Top 10 Interview Questions, and How to Answer Them

Hello everyone!

Keeping with the theme of our last in-service, I wanted to give you all the top ten most asked interview questions, and how to answer them!

Top 10 Job Interview Questions and Answers

Doing well on the job interview is crucial to getting the job, no matter how impressive your resume is.  And an important aspect of doing well in interviews is proper preparation.  For the most part, many of the interviews will have the same common questions that might be phrased a little differently. 

1)  Tell Me about Yourself

This is probably the most-asked interview question, next to “[d]o you have any questions for us?”.  And there is a reason for that.  The answer to this question really tells the employer a lot about you and what you are all about.

In order to answer this job interview question effectively, you must be succinct, confident, but not overtly conceited.  The answer should be longer than 1 minute but shorter than 3 minutes.  Beyond a few minutes, you are just going to lose their attention.  To answer this question, talk a little about where you grew up, your education, and any relevant work experience you have.  Be sure to concentrate a lot of your time on your career.

This is not a question for you to talk about your personality or character traits—but the interviewer should be able to get a good grasp of who you are from your answer to this question.

2)  What Makes You Qualified for this Job?

This is a tricky question to answer; you don’t want to come off as a braggart but you also want to expound on the qualities that makes you better than other candidates.  To answer this, do not focus on your GPA or what school you graduated from.  Instead, focus on specific skillsets that makes you valuable, as well as specific accomplishments that makes you the best candidate for the job.  Remember to cater your answer specifically to the job announcement.

3) Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?

Do not ever bad-mouth your previous employer when answering this job interview question.  It doesn’t matter if the previous employer really stuck it to you or not.  Doing so is very unbecoming and unprofessional and can easily disqualify you from the job you are applying for.  If you really did leave your previous job because you did not like your boss, you can simply state that you and the previous employer did not see eye to eye on certain aspects of the job.  Be sure to have specific examples in mind.  Another good answer to this question is to say that there was no room in the company to grow professionally and further your skills.  You should also never say that the previous employer did not pay you enough—this will make the interviewer think that you are only in it for the money.

4) How Would You Describe Yourself?

Like many other interview question that requires you to describe yourself, you should be careful to walk that fine line between bragging and selling yourself.  Do not be too brief but don’t lose the attention of the interviewer by being long-winded either.  When answering this question, pick up to three of your best attributes and expand on them with some specific examples.  If you think honesty is one of your best traits, then you should describe a situation in your life (preferably work-related) in which you were extremely honest with someone even if there is a high likelihood that your honesty would have cost you something of great significance, such as a promotion.

5) What Has Been Your Biggest Accomplishment So Far?

In answering this, do not list accomplishments from high school; they do not matter.  If you recently graduated college then it is okay to talk about the feats you have accomplished in college.  However, if you have been in the work force for several years, then you need to talk about accomplishments that are career-related, and hopefully closely related to the job you are applying for.  It is okay to spice up your accomplishments a little but make sure not stretch the truth too much.  Some examples of accomplishments worth noting are:

·         Finishing first in a company-wide sales or work-related competition

·         Implementing a system that saves the company money or brings in extra revenue

·         Overhauling an archaic strategy or system

Remember, accomplishments do not have to be bestowed upon you.  Accomplishments are simply milestones and feats that you think are worth noting.

6) What is Your Greatest Weakness?

Refrain from answers such as “I work too hard” or “I have trouble leaving tasks unfinished.”  These answers are too clichéd and you can bet that many of the people in the interviewing pool will answer the question with those answers.  Your answer should be truthful yet memorable.  Be honest about your weaknesses but also talk about what steps you have taken to improve upon those weaknesses.  For instance, you can say that you are not a particularly adept public speaker.  However, as an addendum to that answer, you can also say that you are taking steps towards be more comfortable on stage by going to Toastmasters meetings, volunteering for more speaking engagements, or even taking a public speaking class.  Employers love employees who take the initiate to improve upon themselves.

As an additional tip, it is best to choose a weakness that doesn’t particularly affect the job you are doing.  In the example of public speaking above, you can use it for jobs that do not involve speaking in public.  However, if the primary purpose of the job you are applying for is to speak in public, then you have pretty much all but disqualified yourself from the job if you answer the interview question with that answer.

7) What is Your Greatest Strength?

This interview question will usually go along with the question above.  Answer with a positive trait of yours and give a specific example of how that strength was showcased in a work setting.  Like the question above, you should pick a strength that can be adapted to the job.  For instance, if you are an tax accountant, then being “detailed and thorough” may be a strength that want to talk about.

8) How Do You Measure Success?

Success has a different meaning for everyone.  So there really is no right or wrong way to answer this question.  However, be sure to talk a little bit about what professional success means to you, as well as personal success.  Here are some answers that you can give to this question:

·         At a professional level, success means that I am working with people who are passionate about the work they do and love coming to work every day.  At a personal level, success means that I am able to provide my family with a comfortable lifestyle so that they never have to worry about money.

·         Professional success means that I love my work and the work I do is something that I would not trade for anything.  Very few people go through life loving their work.  I want to be one of those few.1

·         Success to me means that I would have accomplished all the goals I set out to accomplish as a child.  I wanted to be a doctor as a child and now I am applying for your hospital, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world.  I would say that I am on the road to success.

9) Why Are You Looking for a New Job?

The best way to answer this question is to accentuate your need for professional growth.  You should not allude to the fact that the company did not pay you enough.  You should (almost) always frame your response with a professional growth angle.  Here are some sample answers that would suffice if you are asked this question:

·         The previous company was a rather small company that lacked the growth potential I was looking for.

·         The previous company did not allow me to grow beyond my current position.

·         The previous company and I disagreed on a lot of moral/ethical issues and I finally decided that it was time for me to part ways.

10) Do You Have Questions for Me?

Everyone interviewer will ask you this question at the end of the interview.  This is the chance for you to display your curiosity and eagerness to work for the company.  You should always have a set of smart and intelligent questions to ask the interviewer. Here are some questions that you can ask:

·         What are the company’s plans for the next five years?

·         Is the company looking to introduce any new products into the market in the coming years?

·         Will there be opportunities for employees to attend trainings or continuing education classes to improve skills that relate to the job?

·         What are the company’s expectations of me within the first month of working?

·         How is the organization set up?  How big is the team I will be working with?

·         Will there be opportunities for me to take on leadership roles in the near future if I am hired?

·         How does the company measure and gauge the output of its employees?