How To Answer Interview Questions

Top 10 Interview Questions And Best Answers

Review these most frequently asked interview questions and sample answers, and then prepare your responses based on your experience, skills, and interests. Remember that its less about providing the right answers and more about demonstrating that youre the best candidate for the job.

1. Tell Me About Yourself – Best Answers

This is one of the first questions you are likely to be asked. Be prepared to talk about yourself, and why you’re an ideal candidate for the position. The interviewer wants to know why you’re an excellent fit for the job.

Try to answer questions about yourself without giving too much, or too little, personal information. You can start by sharing some of your personal interests and experiences that don’t relate directly to work, such as a favorite hobby or a brief account of where you grew up, your education, and what motivates you.

You can even and showcase your personality to make the interview a little more interesting.

2. Why Are You the Best Person for the Job? –Best Answers

Are you the best candidate for the job? The hiring manager wants to know whether you have all the required qualifications. Be prepared to explain why you’re the applicant who should be hired.

3. Why Do You Want This Job? – Best Answers

Be specific about what makes you a good fit for this role, and mention aspects of the company and position that appeal to you most.

4. How Has Your Experience Prepared You for This Role? – Best Answers

Close The Interview By Asking The Question If They Have Any Concerns

You may not get a chance to address shortcomings in a follow-up interview it is imperative to understand what was missing from the discussion while still in the interview.

After you have had a chance to ask your questions, you will want to validate that you are an ideal candidate for the job. To do this, you should probe into the minds of the interviewers and see if there are any concerns they have about you.

The key question to do this can be along the lines of:

After discussing this job, I feel as if I would be a perfect fit for it. Im curious to know if there is anything I said or DID NOT say that would make you believe otherwise.

The answer you get to this question may open the door to mentioning something you did not get to talk about during the interview or clarify any potential misconception over something that was covered.

Why Did You Change Your Career Path

If you recently changed your career path, the interviewer is sure to ask about it.

Dont worry – theres nothing wrong with this.

A lot of people go through a career change. Some even do it several times in their lifetime!

As long as youre good at what you do, no one cares if you were a pediatrician in one year, and a professional chef in another.

When asked this question, all you have to do is answer truthfully. Explain how your old job just wasnt for you, and how the job youre applying for is so much more interesting.

Possible answers:

• Sample Answer

I realized that being a doctor is not for me. While I did enjoy my 3 years in med school, the 6 year study period was too much.

I wanted to start making money and help out my family way before that, so I dropped out of university and started taking online courses in accounting.

At this point, Im pretty good at it, having done 2 internships so far in and .

• Sample Answer 2

Simply because I enjoy doing sales much more than accounting. After 5 years of working as an accountant for Firm X, I decided I wanted to try something new.

I asked my boss at the time to let me transition to the sales team, and I ended up liking it AND being pretty good at it.

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What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You

It’s time to pull out your old performance appraisals and boss’s quotes to answer the question, “What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?”. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone else’s words: “My boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humor.”

What Did You Like Most About Your Last Position

Knowing what you enjoyed about your last position can offer employers insight to your motivations, personality and whether you will enjoy the position available. To answer this question, focus on positives, speak to work rather than people, explain how it prepared you for this new position and reasons why moving to this role is the right choice.

Example answer:It was a great entry-level position at a start-up agency. Not only was I learning more about marketing, but management was also very transparent, teaching us a great deal about owning a business. It was a very collaborative atmosphere, and the team and I worked together on almost every project. Everyone’s weak point was countered by another’s strong point. I learned more working there than I ever did in college, and I’m excited to apply these skills to a new position.

Read more: Interview Question: “What Did You Like Most About Your Job?”

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Most Common Interview Questions

Preparing yourself for a job interview is crucial for getting through to the next stage of the job application process. Interview questions can stump jobseekers or catch them off guard, leaving them speechless or in a muddle as to what to say. Thats why its a good idea to prepare for the most common interview questions and do plenty of research on the company and the type of job before the interview.

Use the following tips to learn how to answer interview questions and read through our typical interview questions.

Why Should We Give You This Job

This isnt the most common interview question, but it is still probable that youre asked this question in a job interview. They might also ask you: What are your main skills and strengths or Why do you think youre the best candidate for the role?

