For many individuals seeking new employment, one of the most stressful aspects of a job hunt is nailing the interview. Your in-person performance before your potential employer could make or break your chances of being hired, and provides you with the best opportunity to sell yourself on merit, personality, and knowledge of the field. But, in order to do all of that, you’ll first need to answer a few common interview questions that you should expect when applying for most roles. These questions range from simple yes or no answer sets to more elaborate inquiries into your work experience and employment history.
While the most common interview questions are designed to give your employer a full picture of your personality and capability, some can be quite tricky to traverse. That challenging aspect doesn’t bode well for those already anxious about the job application and onboarding process.
That’s where we come in with the following list of the most common interview questions, in order to put your mind at ease and help you to not overthink the process too hard before your next big interview. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll be asked all of these questions, it’s safe to assume that you’ll hear a variation of these prompts during your inaugural meetings with your new employers, so it’s definitely worth studying them and preparing some possible responses.
The Basic Questions
1. “Can you tell me a bit about yourself?”
This question serves primarily as an icebreaker, but it still offers plenty of space for you to sell yourself. Offer some nebulous terms like “hard-working,” “punctual,” and “goal oriented,” but also throw in a fun fact about where you’re from or how you wound up in your chosen field.
Remember that a job interview is about testing your candidacy as an office culture fit just as much as it is probing your ability to perform in your role, so let your winning personality shine through!
2. What makes you want to work for this company?
Obviously, you don’t want to be caught off guard by this question and provide a basic answer such as “for the money,” even if that’s the only reason you applied. Do some research on the company before your interview, and take a moment to determine how the product or service is meaningful to you in some way. Does this job make you feel like you’re contributing something significant to society? Does it bring you closer to family members who work in this field? Maybe you’re interested in taking this job because you’d like to stay with the company and rise through the ranks.
If all else fails, check out their corporate mission statement and try to cook up an explanation as to why you feel that this specific company is making a difference.
3. What skills/expertise can you bring to this company?
This question is a brief temperature check that allows you to brag a little bit. Be sure to take this opportunity to highlight some of your greatest skills and achievements, including those earned in school, in past workplaces, and in your personal life, so long as they’re relevant to the position.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
This common interview question simply gives your employer an idea of your future goals, which obviously vary depending on what industry you’re in and for what job you’re applying. Generally speaking, this is a great time to counter with your own questions about opportunities to grow within the company.
If you’re still putting yourself through school or working towards another long-term goal, don’t be afraid to reveal this to your employer, as long as it doesn’t make you sound like the kind of person who will leave the job for another opportunity a few short months down the line.
The Open-Ended Questions
5. Can you tell me about your past work experience?
During your job interview, your prospective boss will almost certainly inquire about previous workplaces listed on your resume. If this is your first formal job, take this as an opportunity to describe how your schooling, hobbies, and volunteer work have primed you to be an effective employee.
For those with extensive work history, briefly walk through your roles and requirements at past workplaces, and be sure to elaborate on any leadership experience or unique tasks you fulfilled within those roles. If there are any gaps in your resume, those may come up as well.
6. Why are you leaving your previous job?
Here, your employer is seeking to understand your boundaries and goals, while also double checking to make sure you haven’t been recently fired for poor performance. As with any of these common interview questions, the best answer is almost always the truth. That said, do try to stress that your decision to leave your previous job has more to do with personal growth than something petty like a beef with your old boss.
7. What is your greatest professional achievement?
Despite the common nature of this interview question, it still catches people off guard quite regularly. Be sure to refresh your memory before your interview and come prepared with a story about how you brightened a customer’s day, went above and beyond for a client, or assisted your coworkers on a project that enriched the lives of everyone involved.
8. What was your biggest workplace challenge, or biggest mistake?
This question flips the script on the previous one by asking you to recount a time that you’ve failed in some way. Obviously, nobody is perfect, and communication breakdowns or other inter-office conflicts are sometimes unavoidable. The important detail to stress when answering this question is how you overcame your mistakes, learned from them, and moved ahead as a forward-thinking, experienced, and more cautious employee. Make sure to express that your biggest challenges have served as some of your finest learning experiences, paving the path toward your future success.
