20 Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answer Samples

Do you have a job interview soon? Are you ready to tackle each interview question and answer them with confidence? 

Unfortunately, no one can read minds. There's no way of telling what the hiring manager will throw at you. Some typical interview questions like "What is your greatest weakness?" or "Tell me about a time where you failed" might stumble someone who is not prepared.

To be ready for the big interview effectively, exploring the possible interview questions and their answers can be a great help. So, we have the next best thing for you, a list of 20 commonly asked interview questions with advice and tips on how to answer them.

In light of preparing for a job interview, it's also important to learn what questions to ask your potential employer during a job interview.

Let's first start with categories of common job interview questions.

We've compiled a list of basic questions for a job interview and divided them into five categories. Most hiring managers would have these general questions for your interview to get to know you better and assess if you are the right fit for their team. To give you ideas on what sorts of job interview questions and answers you need to prepare for, here’s a list for you to get your brain juice going:

Top interview questions about yourself:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why did you decide to apply?
• How did you hear about this position?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What motivates you?
• What was the biggest challenge you ever had to overcome?
• Tell me about a time where you failed.
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you like to do outside of work?

Top interview questions about your work history:

• Why did you leave your last job?
• What is your greatest work achievement?
• Why have you changed jobs so frequently?
• Tell me why you're switching career paths.
• What did you like most about your previous position?
• Why is there a gap in your employment history?
• What was the biggest challenge from your previous job?
• What did you learn most from your previous work experience?
• How did you get to where you are now?
• Why were you laid off or got fired?

Top interview questions about salary:

• What are your salary expectations?
• What was your previous salary?
• What are your benefit expectations?
• Would you accept a job that pays less than your previous job?
• Why would you apply for a new job that has a lower salary than your previous one?

Situational common interview questions on management and teamwork:

• Do you prefer to work independently or with a team?
• What kind of work environment do you prefer?
• How would your previous employer/supervisor describe you?
• How do you handle stress?
• How do you keep yourself organized while handling multiple projects?
• What is your leadership style?
• How do you like to be managed?
• How do you address a disagreement with your supervisor?

Typical interview questions about the future:

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• Are you applying for other jobs?
• How do you plan on achieving your career goals?
• If hired, how long do you plan on working with us?
• Are you planning on getting married or starting a family?

Aside from the above-mentioned commonly asked interview questions, some interviewers might also ask you about some industrial knowledge. Therefore, don't forget to study the technical aspect of the position you're applying to.

You've probably also heard that there are no right or wrong answers. But the purpose of those top interview questions is to see if you understand what is asked of you. In order to better answer those common job interview questions, first, you need to understand why the interviewer asks it in the first place.

To help you nail that interview, here are some samples of interview questions and answers.

“Tell me about yourself.”

Sounds super easy, right? After all, we can’t get enough talking about ourselves. But, do you really think the interviewer wants to hear your whole life story? This very common interview question is only a way to ease into the actual interview. So, keep it structured (using the past-present-future formula), brief, and most importantly, relevant to the position you're applying to.

A good self-introduction example for a job interview should be something like this: 

“How did you hear about this position?”

Employers want to know if you were actively seeking an opportunity in their companies or just casually browsing and stumbled upon their job posting. This job interview question might have an apparent answer. However, you shouldn't state the obvious. Instead, approach this common job interview question where you can show your passion towards the company and what they do.

Here’s an example of how to answer this common interview question: 

“Why did you decide to apply?”

Now it's your chance to go deeper with this follow-up on the previous job interview question. Mention how the company's values align with your own and how the position will help you accomplish your career goals.

Here’s an example to answer this question in your interview:

“Why should we hire you?”

This one is one of the many top interview questions that is favored by hiring managers. This is your sales pitch to them. So, don't just list out your skills and qualifications. Instead, package your answer with an example in a way that captivates the interviewer.

Here’s a sample answer to this top interview question:

“What are your strengths?”

Be confident yet humble when answering questions about your strengths and weaknesses for an interview. Although your resume or CV should already highlight your strengths, when the hiring manager asks this particular common interview question, you should also provide a concrete experience to better illustrate it. They want to know if you acknowledge your own strengths, if they are realistic, and if they match the job. In this case, implementing the interview STAR technique is highly recommended.

This general interview question can be answered like so: 

“What are your weaknesses?”

Questions about strengths and weaknesses in an interview are undoubtedly tough, especially answering about weaknesses. You don't want to cause yourself to be disqualified if you disclose too many weaknesses, but also don't want to seem arrogant if you say you have none. The key to answering this tricky job interview question is knowing you have weak points but you are also determined to improve.