It might seem intimidating or you might even feel uncomfortable boasting about yourself, but if you are given the opportunity, go for it!

Your answer should focus on what you offer the company and not the other way round. The company wants to make sure that you are the right person for their firm.

When a company hires a good person, they are making it harder for their competitors to compete with them. Basically, you want to try to answer this question by letting the interviewer know what you can do that other candidates cant. Companies hire people to solve problems so let the interviewer know what problems youve solved and how your employers benefited as a result.

Focus on specific tasks in the job description that are critical to the position and tell the interviewer why you are the person to handle them.

Back your answers up with examples. Anyone can say that they have good organizational skills for example, but if you say something specific e.g. I have excellent organizational skills and in the past 12 months I have personally organized and supervised 6 corporate events with up to 300 participants on each one, you are definitely going to make a better impression than someone giving a generic answer.

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Who Was Your Best Boss And Who Was The Worst

What They Want to Know: This question is designed to discover what type of leadership and management style works best for you. Be careful answering, and don’t be too negative. Even if you had a terrible boss, how you speak about them can leave the interviewer wondering how you will speak about other supervisors if you didn’t get along with them.

My best manager had an open-door policy where we were always welcome to speak to her privately about issues. Ive never had a bad manager. Im not as comfortable with those who prefer to micromanage my work, but when this happens I try to gain their trust so that theyll feel more confident about giving me some autonomy.

More Answers: Job Interview Questions About Your Best and Worst Bosses

Do You Prefer To Work On A Team Or Independently

Theres no right or wrong answer here, but you want to be diplomatic. Regardless of whether youre an extrovert or an introvert, its crucial your answer clearly shows that youre versatile. Share your preference, but also keep the role itself in mind. If youre an event planner, hopefully you like working with others.

For a great answer, include two positive examples: one in which you worked well with a group and another in which you worked well on a solo project.

I love working on a team. When I interned with XYZ Company, there were issues with a few fellow interns not getting along. I intervened, organized a social gathering for the group, and it really helped them put their differences aside. We finished the summer on a great note and came up with the best ideas by putting our heads together. At the same time, I enjoy working independently when necessary. In school, I prided myself on never missing an essay deadline. That was because Im able to put my head down and focus.

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What Do You Look For In A Boss

When an interviewer asks this question, theyâre probably trying to gauge how youâll fit in with the company culture and current leaders. The best path? Be honest without getting too specific you never know what type of leaders youâll be working with. Stick with traits that are universally positive such as fairness, good listener, capable, intelligent, etc. Most managers like to think they embody these traits, so thereâs no risk of alienating your potential boss.

What’s Your Understanding Of The Role And Why Are You Interested

Why employers ask this: This question helps recruiters gain a genuine understanding of which aspects of the role you are most interested in, in order to assess if youre well suited to the role, McInerney says.

How to respond well: Hiring managers and recruiters want to hear how you interpret the role in your own words, rather than just repeating the job ad, McInerney says. The best answers are those that clearly demonstrate which aspects of the role you will be able to do well and how this will add value to the organisation and help achieve organisational goals.

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What Type Of Work Environment Do You Prefer

Be sure to do your homework on the organization and its culture before the interview. Your research will save you here. Your preferred environment should closely align to the companys workplace culture . For example, you may find on the companys website that they have a flat organizational structure or that they prioritize collaboration and autonomy. Those are key words you can mention in your answer to this question.

If the interviewer tells you something about the company that you didnt uncover in your research, like, Our culture appears buttoned-up from the outside, but in reality, its a really laid-back community with little competition among employees, try to describe an experience youve had that dovetails with that. Your goal is to share how your work ethic matches that of the organizations.

Example: That sounds great to me. I like fast-paced work environments because they make me feel like Im always learning and growing, but I really thrive when Im collaborating with team members and helping people reach a collective goal as opposed to competing. My last internship was at an organization with a similar culture, and I really enjoyed that balance.

Do You Have Any Interests Outside Of Work

If the interviewer asks you this question, take it as a good sign!