The Trick Questions
9. What is your greatest weakness?
The question “what is your greatest strength” is probably one of the easiest to answer, as it provides a platform to brag about how you’re rarely late, well dressed, surgical with your tasks, and adept at working solo or alongside a team. The follow-up question however, is designed to trick you into revealing something negative about your workplace performance.
Whatever you do, don’t try to argue that you have no flaws whatsoever, as that would give off the impression that you lack introspection or self awareness. Most people try to take this as a time to offer something that is actually a strength in the eyes of an employer, like “I work too hard and it eats up my family time,” “I finish my tasks too quickly,” or “I’m too focussed on customer care to engage with office politics.”
10. Can you recall a time where you disagreed with a management decision?
This is another tricky question, as your employer is likely trying to see if you’re frequently insubordinate. If you do have a relevant anecdote to answer this common interview question, be sure to stress your pro-company and pro-customer stance, while highlighting that your disagreement was fundamentally based on your unwavering dedication to doing the right thing.
11. What is your current salary?
Believe it or not, this common interview question is actually illegal to ask in several states across the U.S., including New York, California, Massachusetts, and others. Still, many interviewees face this uncomfortable wage inquiry. Tread carefully, or you’ll end up undervalued in your new workplace.
While it isn’t advisable to outright lie when answering any of these questions, you can always deflect from discussing hard numbers by asking your employer to clarify the industry standard wage for your prospective position. Be aware that it may be a significant red flag if your interviewer refuses to move on from this question without hearing exact financial figures on your end.
12. Can you work holidays, nights, and weekends?
Maybe it’s not the end of the world for you to make round-the-clock space in your schedule, though it’s still a good idea to politely yet firmly inform your boss of your availability in no uncertain terms. If certain schedules are a deal-breaker for you, don’t go to the trouble to get hired just to reach a stalemate during your first few weeks on the job.
If this question does come up during your interview, explain that you’re flexible to suit the needs of the business within reason, but try not to outright agree to a 24/7 on-call position unless they’re offering you a mouthwatering sum of money and some impeccable benefits.
The Frivolous Questions
13. What are your hobbies outside of work?
This, as well as the next few common interview questions on this list, is designed to probe your personality more than your actual job performance. Sometimes employers ask about your hobbies to get an idea of your off-day availability as well. After all, it would be substantially more difficult to call someone in for overtime hours when they’re deep-sea fishing than it would to call them away from a bowling alley.
14. What is your passion? Is This your dream job?
This question seeks to identify your long term goals, much like the previously mentioned 5-10 year plan question. Depending on the industry, it may be standard to stay in one role or one company for years at a time. Of course, if you’re interviewing for an entry level position, you likely have dreams to ascend the corporate ladder, in this field or another.
15. What should I know about you that isn’t on your resume?
What do you wish more people knew about you? Here’s your chance to make sure your prospective employer knows that you hold a Tetris world record, a 4.0 GPA, or any other details that aren’t printed on your resume or cover letter. Remember that interviews are all about selling yourself, so feel free to get bold with it, within reason.
16. Can you sell me this pen?
Speaking of selling, here’s a common interview question for those seeking a sales job. This method, as depicted in the hit film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” tasks you with putting your sales skills to the test in real time, by pitching your interviewer on the pen that they’re already using. Usually this prompt is more of a fun way to test your wit and ability to think on your feet. However, it also give you a chance to highlight your excellent salesmanship skills.
Closing Questions
17. When are you ready to start?
If all goes according to plan, you may be offered the job right on the spot as your interview concludes. Most offices would be more than happy to get you up and running as soon as possible. However, most employers make accomodations for those needing time to put in notice at their previous gig. Don’t fret if this doesn’t come up right away. Your interviewer may need to process some additional paperwork and run background checks before officially committing to offering you the position.
18. Do you have any questions for me?
9 times out of 10, a job interview will conclude with your prospective employer extending the opportunity for you to ask questions of your own. It is always a good sign when you have a few well thought out queries prepared in advance, so be sure to take advantage of this time. Afrotech has previously covered a list of the best interview questions to ask an employer, so be sure to read that write-up if you need some quick inspiration. With any luck, this guide to the most common interview questions will assist you in entering your next interview confident and free of fear.
