Most common interview questions that are asked in almost every job interview. Know these top interview questions and how to answer them.
Some people missed the job not because they are not a great fit for the job but because they could not sell their self during the interview.
This post will highlight some of the frequently asked interview questions and suggest ways you can answer these questions.
The interview questions below are asked in almost every interview question and is much likely you will face them in your next interview.
Hence, study the interview questions below, get the idea what the interviewer is asking for and how you should approach the questions.
1. Tell me about yourself
This is the most popular interview question because it comes up in almost all interviews.
How to answer "tell me about yourself" interview question:
Keep your answer brief and related to your career and your position. In other words, keep your answer to the topic and related to your career.
This is where you tell your interviewer how you got started in your profession, your educational journey into this career, and how you got interested into this profession in the first place.
Tell them what you like about your profession and where you see yourself headed; Few things you learned along the way, etc.
What you should not do:
Do not give your life story. Some people begin to tell their life story when asked the question "tell me about yourself".
Another thing is, don't bring up your former careers that are not related to the position you are being interviewed for.
And, don't answer the question with your question back to the interviewer, unless the follow up question just naturally fits int.
Some people think that throwing back follow up questions make them look smarter, but, you could be wrong.
Key points:
Here is the key point how you might answer a "tell me about yourself" question:
- briefly talk about the journey and how you got started;
- talk about what you have learned along the way;
- and talk about what you are looking for and where you see your career heading.
2. Why should we hire you?
This is another question that is asked in almost every interview. The good thing about this question is that it gives you the opportunity to sell yourself; to prove that you are the best fit for the job.
But, you have to answer correctly so you don't screw it.
How to answer "why should we hire you?" interview question:
By now you must have discovered what they are looking for. Work with that in mind and convince them you are the best person for the job.
Remember there are other people jostling for this same job. So you want to make sure you present yourself as the best among others on the queue.
Prove that you understand what the company is looking for; prove that you understand the problem at hand; and prove that you are a solution to the problem.
Let the interviewers know, what you did in your last job and how that is related to what you can do for them in this job.
If you have faced a similar problem in your last job, this is when to tell them how you were able to solve the problem. You want to link your experience to where it can be applied in the job you will get hired for.
This is why it is important to read the job description carefully to know before the interview what the company is looking for.
What you should not do:
Don't tell them they should hire you because you are the best. Don't tell them because they are hiring. And of course, they are not expecting you to answer this question with a question.
Key points:
The best way to answer "why should we hire you?" interview question is to prove that you can help the company solve their problem is. Show that you can bring solution to their problem.
3. What are your greatest strengths?
By this question they are asking you what are you great at doing?
How to answer "what are your greatest strengths" interview question:
To answer this question you might want to ask yourself "what am I best at doing?"
Are you a good leader? Are you a great communicator? Are you good at selling your ideas to others? Or maybe you are good at planning and executing things.
Give them top two or three things you excel at, especially those that are related to the job description/requirements.
What you should not do:
Do not prioritize your strengths that are out of context with the job.
Don't tell them that you don't have any strength.
Key points:
"What are your greatest strengths?" interview question is best answered when your strengths align with the requirements of the position you are being interviewed for.
4. What is your biggest weakness?
What do they want to know? This questions is asking you to tell them what you are not good at doing.
By that sense, everyone has a weakness. So, do not feel so uncomfortable about this question.
How to answer "What is your biggest weakness?" interview question
Talk about a weakness and what you have done to overcome it. That way it is not a weakness anymore.
You need to be smart here. For example, talk about a weakness that isn't related to the job; perhaps a personal weakness.
You can talk about a weakness, as a weakness for you but your interviewer will see it as a strength. In other words, turn the weakness into a strength.
What you should not do:
Don't say that you do not have any weaknesses. In other words, don't tell your interviewer that you are perfect at your work.
Don't be overly critical on yourself.
Key points:
When talking about your weakness, show what you have done to overcome it.
5. Why do you want to work here?
This questions is asking for things like what do you like about the company, it's products and services? And, what is your driving reason for wanting to work for them?
Oftentimes the interview use this question to weed out desperate job seekers who are just looking for job but not a lifelong career.
How to answer "why do you want to work here?" interview question
Express why you want to be a member of their team and most importantly, the contributions that you feel you can make as a loyal employee.
Tell them what you like about the brand, their products and services. Express your interest.
What you should not do:
Don't tell them you are looking to get some experience.
Don't tell you need money and you heard they pay well.
Don't tell them you like their location or you heard it is a great place to work.
And don't tell them because your friends work there.
6. Why did you leave your last job?
Here they want to know if you were laid off, terminated or you just quit, and
why?
How to answer "why did you leave your last job?" interview question
Let them know the reason why you are not working at your most recent job.
Did you leave at your own freewill? Then explain why you quit. Tell them how it was a hard decision to make but you felt it was the right decision for you at the time.
If on the other hand you were fired, then you simply explain why. However, if you were fired because of performance reasons, make sure your explanation or lack of performance reasons will not affect the requirements for this new job.
What you should not do:
Don't lie if you were terminated.
Don't badmouth your former employer or co-workers
Don't tell how the pay was bad and you just wanted more money.
Don't say that the work hours were terrible
Key points:
You are not at this interview to defend why you were fired, but to talk about what you can do for them.
Hence,
Keep your answers brief. Don't volunteer too much information.
If you were fired, accept responsibilities for your mistakes because this shows courage. Now tell them that you learned from this experience and that you are a better person.
7. What is your biggest accomplishment
This question is saying, what is a noteworthy, high profile task or project that you worked on or completed.
How to answer "What is your biggest accomplishment?" interview question
Talk about your biggest accomplishment that is relevant to the job.
This can be a team or individual project that you worked on, or something you did or was involved in that is related to the job description.
What you should not do:
Use an accomplishment that cast you as the hero, but don't be too proud where you shouldn't be. For example, don't say that you saved your last company from collapse.
Avoid using an accomplishment that is not related to your career.
Conclusion
Here are few things to remember:
Before the interview and even during the interview, find out what they are looking for in the ideal candidate for the advertised position.
It could be that they are more interested in leadership skills, technical abilities, experience, management skill, etc;
Make sure to find out what is important to them and use try to show that you posses those qualities through your answers.
The goal is to convince the interviewer
that you are the exact person they are looking for... unless you have concluded that you are not. 
