When you walk into an interview, you usually feel about the same way every time – a little excited, but mostly terrified. If you’ve been interviewed more than once, chances are, you’ve been asked different questions during each interview. Some employers will think up insanely difficult questions for their interviewees just to see how they perform under pressure, while others favor questions that will actually help them understand you and your background. No matter the interview, though, there are a few questions you can almost always count on being asked, and you should be prepared with your answers. I’ve had a few interviews now, including for positions on my university’s campus, mock interviews at our career development center and for actual positions in the “real world” (like this blogging position). I was asked each of the questions below in at least three – some of them in all – of my interviews, and I’ve gotten used to the idea that, whether I have a great answer or not, I’m going to be asked these questions.
1. What goals do you have for your career? / What’s your dream job?
These two questions are very similar and yet very different. Although they both essentially ask “where do you see yourself ending up in the future?” one asks for firm goals that you’re actually trying to achieve, and the other asks for you to use your imagination. When an employer asks you what your career goals are, honesty is the best policy – you don’t need to embellish much here. Even if you don’t know where you want to end up, you can still know what you want to try out in the meantime and why it interests you; in the same way, if you know where you want to end up but haven’t quite figured out how to get there, talk about your ambitions. You never know – maybe your interviewer will have some helpful career advice for you.
As for the second question, if someone asks you about your dream job, it’s completely up to you to figure out how you want to approach it. You can either treat it as if it means the same as the question about your career goals, giving a serious and realistic answer, or you can make it a little more fun. I usually like to go with the latter, telling my interviewer a random dream of mine that might be entirely far-fetched and unattainable. Here, you have to judge why your interviewer is asking you this question. If it’s an entry-level position, they’re probably trying to get a feel for your personality and what you’d be like to work with, but in a higher-paying position, they probably want to hear your legitimate career plans. So think about why your interviewer is asking, and form your answer accordingly.
2. How would you excel in this position?
Here, you want to focus on the job description that made you apply for the job, as that will show you what skills you’ll be needing. Now is the perfect time to bring up those skills and highlight any personal experiences that may or may not be on your resume that might serve as proof of how well you can put those skills to use.
3. Describe yourself / Tell me about yourself / Tell me a story
This question comes in tons of different flavors, but they all mean the same thing: “Who the heck are you, and why should I care?” This is your interviewer’s way of saying, “Impress me in thirty seconds or less,” and it’s up to you to think of something that will give your interviewer a sense of who you are without leaving them bored. You of course need to tell them a little background, but because they’ve probably read your resume and have it sitting in front of them, it’s best to give mainly information that they can’t find by looking down.
Talk about something interesting about yourself or what brought you to the company or made you want to apply for the position. You can talk about anything here that you want, and what you choose to say depends entirely on you and how your interviewer phrases the question. If they tell you to describe yourself, you’ll probably want to use adjectives and descriptions that you can back up with personal experiences; for instance, you could talk about how you’re open-minded, and out-of-the-box thinker, and then talk about a project you’ve worked on that demonstrates those qualities. The key here is to talk about something that’s truly important to you – something that has helped shape you or make you who you are. Interviewers can tell when you’re passionate about something, and there’s never a better time to show an interviewer you’re passionate than when you’re describing yourself and your experiences. If they see that what you’ve done in the past has inspired you, they’re more likely to think that you’ll find and provide inspiration in the future.
4. How did you hear about this position?
Fortunately, this is an easy question that’s asked pretty frequently, and all you have to do is answer honestly. Think about how you heard about the position – if it’s something that wasn’t that interesting, then add a little more information. If you found the job posting on a website, for instance, that could be a pretty dull answer, so talk about what, specifically, you were looking for when you found the listing, and what you found out about the company after researching that made you think to apply. Overall, though, employers who ask this question are generally just trying to figure out the most effective way to advertise job postings.
