Top 10 Job Interview Questions And Best Answers

If you want to be outstanding at a job interview, it is imperative to be prepared to give the best responses to most frequent job interview questions hiring managers usually ask. Considering that these questions are frequently asked, employers typically expect candidates to answer them without difficulty or hesitation.

It’s always a good idea to retain your answers for these job interview questions, but you should give what you have to say a thought before you say it so you are not embarrassed. You’ll do better if you are prepared, predict what you might encounter during the interview and understand what you need to prioritize.

10 Most Frequently Asked Job Interview Questions and Best Answers

Let’s take a look at the most frequently asked job interview questions and how best to answer them. Furthermore, also go through the additional questions at the bottom of the article so you are more equipped for more challenging questions that might be asked.

1. Tell me about yourself.

This is by far one of the most popular job interview questions out there. You wouldn’t attend any job interview without getting this question. By asking this question, the interviewer is looking to find out why you are the best person for the job. When you answer questions you don’t want to give too much or not enough personal information. The ideal way to start is by talking about your personal interests and other experience that aren’t directly work-related like your hobbies, a short story about where you grew up, your educational background and what your motivation is. You can make the interview a little more interesting by sharing some facts about your personality.

Tell Me About Your Self Sample Answer

Working in the ER as a nurse, I realized that the best way to relieve stress when I am off work is to be outdoors whether or not it is raining. I love hiking, taking pictures of nature and fishing for trout. Volunteering with the U.S forest service and the Local Salmon Habitat restoration groups are my favorite things to do. I am also a leader of group hikes on some of the difficult trails of Mt. Baker. I am able to handle this because of my training as a military nurse. My goal right now is to hike on Mt Rainer come summer. I want to be the best ER nurse I can be and being in the outdoors always renews my spirit.

[Read Also]: How to effectively use Indeed for Job Search

2. Why should we hire you?

Here, the interviewer wants to know if you are an excellent fit for the job. This includes finding out whether you have the qualifications required. You should be able to explain why you are the candidate that should be recruited. Your answers should be confident, brief and should explain what you can offer and why you should be hired.

Why Should We Hire You Sample Answer

One of the reasons you should hire me is, my experience matches the requirements in the job posting. My seven-years experience in the hospitality industry with Excalibur Resort and Spa moving from my first role as a front desk associate to the position I hold currently which is a concierge. I am acquainted with providing first-class customer service to a premium clientele and I take pride in my ability to quickly put problems to rest so our guests have the best time with us.

3. What is your greatest strength?

Employers are looking to determine how qualified you are for the vacancy. When you are asked this question, you should focus on the skills that make you the most qualified for that specific position and what makes you different from the other applicants.

What is Your Greatest Strength Sample Answer

My greatest strength as a cybersecurity specialist is my intellectual curiosity. Keeping our security information uncompromised by researching the latest trends is what I enjoy doing. I didn’t end at doing this by reading the latest issues of cybersecurity journals, I also got my company to enroll me as a participant in the quarterly information technology conferences.

4. What is your greatest weakness?

It is very common to be asked about your weaknesses during an interview. Always make sure your answers reveal positive parts of your skills and abilities. This will turn what should have been weaknesses into strengths. You can as well talk about instances where you have found weaknesses in your skills and taken steps to improve yourself.

What is your greatest weakness sample answer

I used to procrastinate and that used to be my greatest weakness. I used to get teased by people who knew my work style with words like “panic precipitates performance”. I was the person who will stay all night to make sure I finish an essay right before the deadline. It is not as irresponsible as it might seem. I begin thinking about a project from when it is assigned to me. I mentally compose most of my first two drafts so I am left only with writing the final draft down. Due to my good command of grammar, I usually don’t spend a lot of time revising or proofreading.

Nonetheless, it became clear when I got my first job as a content writer that while I had no problem with this process because I always kept the deadline, it made my editor uncomfortable.

So now, I set a deadline for myself 24 hours prior to the real deadline so my projects get handed in well ahead of time.

[Read Also]: Top 7 Big data Jobs

5. Why do you want to leave (or have left) your current job?

You should be able to let the hiring manager know why you chose to work for their company. Always state and stay around the facts, be straight forward and your answer should be focused on the future. Especially if your departure from the previous position wasn’t on the best of terms.

Why you left your last job sample answer

ABC company hired me straight out of college and I was fortunate to be a part of them. I have learned a lot about digital marketing and my work as a contributor to their creative teams was very stimulating. I’ve always been a leader so right now I am ready for the next step. I was the lead for most of our projects in FY 2019, student body president and I have served as the captain for the crew team in college. I am ready to take the step into management but the positions ABC have already been filled with great managers who will not be leaving the company anytime soon. Haven completed supplemental management training courses while I was there, I am capable of hitting the ground as your next digital marketing manager.

6. What are your salary expectations?

The employer would like to know just what your salary expectations are. As simple as this question might look, this can greatly limit your chances of getting the job if you set your bar too high. If you set it too low as well, you might be offered something lower.

What is your salary expectation sample answer

According to the Glassdoor.com reliable salary calculators, in Portland sous, chefs make an average of $50,964 yearly and 5% earned below that. I earned around $49,700 last year. A salary of over $50,000 would be great, a lower salary accompanied by other benefits can be negotiated.

7. Why do you want this job?

This is your chance to show the hiring manager that you about the position and the company, so make sure you prepare well ahead and do your research on the company and the products and services they offer, their culture and the vision and mission. Be straightforward about what you feel makes you the best person for the position. You can slide in the things about the position and company that you love the most.

