Perhaps one of the most daunting aspects of an interview is not knowing what to expect as you walk through those doors or log into the interview room. But while different hiring managers may employ different interviewing techniques, there are some questions that come up almost every time. Knowing what these are can help you head into the interview with confidence and make the 
whole thing go that much more smoothly. You must be ready to answer the 10 most common interview questions.
Here are the top ten most common interview questions and how to answer them.
1. ‘Tell me about yourself’
Give a concise answer that focuses on who you are, your key skills, strengths and motivations, and tailor your answers to the role. If you’re unsure of how to structure your reply you can use the present-past-future technique, describing your current situation, what you’ve done before and what your goals are (and how this role fits in with them). Be sure to dove-tail your response by relating yourself and expressing an interest in the job! There are 100’s of ways to express interest.
2. ‘What are your top strengths?’
This one can be tricky to answer on the spot if you haven’t given any thought to it, so really sit down and think about the top strengths you have that are valuable to the role. Return to the job description to tease out the attributes they are looking for and use examples to illustrate your strengths as this will give them more force and credibility. Again, as with every answer, express an interest!
3. ‘What would you say is your greatest weakness?’
Stick to skills that aren’t essential to the role and be careful about being too honest. A good technique is to put a positive spin on your answer by identifying a weakness that you’ve worked to overcome.
4. ‘Why are you interested in working for [company name]?’
This question gives the interviewer a chance to gauge your knowledge of the company, so make sure you do your research beforehand so you can give specific examples of what attracted you to the business. Let the interviewed know you are interested in the job!
5. ‘Where do you see yourself in X years?’
Employers are looking for employees who are driven, ambitious and passionate about contributing to the company. Be able to show that you’ve done some career planning and have thought about how you would like to evolve within the company both in the short and long-term.
6. ‘What do you think your main responsibilities will be?’
It’s crucial that you have a thorough understanding of the role so carefully read the job description to get a sense of your day-to-day tasks, key responsibilities and the skills and behaviours you will need to succeed.
7. ‘Can you give an example of a difficult work situation and how you resolved it?’
This is a behavioural question, you should expect them. The interviewer is trying to get a sense of your problem-solving skills and how you perform under pressure, as well as gauging what you consider ‘difficult’. So pick a tough situation that wasn’t caused by you, briefly explain the context and how you handled it – drawing attention to the specific skills and attitude you displayed. Then relate your skills to the role. Do not forget to express an interest in the job.
8. ‘How would you describe yourself?’
The interviewer is trying to get a sense of how well you know yourself while also trying to get to know you better; your personality, interests and ambitions. In your answer, try to connect your interests back to the role as much as you can. Perhaps even ask your friends, family or anybody who’s worked with you how they would describe you.
9. ‘Why should we hire you?’
This is your chance to convince the interviewer that you’re the right fit for the company so hone in on the relevant skills and experience you have and how your outlook and values match those of the company. The interviewer is looking for confidence, enthusiasm and a positive approach!
10. ‘Do you have any questions for us?’
You MUST have a few questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Not asking any questions could be interpreted as your having a lack of interest or enthusiasm for the role. Don’t ask anything you could’ve easily found out online but instead focus on the specifics of the role or how the company operates.
Here are several questions you may want to ask:
- Why is the position open?
- Who would I report to?
- How will my performance be measured?
- How often are performance reviews?
- Can you provide a written job description?
- What are the skills and competencies you would like to see
in an ideal candidate? - How would you describe the culture here?
- Can you describe the on-boarding process?
- Will I have an opportunity to view my working environment?
- Will I have an opportunity to meet my team members?
- Is there a training period?
- What is the company’s position on mentoring?
- What is the single largest problem facing your staff?
- What have you enjoyed most about working here?
- What constitutes success in this position?
- Can you describe a typical day in this job?
- Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?
- Do you offer continuing education/training?
- Can you tell me about the team(s) I’ll be working with?
- What can you tell me about any new products or services?
- Do you plan on any mergers or acquisitions?
- Are you planning on conducting 2nd interviews?
- When would you expect to have the new hire in place?
- What is the next step in the process?
When you have concluded asking your questions, always relate yourself to the position and express an interest by saying something like “I feel confident that my background, skills and competencies will have a meaningful impact on the team here at XYZ company and I’d like you to know that I’m very interested in the position.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and I look forward to the next step in the process.
While you may not know the exact questions you will be asked at interview, it’s safe to assume that the interviewer will want to know more about a few key topics: you, your understanding of the role and knowledge of the company. So, conduct your research, do some self-reflection and practice your answers to the questions above. With those basics sorted, you can head into the interview feeling confident and prepared.
Thomas Wharton is President of LIFOCUS CAREER SERVICES an Executive Coaching and Career Coaching firm in Rhode Island, providing Career & Transition Coaching, Outplacement, Executive Coaching, and Assessments. Tom can be reached at 401.884.7959 or 401.835.1967 • tom@lifocus.com • www.lifocus.com •@careercoachTW
