Common Interview Questions

Below are some common interview questions generally asked in an interview:

1. Tell me about yourself?

It means: “Give me a broad overview of who you are, professionally speaking, before we dive into specifics.” This question is crucial. Keep your answer to less than five minutes, beginning with an overview of your highest qualification then running through the jobs you’ve held so far in your career. Keep your personal life out of it; your interviewer isn’t asking to hear about your family, hobbies or where you grew up.

2. What do you expect to be doing in 5 years time?

By this the hiring manager wants to know, if you’ve set realistic expectations for your career. If you have any ambition and does the current role aligns with your goals and growth. Your best bet is to think realistically about where this position could take you and answer along those lines. Show the employer you have ambition, and that you have the determination to make the most of every job you have to get where you want to be.

3. What are your strengths?

Pick the three biggest attributes that you think will get you the job. Pick the one they need help with the most. Is it your expertise in a particular skill? Is it your ability to turn low-performing teams into high performers? Share something that makes them think they need to hire you. But remember, share your true strengths that are most targeted to this particular position, not those you think the interviewer wants to hear, because if you got the job they will count you on those strengths.

4. What are your weaknesses?

By this question the interviewer wants to gauge your self-awareness and honesty. Pick something that you have made positive steps to redress. When you give a real answer, you are being genuine. You are admitting you have some growth opportunities and are not perfect but you have a plan to overcome your weakness through training or practice. You show the interviewer that you are self-aware and honest to yourself.

5. Why should we hire you?

Means they want to know what makes you special and where do your major strengths lie. This question is the best setup for you to sell yourself and your skills to the hiring manager. You should be able to find out what they are looking for from the job description. Your job here is to craft an answer that covers a.) That you can not only do the work, you can deliver great results. b.) That you’ll really fit in with the team and culture and c.) That you’d be a better hire then any of the other candidates. State your biggest achievement and the benefit it made to the business and how will you continue it if given the current opportunity.

6. Why do you want to work here?

By this the interviewer wants to know whether you have given this job some thought and if you have prepared for the interview properly. Do you have a good inside knowledge of the company’s values, mission statement, development plans and products? Focus on the substance of the role and how it interests you. Identify a couple of key factors that make this role a great fit for you and then share why you love the company. Describe how your goals and ambition matches their company ethos and how you would relish the opportunity to work for them.

7. Why did you leave your previous Job? Or why were you fired?

If you’re employed, frame things in a way that shows that you’re eager to take on new opportunities and that the role you’re interviewing for is a better fit for you than your current or last position. For example you can answer: “After three years, I made the decision to look for a company that is team-focused, where I can add my experience.”

If you’re unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context: “I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a 20 percent reduction in the workforce, which included me.” Also share how you’ve grown and how you approach your job and life now as a result of this experience and how you can position the learning experience as an advantage for this job, even better.

8. What is your greatest professional achievement?

Show a track record of achievement of amazing results in your past jobs. A great way to do so is by using the S-T-A-R method: Set up the situation and the task that you were required to complete. Provide the interviewer with background context but focus more on what exactly you have achieved (the result) than describing the process.

9. What are your salary requirements?

This question require some preparation, You can use sites like Glassdoor and Payscale to research on how much you should get paid for this particular role or you can prepare for this question by knowing the value of someone with your experience, education, and skills. Try not to give any specific number; otherwise you will be in a poor position when negotiating later on. By researching you will likely to come up with a range. State the highest number in that range but make sure hiring manager knows that you’re flexible. By doing this you are communicating that your skills are valuable, but that you want the job and are willing to negotiate.

10. When can you start?

By asking this question interviewer doesn’t mean you “got the job.” He just wants to add this to his/her notes. If you are unemployed, you can say you’re able to start from tomorrow. Sense of urgency and excitement about starting work at the new company is always a good thing. But if you are currently employed, you should be honest about the start date and show professionalism. You should tell them you would have to discuss a transition with your current company and see if they require a one month notice.

Hope the above interview questions help you to prepare your interview better. If you have any interview questions to share, please mention them in the comment section.

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