It means that they liked your professional background, and now theyre just trying to get to know you and see if youre a good fit for the company culture.

Its pretty hard to go wrong here, unless youre going to answer something like:

I have literally no hobbies.

or…

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Top 20 Essential Interview Questions And Answers

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If youre looking for the commonly asked job interview questions, then keep reading.

After working for years as a recruiter, Im going to share the top 20 job interview questions and answer examples, plus dos and donts to get you ready to ace your interview.

For each question, youll get:

• Notes on why hiring managers and recruiters ask this question
• Dos and donts, including the top mistakes to avoid
• Word-for-word example answers that will impress any employer

Lets get started

How To Answer The Trickiest Interview Questions

Picture this. Youre all dressed up for your big interview, you sit in the waiting area feeling extra confident after a pep talk from your best friend, the interviewer calls you in, everyone gets settled and introduces themselves, and then they ask the first question and youre completely stumped.

Its no secret that employers ask difficult questions in interviews. But what do you do if you find yourself fumbling for words to answer these tricky questions? Here are a few tips and tricks to get you through the awkward and tough questions:

Pause

If an interviewer asks a tricky question, you dont have to answer right away! Sometimes its hard to allow space for silence in an interview setting due to all the nerves and excitement, but silence might be exactly what your brain needs to think of an answer to a tough interview question. So take a moment to pause and think.

You can simply say, Thats a great question. Is it okay if I take a moment to think? Or ask them to repeat the question to buy some thinking time. Either way, dont feel pressured to blurt out an answer on the spot because it might not go well.

Prepare Notes

Bring a neat padfolio to your interview with an appropriate amount of notes to jog your memory. When youre asked a tricky question, a few short notes about your strengths and experiences might help you connect the dots and form an answer. Itll also show the interviewer that youre prepared and serious about the position!

Provide Examples

Practice

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Tell Me About Yourself Or What Makes You Unique

How to Answer: Despite how this open-ended question sounds, it is not literally an invitation to delve into an existential examination of your life before your interviewers. Especially not because this is a job interview question!

A good answer should focus on the fact that this is an elevator pitch opportunity and needs rehearsing. Be ready to wrap up your answer in 1 minute and focus on the positive summary of your skills, professional accomplishments, and personal experience that casts you in the most appealing light for the job. Talk about your promotions, highlight your successes and quantify your achievements.

One of the worst things you can do is drone on without realizing you are boring the other person or answering with details they arent interested in, so pay attention to non-verbal cues as you talk and be ready to adjust mid-way through if you need to.

Example: Im an editor with seven years of experience working in the lifestyle space. In my current role, I was recently promoted from managing editor to senior editor, reporting directly to our editor-in-chief. Ive boosted our online traffic by 50% in the last year alone because Im committed to my work.

Could You Please Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself

This is not exactly a job interview question, but a typical interview opener especially when the job interview is being conducted by an inexperienced or unskilled interviewer. Logically, a good interviewee would think of asking the interviewer to confirm exactly what information they want answered, but there is a better way to answer this question professionally and succinctly.

The key point is to not repeat everything youve stated in your resume. Recruiters will have read your resume prior to asking you this interview question, therefore you dont need to recite it. However, you should make reference to impressive achievements or relevant work experience when touching down on your professional background.

I suggest you learn to answer this question with a three part, pre-planned marketing statement that can more or less be reused from interview to interview. Start with a brief summary of your career history I am a Marketing Manager with 10 years of experience working for global software companies in the UK and abroad.

Then, talk them through briefly how your career developed but dont just repeat what they can see on your resume. Talk to the interviewer more in terms of what youve learnt or achieved. Mention a recent accomplishment that you are proud of that will also capture the potential employers attention . You really want to focus on what makes you exceptional and how your skills and experience match the requirements of the job.

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What Is Your Ideal Work Environment

How to Answer: Your interviewer doesnt want to hire someone whos not comfortable in the environment of the businesss office. If you arent, it will reflect on your own work, and others will take note as well.

For example, if the organization has an open office layout, you should probably temper your expectation of having a personal office. Do your best to align your ideal work environment with that of the companys.

Example: I do my best work at the office, where I can meet face-to-face with my colleagues.