The 40 Most Frequently Asked Job Interview Questions
Job interviews can be stressful. The best way to prepare for a job interview is to anticipate—and prepare for—the questions you are most likely to be asked.
So instead of stumbling through a job interview trying to answer questions you didn’t anticipate, check out this list of frequently asked job interview questions so that you can practice articulate and convincing responses to each one of them.
Introductory Questions
The job interview will probably start off with some general introductory questions, such as:
- Can you tell me a little about yourself?
- What do you know about our company?
- How did you hear about this job?
- What motivates you?
Questions About Work History
The interviewer will be very interested in your work experience and how that experience might translate for the open position. So expect questions such as:
- Can you please walk me through your resume?
- Why are you thinking about leaving your current job?
- Can you explain gaps in your work history (if relevant)?
- Can you describe a difficult work experience and how you handled it?
- What’s an accomplishment you are proud of?
- Can you give me an example of when you went above and beyond the call of duty in your current job?
- What is a typical workday like for you?
Questions About the Job Position
You will likely be asked questions that are specific to the position you are applying for, including:
- Why do you think you will be a good fit for this position?
- What relevant experience do you have for this position?
- What interests you about this job?
- How does this job fit in with your career plans?
- When could you start work?
- What’s important to enable you to do a great job?
Questions on Interpersonal Skills
The interviewer will likely want to probe about your work relationships and interpersonal skills with questions such as:
- Have you ever had problems with a co-worker or supervisor?
- Do you consider yourself a team player? Can you give me an example of when being a team player was important?
- Can you give me an example of how you deal with conflict?
- How would your boss and co-workers describe you?
- What’s your management style?
- How would you describe your work style?
- Can you describe how you dealt with a problem colleague in the past?
- If you knew your boss was completely wrong about a particular issue, how would you handle it?
Questions About the New Company
The interviewer might ask you a variety of questions about the new company to see if you have done your due diligence. So anticipate these types of questions:
- What do you know about our company?
- Have you tried our product? What are your thoughts about it?
- Do you know any of our employees?
- What do you think of our company website?
Questions on Your Strengths and Weaknesses
The interviewer will likely ask potentially difficult questions to gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses, including:
- What do you consider to be your greatest strength?
- How do you deal with high-pressure situations?
- What is your greatest professional achievement?
- What do you consider to be your weakness?
- What one thing would you like to do better? What’s your plan for improvement?
Questions on Compensation
You will likely be asked salary/compensation questions, such as:
- What is your current compensation (salary and bonus)?
- What are your salary requirements for this position?
- Why would you take a job for less money (if relevant)?
Concluding Questions
There likely will be some concluding questions at the end of the interview, such as:
- Do you have any questions for me?
- Are there any questions that I should have asked, but didn’t?
- Is there anything you want to add that we didn’t cover?
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Copyright © by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved.
Richard D. Harroch is a Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a large venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on investing in Internet and digital media companies, and he was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business, and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He was also a corporate partner at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, with experience in startups, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and venture capital. Richard can be reached through LinkedIn.
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