We all want to stay productive to live a meaningful and fulfilled life.
There are lots of ways to do that, but what better way than by getting a job! But before you get one, you need to go through this stage where you either break it or make it — job interviews.
To help you with just that, we’ve compiled some of the most common questions that you will be asked during your job interview. Not only will this help you prepare for the right answers, but it’ll also keep you motivated and have your confidence soaring sky-high.
After all, we all want to get that dream job, right? Well, here’s one step to achieving that.
Here are the top and most common job interview questions to look out for:
#1. Can you tell me more about yourself?
This is, by far, one of the most common questions you’ll hear during job interviews. You want to answer in a straightforward way and in a manner which talks about the best and positive sides to yourself.
Share your educational background, your attitude and personality about everything, including work and personal life, as well as your interests, hobbies, and all sorts of things.
But make sure these are related to the job and has direct implications into making you look and feel like the best candidate for the job.
#2. Why should we hire you?
It’s through this question where they’ll know if you are the best person for the job. This is sometimes a nerve-racking question, so you need to have lots of confidence in this.
Talk as frankly as possible and promote yourself by talking about your skills, education, experience, and talent. Separate yourself from the other candidates and make yourself stand out.
It’s through this where they’ll see the value in you. Make sure that your answer is concise and has a focused sales pitch vibe to spark interest in the hiring manager. And be proud and confident in yourself, so they’ll see that you’re really geared up for the job.
#3. What is your greatest strength?
Talk about your best qualities and traits. Showcase yourself in the best way possible by talking about the traits you have that make you stand out among other candidates.
But make sure that the traits and attributes you share are those that are directly related to the job and will benefit the company.
Don’t talk about so many things that aren’t related to the position you are applying for. You want to provide value to the company by showing off your strengths. This can be multitasking, PR, the ability to handle pressure, and all those sorts of things.
#4. What are your weaknesses?
You don’t want to sound like a salesman advertising yourself, right? You want an unbiased showcase of yourself. After all, we’re all human,s and we all have our weaknesses.
Be frank and straightforward in answering, but make sure that you talk about your weaknesses in the best and most positive way possible.
And after talking about them, accompany it with how you overcame that weakness and the solutions and methods you did to get rid of that weakness.
#5. Why are you interested in this job?
This question is all about getting information as to why you’re applying for the position in the first place. Answer this by telling the reasons why you are into the job.
This can either be because you are confident that you’ve got the skills, talent, and passion for working on the job in the best way possible.
Or perhaps say that it’s been your life-long dream to work for the company because of its prestige and that you know you have the necessary requirements to perform well.
#6. Can you handle stress and pressure easily?
Stress and pressure are normal, but do you have the needed patience and grace to overcome these easily? You want to answer this by showing a positive outlook towards challenges and problems that you might face in work if you ever get the job.
Formulate an answer that shows that you acknowledge that these are normal in the workspace and that you can easily adjust regardless of what situations and issues there might be. Talk about the solutions you’ll do to overcome the problem.
#7. How did you overcome a difficult work situation?
Talk about an experience you had while dealing with a challenging problem at work. While answering this question, make sure that you talk about it in a positive manner and don’t show that you despise that moment.
Instead, say that you found it a great opportunity to turn your weaknesses into strengths while making the most out of the present resources.
Share a step-by-step approach on how you solved the issue so that the hiring manager will see you as someone who is organized and detailed.
#8. How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Answer this by sharing an optimistic and high-achieving dream of yourself. Talk about how you intend to grow within the company and how much contribution you will have given to the company in helping them achieve their goals and not just yours.
You should give an answer that gives the feeling of you wanting to stay and grow with the company in the happiest and most contented way possible.
#9. What can you offer us that the other applicants can’t?
Make yourself different by standing out among the other job candidates. Answer this by showcasing yourself as someone who is rare, provides unique value, and is very useful in many ways to the company.
Talk about your educational background, your special skills and traits, or perhaps the qualifications and certifications you’ve gained over the years, which makes you a great candidate for the job. This way, you differentiate yourself from others in the best way possible.
#10. Are you willing to be assigned to other places?
This is a question that might not be asked all the time, but you should prepare an answer to this. The best way to approach this answer is by saying yes. That’s if you agree and are indeed willing to go to another place to work, perhaps in another branch of their company.
But if not, then don’t be afraid to say no. Just make sure to follow it up with a reasonable answer and reason as to why you don’t want to be relocated or transferred to another place. You can even make a bargain for it.
Or maybe, say why it’d be best why you rather stay in your preferred location, such as knowing the place very well and having lots of connections that will be beneficial to the company.
#11. What is your greatest accomplishment?
Talk about the biggest achievement you had in your life. This can either be a quota you’ve reached or perhaps the job promotion you got from your previous job. It can also be your biggest school achievement in college and university.
Bring value to yourself by bringing out your best traits and accompany it with proof, in this case, with your accomplishment. You can embellish it up a bit so that it’ll be more interesting, but don’t get to a point where it sounds too unbelievable.
#12. How can you describe yourself?
This is a more personal job interview question, so you also want to take this in a slightly personal way. Talk about your personal life, but ensure that these can directly be related and implied on the likely job position you’ll get in the company.
Talk about your hobbies, interests, how many in the family, your parents, the number of siblings, and how you’ve lived your life.
This way, the hiring manager will know more about you and see if you’re the right fit. But don’t give away very personal details that’ll show you in a negative light. Talk about the experience that can support your desire to get the job.
#13. How do you see the company, and what do you expect?
This question is about letting the hiring manager know if you know what you’re getting yourself into.
Because of this, it’s important that you know the company, such as their background, history, the offerings they provide, such as products and services, as well as the mission and vision of the company.
Describe these in deep detail and connect this with your expectations with the job. You need to sound smart while answering this question. Never stutter, be confident with your answers.
#14. How much do you expect to make and earn?
This is a sensitive question, and you need to be careful when answering this. However, you also need to be frank and straightforward.
Answer it with the salary price you have in mind. It would be better if you give a price range and then say that this will depend on complexity and job responsibilities.
This way, you’re giving the hiring manager an allowance and a mindset that you aren’t just after the salary or the price, but the working experience and passion of the job you’re applying for.
#15. Do you consider yourself as an achiever?
Of course, the answer you should give to this is yes. But make sure that you don’t go overboard and sound like a salesman selling yourself.
Take this answer in a humble approach by saying how you’ve managed to climb up the ladder of success and how you intend to use your experiences and learning to the ultimate potential.
Bring value to yourself and give the impression that you’ve got everything needed to contribute positively and productively to the growth and development of the company.
Conclusion
The questions shown in this article are some of the most common ones you’ll most likely encounter in a job interview. Hopefully, this article provided you with the much-needed boost to get yourself going and acing that job interview.
Be confident, never stutter, and believe in yourself that you can make it. Don’t overthink things and think that you need to be really good at answering as this will just make you feel nervous, and you will end up botching your preparation.
Just keep cool, relaxed and be composed so that you can be eloquent, confident, and interesting for the hiring manager. Showcase yourself and bring out your best side.
Maintain proper sitting posture, talk in a modulated voice that’s not too loud or too soft, and be as presentable as possible so that you’ll appear as the best man or woman for the job.
Know these questions, prepare for them, and don’t forget our tips and reminders. When you do, then you’re surely going to get that job you’ve been dreaming of for a long time.
The best of luck, mate.
