In the job hunting competition 2010 organized by ACCA in March, university students had a chance to meet HR professionals face-to-face in a simulated job interview.
The following are some of the questions asked by the judges of the competition who are top management or HR professionals of reputable corporations, including City Telecom (HK) Limited, DBS Bank (HK) Limited, Deacons, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, ICBC (Asia), KPMG, New World Development Company Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Prudential Assurance Co Ltd Hong Kong:
- In a team project, a member does not want to contribute his / her parts. What will you do?
- In an internship, the job duties are different from your expectation, such as doing trivial work of photocopying. What do you think?
- What kind of people do you find difficult to work with and how would you do with them?
- In an internship, no colleague talks to you or initiates to have lunch with you. What will you do?
- Your idea is different from those of other team members. What will you do?
- What is the most ambitious goal you have set so far?
- What kind of skills would you use to solve conflicts?
There is no definite answer to the above questions. Sometimes, however, when candidates are too nervous, they may not know how to answer certain questions. One of the judges, Kwan Chuk-fai, Group Director – Corporate Affairs of New World Development Company Limited, advised the participating students to tell the interviewer that they are not aware of the areas being examined but will learn in the future. He said that even if you have made a mistake or failed in certain part in the interview, do not give up too easily and early.