Top 20 Common Job Interview Questions and Answers

Top 20 Common Job bewerbungsbewerbungsinterview Questions and AnswersTop 20 Common Job einstellungsgesprch Questions and AnswersPreparingfor a job interview? If so, you should practice answeringtypical interview questions. If you interview frequently, unterstellung common job interview questions will grow quite familiar. During yurinterview preparation, think about possible answers that will pertain to the job youre applying for, while highlighting your skills and experience. Also brush up on yourinterview skills, so youre prepared to make the best impression. Why Is Anticipating Interview Questions Important? The goal of anticipating interview questions isnt to memorize responses, but rather to get comfortable talking about these topics. This advance preparation will help you feel more confident and less on the spot during the interview. As you develop your answers, select anecdotes and specific examples from your previous work experiences to share with your interviewers. 20 Most Common Interview Questions and Best Answers Start with these questions youll most likely be asked at a job interview, plus the best answers. Then review otherquestions specifically related to the position, so youre prepared to ace the interview. 1. Tell me about yourself. What They Want to KnowAsking about you is a way to break the ice at an interview and make you feel more comfortable. Its also a way for the interviewer to determine ifyoure a good fit for the job. Before you go on an interview, consider what you want to say when youre describing yourself to potential employers. Creating anelevator speech, which is a quick synopsis of your background, is a good way to prepare a response. Im an electrician with ten years of experience in residential construction. After earning my electricians certificate at ABC Tech, I apprenticed with Jones Brothers, and then they hired me as a journeyman electrician. Four years later I earned my certification as a master electrician. Expandmo ra Answers Interview Question Tell Me About Yourself 2. What were your responsibilities? What They Want to KnowKnow whats on your resume, so you can discuss what you did at the other jobs youve held. When youre describing your responsibilities, try to mention those that match the new jobs requirements. Showing that you have done similar work will be an asset during the interview. Focus on the responsibilities that most closely align with the job for which youre interviewing when you respond to the recruiter. As a special ed teacher, Ive worked with grades K-6 at a large inner-city school, partnering with parents and other teachers to design IEPs and support the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Expandmora Answers Job Interview Questions About Your Responsibilities 3. What did you like or dislike about your previous job? What They Want to KnowWhat you liked and what you didnt like about your last job or the company you worked for is an indicator of how you might feel about this position if you were to be hired. Be careful what you say when youre interviewing for a similar job. If the roles are alike, you may want to keep what you didnt like to yourself. Its important to be positive and enthusiastic about the job for which youre being considered. I liked the progressive, staged training program my employer used to teach new hires the ins and outs of financial services there was always something new to learn, and we knew we would be steadily promoted as we became more experienced. I didnt like the commute, though, which is why Im now applying for jobs closer to home. Expandmora AnswersHow to Answer Interview Questions About Your Previous Job 145 Watch Now How to Answer 7 Tough Interview Questions 4. What were your starting and final levels of compensation? What They Want to KnowHiring managers will want to learn how much you earned to landsee if youre a competitive candidate for the company from a salary perspective. Be honest wh en discussing how much you were paid because employers can ask about salary whenchecking your background. However, also be aware that in some locationsemployers are prohibited from asking about your prior wages. Some employers have also implemented policies that restrict questions about salary from being asked. When I started my entry-level job as an accountant, my annual salary was approximately $42K I then became a CPA and currently take home around $80K. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Your Salary History 5. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? What They Want to KnowWith this question, the interviewer is trying to understand how you handle issues and problems. Can you figure out solutions and workarounds when there is a problem? How adept are you at problem-solving? Do you enjoy a challenge, or do you get nervous when theres a glitch? When I was first hired as store manager, our turnover rate was 75% and we were chronically underst affed. I implemented performance incentive programs that reduced attrition by 63% and significantly improved our talent pipeline by focusing on internal training and promotion. ExpandMore AnswersJob Interview Question How Did You Handle a Challenge? 6. What is your greatest strength? What They Want to KnowWhen answering questions about your strengths, focus on the abilities you have that are key to success in the job for which youre interviewing. Dont be too humble. Its important to make the hiring manager aware of your qualifications. My greatest strength is my ability to learn new processes quickly. When placed in a new environment, I actively observe how other people do things so that I can easily pull my weight on the team. Im also open to testing new ways of doing things in order to optimize our efficiency. