How to Ace The 50 Most Common Interview Questions and Get Hired

Few people find the interview process to be a comfortable one; after all, no one likes to be put on the spot and judged, and our inability to read our interviewer's mind introduces a strong fear of the unknown. In the days and weeks leading up to an interview, most of us therefore get progressively more and more nervous, unsure of what will happen and actively imagining all kinds of “worst case” scenarios.

If you're currently experiencing the above-described feelings of apprehension, take a deep breath and read on: Through practice and preparation, it's possible to both calm your pre-interview nerves and verse yourself on how to interview successfully. The first step is to create a list of common interview questions and answers hiring managers will be asking you on a job interview. Be prepared for these common interview questions by thinking about what your response would be before the interview and practice your responses to feel confident . To aid you in this endeavor, we've created a comprehensive list covering the 50 most common job interview questions and some pointers on how to answer each of them:

1. What are your greatest strengths?

Suggestions for answering: Don't just list your strengths, provide real-world examples of how you've applied them in professional situations.

2. What is your greatest weakness?

Suggestions for answering: Don't try to evade this question; answer it genuinely, but include in your answer an example of how you're working to conquer your weakness.

3. Why are you interested in working for us?

Suggestions for answering: Cite a specific reason why you want to work for the firm in question; for example, if you feel the company is especially innovative, describe a recent advance they've made. If you feel they are particularly successful, mention recent sales figures.

4. Where do you see yourself in five (or ten) years?

Suggestions for answering: Along with asking for an overview of your career goals, your interviewer is trying to ascertain how loyal you intend to be to the company, so make sure your answer includes a reference to still being with the firm in five or ten years' time. Show the interviewer your drive, desire to succeed, motivation and ambition as a professional

5. Why do you want to leave your current company/did you leave the last company you worked for?

Suggestions for answering: Don't bring up money as a reason for your desire to move on to another company and don't say anything negative about your former employer. Highlight better growth opportunities at the company you're applying to, a company culture you resonate with, etc. If you need to explain a termination, keep it brief (e.g., “I was let go due to general downsizing”) and then quickly move on and describe why you wish to work for the company you're interviewing with.

6. What were you doing between [insert dates]?

Suggestions for answering: This question usually comes up if the interviewee has an obvious gap on his or her resume; the best way to dodge it is to make sure that your resume contains a cohesive and continuous timeline of your work history (filling in gaps with things like volunteer work, travel, etc.) If it comes up regardless, explain the reason for your absence from work briefly, but honestly, and then move on.

7. Why should we hire you?

Suggestions for answering: Market yourself by describing what makes you a better hire than your competition.This is your time to STAND OUT.

8. What will you contribute to our company?

Suggestions for answering: Research the company's goals and overall mission and explain how your skills and attributes align with these goals.

9. Are you willing to relocate?

Suggestions for answering: Answer honestly—never say “yes” simply to get the job.

10. What kind of challenges are you seeking professionally?

Suggestions for answering: Mention a skill you've acquired (e.g., a course that you took recently, experience you gained while filling in for a colleague at work) and talk about how you'd like a chance to apply it in the future.

11. What's your greatest accomplishment?

Suggestions for answering: After mentioning the accomplishment, describe how you achieved it.

12. Tell me about a time you failed/made a mistake.

Suggestions for answering: Honestly describe a mistake you made, but make sure to also mention how you solved the problem you created and what you learned from making the mistake.

13. What would you consider to be your “dream job”?

Suggestions for answering: Don't say something flippant like “billionaire CEO.” Instead, use your answer to highlight one of your existing skills, interests, or values; for instance, “I mentioned that I recently acquired experience with [skill]. Presently, my dream is to apply and grow [skill], eventually advancing to [job role].”

14. How did you hear about this opportunity?

Suggestions for answering: Don't give a vague or overly casual answer like “Browsing CareerBuilders.com.” Be specific and showcase your interest, such as by saying, “I was looking for growth opportunities and I read about your recent advance/progress in [field or industry]. After researching your organization, I came to the conclusion that this position would be an excellent fit for both my skills and my current career goals.”

15. During the first 30 day/60 days/90 days of landing the job, what would you most like to accomplish?

Suggestions for answering: Ideally, you should create a 30, 60, 90 day action plan, which you can then discuss with your interviewer when this question arises.

16. Walk me through your resume.

Suggestions for answering: Prepare a succinct summary that covers your resume's main points and memorize it before your interview; this will stop you from giving a “rambling” answer that's likely to bore your interviewer.

17. Tell me about your educational background.

Suggestions for answering: Don't just regurgitate what's on your resume; pick a few highlights from your educational background and include information on how they've helped you excel professionally.

