What are some of the smartest answers you've ever given to an interviewer?

well.....It was in the final round of my interview with the CEO of that company who had made up his mind to pin me down.Since I was to work with a Area Manager who was younger to me and I had agreed to work at a lower position than what I had already been working at in my previous organization.The questions that he posed me were as following;

-How do you see fitting your self working at a  postion lower than what you have held previously?

My answer to this was that I see this to my advantage as it will give me chance to know the company and its working from the root level and prepare me better for an anticipated bigger role in the comapny. 

Another question was

-Do you think you will be comfortable working and taking orders from your boss who is youger to you.Hoow owuld you take it?

I replied it by posing a counter question to CEO by asking that  how would you feel that my boss has a subordinate who is quite  experienced and could be of great help to him in his daily tasks.And also he will need less effort to supervise and train me and use his time more efficiently concenatrating on othe important tasks.

Show/demonstrate,

That you have researched the company :eg. read the company annual report which may or may not be available on-line. Be aware of the organisations "profile", current projects,number of employees,Locations world-wide, any Industry awards achieved. Be aware of the management structure, key Personnel CEO/HR/etc. This demonstrates you have researched the company you hope to join, shows motivation, initiative etc. When asked "What personal qualities can you bring to the company"? dont lie, but emphasise loyalty/results driven/team player/ambition/etc.

There are actually no such thing as smart answer on interviews. You just need to figure out how you would deliver the requirements that the employer need for the said job. You must sell yourself on why they should choose you among the hundreds of candidates applying for the same position. You must trim yourself to fit on their culture that is the truth.

• They are honest and candid answers – the best way to succeed in an interview is to be the best possible version of you (and no one else). Represent your experiences honestly and accurately and be forthcoming about what you know and don’t know. At the end of the day, you’re doing yourself (and the company) a big disservice by pretending to be someone you’re not – it all comes out in the end anyway.
• Always give examples – Whether you are asked to or not, always back up your statements with examples. It shows a lot more depth and is SO much more convincing. For example, if I say “I’m good at using data to convince people to adopt new processes” the interviewer just has to take my word for it. But if I then give an example of a concrete time when I did that, they are going to have context, more color, and are much more likely to really believe me.
• Don't pretend you're perfect - An important part of answering these questions is showing self awareness and humility.  I don't think anyone wants to work with someone who thinks they are 100% perfect so make sure you show that you're human.  I think it's more of a red flag to have no flaws (versus giving an honest answer when that question is asked).

Well am working as a Sr. HR Executive in one of the SME in Pakistan.

My interview was a panel interview conducted by top management employees including CEO of the company.

They asked me that they have number of Management and Non-Management staff, and oftenly their employee has been into fight with each other and we don't know how to co-op with them. So in this scenario What you will do if you replace one of our HR Manager?

I simply answer them that company must have their HR policies and certain SOP's to make things in a right way.

Reply was YES.

So definitely i will study those standards and will make my decision according to those. although i can manage these issue on my personal decisions but most important thing is that companies rules and regulations should be follow and according to them i ll make my decision.

I want to be hired if my qualifications and experiences are an asset to the company and I can enhance my career growth as well.

I will share a few instances as I love interviews and have sat through a lot of them:

Once an interviewer asked me that why should they hire me if i dont have the required experience. I responded that for a sales position you need to see what I can bring to the table- what selling skills i possess and what credentials i have. Selling skills are the ones difficult to master. The technical aspect or the product knowledge can easily be picked up in a matter of time by learning hands on and by inital product training. (It worked!!)

Once an interviewer told me has only 30 mins for the interview and gave me 15 mins to talk about myself and kept 15 for himself to question me. I prepared a presentation of all my skills, experience, responsibilities, achievements and how I can contribute towards the company growth in line with the its vision. It took me 20 mins and he did not stop me, but the interview was over in 20 mins flat without any questions. I was asked to come for the next round with the HR.

Once the panel asked about what I knew about their company. I had researched a bit and spoke about the company for about 5 mins including a lot of infortmation that even the panel was not aware about. That was when I could see them already exchanging glances and making a positive decision on my candidature. Bottom line is- researching in advance about the company and the position helps and projects you as a serious candidate.

WILL STICK TO THE COMPANY POLICY AND GOAL

I know it sounds silly but I don't think preparing for an interview is the best way to go about things. I think just showing up with a clear mind and positive attitude is the best way to clear a stressful interview. Preparation will not allow you to be yourself and force you to respond with rehearsed answered that may not be exactly to the point. 

I don't think trying to outsmart the interviewer is the best way to go about it either, I find myself getting annoyed when someone does it and smirks in triumph. Gosh! Anyway, I think .. "The smartest answers are the right ones put in the most polite manner." There you go.. All the best!