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What is Your Greatest Strength? 7. What is your greatest weakness? What They Want to KnowThere are different ways to tackle questions ab out weaknesses. One is to turn a negative into a positive by sharing an example of how something you considered to be a weakness actually helped you on the job. The other is to speak about additional skills you now have because you worked on those that needed an upgrade. Im an introvert, which I used to regard as being a weakness because I was always shy about reaching out to people. However, part of being an introvert is that Im a great listener, and I find this has really helped me as a Help Desk Technician. Im able to focus on our customers issues, ask the right questions to elicit information, and resolve their tech issues. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What is Your Greatest Weakness? 8. How do you handle stress and presaya? What They Want to KnowWhat you do when work gets stressful? Do you stay calm under pressure? Or do you have a difficult time in stressful situations? If youre interviewing for a high-pressure position, the interviewer will want to know that you can de al with the stress. Im pretty good at recognizing when Im beginning to feel stressed. When this happens, I take five minutes to focus on my breathing. I also practice guided meditation in the morning before work for 30 minutes and exercise for an hour in the evening. This keeps me on an even keel. ExpandMore Answers Interview Question How Do You Handle Stress? 9. Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it. What They Want to KnowWhen youre responding to questions about what you did on the job, be prepared to share an actual example of a challenging situation at work, what the issue was, and how you helped resolve it. Our team, already understaffed, was thrown for a loop when a major customer demanded that we complete our deliverables two weeks ahead of schedule. Normally we try to accommodate such requests, but this time it wasnt possible. I explained the situation to the client, and told them we could either charge them more to support the cost of hiring a temp or, if they accepted the original deadline, wed give them a 20% discount on their next order. They opted for the latter. ExpandMore AnswersWhat Are the Most Difficult Decisions to Make? 10. What was your biggest accomplishment (or failure) in this position? What They Want to KnowWhat are you proudest of? Was there a time something didnt work out, but you were able to learn from it? Let the hiring manager know what you achieved, again sharing examples from your most recent job. Im most proud of having convinced our CEO to implement an internal training and promotion program that allowed our personnel to steadily advance within our organization. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions What Were Your Biggest Successes and Failures? 11. How do you evaluate success? What They Want to KnowYour answer to this question will give the interviewer a sense of your work ethic, your career goals, and your life goals. Tailor your response to fit what you expect to achieve if you were to be hi red by this employer. When I wake up each morning enthusiastic about going to work, then lock the clinic at night knowing that weve made a difference in peoples lives, I figure the day has been a success. ExpandMore Answers Job Interview Question How Do You Define Success? 12. Why are you leaving or have left your job? What They Want to KnowThere are many different reasons for leaving a job. You could be moving on because you want more opportunities for growth, you may be looking for a salary increase, perhaps youre relocating, or you have anotlageherreason youre leaving your job. Be consistent in your answer when meeting with representatives of a prospective employer, because they may compare notes. Our business was sold and, although I was invited to transition to the acquiring company, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to explore new career opportunities. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question Why Are You Looking For a New Job? 13. Why do you want this job? Wha t They Want to KnowWhy did you apply for this position? What do you find most interesting about the job and the organization? With this question, the employer wants to know why you think this job is a match for your career objectives. Take the time todescribe how your qualifications are a match for the job. The more you can show youre qualified, the easier it will be to get hired. From the time my appendix burst as a kid and I spent a week in the hospital, Ive wanted to be a nurse preferably here at James Memorial. Although I went away for nursing school, Im eager to move back home and care for our local community now that Ive become a licensed RN. ExpandMore AnswersAnswer the Interview Question About Your Interest in a Job 14. Why should we hire you? What They Want to KnowThe best way to answer this question is to discuss what you can do for the company. What do you bring to the table? What skills and attributes do you have that will benefit the organization? What will you achieve if you were to be hired? This is an opportunity tosell yourself to the hiring manager. I am a superb consultative salesperson, never failing to surpass my quotas and break prior personal sales records because I truly enjoy working with customers to match them with the brands I know theyll love as much as I do. