Top 20 Common Job Interview Questions and How to answer them in 2024
Use these 20 interview questions and answers to prepare for your next job.
There is only one thing between you and the job you want: your answers to common interview questions.
When you know how to answer interview questions in a way that will impress the recruiting team, your chances of getting an offer are much higher.
Below is a list of 20 interview questions and answers. The suggested answers are designed to inspire your personalized approach to these hot questions, incorporating specifics from your career background and skill set.
Know about 20 Common Job Interview Questions and How to answer them
Tell me about yourself
While this may sound like an open-ended question that you can answer as you like, don’t let its simplicity fool you into making too casual and personal disclosures.
Interviewers try to understand who you are and what you value to determine your level of expertise and how well you fit in the team.
You might focus first on who you are as a professional because this is a job interview. Talk about your educational and professional background and some key facts about your work experience.
While it’s okay (and perhaps expected) to share something a little personal and unique to you, be careful about exactly what you reveal here.
Think about sharing one of your major hobbies or interests outside work—for example, playing volleyball, cooking, or volunteering. Be careful about revealing that employers may unintentionally favor your age or family status.
How did you find out about this position?
Employers are trying to see if one of their marketing methods influenced you or if you discovered the job in other ways.
Whether you learn about job openings from colleagues, online, or through job advertisements, share with your interviewer how. You might get brownie points if you learn about the job from the company’s website.
If you took extra time to learn about the organization when you applied, mention it.
Why do you want to work here?
Hiring managers use this question to gauge candidates’ motivation to pursue an opportunity. While your main reason for applying may be financial motivation, that’s not the point to share during the interview.
Instead, consider other reasons you choose to make a difference in a particular organization. Maybe you like what you read about the company culture online, or maybe you hear from current employees that they love their jobs. If so, take some time to find the best words to explain this.
Another good answer might be related to your career interests. For example, suppose you’re a marketer applying for an entry-level marketing role.
In that case, you might focus on sharing what aspects of the company make you feel like this is an appropriate place to develop your career skills in your field.
What is your interest in this job?
This question may seem tricky because you may feel like you don’t know enough about the job to be a candidate rather than a hired person. But you can prepare for this inquiry in advance by doing some due diligence before the interview.
Spend at least an hour reviewing the details of the company’s job description and determine how to make the connection between what the manager wants and the talent you bring.
You can even bring a printout of your job description to the interview so you can reference specific language when answering this question. Point out to your interviewer that you’ve been thinking about the specific needs of the role and how your background and experience make you a good fit for the role.
Have you used our product/service?
You don’t want to be caught off guard by this question if you haven’t tried the product or service you’ll be using.
So, knowing that this is a common interview question, it’s wise to try the company’s tools before the interview.
As you try, jot down your experience and share specific details during the interview.
How will you improve our product/service?
Navigating your responses here requires some diplomacy, as you don’t want to imply a substandard product or service in your response.
But by coming up with a good idea here—for example, for an add-on or other bells and whistles that the client might like—you can get points from the interviewer for your creativity.
What is your greatest strength?
The challenge with answering the standard “strongest” question is to strike the right balance between sounding confident and not arrogant.
The strengths you share do not need to be directly related to the position you are applying for but should be linked to attributes that particular employers will value.
For example, highlighting how efficiently you work with teams and groups will come in handy in most jobs, so if that’s true for you, this would be a great option to share.
What is your greatest weakness?
The best answer to this has changed over time. While the preferred response in the past was to choose an area that showed you tended to be “overly concerned” with your work, this response has been overused. If you give it a try, you’ll probably get a backlash from a savvy interviewer who wants you to share a real weakness.
An effective way to do this is to share something that is legitimate but isn’t your strong suit — but also something specific that you’re working on improving.
What salary range are you looking for?
If this is your first interview, approach this question cautiously by avoiding the details. A smart strategy is to switch the question and ask if there is a salary range for the job based on your experience level and location.
What do you do in the first 30, 60 and 90 days of work?
Active listening can come in handy here. This common interview question can be difficult to prepare in advance. The details you learn about the employer’s priorities during the interview process may help you craft better, more specific answers.
If you need to review any points the interviewer has made about their priorities, or if they haven’t already shared them, it’s fair to ask for clarification before you start answering.
Knowing what the hiring manager cares about most is key to how you should plan for what you will be doing in your first few months in the role.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
While you might consider saving someone’s life as a lifeguard in high school as the proudest moment of your job, don’t take this question literally unless you’re actually interviewing to be a lifeguard.
The right way to describe your greatest professional achievement is to hone in on the position you’re applying for and find relevant experience in your past career to demonstrate what a hiring manager wants to find in an employee.
An equally smart strategy is to focus on general accomplishments that will impress any employer, such as developing strategies to increase departmental productivity.
What would former colleagues say about you?
When asking this question, the hiring committee tries to understand your personality, work style, and how well you work with others. While not all past colleagues may react to you the same way, focus on finding common ground in how people perceive your best assets.
If this is true, you can’t go wrong by showing past colleagues and bosses that you are a reliable, trustworthy, conscientious and on-time team member.
How do you see your career in 3-5 years?
This question requires some diplomatic skills, as showing that you think you are in the hiring manager’s position may not be acceptable.
In most cases, it’s also a faux pas to share your dreams of starting a startup, especially if it’s in a different field than the job you’re currently interviewing for.
A more cautious answer would be to emphasize your vision of making an impact on the industry and mentor more junior members of the team as you advance.
Why should we hire you?
No matter what type of position you’re applying for, you should be prepared to answer this classic interview question, so it’s a good idea to prepare and practice your responses.
If the question was asked early in the meeting, use it to explore the most relevant points in your experience and skill set, pointing out how well your background fits the job requirements.
As the interview draws close, take this opportunity to review the highlights you’ll bring to the company and how you’ll use your abilities to solve the employer’s biggest problems.
Why are you looking for a new job?
If you already have a job and are looking for one, the interviewer may be naturally curious about what drives your desire to change.
Be careful here, as revealing dissatisfaction with your current company, boss, or co-workers can be a red flag for the recruiting team.
Instead of complaining about your dissatisfaction with your current position, focus your answers on your desire for greater opportunities and career advancement.