5. What are your strengths?
This question can be as simple or difficult as you make it. If your strengths are highly applicable to the job for which you’re interviewing, then those will be easy answers for you. If, however, you’re applying for a job that’s a little outside of your comfort zone, or you don’t have any experience in the field, then you need to think of skills and attributes that would be helpful in that position. You might find some phrases in the job posting that can help you out, as they usually tell you what skills and characteristics a company is trying to find in an employee. For my part, I’ve mainly applied for positions relating to writing, so naturally, “writing” is one of my biggest strengths that I bring out in an interview. It’s also something that can be seen on my resume, so it’s easy to back up with evidence.
6. What are your weaknesses?
This question tends to be answered fairly formulaically. In the past, people would say that you should answer with a weakness that could easily be twisted into a strength, such as “I’m obsessive,” which could easily translate to “I’m focused and will work until I get the job done.” This, obviously, isn’t much of a flaw to an employer. Now that enough people have used that not-so-tricky trick, there’s a new method for answering this question: choose and actual flaw. It seems strange to think that you should just openly admit your faults to an employer who you’re hoping will hire you, but what this employer is really looking for is honesty, to see how you perform under pressure, and to get a feel for your personality based on how you answer your questions. For this question, choose a fault that you really do have, but make it something that isn’t detrimental to your ability to do the job for which you’re applying.
I, for example, often say that my greatest weakness is public speaking; it’s entirely true, and it very well might be my greatest weakness in a professional setting, but it’s not something that affects my ability to write. And, if there’s any question of my ability or desire to overcome my weakness, I make this a two-part question, letting my interviewer know how I’m trying to combat my weakness. It would look something like this: “I would say that my greatest weakness is public speaking. I’m absolutely terrified to speak in large groups of people. But I’ve taken a public speaking class, take on leadership roles that force me to speak to groups, and I try to push myself to participate more in classes than I would naturally, and I think I’m growing to be more comfortable speaking to larger and larger groups.” You can see that, although I did tell the interviewer my weakness, I highlighted both why it isn’t such a bad weakness (it only affects my communication with large groups) and what I’m doing to try to make myself stronger than my weakness.
7. Why are you interested in working for this company? / What do you know about our company?
For this type of question, you’ll really need to have done your research on the company. No matter how they ask, they essentially want to know what about their company is attractive to you, what you think of their mission, whether you hold their same values and ambitions, and where you see yourself fitting into the company. Before your interview, and before you even apply for the job, you need to look the company up online, look at any projects they’re working on, look at their successes and failures, read any articles that may have been published about them, and think about what you can bring to the table that they don’t already have or might not know they need. For me, answering this question is usually easy because I’m the type of person who needs to not only love what I do but the company for whom I’m doing it. When I interviewed with 4T’s, this question was the easiest of all of the questions because I could identify with the company’s mission, I could respect it, and I wanted to be a part of it. If you can express that to an interviewer, you’ll be golden.
8. Do you have any questions for me?
This is the last question you’ll be asked in an interview, and you can almost guarantee that it will be asked. It gives the employer a chance to take a break from asking you the questions, get to hear some of your thoughts and concerns that have developed throughout the interview, and get a feel for just how invested you are in the company and how much research you’ve done. You should always have questions prepared – at least three – so that you don’t give a simple “nope” at the end of your interview. If you come in with only one question ready, you’ll be lucky if it hasn’t already been answered by the end of the interview, especially if it’s a long interview. For this question, it’s a great idea to base your questions off of the research you do on the company. If you see a project that interests you or that you’d like to be involved in if you were hired there, ask about it – ask anything. You can also ask your interviewer to explain something about the company’s working environment, which will show them that you’re thinking beyond the interview and really trying to make an informed decision about working there – that you want to know them just as much as they want to know you.
9. Why should we hire you?
This question is, for me, the worst. It could be answered in so many ways, and you might have already answered it a million times, especially if your interviewer has asked you any of the other questions on this list. With this question, you really need to think about what you, as a person and as an employee, could bring to a company; what makes you special, more qualified, more deserving of this job than the other candidates? Your interviewer isn’t just asking why they should hire you. They’re asking why they should hire you above everyone else. At this point, you can use a little repetition from previous answers to drive certain points home; for example, if you really want to stress a point you made during question number two about how you would excel in this position, then do it – just make sure you bring up some new material as well. Again, focus on what makes you different or uniquely qualified. Why are you the absolute best possible candidate? It’s tough, I know, but if there’s any time to brag and put yourself on a pedestal, it’s an interview.
