SERVER[’REMOTE_ADDR’]

Q22) How to count no of words in a file without using loop ?

Ans: Suppose file name is “abc.txt” containing some string.

//First make the array ($lines) of the file abc.txt using below function .
$lines = file('abc.txt'); //Secondly use this function to count no. of words using below function. print_r(array_count_values($lines));
?>

Most Frequently asked questions in PHP

Tell me about yourself. Use “Picture Frame Approach”
Answer in about two minutes. Avoid details, don’t ramble. Touch on these four areas:
How many years, doing what function
Education – credentials
Major responsibility and accomplishments
Personal summary of work style (plus career goals if applicable)
Prepare in advance using this formula:

“My name is…”
“I’ve worked for X years as a [title]“
“Currently, I’m a [title] at [company]“
“Before that, I was a [title] at [company]“
“I love the challenge of my work, especially the major strengths it allows me to offer, including [A, B, and C]“.
Second, help the interviewer by focusing the question with a question of your own: “What about me would be most relevant to you and what this company needs?”
Did you bring your resume?
Yes. Be prepared with two or three extra copies. Do not offer them unless you’re asked for one.
What do you know about our organization?
Research the target company before the interview. Basic research is the only way to prepare for this question. Do your homework, and you’ll score big on this question. Talk about products, services, history and people, especially any friends that work there. “But I would love to know more, particularly from your point of view. Do we have time to cover that now?
What experience do you have?
Pre-interview research and PPR Career will help you here. Try to cite experience relevant to the company’s concerns. Also, try answering this questions with a question: “Are you looking for overall experience or experience in some specific area of special interest to you?” Let the interviewer’s response guide your answer.
According to your definition of success, how successful have you been so far?
(Is this person mature and self aware?)

Be prepared to define success, and then respond (consistent record of responsibility)
In your current or last position, what were your most significant accomplishments? In your career so far?
Give one or two accomplishment statements
Had you thought of leaving your present position before? If yes, what do you think held you there?
Refer to positive aspects of the job, advancement opportunities, and what you learned.
Would you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized?
Give only one, and tell how you have corrected or plan to correct your work.
If I spoke with your previous boss, what would he or she say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Be consistent with what you think the boss would say. Position the weakness in a positive way (refer to #12)
How would you describe your personality?
Keep your answer short and relevant to the job and the organization’s culture.
What are your strong points?
Present three. Relate them to that particular company and job opening.
What are your weak points?
Don’t say you have one, but give one that is really a “positive in disguise.” I am sometimes impatient and do to much work myself when we are working against tight deadlines.” Or “I compliment and praise my staff, but feel I can improve.”
How did you do in school?
(Is the person motivated? What are his/her values, attitudes? Is there a fit?)

Emphasize your best and favorite subjects. If grades were average, talk about leadership or jobs you took to finance your education. Talk about extra-curricular activities (clubs, sports, volunteer work)
In your current or last position, what features did you like most? Least?
Refer to your satisfiers for likes. Be careful with dislikes, give only one (if any) and make it brief. Refuse to answer negatively. Respond that you “like everything about my current position and have acquired and developed a great many skills, but I’m now ready for a new set of challenges and greater responsibilities.”
What do you look for in a job?
Flip this one over. Despite the question, the employer isn’t really interested in what you are looking for. He’s interested in what he is looking for. Address his interests, rather than yours. Use words like “contribute,” “enhance,” “improve,” and “team environment.” Fit your answer to their needs Relate your preferences and satisfiers/dissatisfiers to the job opening.
How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
“Not long, because of my experience, transferable skills and ability to learn.”
How long would you stay with us?
“As long as I feel that I’m contributing, and that my contribution is recognized. I’m looking to make a long term commitment.”
If you have never supervised, how do you feel about assuming those responsibilities?
If you want to supervise, say so, and be enthusiastic.
Why do you want to become a supervisor?
“To grow and develop professionally, to help others develop, to build a team and to share what I have learned.”
What do you see as the most difficult task in being a supervisor?
“Getting things planned and done through others and dealing with different personalities.” Show how you have done this in the past.
You’ve been with your current employer quite a while. Why haven’t you advanced with him?
Let’s assume the interviewer has a point here. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with the negative terms of the question. Answer: “What I like about my present position is that it’s both stable and challenging. But it’s true that I’ve grown about as much as I can in my current position. (This response also turns the issue of salary on its head, transforming it from What more can I get? to What more can I offer?)
Why are you leaving your present position?
Never answer with negative reasons, even if they are true. However, some companies have financial problems which may preclude you from staying with them. Frame your answer positively by answering why you want to move to the target company instead of why you left or want to leave your most recent job. For example, instead of answering, “I don’t get enough challenges at [company],” respond, “I am eager to take on more challenges, and I believe I will find them at [hiring company]. ”I’m not unhappy (at my present employer). However, this opportunity seems to be particularly interesting and I am interested in pursuing it further. Never personalize or be negative. Keep it short, give a “group” answer (e.g. our office is closing, the whole organization is being reduced in size). Stick to one response; don’t change answers during the interview. When applicable; best response is: I was not on the market when PPR Career contacted me and explained what you are doing, it peaked my interest.
Describe what would be an ideal working environment?
Team work is the key.
How would you evaluate your present firm?
Be positive. Refer to the valuable experience you have gained. Don’t mention negatives.
Do you prefer working with figures, or with words?
Be aware of what the job requires and position your answer in that context. In many cases it would be both.
What kinds of people do you find difficult to work with?
Use this question as a chance to show that you are a team player: “The only people I have trouble with are those who aren’t team players, who just don’t perform, who complain constantly, and who fail to respond to any efforts to motivate them.” The interviewer is expecting a response focused on personality and personal dislikes. Surprise her by delivering an answer that reflects company values.
How would your co-workers describe you?
Refer to your strengths and skills.
What do you think of your boss?
If you like him or her, say so and tell why. If you don’t like him or her, find something positive to say.
Why do you want to work in a company of this size. Or this type?
Explain how this size or type of company works well for you, using examples from the past if possible.
If you had your choice of jobs and companies, where would you go?
Refer to job preferences. Say that this job and this company are very close to what best suits you.
Why do you want to work for us?
You feel you can help achieve the companies objectives, especially in the short run. You like what you’ve learned about the company, its policies, goals and management: “I’ve researched the company and people tell me it’s a good place to work.”
What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended?
Think this through. Your answer should be compatible with accepted norms.
What are you doing, or what have you done to reach your career objectives?
Talk about formal courses and training programs.
What was wrong with your last company?
Again, choose your words carefully. Don’t be negative. Say that no company is perfect, it had both strengths and weaknesses.
What kind of hours are you used to working?
(DOES THE PERSON MATCH JOB AND CRITERIA?)