18. Tell me about yourself.

Suggestions for answering: Don't talk about your life story/relationships/hobbies; describe how you entered your industry and how you've progressed professionally.

19. Tell me how you've handled a challenging situation in the past.

Suggestions for answering: Don't go into a time when you lost your temper at work or fell out with a coworker; pick a task-based problem and explain how you came up with a creative and insightful solution to it. Give the interviewer a detailed, clear and concise challenging situation or problem that you solved. Use one of the three Job Interview Problem-Solving Formula's to clearly explain the situation to the interviewer. STAR Method (S=situation, T=task, A=action, R=result), CAR Method (C=challenge, A=action, R=result), PAR Method (P=problem, A=action, R=result).

20. What do you expect from your boss/manager/supervisor?

Suggestions for answering: Don't use this is an opportunity to vent (directly or indirectly) about things your past boss did to make you irate. Talk about what empowers you at work instead.

21. Why are you looking for a new job?

Suggestions for answering: Avoid talking about money or talking at length about why you were dismissed from your previous job; instead, talk about a desire for new opportunities and reiterate what drew you to the organization you're applying to.

22. Are you willing to work holidays/weekends?

Suggestions for answering: You should answer this question based on what you know about your industry—does the position you're applying for demand that employees work long or flexible hours? If it does, you should be willing to adjust your schedule accordingly. If you have a valid reason (e.g. religious reasons) why you can't work holidays and weekends, make sure to explain that clearly.

23. How would you deal with an angry/difficult customer?

Suggestions for answering: Tell the hiring manager that you would remain calm and practice “active listening” until the angry customer's complaints were addressed. If you have successfully dealt with a difficult customer before, describe how you handled that situation.

24. What kind of salary do you expect?

Suggestions for answering: Either mention the average salary earned by people working in the kind of role you hope to be hired for, or simply say that money isn't one of your primary motivators at the moment—matters of salary can be worked out at a later time. “Say I, want to show you the value that I will bring to this company as an employee first and then we can discuss salary”.

25. Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond in order to complete a project.

Suggestions for answering: This answer should be fairly straightforward; however, be careful to avoid citing any examples where you might have acted outside of company policy.

26. Who are our competitors?

Suggestions for answering: Make sure that you have adequately researched the organization's competitors; also mention how you feel the organization differs from them.

27. What interests you most about this position?

Suggestions for answering: Don't mention the proffered salary or flexible hours; talk about one of your skills and how you hope to build upon it if you're chosen for the job.

28. What motivates you?

Suggestions for answering: Stick to something that's applicable in the professional realm, e.g. “Tight deadlines motivate me to work more efficiently.”

29. What’s your availability like?

Suggestions for answering: Like the question about working weekends and holidays, this is another answer that should be based on the needs of your industry; you don't, for example, have much chance of landing work in a busy restaurant if you state your availability as being strictly 9-5. Settle on a realistic work-life balance that reflects the dynamics of your field.

30. Tell me about your mentor.

Suggestions for answering: Once again, you'll want to choose something based in the professional realm—an old boss or manager who inspired you, for example, and not your favorite Uncle who taught you how to fish.

31. Tell me about a time when you and your boss/manager/supervisor disagreed.

Suggestions for answering: Choose an example where you and your former boss/manager/supervisor both exemplified excellent communication skills and came to a productive, positive compromise.

32. How do you work under pressure?

Suggestions for answering: Don't be general or vague (e.g., “Great”); talk about how, exactly, you have productively handled high-stress situations in the past.

33. What's the name of our current CEO?

Suggestions for answering: This question is a simple test to make sure you've researched the company—if you've followed this guide, you should pass with flying colors. (It will also be helpful to know what said CEO has achieved recently and a bit about his or her history with the company.)

34. What are your career goals?

Suggestions for answering: Keep your answer focused on the long-term value you hope to add to the company; don't choose an unrealistic goal and don't say anything that will make you look like a possibly temporary employee (e.g., “I'd like to one day finish up my masters degree.”)

35. What was the least rewarding part of your previous job?

Suggestions for answering: Don't pick a task that may be part of the position you're applying for; choose something unrelated and make sure to end off your answer on a positive note (i.e., talk about how you adjusted to the unsavoury duty, or mention that it was only “less” rewarding because the rest of the job was so enjoyable).

36. Why have you decided to leave your current job?

Suggestions for answering: If you're currently employed, this question is likely to arise. Make sure to avoid stating anything unflattering about your current place of work; keep your answer brief and mention the better opportunities you believe the company you're applying to can provide.