-Hope Swedeen
What are the most common questions you’ve had to answer in an interview? What are the toughest questions you’ve been asked?
1. What goals do you have for your career? / What’s your dream job?
These two questions are very similar and yet very different. Although they both essentially ask “where do you see yourself ending up in the future?” one asks for firm goals that you’re actually trying to achieve, and the other asks for you to use your imagination. When an employer asks you what your career goals are, honesty is the best policy – you don’t need to embellish much here. Even if you don’t know where you want to end up, you can still know what you want to try out in the meantime and why it interests you; in the same way, if you know where you want to end up but haven’t quite figured out how to get there, talk about your ambitions. You never know – maybe your interviewer will have some helpful career advice for you.
As for the second question, if someone asks you about your dream job, it’s completely up to you to figure out how you want to approach it. You can either treat it as if it means the same as the question about your career goals, giving a serious and realistic answer, or you can make it a little more fun. I usually like to go with the latter, telling my interviewer a random dream of mine that might be entirely far-fetched and unattainable. Here, you have to judge why your interviewer is asking you this question. If it’s an entry-level position, they’re probably trying to get a feel for your personality and what you’d be like to work with, but in a higher-paying position, they probably want to hear your legitimate career plans. So think about why your interviewer is asking, and form your answer accordingly.
2. How would you excel in this position?
Here, you want to focus on the job description that made you apply for the job, as that will show you what skills you’ll be needing. Now is the perfect time to bring up those skills and highlight any personal experiences that may or may not be on your resume that might serve as proof of how well you can put those skills to use.
3. Describe yourself / Tell me about yourself / Tell me a story
This question comes in tons of different flavors, but they all mean the same thing: “Who the heck are you, and why should I care?” This is your interviewer’s way of saying, “Impress me in thirty seconds or less,” and it’s up to you to think of something that will give your interviewer a sense of who you are without leaving them bored. You of course need to tell them a little background, but because they’ve probably read your resume and have it sitting in front of them, it’s best to give mainly information that they can’t find by looking down.
Talk about something interesting about yourself or what brought you to the company or made you want to apply for the position. You can talk about anything here that you want, and what you choose to say depends entirely on you and how your interviewer phrases the question. If they tell you to describe yourself, you’ll probably want to use adjectives and descriptions that you can back up with personal experiences; for instance, you could talk about how you’re open-minded, and out-of-the-box thinker, and then talk about a project you’ve worked on that demonstrates those qualities. The key here is to talk about something that’s truly important to you – something that has helped shape you or make you who you are. Interviewers can tell when you’re passionate about something, and there’s never a better time to show an interviewer you’re passionate than when you’re describing yourself and your experiences. If they see that what you’ve done in the past has inspired you, they’re more likely to think that you’ll find and provide inspiration in the future.
4. How did you hear about this position?
Fortunately, this is an easy question that’s asked pretty frequently, and all you have to do is answer honestly. Think about how you heard about the position – if it’s something that wasn’t that interesting, then add a little more information. If you found the job posting on a website, for instance, that could be a pretty dull answer, so talk about what, specifically, you were looking for when you found the listing, and what you found out about the company after researching that made you think to apply. Overall, though, employers who ask this question are generally just trying to figure out the most effective way to advertise job postings.
5. What are your strengths?
This question can be as simple or difficult as you make it. If your strengths are highly applicable to the job for which you’re interviewing, then those will be easy answers for you. If, however, you’re applying for a job that’s a little outside of your comfort zone, or you don’t have any experience in the field, then you need to think of skills and attributes that would be helpful in that position. You might find some phrases in the job posting that can help you out, as they usually tell you what skills and characteristics a company is trying to find in an employee. For my part, I’ve mainly applied for positions relating to writing, so naturally, “writing” is one of my biggest strengths that I bring out in an interview. It’s also something that can be seen on my resume, so it’s easy to back up with evidence.