“As many hours as it takes to get the job done.”
What would you do for us?
Relate past success in accomplishing the objectives which are similar to those of the prospective employer.
What has your experience been in supervising people?
Give examples from accomplishments.
Are you a good supervisor?
Draw from your successes. Yes, my people like and respect me personally and professionally. They often comment on how much they learn and develop under my supervision.
Did you ever fire anyone? If so, what were the reasons and how did you handle it?
If you haven’t, say so, but add that you could do it, if necessary.
How have you helped your company?
Refer to accomplishments.
What is the most money you ever accounted for? Largest budget responsibility?
Refer to accomplishments. If you haven’t had budget responsibility, say so, but refer to an accomplishment that demonstrates the same skill.
What’s the most difficult situation you ever faced on the job?
Remember, you’re talking to a prospective employer, not your best friend. Don’t dredge up a catastrophe that resulted in a personal or corporate failure. Be ready for this question by thinking of a story that has a happy ending – happy for you and your company. Never digress into personal or family difficulties, and don’t talk about problems you’ve had with supervisors or peers. You might discuss a difficult situation with a subordinate, provided that the issues were resolved inventively and to everyone’s satisfaction.
Describe some situations in which you have worked under pressure or met deadlines?
Refer to accomplishments. Everyone has had a few of these pressure situations in a career. Behavior-related questions aim at assessing a candidate’s character, attitude, and personality traits by asking for an account of how the candidate handled certain challenging situations. Plan for such questions by making a list of the desirable traits relevant to the needs of the industry or prospective employer and by preparing some job-related stories about your experience that demonstrate a range of those traits and habits of conduct. Before answering the questions, listen carefully and ask any clarifying questions you think necessary. Tell your story and conclude by explaining what you intended your story to illustrate. Finally, ask for feedback: “Does this tell you what you need to know?”
How do you handle rejection?
Rejection is part of business. People don’t always buy what you sell. The tick here is to separate rejection of your product from rejection of yourself: “I see rejection as an opportunity. I learn from it. When a customer takes a pass, I ask him what we could do to the product, price or service to make it possible for him to say yes. Don’t get me wrong: You’ve got to makes sales. But rejection is valuable, too. It’s a good teacher.”
In your present position, what problems have you identified that had previously been overlooked?
Refer to accomplishments
Give an example of your creativity.
Refer to accomplishments.
Give examples of your leadership abilities.
Draw examples from accomplishments.
What are your career goals?
Talk first about doing the job for which you are applying. Your career goals should mesh with the hiring company goals.
What position do you expect to have in two years?
Just say you wish to exceed objectives so well that you will be on a promotable track.
What are your objectives?
(How does the person handle stress? What is their confidence level?)

Refer back to question #48 on goals.
Why should we hire you?
This may sound suspicious, negative, or just plain harsh. Actually, it’s a call for help. The employer wants you to help him/her hire you. Keep your response brief. Recap any job requirements the interviewer may have mentioned earlier in the interview, then, point by point, match your skills, abilities and qualifications to those items. Relate a past experience which represents success in achieving objectives which may be similar to those of the prospective employer.
You may be over-qualified or too experienced for the position we have to offer.
“A strong company needs a strong person.” An employer will get faster return on investment because you have more experience than required.
Why haven’t you found a new position before now?
“Finding the right job takes time. I’m not looking for just any job.”
If you could start again, what would you do differently?
No need to be self-revealing. “Hindsight is 20/20; everyone would make some changes, but I’ve learned and grown from all my decisions.”
How much do you expect if we offer this position to you?
Be careful. If you don’t know the market value, return the question by saying that you would expect a fair salary based on the job responsibilities, your experience and skills and the market value of the job. Express your interest in the job because it fits your career goals – Receptive to a reasonable and competitive offer – don’t talk $’s. It’s always best to put off discussing salary and let PPR Career handle that. ANSWER: I’m open to a competitive offer. I’d prefer to discuss the opportunity and allow my recruiter to handle any salary questions.