100+ Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answers

Even more than a resume or job application, the interview can show an employer if you're the right candidate for the position. Regardless of whether you apply online or in person, you will eventually have to interview before becoming hired.

Answers to Interview Questions

There are a number of standard questions that nearly all interviewers ask during the course of a job interview. These common interview questions may be familiar to you, but you may not know exactly how to answer them. Many of these frequently asked interview questions involve your professionalism, work history, and desire to work for the company at hand.

Types of Questions
Professionals often break down interview questions into the following categories. Click a link to jump down the page to that section.

• Behavioral Questions
• Skills & Experience Questions
• Personality Questions
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Interpersonal and Conflict Management Questions
• Practical Skills and Job Logistics Questions

Get Ready for the Interview
Knowing what employers are looking for during the interview will make you seem less nervous, more confident, and more qualified for the job.

In order to comfortably and confident reply to these interview questions, think about the questions ahead of time and rehearse your responses. Remember to answer personally. However, you can feel free to use this guide as examples of what to say during an interview.

Also, check out our interview tips for each company.

Behavioral Questions

Behavioral interview questions ask candidates to describe some of their past experiences and how they performed previously in professional situations. When asking behavioral questions, employers are operating under the assumption that a candidate’s past behavior will be indicative of their future behavior. For candidates, this is a great opportunity to showcase how you’ve handled past situations with concrete examples.

1. At What Point in Life Did You Choose This Profession?

2. Can You Deal with High-Pressure Situations?

3. How Did You Prepare For This Interview?

4. How Do You Handle Criticism?

5. How Do You Handle Stress?

6. How Do You Manage Multiple Deadlines?

7. How Do You Manage Your Time?

8. How Do You Want to Improve Yourself in the Next Year?

9. How Long Will It Take You To Make a Contribution to This Business?

10. How Would You Address Conflicting Priorities?

11. How Would You Define Customer Service?

12. What Are Your Goals for the Future?

13. What Challenges Will You Face Here?

14. What Do You See Yourself Doing in the First 30 Days?

15. What Do You Ultimately Want To Become?

16. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?

17. What Is Your Greatest Failure?

18. What Is Your Greatest Fear?

19. What Steps Do You Follow to Study a Problem?

20. What Will It Take To Attain Your Goals?

21. Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years?

22. Why Did You Choose Your Major?

Skills & Experience Questions

As its name implies, questions related to your skills and experience are meant to evaluate your existing skills and previous experience against those needed for the position. Employers want to know what you already know and what you need to learn. This is a good chance to discuss your soft skills, as well as your technical or hard skills, and other qualifications you bring to the table.

1. What Have You Been Doing in the Last Year?

2. When Have You Felt Most Satisfied in a Job?

3. What Are Your Strengths?

4. What Are Your Weaknesses?

5. If I Were to Ask Your Last Supervisor What Training You Require, What Would She Say?

6. What Have You Been Doing Since Your Last Job?

7. Why Should We Hire You?

8. Why Are You Qualified For The Job?

9. What Experience Do You Have In This Field?

10. What Has Disappointed You about a Previous Job?

11. Do You Have Any Blind Spots?

12. Are You Overqualified for This Job?

13. How Do You Propose To Compensate For Your Lack Of Experience?

14. What Will You Miss About Your Last Job?

15. Tell Me About A Fun Job Experience

16. What Computer Programs Are You Familiar With?

17. Do You Need Additional Training?

18. What Did You Like or Dislike About Your Last Job?

19. Why Are You the Best Candidate?

20. Describe a Time When You Had to Work as Part of a Team

Personality and Cultural Fit Questions

These types of questions are designed to help the employer get to know you better in a more holistic sense. Depending on the company, employers may use your answers to these questions to see if you’d be a good fit for their environment or company culture. While you should always try to stay focused on the company or job, it is a great way to tell them more about what you’re like outside of a professional environment and how that may positively influence your work.

1. Tell Me About Yourself

2. What Do You Know About Us?

3. What Is Your Style of Leadership?

4. What Annoys You?

5. What Is Your Attitude Towards Work?

6. If You Had Enough Money to Retire Right Now, Would You?

7. If We Were to Give You the Salary You Want, But Let You Write Your Own Job Description, What Would it Say?

8. Which is More Important to You, the Money or the Work?

9. If You Could Work For Any Company, Where Would You Work?

10. “Do You Consider Yourself to be Successful?”

