Top 10+ Interview Questions and Answers

The time is now to ace your job interview!

After crafting a standout CV and cover letter and successfully navigating the initial interview, you’re facing the ultimate test: your job interview. Even the bravest among us can feel a bit intimidated by this crucial step. While interviewers often assure you that there are no right or wrong answers, the reality is that they typically seek a specific approach to your responses. To help you prepare and succeed, this guide covers the most common interview questions and provides expert advice on how to answer them effectively. By following the suggested strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to impress your potential employer and land your dream job.

In 2024, being prepared for job interviews is more important than ever, as the competitive job market demands that candidates present themselves confidently and effectively. To help you succeed, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10+ interview questions and answers that are commonly asked by employers. These questions cover a range of topics, from your experience and skills to how you handle challenges and work within a team. By reviewing and practicing these answers, you’ll be better equipped to articulate your strengths and make a lasting impression during your next interview.

Most Common Interview Questions:

• Tell me something about yourself.

• How did you hear about this position?

• Why do you want to work here?

• Why did you decide to apply for this position?

• What is your greatest strength?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• What do you know about this company/organization?

• Why should we hire you?

• What is your greatest accomplishment?

• What are your salary requirements?

• Do you have any questions for us?

• What are you looking for from a new position?

• Are you considering other positions in other companies?

• What is the professional achievement you’re most proud of?

• What kind of working environment do you work best in?

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Situational Job Interview Questions:

• Why haven’t you gotten your Bachelor’s Degree/Master’s Degree/Ph.D.?

• Why have you switched jobs so many times?

• Why did you change your career path?

• Why did you decide to leave your previous/current job?

• Why is there a gap in your work experience?

• Why were you fired?

• How do you feel about working weekends or late hours?

• How would your boss describe you?

• Do you have any serious medical conditions?

• What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days look like in this role?

• Are you a team player?

• Are you a risk-taker?

• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situation?

• Do you think there is a difference between hard work and smart work?

• How quickly do you adapt to new technology?

• Do you have any interests outside of work?

• What do you think our company/organization could do better?

Behavioral Questions in an Interview:

• Give an example of how you have handled a challenge in the workplace before.

• Give an example of when you performed well under pressure.

• Give an example of when you showed leadership qualities.

How to Answer 14 Most Common Interview Questions [+ Sample Answers]

Whether you’re a senior professional with ten years of experience or an intern, you’ll almost always be asked these questions during a job interview.

These inquiries are all designed to find out more about you, both personally and professionally.

You may have heard the fanciful notion that there are no right or incorrect answers to questions asked during a job interview.

While that may be the case, there ARE guidelines that you must adhere to when responding to these questions.

You will be able to provide the appropriate response (and ace that interview!) if you are aware of the particular criteria the interviewer is using to evaluate candidates.

We’ll go over 14 of the most typical job interview questions and responses in this part. We’ll outline the qualities the HR manager is looking for in candidates and provide you with some sample responses you can utilize.

So let’s get going!

1. Tell me something about yourself.

How challenging can talking about oneself be? We carry it out routinely without giving it any attention.

However, hiring supervisors are not interested in your entire life history, your accomplishments in third grade, or what you had for dinner the night before. They are seeking a pitch instead.

As the first question in an interview, this one serves as an introduction for you. Make sure your response relates to the job for which you are applying. Here, your goal should be to position oneself as the most qualified applicant for the position.

As a general rule, format your talking points as follows:

• Introduce yourself briefly: Tell me your name. How long have you been engaged in your [vocation]?
• What about your job do you love?
• Which of your top two or three accomplishments are most pertinent to the position you’re applying for?

2. How did you hear about this position?

Even though this question appears simple at first look, you should take every chance you can to express interest in the organization.

Make it appear as though you have been regularly checking the corporate website for job opportunities, even if you haven’t (in a professional way, of course). Exude curiosity and excitement.

Mention the fact that a corporate employee may have informed you about the opportunity or encouraged you to apply.

If you can receive a trustworthy reference to attest to your abilities, your chances of landing a job will be substantially higher.

Therefore, state their name, their position within the organization, and explain why they invited or suggested that you apply for the post. Inform the hiring supervisors of your excitement for the position and the specifics that drew your attention.