6. What are your weaknesses?
This question tends to be answered fairly formulaically. In the past, people would say that you should answer with a weakness that could easily be twisted into a strength, such as “I’m obsessive,” which could easily translate to “I’m focused and will work until I get the job done.” This, obviously, isn’t much of a flaw to an employer. Now that enough people have used that not-so-tricky trick, there’s a new method for answering this question: choose and actual flaw. It seems strange to think that you should just openly admit your faults to an employer who you’re hoping will hire you, but what this employer is really looking for is honesty, to see how you perform under pressure, and to get a feel for your personality based on how you answer your questions. For this question, choose a fault that you really do have, but make it something that isn’t detrimental to your ability to do the job for which you’re applying.
I, for example, often say that my greatest weakness is public speaking; it’s entirely true, and it very well might be my greatest weakness in a professional setting, but it’s not something that affects my ability to write. And, if there’s any question of my ability or desire to overcome my weakness, I make this a two-part question, letting my interviewer know how I’m trying to combat my weakness. It would look something like this: “I would say that my greatest weakness is public speaking. I’m absolutely terrified to speak in large groups of people. But I’ve taken a public speaking class, take on leadership roles that force me to speak to groups, and I try to push myself to participate more in classes than I would naturally, and I think I’m growing to be more comfortable speaking to larger and larger groups.” You can see that, although I did tell the interviewer my weakness, I highlighted both why it isn’t such a bad weakness (it only affects my communication with large groups) and what I’m doing to try to make myself stronger than my weakness.
7. Why are you interested in working for this company? / What do you know about our company?
For this type of question, you’ll really need to have done your research on the company. No matter how they ask, they essentially want to know what about their company is attractive to you, what you think of their mission, whether you hold their same values and ambitions, and where you see yourself fitting into the company. Before your interview, and before you even apply for the job, you need to look the company up online, look at any projects they’re working on, look at their successes and failures, read any articles that may have been published about them, and think about what you can bring to the table that they don’t already have or might not know they need. For me, answering this question is usually easy because I’m the type of person who needs to not only love what I do but the company for whom I’m doing it. When I interviewed with 4T’s, this question was the easiest of all of the questions because I could identify with the company’s mission, I could respect it, and I wanted to be a part of it. If you can express that to an interviewer, you’ll be golden.
8. Do you have any questions for me?
This is the last question you’ll be asked in an interview, and you can almost guarantee that it will be asked. It gives the employer a chance to take a break from asking you the questions, get to hear some of your thoughts and concerns that have developed throughout the interview, and get a feel for just how invested you are in the company and how much research you’ve done. You should always have questions prepared – at least three – so that you don’t give a simple “nope” at the end of your interview. If you come in with only one question ready, you’ll be lucky if it hasn’t already been answered by the end of the interview, especially if it’s a long interview. For this question, it’s a great idea to base your questions off of the research you do on the company. If you see a project that interests you or that you’d like to be involved in if you were hired there, ask about it – ask anything. You can also ask your interviewer to explain something about the company’s working environment, which will show them that you’re thinking beyond the interview and really trying to make an informed decision about working there – that you want to know them just as much as they want to know you.
9. Why should we hire you?
This question is, for me, the worst. It could be answered in so many ways, and you might have already answered it a million times, especially if your interviewer has asked you any of the other questions on this list. With this question, you really need to think about what you, as a person and as an employee, could bring to a company; what makes you special, more qualified, more deserving of this job than the other candidates? Your interviewer isn’t just asking why they should hire you. They’re asking why they should hire you above everyone else. At this point, you can use a little repetition from previous answers to drive certain points home; for example, if you really want to stress a point you made during question number two about how you would excel in this position, then do it – just make sure you bring up some new material as well. Again, focus on what makes you different or uniquely qualified. Why are you the absolute best possible candidate? It’s tough, I know, but if there’s any time to brag and put yourself on a pedestal, it’s an interview.
-Hope Swedeen
What are the most common questions you’ve had to answer in an interview? What are the toughest questions you’ve been asked?
RSS Feed