Common Job Interview Questions

The following questions frequently come up during an interview. The exact wording can be different, but the ideas behind them are the same. It is important to review the questions before the interview to become more familiar with your own qualifications as well as your ability to demonstrate how you can benefit an employer.

Sample Questions

1. Tell me about yourself

Guaranteed to be a question. Be prepared to give an organized answer. Make a statement of your education and professional achievements and professional goals. Then, briefly describe your qualifications for the job and the contributions you could make to the organization.

2. Why are you considering leaving your current position?

This is a very critical question. Don’t “bad mouth” previous employers. Explain that you owe it to yourself and your family to explore opportunities that are in line with your personal and professional goals, but don’t sound “too opportunistic”. If appropriate you may state that your chance to make a contribution is very low at your present company. Attempt to score points!

3. What do you consider your most significant accomplishment?

This can get you the job. Prepare extensively. Tell a two-minute story, with details and discuss personal involvement. Make the accomplishment worth achieving. Discuss hard work, long hours, pressure, and important company issues at stake. Discuss a situation where you turned-around a problem.

4. Why do you believe you are qualified for this position?

Pick two or three main factors about the job and yourself that are most relevant. Discus for two minuets using specific details. Select a technical skill, a specific management skill (organizing, staffing, planning) and a personal success attribute to mention.

5. Have you ever accomplished something you didn’t think you could?

Interviewer is trying to determine your goal orientation, work ethic, personal commitment, and integrity. Provide a good example where you overcame numerous difficulties to succeed. Prove you’re not a quitter and you will “get going when the going gets tough.”

6. What do you like/ dislike most about your career position?

Interviewer is trying to determine compatibility with open position. If you have interest in position be careful. Stating you dislike overtime or getting into the details, or that you want to move into “management” can cost you the position. There is nothing wrong with liking challenges, pressure situations, opportunity to grow, or disliking bureaucracy and frustrating situations.

7. How do you handle pressure? Do you like or dislike these situations?

High achievers tend to perform well in high-pressure situations. Conversely, question also could imply that position is pressure packed and out of control. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you know what you’re getting into. If you do perform well under stress, provide a good example with details, giving an overview of the stress situation. Let the interviewer “feel” the stress by your description of it.

8. The sign of a good employee is the ability to take initiative. Can you describe situations like this about yourself?

The proactive, results-oriented person doesn’t have to be told what to do. This is one of the major success attributes. To convince the interviewer you possess this trait, you must give a series of short examples describing the self-motivation. Try to discuss at least one example in-depth. The extra effort, strong work ethic and creative side of you must be demonstrated.

9. What is the worst or most embarrassing aspect of your business career? How would you have done things differently now with 20/20 vision?

This is a general question to learn how introspective you are, also to see if you can learn from your mistakes. If you can, it indicates an open, more flexible personality. Don’t be afraid to talk about your failures, particularly if you’ve learned from them. This is a critical aspect of high potential individuals.

10. How have you grown or changed over the past few years?

This requires thought. Maturation, increased technical skills, or increased self-confidence are important aspects of human development. To discuss this effectively is indicative of a well-balanced, intelligent individual. Overcoming personal obstacles, or recognizing manageable weakness can brand you as an approachable and desirable employee.

11. What do you consider your most significant strengths?

Be prepared. Know your four or five key strengths. Be able to discuss each with a specific example. Select those attributes that are most compatible with the job opening. Most people say “management” or “good interpersonal skills” in answer to this. Don’t, unless you can describe the specific characteristics of management (planning, organizing, results, staffing, etc.) or how your relationship skills have proven critical to your success.

12. What do you consider you most significant weaknesses?

Don’t reveal deep character flaws. Rather discuss tolerable faults, which you are working towards improving. Show by specific example how this can be changed over time. Better still, show how a weakness can be turned into a strength. For example, how concentration on details results in higher quality work even though it requires a lot of overtime.

13. Deadlines, frustrations, difficult people, and silly rules can make a job difficult. How do you handle these types of situations?

Unfortunately, most companies face these types of problems daily. If you can’t deal with petty frustrations you’ll be seen as a problem. You certainly can state your displeasure at the petty side of these issues, but how you overcome them is most important. Diplomacy, perseverance, and common sense can often prevail even in difficult circumstances. This is part of corporate America and you must be able to deal with it on a regular basis.

14. One of our biggest problems is... What has been your experience with this? How would you deal with it?

Think on your feet. Ask questions to get details. Break your response into sub-parts. Answer the sub-parts and summarize the total. State how you would go about solving the problem, if you can’t answer directly. Be specific. Show your organizational and analytical skills.

15. How do you compare your technical skills to your management skills?

Many people tend to minimize their technical skills, either because they don’t have any or they don’t like getting into detail. Most successful managers possess good technical skills and get into enough detail to make sure they understand the information being presented by their group. Try for good balance here if you want to get seriously considered for the position.

16. How has your technical ability been important in accomplishing results?

Clearly the interviewer believes he needs a strong level of technical competence. Most strong managers have good technical backgrounds, even if they have gotten away from the detail. Describe specific examples of your technical wherewithal, but don’t be afraid to say you are not current. Also, could give example of how you resolved a technical issue by “accelerated research.”

17. How would you handle a situation with tight deadlines, low employee morale, and inadequate resources?

If you pull this off effectively, it indicates you have strong management skills. You need to be creative. An example would be great. Relate your toughest management task, even if it doesn’t meet all the criteria. Most situations don’t. Organizational skills, interpersonal skills, and handling pressure are key elements of effective management. Good managers should be able to address each issue, even if they were not current. Deftly handling this question is pretty indicative of your skills, too.

18. Are you satisfied with your career to date? What would you change if you could?

Be honest. Interviewer wants to know if he can make you happy. It’s important to know if you’re willing to make some sacrifices to get your career on the right track. Degree of motivation is an important selection criteria.

19. What are your career goals? Where do you see yourself in five years from now? Ten years?

Most importantly, be realistic! Pie in the sky stuff brands you as immature. Answer that your goal is success at the job we’re talking about and the future will unfold based on accomplishment.

20. Why should we hire you for this position? What kind of contribution would you make?

Good chance to summarize. By now you know the key problems. Relate and show how you would address key problems. Relate to specific attributes and specific accomplishments. Qualify responses with the need to gather information. Don’t be cocky. Demonstrate a thoughtful, organized, and strong attitude.