26 most common interview
questions and answers
1. Tell me a little about yourself.
Example answer: “I am a [positive adjectives] [x] professional
with [x] years of experience. I’m excited to find a role where I
can [accomplish this goal] and expand on my current skillset
while also learning, growing and contributing to a great
organization that aligns with my values.”
2. What are your biggest strengths?
Example answer: “I’m very proud of my strengths in [learning
new concepts and tools quickly / communicating clearly with
others / focusing on goals and outcomes] and even though these
are strengths I’m always trying to build on them.“
3. What are your biggest weaknesses?
Example answer: “I’m very self-aware of the things that I can
improve on, which some would call “weaknesses” and those
would be [proficiency with X tool or program / giving feedback to
colleagues or manager(s) / multi-tasking under pressure]. I’m
actively working on this, though, and am always getting better.”
4. Why should we hire you?
Example answer: “Because I have all of the skills you’re looking
for in this role and the enthusiasm about the company that will
help me thrive here. I also believe I can contribute positively to
the company culture by [X]….”
*The key is to be specific to THIS role and THIS company, and
what you can offer them rather than just what you can get out of
the role.
5. Why do you want this job? (similar question also
asked: “Why are you interested in this company?”)
Example answer: “I want this job because the role matches what
I am looking for the next step in my career growth and also
because I am very drawn to the mission and values that this
company stands for [such as X, Y, Z]. I feel like I can provide a
lot of value to the company but also grow with it.”
6. What motivates you?
Example answer: “What motivates me is [making customers
happy / creating campaigns from scratch, from strategy to
execution / tackling different problems and coming up with
meaningful solutions to them]. I believe that I’d be able to do
that here.”
7. How do you think you will fit in this role?
Example answer: “I think I would fit really great into this role.
From what I’ve learned so far about the role and the company, I
think there is a natural fit when it comes to needs on both sides
and it makes me excited to think about getting to know the
team and all the things I can learn and can contribute.”
8. What do you know about our company? (similar
question also asked: “How did you learn about us / the
opening?”)
Example answer: “I know that this company is known for [X] and
is in the [X] industry. The company is based in [X] and has about
[X] total employees. I also know that it’s an attractive place to
work for people like me who want [X].”
*You have to have actually done research on the company to
answer this well!
Additional questions related to the ones above:
9. Describe your ideal role.
10. What type of environment are you looking to step
into?
11. What are you looking for now?
12. What about this role / company attracts you?
13. Why do you want to leave your current job? (similar
question also asked: “Why are you looking?”)
Example answer: “There are a couple of main reasons I’m
looking to move on from my current job and that includes
[wanting to gain X new skill or grow current skill in X / more
career growth in the direction I’m interested in].
*The key is to focus on positives and be future-focused, rather
than focusing on negative things about the present or past at
your current role.
14. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Example answer: “In five years I’d like to be an established team
member of a company like this where I [will have mastered skills
that I’m just learning now / will take on new responsibilities and
learn the next level of skills I’d need to continue my career
path / will have taken on a leadership role where I am helping
manage and grow others]”
15. How do you deal with pressure or stressful
situations?
Example answer: “I deal with pressure or stressful situations by
[reminding myself that things are temporary / making sure I stay
grounded and understand what I can and cannot
change / knowing when and how to ask for help from my team
members or manager] and taking things one step at a time.”
*This is a chance to demonstrate your ability to stay calm and
work through any tough situation, and also your emotional
intelligence.
Additional questions related to the ones above:
16. Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced at
work and how you dealt with it.
17. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision.
What did you do?
18. What would your last boss / colleagues say about
you?
Even more common interview questions:
19. What would your previous boss or colleagues say you
excelled most at / needed most improvement in?
20. Describe a time you exercised leadership?
21. Can you give an example of how you worked on a
team?
22. How familiar are you with working with X (tool,
language, etc.)?
23. What other companies are you interviewing with?
24. What do you like to do outside of work?
25. Why was there a gap in your employment between
these dates?
26. Can you explain why you’ve bounced around to many
different types of roles (in unrelated areas)?
