Job interviews are always stressful – even for job seekers who have gone on countless interviews. The best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared. Take the time to review the common interview questions you will most likely be asked. Also, review sample answers and advice on how to answer these typical interview questions.

Then take the time to research the company and to prepare for an interview. This way, you will be ready with knowledgeable answers for the job interview questions that specifically relate to the company you are interviewing with.

Interview Questions About Your Work History

Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment. – Best Answers
Questions about your resume. – Best Answers
What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met? – Best Answers
What were your responsibilities? – Best Answers
What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? – Best Answers
What have you learned from your mistakes? – Best Answers
What did you like or dislike about your previous job? –Best Answers
Which was most / least rewarding? – Best Answers
What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position? – Best Answers
Questions about job demotions. – Best Answers
Questions about your supervisors and co-workers. –Best Answers
What was it like working for your supervisor? – Best Answers
What do you expect from a supervisor? – Best Answers
What problems have you encountered at work? – Best Answers
Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager? – Best Answers
Have you worked with someone who didn’t like your work? – Best Answers
How did you fit in with the company culture? – Best Answers
Who was your best boss and who was the worst? – Best Answers
Describe your ideal boss. – Best Answers
Why are you leaving your job? – Best Answers
Why do you want to change jobs? – Best Answers
Why were you fired? – Best Answers
Why were you laid-off? Best Answers
Why did you quit your job? – Best Answers
Why did you resign? – Best Answers
What have you been doing since your last job? – Best Answers
Why have you been out of work so long? – Best Answers
Why weren’t you promoted at your last job? – Best Answers

Interview Questions About You

What is your greatest weakness? – Best Answers
What is your greatest strength? – Best Answers
How will your greatest strength help you perform? –Best Answers
Are you lucky? – Best Answers
Are you nice? – Best Answers
How would you describe yourself? – Best Answers
Describe a typical work week. – Best Answers
Describe your work style. – Best Answers
Do you consider yourself successful? Why? – Best Answers
Do you work well with other people? – Best Answers
Do you take work home with you? – Best Answers
How do you view yourself? Who do you compare yourself to? – Best Answers
How many hours do you normally work? – Best Answers
How would you adjust to working for a new company? – Best Answers
How would you describe the pace at which you work? – Best Answers
How do you handle stress and pressure? – Best Answers
What motivates you? – Best Answers
Are you a self motivator? – Best Answers
What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make? – Best Answers
Tell me about yourself. – Best Answers
What has been the greatest disappointment in your life? – Best Answers
What are you passionate about? – Best Answers
What are your hobbies? – Best Answers
What are your pet peeves? – Best Answers
What do people most often criticize about you? – Best Answers
What is the worst thing that you have ever gotten away with? – Best Answers
What is your dream job? – Best Answers
What makes you angry? – Best Answers
When was the last time you were angry? What happened? – Best Answers
Why did you choose your major? – Best Answers
Why did you go back to school? – Best Answers
If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently? – Best Answers
If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say? Best Answers
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team? – Best Answers
Give some examples of teamwork. – Best Answers
More teamwork interview questions. – Best Answers
What type of work environment do you prefer? – Best Answers
How do you evaluate success? – Best Answers
If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it? – Best Answers
Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it. – Best Answers
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it. – Best Answers
Questions which don’t have a right answer. – How to Respond
More job interview questions about you. – Best Answers

Interview Questions About Money

What were your starting and final levels of compensation? – Best Answers
What are your salary expectations? – Best Answers
What are your salary requirements – both short-term and long-term? – Best Answers
Why would you take a job for less money? – Best Answers

Job Questions About Your Qualifications

Are you overqualified for this job? – Best Answers
Describe how you managed a problem employee. – Best Answers
How did you impact the bottom line? – Best Answers
Interview questions about your abilities. – Best Answers
What applicable attributes / experience do you have? – Best Answers
What part of the job will be the least challenging for you? – Best Answers
Which parts of this job are the most challenging for you? – Best Answers
What philosophy guides your work?- Best Answers
What strength will help you the most to succeed? – Best Answers
Why are you interested in taking a lower level job? – Best Answers
Why are you interested in a non-management job? – Best Answers

Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company

Should employees use social media at work? – Best Answers
What interests you about this job? – Best Answers
Why do you want this job? – Best Answers
What can you do for this company? – Best Answers
Why should we hire you? – Best Answers
Why shouldn’t we hire you? – Best Answers
Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants for the job? – Best Answers
Why are you the best person for the job? – Best Answers
What do you know about this company? – Best Answers
Why do you want to work here? – Best Answers
What challenges are you looking for in a position? – Best Answers
What can you contribute to this company? – Best Answers
What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days on the job? – Best Answers
What would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal? – Best Answers
Are you willing to travel? – Best Answers
What is good customer service? – Best Answers
How long do you expect to remain employed with this company? – Best Answers
When could you start work? – Best Answers
Please rate me as an interviewer. – Best Answers
Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company that you would like to know? –Best Answers

Interview Questions About The Future

What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? – Best Answers
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? – Best Answers
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (for older applicants) – Best Answers
What are your goals for the next five years / ten years? – Best Answers
How do you plan to achieve those goals? – Best Answers
How would you feel about working for a younger manager? – Best Answers
More questions about your career goals. – Best Answers
What will you do if you don’t get this position? – Best Answers
Where else are you interviewing? – Best Answers

Behavioral Interview Questions

In addition to being ready to answer these standard questions, prepare for behavior based interview questions. This is based on the premise that a candidate’s past performance is the best predictor of future performance. You will need to be prepared to provide detailed responses including specific examples of your work experiences. Review examples of behavioral interview questions.

Interview Questions Employers Should Not Ask

There are some interview questions, typically known as illegal interview questions, that employers should not ask during a job interview. Here are questions that shouldn’t be asked during a job interview and how to best respond.

Interview Questions Listed by Type of Job

Job specific interview questions for a variety of jobs, career fields, industries, and types of candidates, as well as tips on how to answer these types of questions. List includes accounting, administrative, customer service, technical, management, retail, sales, analyst, consultant, entry level, part-time, work at home and many more.

Phone Job Interview Questions

Have a phone interview on the agenda? Here are common questions asked during a telephone interview, plus tips on how best to answer so you can move to the next stage of the interview process.

Tough Interview Questions

These are some of the more difficult interview questions that you may be asked on a job interview.

Interview Questions to Ask

The last job interview question you may be asked is “What can I answer for you?” Have an interview question or two of your own ready to ask. You aren’t simply trying to get this job – you are also interviewing the employer to assess whether this company and the position are a good fit for you.

Interview Questions Not to Ask

Here’s a list of questions never to ask an employer during an interview, along with information on why you shouldn’t ask them.

Allison Doyle, Author About.com Article Here

Job searching: interview questions and answers

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