Before the interview for a dream job, preparation has paramount importance in your success. Whereas you don’t have to memorize all job interview questions and answers, you should take some time to think over them.
Frequently Asked Interview Questions and Best Answers
There is a list of the most basic interview questions recruiters usually ask the majority of their candidates. You cannot predict all job interview questions, but you can be sure some of these 30 questions will be asked for sure. The main task for you is to think of the good interview answers in advance. This task is very challenging for all job seekers, especially if they find out that not all answers they prepare are right. We will show you the best ways you can answer these interview questions to make you the best candidate among others. Be ready to ace the forthcoming job interview.
1. Tell Me About Yourself
This one is among top common interview questions you could get. While answering questions like this don’t tell recruiters all your professional and personal history. Let your answer be concise and compelling; talk only about several best specific achievements.
2. Why Are You Applying For This Position?
Thinking over good answers to interview questions is crucial. This question is essential for a potential employer. To come up with the best interview answers, you should carefully research the company first. The right one can be found in your job description or on the company’s website.
3. Why Should We Hire You?
This one is also among frequently asked interview questions that allow you to stand out and tell recruiters why you are the best fit for the position. Explain how you can help a company achieve great results, what are your hard skills and what previously gained knowledge you are ready to implement.
4. Why Do You Want to Work With Us?
Recruiters always want to hire motivated people passionate about the job they applied for. Think of all things that make you want to get a specific position. Standard interview questions like this one are aimed at discovering the main reasons why you want to collaborate with a particular employer.
5. What Motivates You?
It is one of the most popular interview questions that recruiters pay a lot of attention to. HR managers want to know what encourages you to work hard and be a better employee. Show your professional interest and willingness to achieve good results.
6. Why Are You a Great Fit For This Job?
What makes you a perfect candidate for the job? A great answer to interview questions should be generic and backed up with concrete examples from your career life. Showcase a problem you have faced and what solution you came up with to solve it.
7. What Are Your Main Strengths?
The answer must be as accurate as possible. Don’t talk about the features a recruiter wants to hear, but your real strengths that will be the most relevant to a particular position accompanied with suitable examples.
8. What Are Your Main Weaknesses?
The primary purpose of this tricky question is to reveal the level of your honesty and self-awareness. Think of a thing that you struggle with, but you work on it to improve your working performance.
9. What Is Your Main Professional Achievement?
Nothing is more convincing for HR managers than a track record of your professional achievements. Don’t be shy! Remember to give some background to recruiters how you achieved it and, if possible, add some results in numbers.
10. Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?
This question is a tough one, but be sure that recruiters will ask you about reasons you left or want to leave your current workplace. Don’t be negative about your previous employer. Tell that you are ready to take a new, more challenging step in your career.
11. Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Be specific regarding your goals for the nearest future. Keep in mind that this question helps a hiring manager to determine whether your career expectations are realistic and whether you have professional ambitions or not.
12. What Is Your Management Style?
Most successful managers are quite active, but, at the same time, they are flexible enough. That’s what you have to include in your answer. Share your best managerial experience and tell how you managed to achieve growth.
13. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
You should do some research and look at the median salary offered on the job market for similar positions. Don’t underestimate yourself. Mention the highest number in a salary range if it corresponds to your skills and experience. Let recruiters know that you are flexible and are open to negotiating.
14. How Do You Cope With Pressure or Stress?
Answer in a way that will show you can deal with stressful situations and can take everything under control. Describe your tactics to reduce tension or stress level. Of course, back it up with a real-life situation.
15. How Did You Find Out About This Opening?
An employer always wants to hire a person who wants to work at their company and not just to get any random job. Tell recruiters that you explored online job listings, have heard about an opening at a job fair or from your colleague.
16. Why Were You Fired?
This question is only for those candidates who were pushed out from the previous job. Try to be honest - never lie to a recruiter. Instead, explain how the previous experience helped you grow your expertise and how you can implement it now.
17. Why Did You Have a Gap in Your Employment?
If for some reason you were unemployed r for a certain period, then HR managers will ask you why it happened so. Explain that you took this time to hone your existing professional skills and to acquire new ones, or that you volunteered or took an online course.
18. What Is Your Perfect Type of Work Environment?
Recruiters would love to hear that the perfect working environment for you is similar to theirs. However, you should never apply for jobs that you don’t want to work at (or don’t like their work culture) in the first place.
19. What Our Company Could Do Better or Differently in Your Opinion?
This question is common for startups. Hiring managers assess your ability to think critically and come up with unconventional ideas. Share your thoughts regarding all aspects relevant to the company.
20. What Do You Want to Achieve in the First 90 Days?
You will need some time to get to know the company, its culture, pass some training period. However, you should understand what results you are planning to achieve in the first three months. Think over this question carefully.
21. Why You Changed Your Career Path?
This question might seem daunting, but in fact, there is no big deal. Just explain to recruiters why you have made this career decision. It can happen to anyone. Figuring out what you want to do in your life is excellent, and changing your career path is inevitable in this case.
22. What Did You Like About Your Last Job?
Be specific about the things that you liked, whether it was company culture, colleagues, or opportunities for professional growth. Tell everything and provide lots of examples. Explain how these advantages helped you achieve effective job performance.
23. What You Didn’t Like About Your Last Job?
Try to avoid negative comments regarding your management, boss, colleagues, or company in general. Tell more about how you grew professionally and how you wanted to keep getting new experience and tackle new professional challenges that your company couldn’t offer anymore.
24. Tell About a Challenge or Conflict at Work, and How You Coped With It
Your answer will show recruiters how you respond to a conflict situation. You might seem friendly and pleasant during a job interview; however, what happens to you if a conflict occurs? Describe a real-life situation with a focus on how you handled the situation and what resolution or compromise you have come up with.
25. What Is Your Dream Job?
With this question, an HR manager wants to find out whether the job is a perfect fit for you and aligns with your professional goals. Tell a recruiter about your ambitions and goals and how this job can help you get closer to it.
26. What Other Employers Are You Interviewing With?
They need to know whether you’re serious about the industry. Mention that you are interviewing with companies in the same career field and include characteristics common for all companies and employers you are looking for.
27. How Would Your Manager and Team Members Describe You?
In some cases, your potential employer can call your former boss to find out more about you. So when answering this question, try to be honest. Try to include your main professional and personal strengths.
28. What Are Your Hobbies and Interests?
Recruiters need to know you not just as a professional but as a person who will work closely in a team and should fit into the company’s culture. Showcase your personality, tell about your interest and hobbies, and try to be specific.
29. Are You Planning on Having Children?
Questions regarding family, nationality, religion, gender are illegal, but at the same time, these get asked frequently enough. Your main task is to tie any kind of personal questions back to career life and a job opening you are discussing.
30. Do You Have Any Questions?
This one is last but not the least essential interview question. Now it’s your time to find out whether this job is a perfect match for you. You have not just to be ready with answers to job interview questions, but to prepare the list of questions you want to ask recruiters beforehand. They will appreciate it.
