Top 10 Job Interview Questions and Answers You Need to Know

Preparing for job interviews is hard work and requires a significant amount of research. Part of preparing for interviews is looking up the most common job interview questions and then developing answers that will impress the hiring managers. The first thing that will impress the hiring managers is that you took the time to prepare properly for your interview, and the second impressive thing will be the content of your answers. As you prepare for your interviews, there are three job interview questions that you must be prepared for as they will be asked at every interview you have.

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1. Can You Tell Me About Yourself?

Most often, this is the first question posed at a job interview. It gives the interviewee a chance to settle down and simply talk about oneself. Remember, the hiring manager has already reviewed your resume and probably has a copy in view during the interview. Don’t just spat out your employment history. Try to provide different information, a specific highlight or something that makes you stand out. Be sure that the answer can be a benefit to the job role that you are interviewing for.

2. What Are Your Strengths?

While this should be an easy question, relevancy is the key to the best possible answer. Select a few strengths that will be an asset to the job position. Perhaps even mention how your strengths helped you achieve career success in your previous role(s). You want to leave the interviewer with the impression that your strengths will benefit the company.

3. What Are Your Weaknesses?

Let’s face it. Pointing out your weaknesses to a total stranger is not an easy task during a job interview. Look at answering this question as an opportunity to show your transparency, genuineness, and your desire to turn a weakness into a strength. One caveat; Do not discuss a weakness that is a vital necessity to the job role that you are interviewing for.

4. Explain a Time When You Encountered a Business Challenge And How You Met That Challenge?

You will benefit greatly from having prepared an answer to this question prior to the interview. Think about your career history and when you may have been faced with a challenge and solved the issue. It’s to your advantage to select a challenge that was solved with skills related to what this new employer is looking for in this role. Provide a brief background, describe your action plan, and explain the outcome of your actions.

5. What Attracted You To Our Company?

This is your opportunity to show that you researched this particular company. Prior to the interview, review the company website, their social media pages, press releases and other articles. Be sure to focus on the company’s mission statement so you can mention that their goals are inline with your career goals. Also, mention a few key aspects of the company and job role that appeal to you most.

6. Why Should We Hire You?

This is your chance to shine, maybe even brag a bit. Tell the interviewer why you, among all the other applicants, should be hired. Focus on specific things you will bring to the role and how it will benefit the company. It is suggested that you begin your answer with what you will offer the company and then quickly explain how your skills will be a valuable asset to the company.

7. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

This question confuses interviewees that are not expecting it to be asked. The interviewer is asking about your career in five years, not your personal life. Your answer actually provides insight into your career passion and the goals you set. Even more so, it’s an opportunity for you to explain how you look forward to growing with this particular company and help it grow over the next five years. Consider this; by the time you reach your five-year anniversary, this company will have invested a lot of money in your training and development. The interviewer wants to know whether or not that investment will be well spent.

8. Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?

Stop! Before you start blurting out every negative issue that you faced at your current place of employment, think again. You must come up with a way to spin your negative reasons into a positive. The interviewer is not asking this question to hear you make derogatory comments about your last employer. Instead, the interviewer wants to hear how your job could have been performed more efficiently including the necessary tools for career advancement. Your answer demonstrates if you are up-to-date on the latest tools of the trade without blaming someone else for any issues that may have occurred. Focus only on what you did for your job and what you would have liked to have been able to accomplish if given the tools.

9. Do You Have Any Questions?

It’s always a good idea to prepare a few interview questions ahead of the interview. Of course, some questions may have already been answered during the interview. Be sure to avoid asking the same question twice. Asking questions during the interview process is a good way to show you are prepared and qualified for this job opportunity as well as provide your enthusiasm for the new role.

10. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

This is probably one of the most awkward questions for a job candidate to answer. To help lessen the awkwardness, expect the question and do some homework before the job interview. Be ready and prepared to answer the question with a reasonable salary expectation. It’s better for you and the interviewer to know right away if your compensation level meets that of the new role.

No matter what industry you aspire to work in, you’re likely to encounter these ten or other similar job interview questions. Take some time to prepare for the interview. Practice answering these questions in front of a mirror or with a friend to ensure that your answers and delivery are strong in your next interview.