37. What were your last boss's strengths and weaknesses?

Suggestions for answering: Focus on your old boss's strengths rather than his or her weaknesses and make sure to mention how you and your boss addressed his or her weaknesses positively and productively.

38. Which area would your former boss/manager/supervisor say you most need to work on improving?

Suggestions for answering: If you have already answered the “greatest weakness” question, state that your boss would agree with your assessment of your greatest weakness (if you haven't, bring up your primary weakness now), then describe how your boss helped you overcome said challenge.

39. Are you more of a leader or a follower?

Suggestions for answering: Always talk about your leadership qualities (giving real-world examples), never state that you're a follower. Remember, there are many different ways to “lead”; even if you don't like to manage other people, if you take the “lead” when solving technical problems as they arise during projects, that's a leadership quality you should talk about.

40. What was the last book you read?

Suggestions for answering: If possible, pick a title that's related to your industry; if not, choose something that reflects your personality accurately. This is one of the few interview questions where it's acceptable to choose an example from your personal life.

41. What kind of co-worker do you dislike working with?

Suggestions for answering: Don't list negative traits you noticed in past coworkers; simply state that you've gotten along with everyone you've worked with, or say you believe that any differences between team members can be overcome with open and honest communication.

42. What are your hobbies?

Suggestions for answering: As when answering the “last book” question, it's ideal if you can pick something related to your industry, but if not, just answer honestly.

43. What's your favorite website?

Suggestions for answering: Choose a respected news outlet covering your industry.

44. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?

Suggestions for answering: Once again, you'll want emphasize the positive and make sure anything that you say you don't enjoy doing will not be a part of the position you're applying for.

45. Is there anything in a professional setting that makes you uncomfortable?

Suggestions for answering: Stick to a generic answer like, “People violating company policy,” rather than relating an actual negative experience you've had with a boss or coworker.

46. Tell me about some of the leadership experiences you've had?

Suggestions for answering: As mentioned in question-and-answer #39, there are many different ways to “lead,” so even if you haven't acted in a classic leadership role, you should be able to produce a relevant example that showcases your leadership skills.

47. How would you fire someone?

Suggestions for answering: Don't belabor this question by asking about the circumstances surrounding the firing; give a brief, clear (but compassionate) answer that reflects the company's protocol for letting employees go.

48. How would you describe your working style/pace?

Suggestions for answering: Don't emphasize speed specifically; most employers care more about accuracy. “Efficient, but with a close attention to detail,” is a good general theme to include in your response.

49. What questions haven’t I asked you?

Suggestions for answering: Your interviewer isn't really concerned that he or she has forgotten to ask you a relevant question; the aim of this enquiry is to test your creative thinking skills. The best way to prepare for this question is to memorize the common interview questions contained in this guide, then invent a few unconventional (but insightful) possible interview questions of your own.

50. What questions do you have for me?

Suggestions for answering: Always have questions to ask the interviewer. Don't slip up by asking something that could easily be learned by reading the company's website; ask something industry-related, such as asking in-depth questions about a recent advance the organization has made, or a product or service it has debuted. Have a list of 10-15 well- thought out prepared questions that you will ask the interviewer about such things as describe a typical work day, career growth, roles and responsibilities of the position, how is job performance measured, who would you report to, describe the culture and management style, what is your managers expectations for you as a new employee for the first 30-60-90 days of employment, etc.

Additional Interview Tips: Research And Rehearse

As you have no doubt surmised from the “suggested answers” above, it's absolutely essential to do as much research as possible into the company you're applying to prior to your job interview. Learn all you can about what they do, what they stand for, the “key players” in the organization, etc. and script your answers to reflect your knowledge. This will demonstrate passion, dedication, and strong research and critical thinking skills.

Finally, don't just write out personalized answers to the 50 common interview questions contained in this guide and then read over them a few times; for optimum recall, you'll need to rehearse your answers as you would rehearse for a play. Get someone else to act in the role of interviewer and practice reciting your responses until they flow naturally and easily. Remember, you can never be too prepared for your job interview. “Preparation and job interview strategy is the key to your interview success”, Robert Moment, The Get Hired Expert and Interview Coach.

Get hired for jobs by acing the most common interview questions.

Robert Moment is a Get Hired Expert and Author who specializes in job interview coaching that help ambitious people get hired for jobs and make more money. Robert is the author of How to Write a Cover Letter: Cover Letter Writing Tips and Examples That Will Land You a Job Interview and How to Answer Interview Questions: 100 Most Common Interview Questions and Answers You Need to Get Hired for Jobs. Visit www.HowtoInterviewTips.com and sign up for the FREE 7 day e-course, titled, “How to Interview for a Job and Get Hired”.