3. Why did you decide to apply for this position?

The purpose of this question is for the interviewers to gauge how enthusiastic you are about the job. And no, it’s not that:

Well, preventing starvation is something I care deeply about.

Or…

Well, you people usually pay a lot, and I needed the money.

The interviewer wants to know how enthusiastic you are about the position or the business. After all, job satisfaction and performance are closely related. Your productivity will increase in direct proportion to how content you are with your job at the organization.

The real kicker is that your enthusiasm will shine through during the interview.

Talking with someone who is enthusiastic about something almost makes you feel as though they are glowing. Additionally, this is a very strong indication to hire the applicant if you are an HR manager who has interviewed hundreds of applicants.

So, make use of this information to your benefit.

Your response to this query should incorporate the following two points:

1. What exactly inspired you to apply for this job.
2. Why is this business? Have you ever heard of them?

4. What are your biggest strengths?

You have two options here: state your real strengths or state what you believe the hiring manager or HR representative wants to hear. Most definitely, we’d advise choosing the first response.

You should limit your response to this question to no more than three strengths. Select 1–2 professional skills that will help you really shine at your career, as well as 1–2 personal (more or less unrelated) skills.

Not sure which of your greatest strengths they are? See which one is ideal for your industry in the table below:

After identifying your skills, support them with an instance or anecdote that demonstrates how you have used them to your advantage at work.

Words are, after all, just that: words. The HR department is unable to determine whether your “natural leadership” is a real strength or only a reflection of how involved you were in your high school class.

This is one of the most typical interview questions, as you surely already know, so be sure you’re ready for it before speaking with the HR manager.

5. What is your biggest weakness?

Oh, this is a hard one as always!

After all, you don’t want to discuss your weaknesses at an interview, therefore the question is sure to be challenging.

Understanding that the interviewers don’t expect you to be perfect can help you answer this question successfully. Everyone has shortcomings, areas for improvement, and defects.

The HR manager’s actual goal in posing this query is to find out:

If you possess the necessary abilities for the position. You won’t be called back if you apply for a job as a server in a crowded restaurant and state that working well under pressure is your worst weakness.
If you are conscious of your own limitations and truly understand them.
False humility-brag weaknesses do not qualify as weaknesses, either. You can’t just claim that your worst flaw is that you strive for perfection or that you work too hard.

The goal in this situation is to identify a weakness that is true, but not one that would prevent you from performing your job. If you’re applying for an accountant employment, you wouldn’t want to claim that you’re lousy at arithmetic, would you?

Mentioning that you are attempting to overcome this issue and are aware of how it negatively impacts you is also a good idea. Just add a benefit as a counterbalance if you can; think of it as two sides of the same coin.

6. What do you know about this company/organization?

A short search on the “About” page of the business or organization should be sufficient, right? Yes and no, I suppose.

Consider this to be an open-ended query. There is only one truly incorrect response in this case:

However, your chances of being recruited will increase the more you understand about the business.

Consider two candidates who are both qualified:

One who is merely applying because they know you pay well and has little interest in your business
Another who has been reading your company blog for a very long time, loves your product, and already has a number of friends who work there
Which would you choose? The second one, specifically!

Therefore, your goal with this interview question is to persuade the hiring manager that you are candidate #2.

How do you do it, then? As a general rule, research the company online before to the interview and find out the following information:

What is the purpose of their offering?
How does the product or service affect people?
what is the culture of the company?
What are the most recent company news stories? What are their results?
And pretty much any other kind of information you can find.

7. Why should we hire you?

Ah, the question that sums up all humble brags.

The fundamental issue at hand is how to sell yourself without appearing haughty, frightened, or needy.

The best course of action in this situation is to avoid extremes. Feel like you’d be a good fit for the position? “You have the right experience,” you say.

Don’t oversell yourself in any way:

I am the most effective salesperson you have ever encountered.

Instead, offer a generalization such, “I’m a fantastic fit for the role because…,” and then go into detail about your background and accomplishments.

These 3 broad points are yours to mention:

How you have a great passion for your job with the organization (and why).
how well your abilities match their needs
how you’re going to assist the business in finding solutions to its current issues. Enhance a metric, establish a procedure, etc.