Why do you want this job sample answer

My father and grandfather were home builders with their own construction firm. So construction design is in my blood. I knew I wanted my career in architecture career to be built around sustainable, green design practices when I first got into the college so I got my certification as a LEED Accredited Professional. The most respected Greenways Construction is the most respected sustainable design firm in Texas is LEED Certified projects in the Journal of Green Engineering, and I wrote my capstone project on the energy modeling you pioneered for the ACME Business Park and the ABC Tech campus. Working here really would be my dream job, since your mission aligns perfectly with my goals as a sustainability specialist.

8. How do you handle stress and pressure?

Every workplace has some stressful situations. The employer wants to know how you handle things not being too smooth at work and how you deal with these difficult situations. You shouldn’t try to claim like you really experience it but rather present your response in a way that acknowledges stress in the workplace and how you overcame it and what benefit you got from it.

How do you handle stress sample answer

Stressful environments are not the most productive for me. I manage stress by being professional and organizing my work. When faced with issues from customers or colleagues I endeavor to see things from their perspective and try to come up with a problem-solving approach to suppress the situation. I realized that keeping an efficient engaging office where people can easily communicate is great for managing stress in the workplace. Unplanned stressors will still arise sometime and when they do, I breathe deep and remember that the situation frustrates the person and not be. So I try to get what they are concerned about and try to resolve it as soon as possible.

9. Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it.

How do you react or respond when you have to make a difficult decision? That’s what the interviewer wants to know.  Using an example like the stress question above, you can share an example of how you handled being in that situation. Always make sure your examples are engaging.

Sample Answer

Laying off staff was the most difficult decision I have had to make as a production manager. This was either because the staff wasn’t people doing their work because sales were going down. Often I work with staff who aren’t performing well to see if we can improve their efficiency. If no change comes forth, then I give them their slip and tell them concisely why the decision had to be made since nobody wants to be laid off without an explanation. When you have I do give these explanations, I try to make them polite and use the word “You” too often so as not to embarrass them.

10. What are your goals for the future?

Employers usually want to know if you are going to stay with the company or move as soon as you find another opportunity. Thus the reason for this question. Make sure to keep your responses focused on the position and align your long term goals to it. The question always comes as “where do you see yourself in five years?”

What are your goals for the future sample answer

I love stability and my focus has always been to find a job where I am a valued employee and hold the position for the long term with a local company as I advance to other positions with authority and responsibility. I am quite interested in the job here because of your internal training program. Eventually becoming a branch manager after is my long term goal after proving my competencies in team leadership and customer service.

[Read Also]  Difference Between CV and Resume

Some possible follow up job interview questions you might get asked.

Here are some related questions you might be asked during a job interview that will require some thought to answer.

• How do you handle success?
• How do you handle failure?
• Do you work well with other people?
• What can you do better for us than the other applicants?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• What Else the Interview Wants to Know

Review more of the most frequently asked interview questions, tips for responding, and sample answers you can use to practice for a job interview. You can also expect to be asked about how

you would respond to a specific work-related situation. Here’s a list of examples of these behavioral interview questions you may be asked.

You should ask your interviewer the following questions.

Most interviewers ask if you have questions about the position or the company at the end of an interview. Not asking questions may seem like you are not interested in the position. It’s always better to be ready when asked.

Preparing for a Job Interview

When you spend time preparing for your interview, you increase your chances of doing great in it. You’ll be more comfortable and confident talking to an employer if you are informed about the products and services the company offers.

Do your research about the company:

Use the many different resources available to do your research on the prospective employer. Learn as much as you possibly can about their mission, vision and update yourself with the news about the company.

Get insider information through your connections:

If you know people inside the company, they can always help higher your chances of getting hired. LinkedIn is a great way to check and see if you know or are connected to people who work in the company. Ask for advice that might be helpful for your interview. If you graduated from college, you can always check your career office if there might be some alumni who can help you.

Try Matching.

Before your interview, you should try to match your qualifications to what is stated as the requirements in the job posting. Doing this will help you examples that you can use to show how suitable you are for the job.

Rehearse your responses:

Put down your responses to the questions and rehearse out loud to make sure you sound as natural possible. Make it concise and sweet. You don’t want the interviewer to feel like you are constantly going on and on about yourself.

Be ready to show and tell with examples:

Remember to show rather than tell. If you want to state for example that you are a good problem solver, instead of talking about it, give an example to demonstrate ideally quoting instances from your past professional experiences.

[Read Also]: Top 10 websites for job search

Learn How to make the best  first impression for your job interview

Usually, the first impression is the lasting and most important impression in a job interview. Within a few minutes of meeting you, employers can decide whether or not you are a good candidate for the job. Review these tips to make a good first impression.

Look like success:

How you look in an interview is very important because you don’t want to look either over or underdressed.  Wearing a three-piece suit looks out of place and so does wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Try to choose an attire that is appropriate and you can ask the person who scheduled the interview what would be good to wear.

Be a little early or in time:

Keeping your interviewer waiting is a terrible idea. Always try to be in time or early for your interview appointment. If you are not completely sure where you are off to, go well ahead of time so you will know how long it will take for you to get there.

Be positive:

Your responses to questions should have a positive vibe. Sounding like you are motivated is better than to run away from a bad situation. Also, you want to stay away from bashing your current organization or supervisor. It is highly unlikely that you will get hired by the company if you are negative in your responses.

What to do after the interview.

At the end of every job interview, leave “Thank you” note or email showing your appreciation for the time you spent with the interviewer and reiterating your interest in the position. If there is anything that you would have loved to add in your interview that you didn’t, you can include it.

There you have it for the best job interview questions and hope the sample answers we provided were appropriate enough. let us know what you think in the comment section.