11. How Would You Describe Your Work Style?

12. What Would Your Friends Say About You?

13. Are You a Big-Picture or Detail-Oriented Person?

14. What Motivates You?

15. Are You Willing To Put the Interests of This Organization Ahead of Your Own?

16. What Are the Positive Character Traits You Don’t Have?

17. What’s The Most Important Thing You Learned In School?

18. Would You Work for Someone Who Knows Less?

19. What Do You Do in Your Spare Time?

20. Do You Have Any Questions For Me?

21. Who Is Your Hero? Why?

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Questions

These types of questions are meant to test your problem-solving skills and see how you’ll react in difficult or tricky situations. Always respond honestly, but be sure to highlight the more positive aspects of your ability to handle these situations. This is a great way to talk about your merits if you don’t have any previous job experience.

1. Tell Me About A Challenge That You Had to Overcome

2. Tell Me About a Difficult Period in Your Life

3. Describe a Time You Made a Suggestion to Improve Business

4. Describe Your Ideal Job

5. If You Were Hiring Someone for This Position, What Would You Be Looking For?

6. What Qualities Do You Look For in a Boss?

7. Tell Me About A Time You Resolved A Conflict

8. Describe A Situation Where You Had To Make A Quick Decision

9. How Would You Deal With An Angry Customer?

10. Tell Me about a Time You Went Above and Beyond Duties

11. What Would You Do if You Saw a Coworker Stealing?

Interpersonal and Conflict Management Skills Questions

Even if the position requires a lot of independent work, you’ll have to work with other people in some capacity in virtually any job. Employers want to know how you interact with other people and ensure you can function effectively in their larger team. Use these types of questions to demonstrate that though you’re able to work alone, you are also capable of working with colleagues, supervisors, vendors, and customers.

1. Have You Ever Disagreed with a Boss or Co-worker?

2. What Sorts of People Do You Enjoy Working With?

3. Have You Ever Fired Someone and How Did that Make You Feel?

4. How Well Do You Interact with Management?

5. What Kind of Person Will You Refuse to Work With?

6. Do You Work Better In A Team Or Alone?

7. How Will You Earn the Respect of Your Co-Workers?

8. What Position Do You Prefer When Working on a Project?

9. Should a Boss Be Feared or Liked?

Practical Skills and Job Logistics Questions

Although they may not seem as nerve-wracking or difficult to answer as the other types of questions above, your responses to logistical questions are hugely important to your interview. Always answer honestly, even with questions that may paint you in a negative light. Being fired from a previous position or admitting to applying to other jobs will not guarantee that you’re ruled out as a candidate; employers know that no one is perfect and they will value your honesty. These questions are also important for you to gauge whether or not this truly is the right job for you.

1. Why Do You Want to Work Here?

2. Do You Know Anyone Who Works for Us?

3. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

4. Are You Willing to Relocate?

5. How Long Do You Expect to Work for Us if Hired?

6. Have You Ever Been Fired?

7. Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?

8. What Are You Looking for in Terms of Advancement Potential and Career Growth?

9. Are You Willing to Work Nights and Weekends?

10. Are You Applying to Any Other Jobs?

11. Can You Do the Job?

12. Are You Over the Age of 18?

13. Can You Provide Proof of Age?

14. Do You Have Any Travel Restrictions?

15. Can You Lift 50 / 75 / 100 lbs?

16. Do You Have Any Responsibilities That Might Prevent You from Meeting Your Specified Work Schedule?

17. Are You Able to Perform This Job’s Duties with or without Reasonable Accommodations?

18. Can You Complete Job Assignments Safely?

19. What Languages (Besides English) Do You Know?

20. Are You Legally Authorized To Work In The United States?

21. Have You Ever Been Convicted of A Crime?

22. List Any Organizations That You Belong To

23. What If You Get More Than One Job Offer?

24. Are You Planning To Continue Your Studies?

25. When Do You Expect A Promotion?

26. What Can You Bring to This Company?

27. When Can You Start?