25 Common Job Interview Questions

Rolling Plans Pvt. Ltd. Mar 15, 2021 12493 0

How do you guarantee a successful job interview? Well if you have been wondering the same thing then this article right here is for you.

 

If you want to get hired first you need to face an interview and make sure it goes smoothly. It takes a great deal of preparation to crack an interview and more so to leave a strong impression.

 

You do not want to pause for too long or answer abruptly during the interview. It would also be awkward, and unprofessional to show up unprepared. You will come off as someone who is not serious about the job and chances are that you will get rejected.

 

There’s no shortcut to succeed in a job interview other than continuous practicing. 

 

But to practice, you must know what the most common interview questions are. And even more important to know how to answer those common questions with accuracy. 

 

On that note, here are the 25 most common interview questions and points to consider while answering them 

 
  1. Tell me about yourself

 
  • Do not repeat things that you have already mentioned in your CV

  • Talk about your previous work experiences that match with the job requirement

  • Talk about your interests perhaps some of your hobbies without giving away personal information

  • Touch on your education, past jobs, and other experiences that led you to this moment

  • Disclose with your future goals and touch upon why and how this job position can help you get there 

 
  1. What do you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses?

 
  • State your strengths that suit the job requirements without sounding too generic

  • Being a high achiever is not a weakness

  • Talk about your weaknesses that can hinder your performance and how you are working on improving it

  • Highlight your strengths, could be skills and experiences in such a way that it applies to the position you are applying for

  • Focus on making your weaknesses sound in a positive light

 
  1. Where do you see yourself in five years?

 
  • Keep your answer pertinent to the job and company you are applying for

  • Think about a career plan in advance that aligns with the company’s goals

  • Make sure to convey that you are here for the long term and can be a solid investment

  • Do not tell your hirers that the position you are applying for is a temporary plan even though they would want to know that.

  • Emphasis on how keen you are regarding the job and all the things that are eager to learn

 
  1. Why are you leaving your current job?

 
  • Talk about how the new job will be effective in meeting your career goals

  • Do not demean your current job in the hopes of impressing the hirers

  • Say that your new job offers more learning and career prospects

  • Do not bad mouth your boss or coworkers

  • Make sure your reasons are valid and can help you get hired

  • You perhaps want more challenges and are craving growth and the new job could be the perfect job opportunity for those purposes

 
  1. What something unique you can offer from the rest of the candidates?

 
  • Talk about how your backgrounds and accomplishments make your distinct

  • Highlight your qualities without deprecating your competitors

  • Expand on your abilities or skill sets that can be applied in the job

  • Don’t say anything basic like you are a hard worker or a perfectionist

  • Make sure your answer values and aligns with the company’s goals 

 
  1. Tell me about a time when you faced a conflict and how you resolved it.

 
  • Practice your response numerous times to get your answer across comfortably.

  • Explain how the conflict came about and how you handled the situation in  a professional manner

  • Provide instances of your conflict resolution resulting in better outcomes.

  • Add more on how conflict resolution is a normal thing that should take place in working spaces

  • Do not go off on ranting or complaining too much 

 
  1. How do you deal with difficult clients?

 
  • Draw attention to your abilities to stay calm and cool while dealing with demanding clients

  • Be specific while describing the situation as details help with visualization

  • Provide examples from the past

  • Talk about how your priority will be offering a solution and customer satisfaction

  • Focus on your other important abilities such as communication and interpersonal skills

 
  1. What are your salary expectations?

 
  • Let the hirers bring up the topic of salary expectations.

  • Let them know that you are open to negotiations.

  • Do some research on how someone of your expertise and experiences is likely to get paid.

  • Avoid giving a specific number and provide ranges of salary amount higher than the average salary for someone in your position 

  • Decline respectfully if you think the offer is too low

 
  1. How do you handle work-induced stress and pressure?

 
  • Provide instances from your previous work on how you handled stress and pressure 

  • Work-related stress is normal but the hirers want to know whether you will be able to cope and how you will cope

  • Respond with how a moderate level of pressure motivates you to do better

  • Also, pressure can help one focus and complete the task on time

  • Your techniques on handling stress and pressure can be handy to other employees as well

 
  1. What would say is challenging about working with you?

 
  • Something challenging about working with you can also be something beneficial that you bring to the company 

  • Add more on how you are open to criticism

  • Talk about how you learning and are flexible

  • If there are any specific challenges then talk about how you are working towards minimizing it

  • Provide instances that show your patience and growth

 
  1.  What would your former manager say if asked what your area of improvement would be?

 
  • Point out something you are new at and lay out your plans on how you hope to improve

  • The area of improvements can be something your new job can help you achieve

  • Don’t hesitate to mention areas you have talked about with your former boss

  • It would be ideal to mention something you are good at but want to get better at eventually

  •  Emphasize your willingness to learn new things and improve as well

  

 
  1. How would you deal with a situation where your supervisor is wrong?

 
  • Here it’s best to give an example where you did point out something your supervisor did wrong

