Interview Questions and Answers

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
. !ame of company, position title and description, dates
of employment.
". #uestions about your resume.
$. %hat were your e&pectations for the job and to what
e&tent were they met'
(. %hat were your responsibilities'
). %hat major challenges and problems did you face' *ow
did you handle them'
+. %hat have you learned from your mistakes'
,. %hat did you like or dislike about your previous job'
-. %hich was most . least rewarding'
/. %hat was the biggest accomplishment . failure in this
position'
0. #uestions about job demotions.
. #uestions about your supervisors and co-workers.
". %hat was it like working for your supervisor'
$. %hat do you e&pect from a supervisor'
(. %hat problems have you encountered at work'
). *ave you ever had difficulty working with a manager'
+. *ave you worked with someone who didn1t like your
work'
,. *ow did you fit in with the company culture'
-. %ho was your best boss and who was the worst'
/. 2escribe your ideal boss.
"0. %hy are you leaving your job'
". %hy do you want to change jobs'
"". %hy were you fired'
"$. %hy were you laid-off'
"(. %hy did you quit your job'
"). %hy did you resign'
"+. %hat have you been doing since your last job'
3tressful 4 full of stress
job seeker - a person who is actively looking for employment.
5ountless - too numerous to count6 innumerable7 the
countless stars.
8educe - to bring down to a smaller e&tent, si9e, amount,
number, etc
prepare - to put in proper condition or readiness7 to prepare a
patient for surgery.
8eview - to go over :lessons, studies, work, etc.; in review.
5ommon - widespread6 general6 ordinary7 common
knowledge.
<ikely - probably or apparently destined :usually followed by
an infinitive;7 something not likely to happen.
Advice - an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to
action, conduct, etc.
knowledgeable - possessing or e&hibiting knowledge, insight,
or understanding6 intelligent6 well-informed6 discerning6
perceptive.
Employment - the state of being employed; employ; service: to
begin or terminate employment.
Resume - a brief written account of personal, educational, and
professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an
applicant for a ob.
Expectation - the act or state of loo!ing forward or anticipating.
what e&tent were they met' - w jakim stopniu 9osta=y
spe=nione
responsibility - the state or fact of being responsible,
answerable, or accountable for something within one1s power,
control, or management.
>ajor - great, as in rank or importance7 a major political
issue6 a major artist.
*andle - to manage, deal with, or be responsible for7 >y wife
handles the household accounts. This computer handles all
our billing.
2islike - to regard with displeasure, antipathy, or aversion7 ?
dislike working. ? dislike oysters.
@revious - coming or occurring before something else6 prior7
the previous owner.
8ewarding - affording satisfaction, valuable e&perience, or
the like6 worthwhile.
Accomplishment - an act or instance of carrying into effect6
fulfillment7 the accomplishment of our desires.
Aailure - an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful6
lack of success7 *is effort ended in failure. The campaign
was a failure.
2emotion - to reduce to a lower grade, rank, class, or position
:opposed to promote ;7 They demoted the careless waiter to
busboy.
3upervisor - a person who supervises workers or the work
done by others6 superintendent.
5o-worker - a fellow worker6 colleague.
B&pect - to look forward to6 regard as likely to happen6
anticipate the occurrence or the coming of7 ? e&pect to read it.
? e&pect him later. 3he e&pects that they will come.
Bncounter - to come upon or meet with, especially
une&pectedly7 to encounter a new situation.
<ay-off - the act of dismissing employees, especially
temporarily.
8esign - to give up an office or position, often formally :often
followed by from ;7 to resign from the presidency.
",. %hy have you been out of work so long'
"-. %hy weren1t you promoted at your last job'
Interview Questions About You
. %hat is your greatest weakness'
". %hat is your greatest strength'
$. *ow will your greatest strength help you perform'
(. Are you lucky'
). Are you nice'
+. *ow would you describe yourself'
,. 2escribe a typical work week.
-. 2escribe your work style.
/. 2o you consider yourself successful' %hy'
0. 2o you work well with other people'
. 2o you take work home with you'
". *ow do you view yourself' %ho do you compare yourself
to'
$. *ow many hours do you normally work'
(. *ow would you adjust to working for a new company'
). *ow would you describe the pace at which you work'
+. *ow do you handle stress and pressure'
,. %hat motivates you'
-. Are you a self motivator'
/. %hat do you find are the most difficult decisions to make'
"0. Tell me about yourself.
". %hat has been the greatest disappointment in your life'
"". %hat are you passionate about'
"$. %hat are your hobbies'
"(. %hat are your pet peeves'
"). %hat do people most often critici9e about you'
"+. %hat is the biggest criticism you received from your boss'
",. %hat is the worst thing that you have ever gotten away with'
"-. %hat is your dream job'
"/. %hat makes you angry'
$0. %hen was the last time you were angry' %hat happened'
$. %hy did you choose your major'
$". %hy did you go back to school'
$$. %hy should ? take a risk on you'
$(. ?f you could relive the last 0 years of your life, what would you do differently'
$). ?f the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say'
$+. 2o you prefer to work independently or on a team'
$,. Cive some e&amples of teamwork.
%eakness - the state or quality of being weak6 lack of strength,
firmness, vigor, or the like6 feebleness.