Here’s how to properly answer this interview question: 

“What is your greatest work achievement?

Another commonly asked interview question where you can use the interview STAR technique is this through this question. Elaborate your answer using a specific situation. Here, hiring managers would like to learn:

• What YOU consider as achievement or success is,
• How down to earth you are, and
• If you are a success-oriented person.

A tricky interview question like this can be answered like so: 

“Tell me about a time you failed.”

Talking about failure is never a fun topic. But we can learn a lot more through failures. Thus, don't be ashamed when answering this particular interview question. Show the interviewer that you learn from your mistakes and continuously strive to improve.

This is also a good opportunity to use the interview STAR technique to answer the question: 

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

No one can predict where you'll end up, neither does the hiring manager. This typical interview question has a sole purpose to see if your career goals and aspirations match with the position. Keep in mind that you're not obligated to reveal all your plans, but being honest might save you in the long run.

When answering this daunting interview question, remember to stay a little bit general. Here’s an example:

“How do you handle stress?”

No one can get out of stress regardless of their position and where they work. Thus, it only suits that the hiring manager asks this basic interview question. They want to see if you thrive or fall when the first sign of trouble shows up.

Exude confidence when answering this interview question, like so:

“What motivates you?”

Though this might sound like a rather existential or philosophical question, this question is actually pretty general in a job interview. By throwing you this general interview question, the hiring manager wants to know what makes you excited about this job at their company. Simple as that!

An answer like this would be sufficient to answer this common interview question: 

“What do you know about us?”

Now it's the time to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of the company. To answer this basic interview question, do your due diligence and research thoroughly. Nevertheless, don't go too overboard with the details, because they might be incorrect and you can always ask the interviewer this at the end of your interview. Or if you're recommended by a friend who works at the company, don't spill any tea about office rumors (because it won't look good on you).

Here’s an example answer for this interview question: 

“What do you look for in this position?”

This top interview question is an extension of the one asking why you want to apply for this job. The difference is, when the interviewer asks this common interview question, they want to know if what they have in mind and what you perceive this role to be are aligned.

A sample response to this interview question should look like this: 

“What kind of work environment do you prefer?”

Employers want to look for people with ambition and who can get along with other employees. Hence, it's important to search for what they value most to get the business going. By hearing your response to this typical interview question, hiring managers would know if you can adapt to their company culture.

You can do research about the organization prior to the interview, but if not, stay true to yourself when giving an answer to this interview question: 

“Do you prefer to work independently or with a team?”

A majority number of jobs require you to work collaboratively with other departments. The objective of this interview question is obvious, to know whether you can work with their existing employees or not.

You can answer this interview question like so: 

“Are you applying for other jobs?”

Although hiring managers know that candidates mostly apply to other jobs, they want to know how serious you are about your application. Thus this is also one of the most commonly asked interview questions out there. Telling them where exactly you apply for is unnecessary, but addressing your response well is crucial.

This is how you wrap this interview question's answer nicely: 

“Why did you leave your last job?”

This is a typical interview question where a potential employer can assess your performance in your previous role. The answer to this common interview question could indicate if you will perform well in the next role. You want to avoid painting a negative impression on yourself, but you must remain truthful. You can focus your answer on your objective and hopes from joining the new company.

The answer to a common interview question like this one should be somewhat like this:

“Why have you changed jobs so frequently?”

If the interviewer asks you this question, most likely you have a lot of experiences of short durations listed on your resume. When someone jumps from one company to another too quickly, there ought to be some questions for the future employer. They might wonder if you'll stick with them for a long time or not.

Here’s a sample answer to this job interview question: 

“What are your salary expectations?”

You should already know how much the salary range is for the position before you go into the interview. This basic question for a job interview is to see if your expected salary is within their budget. If there are 2 candidates with equal qualifications and the hiring manager likes both, the position might go to someone who has a lower expected salary.

There's only a straightforward answer for this interview question: 

“Do you have any questions for us?”

After the hiring manager has the information they need to make an informed decision, it's time for you to ask some interview questions and get answers from the company side. They want to know if you are actually interested in working in the company. There's no limitation on how many questions you should have for the interviewer, as long as you have all your doubts answered. But, remember to be attentive, the answer might already exist before you ask the question.

For example, the last part of a job interview questions can be answered like so: 

--- Originally written by Teresa Edria ---