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question Why Should We Hire You? 15. What are your goals for the future? What They Want to KnowWhen you respond to questions about your future goals, its a good idea to mesh your objectives with what the company might offer as acareer path. At the least, make sure your goals involve staying with this company for more than a short-term basis. My goal is to sign on with a national retail organization where I can eventually advance to a role as a regional sales manager. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Your Goals for the Future 16. What are your salary requirements? What They Want to KnowQuestions about salary can be tricky, especially if y ou dont know what the job pays. One approach to answering this question is to say youre flexible, based upon the entire compensation package including benefits. I average around $39K annually, and I know from online salary calculators that the approximate salary here for professionals with my experience ranges from $38K to $40K. But Im open to negotiation, depending upon your benefits package. ExpandMore AnswersSalary Negotiation Tips (How to Get a Better Offer) 17. Who was your best boss and who was the worst? What They Want to KnowThis question is designed to discover what type of leadership and management style works best for you. Be careful answering, and dont be too negative. Even if you had a terrible boss, how you speak about them can leave the interviewer wondering how you will speak about other supervisors if you didnt get along with them. My best manager had an open-door policy where we were always welcome to speak to her privately about issues. Ive never had a bad manager . Im not as comfortable with those who prefer to micromanage my work, but when this happens I try to gain their trust so that theyll feel more confident about giving me some autonomy. ExpandMore AnswersJob Interview Questions About Your Best and Worst Bosses 18. What are you passionate about? What They Want to KnowWhats most important to you? What do you love doing? The answers to this question dont have to be all about work. The company is looking to determine if youre a well-rounded person, and what you enjoy doing outside of work can give them insight into the type of employee youd be if you were hired. I am passionate about folk music, and love to attend festivals during the summer. I also play fiddle with a local band on the weekends. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What Are You Passionate About? 19. Questions about your supervisors and co-workers. What They Want to KnowDid you get along with your manager? Have you worked with difficult colleagues? How you interact with su pervisors and co-workers will provide the interviewer with insight into yourinterpersonalandcommunication skills. I think I get along well with both my manager and my colleagues, because I approach everyone with respect. When issues arise, I try to ask for clarification and find points of agreement we can use to resolve differences of opinion. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Co-Workers and Supervisors 20. Do you have any questions for me? What They Want to KnowThe last question at a job interview is usually one about what you want to know about the job and the company. Be ready witha list of questions to ask. You may seem disinterested if there isnt anything you want to learn more about. Do you have a formal schedule and mechanism for performance reviews? How soon after hiring would I receive my first review? ExpandMore AnswersBest Questions to Ask in a Job Interview Tips to Answer Common Interview Questions Here are a few more tips to help you build your confidence before your interview. Practice responding to the most common interview questions aloud.Ask a friend to role-play the part of your interviewer so that you can practice maintaining eye contact as you think aloud. Prepare for a fewcurveball questions.Some interviewers like to ask their prospective hires challenging questions or even questions where there are no right or wrong answers, in order to see if they can keep their cool under pressure. Review thesecurveball questionsso you wont be taken by surprise. Know what employers shouldnt ask.Not all potential interview questions are fair game for hiring managers. Before your next job interview, its a good idea to familiarize yourself withillegal job interview questions, such as, How old are you? or Is English your first language? Should you encounter one of these, you can later decide if youd prefer not to work for an organization that asks these questions, or whether youll chalk their misstep up to carelessness. How to Make the Bes t Impression Remember that, in your job interview, you will be evaluated not only upon your response to questions, but also upon how well you listen to your interviewers. Pay careful attention to them as they speak, without interrupting, especially when they describe the culture of their organization and their expectations for whomever they hire. Its also a good idea to take brief notes during your meeting. Use these immediately afterwards to craft athank you note for the interviewto express your gratitude, reaffirm your interest in the position, and touch upon any points you forgot to make during the interview.