@erform - to carry out6 e&ecute6 do7 to perform miracles.
Adjust - to change :something; so that it fits, corresponds, or
conforms6 adapt6 accommodate7 to adjust e&penses to income.
@ressure - the e&ertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid,
etc., in contact with it7 the pressure of earth against a wall.
>otivate - to provide with a motive or motives6
major - a subject or field of study chosen by a student to represent
his or her principal interest and upon which a large share of his or
her efforts are concentrated7 *istory was my major at college.
?ndependently - not influenced or controlled by others in matters of
opinion, conduct, etc.6 thinking or acting for oneself7 an
independent thinker.
Bvaluate - to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality
of6 assess7 to evaluate the results of an e&periment.
Dvercome - to get the better of in a struggle or conflict6 conquer6
defeat7 to overcome the enemy.
@roject - to e&tend or protrude beyond something else.
%orkload - the amount of work that a machine, employee, or
group of employees can be or is e&pected to perform.
$-. >ore teamwork interview questions.
$/. %hat type of work environment do you prefer'
(0. *ow do you evaluate success'
(. ?f you know your boss is 00E wrong about something how would you handle it'
(". 2escribe a difficult work situation . project and how you overcame it.
($. 2escribe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
Interview Questions About Money
. %hat were your starting and final levels of
compensation'
". %hat are your salary e&pectations'
$. %hat are your salary requirements - both short-term and
long-term'
(. %hy would you take a job for less money'
Job Questions About Your Qualifications
. Are you overqualified for this job'
". 2escribe how you managed a problem employee.
$. *ow did you impact the bottom line'
(. ?nterview questions about your abilities
). %hat applicable attributes . e&perience do you have'
+. %hat part of the job will be the least challenging for you'
,. %hich parts of this job are the most challenging for you'
-. %hat philosophy guides your work'
/. %hat strength will help you the most to succeed'
0. %hy are you interested in taking a lower level job'
. %hy are you interested in a non-management job'
Interview Questions About the New Job and the Comany
. 3hould employees use social media at work'
". %hat interests you about this job'
$. %hy do you want this job'
(. %hat can you do for this company'
5ompensation - something given or received as an equivalent for
services, debt, loss, injury, suffering, lack, etc.6 indemnity7 The
insurance company paid him F"000 as compensation for the loss
of his car.
B&pectation - the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.
8equirement - a need or necessity7 to meet the requirements of
daily life.
Dverqualified - having more education, training, or e&perience than
is required for a job or position.
?mpact - influence6 effect7 the impact of Binstein on modern
physics.
Ability - abilities, talents6 special skills or aptitudes7 5omposing
music is beyond his abilities.
Attribute - something attributed as belonging to a person, thing,
group, etc.6 a quality, character, characteristic, or property7
3ensitivity is one of his attributes.
5hallenging - offering a challenge6 testing one1s ability, endurance,
etc7 a challenging course6 a challenging game.
Cuide - to assist :a person; to travel through, or reach a
destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving
directions to the person7 *e guided us through the forest.
). %hy should we hire you'
+. %hy shouldn1t we hire you'
,. %hy should we hire you instead of the other applicants for the job'
-. %hy are you the best person for the job'
/. %hat do you know about this company'
0. %hy do you want to work here'
. %hat challenges are you looking for in a position'
". %hat can you contribute to this company'
$. %hat do you see yourself doing within the first $0 days on the job'
(. %hat would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal'
). Are you willing to travel'
+. %hat is good customer service'
,. *ow long do you e&pect to remain employed with this company'
-. %hen could you start work'
/. @lease rate me as an interviewer.
"0. ?s there anything ? haven1t told you about the job or company that you would like to know'
Interview Questions About the !uture
. %hat are you looking for in your ne&t job' %hat is important to you'
". %here do you see yourself ) years from now'
$. %here do you see yourself in 0 years' :for older applicants;
(. %hat are your goals for the ne&t five years . ten years'
). *ow do you plan to achieve those goals'
+. *ow would you feel about working for a younger manager'
,. >ore questions about your career goals.
-. %hat will you do if you don1t get this position'
/. %here else are you interviewing'
"ehavioral Interview Questions
?n addition to being ready to answer these standard questions, prepare for behavior based interview questions. This is
based on the premise that a candidate1s past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Gou will need to
be prepared to provide detailed responses including specific e&amples of your work e&periences. 8eview e&amples of
behavioral interview questions.
Interview Questions #mloyers $hould Not Ask
There are some interview questions, typically known as illegal interview questions, that employers should not ask
during a job interview. *ere are questions that shouldn1t be asked during a job interview and how to best respond.
Interview Questions %isted by &ye 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. <ist includes accounting, administrative, customer service, technical,
management, retail, sales, analyst, consultant, entry level, part-time, work at home and many more.
'hone Job Interview Questions
*ave a phone interview on the agenda' *ere are common questions asked during a telephone interview, plus tips on
how best to answer so you can move to the ne&t stage of the interview process.
&ou(h 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 H%hat can ? answer for you'H *ave an interview question or two
of your own ready to ask. Gou aren1t 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
*ere1s a list of questions never to ask an employer during an interview, along with information on why you shouldn1t
ask them.