As you prepare for your job interview, you may be wondering what questions the employer/interviewer is going to ask you. Although there is no way to know for sure what they will ask, there are several kinds of popular interview questions you can expect to be asked and therefore, be prepared to answer. Each interviewer varies and their exact questions differ. However, by preparing for the most common interview questions, you can develop compelling talking points to make a good first impression during your next job interview. In this article, we will tell you what the most common interview questions are and some tips to answer them well.
Common Interview Questions
1. Tell Me About Yourself.
Your interviewer will most likely open with a question about yourself and your background because they want to get to know you. Your answer should begin by giving them an overview of your current position and activities then provide them with the most crucial and relevant highlights from your background that make you qualified for the role.
2. How Would You Describe Yourself?
When your interviewer asks you to talk about yourself, they are looking for information about how your characteristics and qualities align with the skills they believe are essential to succeed in the role. If possible, you should try to include some quantifiable results that demonstrate how you use your best attributes to drive success.
3. Why Do You Want to Work for Us?
Interviewers ask this question as a way to find out whether or not you took the time to research the company and to discover why you see yourself as a good fit for the role. The best way to prepare for this question is to do the research and learn about the company. In your answer, you should use this information.
4. What Interests You About This Role?
Similarly, to the previous question, interviewers include this question to ensure that you understand the role and to highlight your relevant skills. In addition to reading the job description thoroughly, it is a great idea to compare the role requirements against your skills and experience. Pick a few things you enjoy or excel at and focus on those when answering this question.
5. What Motivates You?
Interviewers ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness and to make sure your sources of motivation align with the job. To answer, you should be as specific as possible, providing real-life examples and tie your answer back to the job opportunity.
6. What Are You Passionate About?
Similarly, to the previous question about motivation, interviewers may ask what you are passionate about. This allows them to get a greater understanding of what drives you and what you care most deeply about. In addition, this can help them to understand whether you are a good fit for the role and if it fits into your larger goals. To answer, choose something you are really passionate about, explain exactly why you’re passionate about it and give examples of how you have pursued this passion and relate it back to the job.
7. Why Are You Leaving Your Current Role?
There are many reasons for leaving a job. You should prepare a good answer that will give the hiring manager confidence that you are being deliberate about this job change. Don’t focus on the negative aspects of your current or previous role. Rather, focus on the future and what you hope to gain in your next job role.
8. What Are Your Greatest Strengths?
This question gives you the chance to speak about both your technical and soft skills. To answer, share personal attributes and qualities and then relate them back to the role that you are interviewing for.
9. What Are Your Greatest Weaknesses?
It can feel uncomfortable to discuss your weaknesses in an environment where you are expected to focus on your strengths and accomplishments. However, when answered correctly, speaking about your weaknesses can reveal that you are self-aware and want to continuously improve at your job. Remember to start with the weaknesses and then discuss the measures you have taken to improve on them so you’re finishing on a positive note.
10. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
Understanding how you imagine your life in the coming years can help interviewers to understand whether the trajectory of the role and company fits in with your personal development goals. To answer this question, give general ideas about the skills you wish to develop in the future, the kinds of roles you would like to be in and the things you would like to have accomplished by then.
11. Can You Tell Me About a Difficult Work Situation and How You Overcame it?
This question is generally used to see how well you perform under pressure as well as to assess your problem-solving skills. Keep in mind when answering this question that stories are more memorable than facts and figures. Therefore, strive to show instead of tell. This is also a great way to reveal your human side and how you are willing to go the extra mile without being asked.
12. How Do You Work Under Pressure?
This is the more direct version of the above question. Performing well under pressure can be the difference between an average employee and a brilliant one. You can answer this question similarly to the above question.
13. Why Should We Hire You?
Although this question may be intimidating to some, interviewers typically bring this up to offer you an additional opportunity to explain why you are the best candidate for the role. Your answer needs to address the experience and skills that you offer and why you are a good culture fit.
14. What is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
It is easy to get hung up on figuring out your most impressive accomplishment. Instead, think about a few achievements that showcase both your values and work ethic. If you can think of some examples that tie into the job you are interviewing for, do.
15. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
Interviewers generally ask this question to ensure that your expectations are in line with the amount they have budgeted for the role. If you give a salary range exceedingly lower or higher than the market value of the position, it gives the impression that you do not know your worth. You should research the typical salary ranges for the jobs you are applying for to be prepared.
16. Do You Have Any Questions?
This may be one of the most crucial questions asked during the job interview process because it enables you to explore any topic that has not been addressed and shows that you are excited about the role. At this point, you will have already covered most of the basics about the position and the company so take some time to ask the interviewer questions about their own experiences with the company and get some tips on how you can succeed if you are hired.
