Interviews are never easy. Every company will ask you different questions, but there are several that come up fairly often in the process. Below are 50 common questions asked during job interviews, and click on the source for information and tips on coming up with the best answer.
About You
- Tell me about yourself. (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- List five words that describe your character. (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- What are your strengths? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Do you consider yourself successful? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- What are your weaknesses? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What are your activities and interests outside of work? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Have you ever considered starting your own business? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- How do you handle criticism? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- What can you offer us that someone else can not? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Tell me how you handled a difficult situation. (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What motivates you to do your best on the job? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of. (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- How do you handle pressure? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What is your personal mission statement? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- What would your direct reports say about you? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Are you a leader or a follower? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
About the Company
- What do you know about our company, what interests you about this role? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- What is the name of our CEO? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Why do you want to work for this organization? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Do you know anyone who works for us? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What do you know about this industry? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Who are our competitors? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
About the Position
- Are you willing to relocate? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Are you willing to travel? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- Would you work holidays/weekends? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What experience do you have in this field? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Can you give me four skills that you can bring to this team? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Describe your management style. (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- What are your salary requirements? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What have you learned from mistakes on the job? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Are you a team player? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
Your Background/Experience
- Tell me about your career to date. (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- When were you most satisfied in your job? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- What would your previous supervisor say are your strongest point is? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Why did you leave your last job? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Are you applying for other jobs? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor. (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Are there any areas you feel you need to improve on? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
Your Future
- What are your long-range goals? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
- Where do you see yourself in five years? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)
- Describe what you want to see in terms of career development? (Source: Top 50 Interview Questions, Morgan McKinley)
Wrap-Up Questions
- What questions haven’t I asked you? (Source: Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Forbes)
- What questions do you have for me? (Source: 100 Potential Interview Question, Monster.com)