How To Answer 23 of The Most Common Interview Questions

HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 2
sized, stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were
How to answer 23 of the most fired, you’ll need a good explanation. But once again, stay positive.
common interview questions

3. Tell me what you know about this company.
By Paul Michael
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it’s
being the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know
Let’s face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly about the company or business you’re going to work for. Has this
not the people being interviewed anyway. You have to be on your company been in the news lately? Who are the people in the com-
best behavior, you only get one chance to get it right, and it’s like pany you should know about? Do the background work, it will make
taking your driving test all over again. Over the years I’ve been to you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely
countless interviews. To get my first job out of college I attended interested in the company and the job.
some 15-20 interviews a week. Whether it was in Britain or over
here in the States, the questions never really seemed to change
from job to job. Not only that, but the answers to them are usually 4. Why do you want to work at X Company?
the same, with your own personal interpretation of course. Here I
present 23 questions you’re likely to be asked, and how I have This should be directly related to the last question. Any research
learned to answer them. Why 23? Because I had more than 20 and you’ve done on the company should have led you to the conclusion
less than 25. Remember, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do that you’d want to work there. After all, you’re at the interview,
the preparation you should ace it every time. right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your in-
terview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking
goals and career plans.
1. So, tell me a little about yourself.
I’d be very surprised if you haven’t been asked this one at every 5. What relevant experience do you have?
interview. It’s probably the most asked question because it sets the
stage for the interview and it gets you talking. Be careful not to give Hopefully if you’re applying for this position you have bags of re-
the interviewer your life story here. You don’t need to explain every- lated experience, and if that’s the case you should mention it all.
thing from birth to present day. Relevant facts about education, But if you’re switching careers or trying something a little different,
your career and your current life situation are fine. your experience may initially not look like it’s matching up. That’s
when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences
required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills
2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)? after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can
apply to internal management positions, and so on.
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can
trip you up. Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job)
because you want to advance your career and get a position that
allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It’s not a good
idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary.
And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been down-
3 HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 4
6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say 10. What motivates you to do a good job?
about you?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from motivated by life’s noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job
your past are going to say you’re a boring A-hole, you don’t need to well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help
bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific others or be a leader in your field.
quotes in mind. “They’d say I was a hard worker” or even better
“John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative prob-
lem-solver he’d ever met.” 11. What’s your greatest strength?
This is your chance to shine. You’re being asked to explain why

7. Have you done anything to further your experience? you are a great employee, so don’t hold back and stay do stay posi-
tive. You could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone with extraordi-
sports. If it’s related, it’s worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do nary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to
with further education is great, but maybe you’re spending time on drink anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep
a home improvement project to work on skills such as self- it to yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.
sufficiency, time management and motivation.
12. What’s your biggest weakness?

8. Where else have you applied?
If you’re completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the
This is a good way to hint that you’re in demand, without sound- butt. If you say you don’t have one, you’re obviously lying. This is a
ing like you’re whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and horrible question and one that politicians have become masters at
mention a few other companies but don’t go into detail. The fact answering. They say things like “I’m perhaps too committed to my
that you’re seriously looking and keeping your options open is what work and don’t spend enough time with my family.” Oh, there’s a
the interviewer is driving at. fireable offense. I’ve even heard “I think I’m too good at my job, it
can often make people jealous.” Please, let’s keep our feet on the
ground. If you’re asked this question, give a small, work-related
9. How are you when you’re working under pressure? flaw that you’re working hard to improve. Example: “I’ve been told I
occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I’ve
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should been spending time laying out the complete project every day to
all be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive see my overall progress.”
under pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under
pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not
going to help you get your foot in the door. 13. Let’s talk about salary. What are you looking for?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview.

Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first
you’re already showing all your cards. You want as much as possi-
ble, the employer wants you for as little as you’re willing to take.
5 HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 6
Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what something like “I’ve always got on just fine with my co-workers ac-
someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may tually.”
want to say, “well, that’s something I’ve thought long and hard
about and I think someone with my experience should get between
X & Y.” Or, you could be sly and say, “right now, I’m more interest- 17. Is there anyone you just could not work with?
ed in talking more about what the position can offer my career.”
That could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. No. Well, unless you’re talking about murderers, racists, rapists,
But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone.
that you can get it, I’d say go for it. I have on many occasions, and Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who’s picky and diffi-
every time I got very close to that figure (both below and sometimes cult if you say, “I can’t work with anyone who’s a Bronco’s fan. Sor-
above). ry.”
14. Are you good at working in a team? 18. Tell me about any issues you’ve had with a previous boss.
Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you’ll always answer Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldn’t be hired anyway. The
YES to this one. It’s the only answer. How can anyone function interviewer is testing you to see if you’ll speak badly about your
inside an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention previous supervisor. Simply answer this question with extreme tact,
what part you like to play in a team though; it’s a great chance to diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of memory. In short,
explain that you’re a natural leader. you’ve never had any issues.
15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was imple- 19. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction?
mented.
It’s not a very fair question is it? We’d all love to get paid a
It’s important here to focus on the word “implemented.” There’s Trump-like salary doing a job we love but that’s rare indeed. It’s fine
nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only to say money is important, but remember that NOTHING is more
place they live is on your notepad what’s the point? Better still, you important to you than the job. Otherwise, you’re just someone look-
need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice ing for a bigger paycheck.
and ended up going bankrupt, that’s not such a great example ei-
ther. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was tak-
en from idea to implementation, and considered successful. 20. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first

16. Has anything ever irritated you about people you’ve time I just drew a blank and said, “I don’t know.” That went over
worked with? badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little to no
experience. Since then I’ve realized that my genuine answer is
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can’t “Neither, I’d rather be respected.” You don’t want to be feared be-
say that, it shows you as being negative and difficult to work with. cause fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done
The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say but at what cost? Similarly, if you’re everyone’s best friend you’ll
find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines. But when
7 HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
you’re respected, you don’t have to be a complete bastard or a

lame duck to get the job done.
21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of

your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you’re a corpo-

rate whore who doesn’t care about family. If you say no, you’re
disloyal to the company. I’m afraid that you’ll probably have to say
yes to this one though, because you’re trying to be the perfect em-
ployee at this point, and perfect employees don’t cut out early for
Jimmy’s baseball game.
22. So, explain why I should hire you.
As I’m sure you know, “because I’m great” or “I really need a

job” are not good answers here. This is a time to give the employer
a laundry list of your greatest talents that just so happen to match
the job description. It’s also good to avoid taking potshots at other
potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your talents, not
other people’s flaws.
23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?
I’ll finish the way I started, with one of the most common ques-
tions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the research
you’ve done on the company and also gives you a chance to show
how eager and prepared you are. You’ll probably want to ask about
benefits if they haven’t been covered already. A good generic one
is “how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course.” You
may also ask what you’d be working on. Specifically, in the role
you’re applying for and how that affects the rest of the company.
Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is
a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job hunt-
ing.

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HOW TO ANSWER 23 OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 2

common interview questions

This is your chance to shine. You’re being asked to explain why

12. What’s your biggest weakness?

Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview.

I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first

you’re respected, you don’t have to be a complete bastard or a

21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of

Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you’re a corpo-

22. So, explain why I should hire you.

As I’m sure you know, “because I’m great” or “I really need a

23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?

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