Common Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why are you interested in working for this company?
- How did you hear about the job?
- What do you know about the job?
- Why do you want the job?
- Tell me about your education.
- Why have you chosen this particular field?
- In a job, what interests you most/least?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Give an example of how you solved a problem in the past.
- How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
- What are your strengths? How do others describe you?
- What do you consider your best accomplishment in your last job?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What is your dream job?
- What type of work environment do you prefer?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- How do you think you will fit into this company?
- If you were hired, what ideas/talents could you contribute to the position or our company?
- Give an example where you showed leadership and initiative.
- Give an example of when you were able to contribute to a team project.
- What have you done to develop or change in the last few years?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Questions to Ask the Interviewer
Tip: Not all of these questions are applicable to every job.
In advance of your interview, consider these questions that you may want to ask:
- What are the responsibilities of this position?
- How well are the job responsibilities defined?
- Can its duties be expanded?
- Please describe an average day on this job.
- What is the history of the position?
- What aspects of this job would you like to see performed better?
- What are the key challenges or problems of this position?
- Where can I go from here, assuming that I meet/exceed the job responsibilities?
- How would you describe the ideal candidate?
- What are the employer’s short- and long-range objectives?
- What are some outside influences that affect company growth?
- When and how will I be evaluated?
- What are the performance standards?
- With whom would I be working?
- Who would be my supervisor?
- What is the department’s environment like?
- When will you make the hiring decision?
- May I call you for the decision?
- When is a good time?
Illegal Questions
These are questions that interviewers, supervisors, and coworkers are not allowed to ask. If you choose not to answer, simply respond with “I prefer not to answer that question.”
- Do you have autism or any disability?
- What is your race or ethnicity?
- What religion do you practice?
- What is or was your spouse’s name or line of work?
- Have you ever filed a Workers’ Compensation claim or been injured on the job?
- Are you taking any prescribed drugs?
- What is your hair/eye color?
- What is your height/weight?
- Have you ever been hospitalized?
- If so, for what condition?
- Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist? If so, for what condition?
- How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year?
- Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?
Visit these links to practice common interview questions: the Muse or Betterteam.