Common interview questions and answers

Knowing how to answer common interview questions and answers when applying for a job is extremely important. During the application process, one of the best but potentially scariest moments is when you finally get an interview. Whether you’re going to a physical office or preparing for interview questions over the phone or Zoom, feeling prepared to handle the questions you’re asked can help you be less nervous and better prepared to deliver your best self.

In this guide, we’ll help you prepare for an upcoming interview by sharing the most frequently asked interview questions, with helpful tips on how to answer each type of question.

Answering personal interview questions

During an interview, one of the goals of the hiring manager or HR representative is to get to know you. The interviewer hopes to understand your personality and how you view the world through a series of personal questions aimed at understanding who you are. This information will help them determine if you are a good fit for the role and/or the team.

As you prepare, review the following list of personal interview questions:

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.
• What motivates you?
• What is your greatest strength?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Tell me about your work style.
• Tell me about one of the greatest moments of your life.
• Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
• What is your dream job?
• Do you like working in a team?
• Do you enjoy working on projects alone?

Key tips for answering personal questions

You should answer personal questions with a mix of information about yourself and your professional experience. Keep in mind that you want to share enough about yourself to help the interviewer get to know you, but you don’t want to get carried away and share too much. Focus on highlighting the best parts of your personality and let your true self shine through.

For example, you can answer the common question “Tell me a little about yourself” like this:

“I have been working in the marketing industry for over nine years. I started right out of college interning for the AJC agency, where I was a copywriter. Since then, I’ve held multiple marketing roles, each of which has taught me an incredible amount. In my free time, I like to take my two rescue dogs for walks. I am also an avid reader, with a particular love for true crime novels.”

Answering interview questions about previous roles and experience

Most hiring managers will want to know where you’ve worked before, why you’re leaving your current position, and what experience you have that fits the job they’re hiring for. Use the following general questions and tips to prepare to talk about your past experience:

• Why are you leaving your current position?
• Why did you leave/fired from role XYZ?
• What experience do you have that would apply to this role?
• Do you have any educational experience that would apply to this role?
• Why would you be a good fit for this job?
• What specific qualifications do you bring to the table that make you an ideal candidate?
• What were your responsibilities at your last job?

Key tips for answering work experience

Often, the interviewer will review the jobs listed on your resume and ask about specific roles and why you left. Be prepared to share a brief amount of information highlighting why you moved to a new position. Try to keep these answers positive. For example, if you were fired from a job, instead of talking negatively about the experience, you can present it in a positive light. You might point out two things you learned from the experience and how you moved on to something new.

Answering behavioral interview questions

Along with your technical qualifications for a role, the interviewer will want to try to understand how you behave in different scenarios. Behavioral questions are designed to learn about your soft skills and how they align with your hard skills. These are skills that enable you to work well with others and deal with difficult situations. The following are some examples of behavioral questions:

• Tell me about a time when you had to manage a conflict with a colleague.
• Tell me about a time when you ran into a problem at work. How did you decide it?
• What would your previous colleagues say is your greatest strength?
• Describe a time when you felt overwhelmed at work and how did you deal with it?
• How would you motivate a team member who does not want to contribute to a project?
• Tell me about the best boss you ever had and the worst boss you ever had.
• What motivates you?

Key tips for answering behavioral questions

Behavioral questions are also sometimes called STAR interview questions. STAR is a question response format highlighting a situation, task, action, and outcome. This is a great way to create answers to many behavioral questions. For example, if you are asked, “Tell me about a time when you had to manage a conflict with a colleague,” the following is an example of how you might use STAR to answer the question:

• Situation: I had a colleague who was not holding up his end of a project. We were in danger of falling behind because of their inaction.
• Task: For this project, I was responsible for making sure we delivered the presentation to our manager by the given deadline. I was responsible for working with this teammate to extract the data needed to present each claim.
• Action: Seeing that we were behind, I decided to reach out to my colleague to find out why he was not providing me with the information I needed. I set up a 30 minute appointment on our calendar to talk to them face to face. During this call I indicated that I had sent three emails requesting data and that the deadline was approaching. I asked if they had encountered any obstacles and how I could help.
• Result: As a result of our meeting, I found out that my colleague is not receiving my emails due to an error in our server. We quickly went over the information I needed and by the end of the day they had the numbers I needed.

Answering interview questions about your goals

Not only will the hiring manager want to know whether or not you’d be a good fit for a particular job, but they’ll also want to know how you’ll fit in with their company in the long run. To understand more about how you fit into the big picture, they may ask you some of the following general goal-oriented questions:

• Why are you interested in a new role?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• What is your intended career?
• Describe your ideal company culture.

Key tips for answering goals questions

When answering questions about goals, you want to describe how you plan to continue to grow and work toward important professional milestones. Ideally, you want to talk about your future plans in a way that aligns them with the company. For example, if you’re interviewing for a customer representative role and are asked about your intended career, you might respond like this:

“My goal is to start with your company as a customer representative, which will allow me to use my previous experience while gaining new skills. Ideally, I would like to move into a management role down the road. I believe that as my experience grows, my ability to work well with others and motivate my teammates will make me great for a future leadership position.”

This helps the hiring manager see your value not only now, but down the road.

Answering interview questions about salary expectations

If an employer is interested in hiring you, they will need to know whether or not your salary expectations match what they have budgeted for the role. Towards the end of the interview, you may be asked a few questions about how much you expect to earn. The following types of questions help align everyone’s expectations:

• What is your salary / expected hourly pay?
• Are there specific benefits you expect?
• Are you willing to work on a bonus structure?
• Are you willing to work for commission?

Key tips for answering compensation questions

Talking about pay can feel awkward. However, it is important to be honest when answering questions about compensation. If you have specific salary requirements, be clear about them. There’s no need to waste your own time or the company’s time if your expectations aren’t aligned.

Extra tip: ask interview questions

Although most of the interview will involve asking you questions, towards the end of the interview the interviewer may also ask if you have any questions for him. Even if they don’t offer this opportunity, come prepared with a few questions and raise those questions yourself.

Examples of questions you can ask include the following:

• What qualities do you think are important in the ideal candidate for this role?
• What is the company culture like here?
• What is the work/life balance for this role?
• Are there any additional job requirements I should be aware of, such as travel?
• What professional development opportunities does your company provide?