Reviewing popular interview questions and answers is key to a successful job interview. To help you with these tough interview questions, it’s important that you spend time going over the job description. Relating your skills and experience with the desired roles and responsibilities will impress your interviewer from the get-go.

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10 Popular Interview Questions and Answers

While you can’t predict exactly what will be asked, you can prep for certain questions to come up. Take the time to outline your answers and to practice speaking confidently. That way, you’ll be prepared and ready to ace your interview!

1. Tell me about yourself

Most interviewers will ask you this question right off the bat as an icebreaker. Briefly summarize your experience and explain why you’re interested in the role at hand. It may be an open question but try to keep your answer professional and related to work.

2. What is your biggest professional accomplishment?

These types of interview questions and answers are for you to explain your achievements and strengths. Make sure that you back up your answer with an example scenario. Instead of just telling them your accomplishment, show them instead.

3. Why do you want to work for our company?

The interviewer is trying to accomplish two things with this question. First, they want you to explain why you are a good fit for the role. Second, they want to see if you’ve done research about the company. To answer, talk about the company’s reputation or any achievements or awards they have recently won.

4. Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work

With this question, the interviewer is actually asking how you overcome obstacles. Do you accept responsibility for your actions? Do you learn from your past mistakes? Share a story about a time at work where you addressed and tackled an issue head-on. Make sure to place a positive spin on the answer to show that you learned from the experience.

5. Why should we hire you?

This is a great question to relate your skillset to the role you’re applying for. Instead of just running through your resume, explain how you can contribute to the job. To help you with this, make sure you are aware of the role and responsibilities are written in the job description.

6. Why are you leaving your current job?

Many candidates consider this one of the toughest interview questions. That’s because you shouldn’t speak negatively about your last employer. Instead, try to focus on the positive aspects of a new position. For example, you can say that you want to grow or take on more responsibilities in your career progression.

7. Where do you see yourself in five years?

This is a great question where you can explain your short- and long-term goals. You don’t have to get too specific about positions or titles. You can simply say you want to be in leadership or have certain job responsibilities.

8. How would your coworkers or managers describe you?

If you haven’t asked your coworkers directly, this could be one of the harder interview questions and answers. However, the interviewer just wants to see if you’re a good culture fit and if you work well in a team. Outline your strengths and explain situations where you worked well with your boss or coworkers.

9. What are your greatest weaknesses?

When it comes to tough interview questions, this one is at the top of the list. You want to be honest, but you don’t want to give your employer a reason not to hire you. One good answer is to say you don’t have a certain skill (specific programs, communication, delegating tasks, etc.)

 10. What is your desired salary?

This question may or may not get brought up in your formal interview. However, you should be prepared to answer in case you need to negotiate your salary. Don’t sell yourself short or ask for an outrageously over-the-top number. And feel free to give a range rather than a set amount.

More Interviewing Tips

Now that you know the most common interview questions and answers, you can confidently tackle your interview. Don’t forget to impress your interviewer by asking them questions too. That will also show your research and dedication to the role.

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