  • Besides, it is better to explain how you handled that situation

  • Clarify further that you didn’t have any ill intentions

  • Also mention that you had let your boss know about their mistake one on one

  • Talk about your willingness to speak your mind and how it could have been anyone 

 
  1. Do you prefer to work in a team or by yourself?

 
  • If your job requires you to work in teams then you should say that you are open to working in a team even though you might prefer working alone

  • If you lean strongly towards working by yourself then prepare your explanations in advance on why you feel that way

  • Whether you work in a team or independently your company wants your best 

  • Provide examples of how the results were better when you worked by yourself or in a team

  • Be honest about the approach that you genuinely prefer

 
  1. Why do you want to work for this company?

 
  • Opportunity alone cannot be a good enough answer

  • Explain how the role in the company aligns with your career goals

  • Make sure you are interested and motivated to work for this company

  • Do some research before the interview so that you can prepare on what things appealed the most to you about the company

  • Talk about what you can contribute to the company

 
  1. How long are you planning on working here?

 
  • Do not say that your job will be temporary because employers usually look for candidates willing to work for a long time

  • Talk about how you hope to move up the ladder within the company

  • It’s best to convince them that this job won’t be your short term gig

  • Do mention that you are open to career advancement plans within or outside the company

  • If you have got some moving situation because of the family then be honest about it

 
  1. What can you contribute to this company?

 
  • Talk about distinctive values that you will bring to the company

  • Explain how your skills and experiences can help the company achieve its own goals

  • Provide examples of your past accomplishments

  • Talk about your career plans and how it is related to the company’s objectives

  • Research about the company’s goals to familiarise yourself with them

 
  1. How do you measure success in this job position?

 
  • Here, talk about your attainable career goals

  • Customer satisfaction and company’s profit are easy answers

  • Simply completing tasks cannot be a measurement of success

  • Add on how you have attention to detail and a real knack to learn from mistakes

  • Talk about how it takes satisfaction of all employees, employers, and customers to measure the ultimate success 

 
  1. Describe your management style.

 
  • Talk about your strategies for leading a team and overseeing staff working under you.

  • Ponder upon the management style of your past managers and burrow some quality traits from them to implement

  • Give examples of some of the skills you consider to be best for management

  • Talk about the management style that you have followed

  • Make sure your style entails flexibility, efficiency, and productivity

 
  1. What is your ideal work environment?

 
  • Let them know that you can be flexible and adaptable

  • Be honest if there are some environment where you wouldn’t be able to work at all

  • Emphasize how you can perform better working in your ideal environment

  • If you aren't familiar with the company’s work environment then do ask the interviewer

  • Research about the company and make sure your answer aligns with its culture

 
  1. What are you hoping to accomplish within the first month on the job?

 
  • Answer accordingly to match with the expectations of your employers

  • Explain your plans and how you wish to transition into the new space

  • Emphasis on how you will be dedicated to learning and building relationships

  • Talk about how you will focus on understanding the company’s goals

  • Say that you are hoping to accomplish your personal goals that you have set for yourself

 
  1. What motivates you?

 
  • Be honest about responsible factors that encourage you to work hard

  • Make sure the motivating elements are relevant to the company’s goals

  • Talk about the different motivating aspects in ways that can impress the hirers as well

  • Make sure your answer is solid, precise, and personal

  • Focus on keeping your answers something along the line of com

 
  1. Have you applied to other companies too?

 
  • If you have then still make sure you show that are more enthused about this job position

  • If you haven’t then do talk about how you are looking for possibilities while still being serious about this particular role

  • If you have applied to other companies too then that means you are serious and dedicated

  • Even if you haven’t you can tweak your answers to tell that you are invested in this specific position

  • Make sure you don’t lie, answer professionally and avoid giving details unless asked

 
  1. What are your plans in case you don’t get this job?

 
  • Answer with a mature tone that you will support the company’s decision

  • However, do remind them how your expertise will make you the best candidate

  • Talk about how you will focus on enhancing your qualifications

  • Say that you will search for vacancies in other companies

  • Importantly, do point out that this particular job will be a good fit for you

 
  1. What qualities would you look for in an employee if you were a hiring manager for this position?

 
  • Talk about important qualifications and soft skills required for this position

  • Do mention the skills and experiences similar to yours without humble bragging

  • Highlight more abilities and knowledge necessary for someone in this position

  • Be honest and confident but avoid saying you would hire yourself

  • Always focus on listing down qualities that are relevant to the job 

 
  1. Do you have any questions for us?

 
  • Ask about day to day duties of your potential job position

  • Ask about what a typical day in the office looks like

  • Ask about the company culture and goals

  • Ask about how they determine success and failure 

  • Ask if they have any concerns regarding your qualities

 

By now you must have familiarised yourself with the most common interview questions and how to answer them. 

 

Now all you have remaining to do is practice these questions and prepare on how to answer them so that you can nail your job interview and get hired. Wish you all the best! 



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