Six Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Sadly, it is impossible to predict what your interviewer will ask you. However, some questions tend to be repetitive. If you are preparing for a job interview, we advise you to familiarize yourself with them. While you do not have to memorize the answers, you can make yourself comfortable by having some idea of what to say. Here is our list of the most common interview questions.

1. Please, tell me something about yourself

Many people dread this question. It seems simple, but how to answer it? Should you tell the interviewer your whole life story? Well, no. The best way to approach this question is to focus on your current role, then talk about how you got it and what your plans are. You don’t have to explain your entire working experience – your interviewer knows most of it from your resume.

Talk about your current job. Focus on these points:

What does your position involve?
What are the challenges?
What do you like about your job?
What are you proud of?

Then briefly explain how you landed that job. Focus more on the future. How would you like to grow? Are you willing to learn? If you are not currently working, don’t worry. Whether you are a parent, a traveler, or a student – you can still talk about the challenges you have overcome and lessons you have learned.

2. What are your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself?

This question is tricky, and many people try to avoid it by talking about their strengths instead. Saying something along the lines of “I’m so meticulous I can’t finish my work without checking it five times!” is a solution, but not everyone has a flaw that can be turned into a positive trait. Most of us are just simply lazy or impatient.

Your employer should know that no one is perfect, so if you have to talk about your weaknesses, pick something that shows off your self-awareness and prove that you are willing to work on it and grow personally. For example, you can say that you are an over-talkative person and tend to dominate conversations, not letting quieter people voice their opinions. Say that you know this and are actively trying to change it, having the team’s best interest in mind.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

While probably everyone has the urge to sarcastically reply with “because I need the money”, you just have to suck it up and be more creative. The truth is your interviewer asks this question daily and probably knows your true motivation. This question provides an opportunity to show off the candidate’s knowledge of the company. If someone who is trying to get hired walks into an organization and doesn’t know why… well, other candidates have done their homework.

Do your research beforehand and use this question to show it off. Here are some examples of unique values that you may find on companies’ websites and social media profiles:

contributing to positive social change,
caring about the environment,
opening a new office and creating more job opportunities,
expanding to another state or country.

4. Why should we hire you?

This is one of the most intimidating questions, as for many people saying “I’m just the best!” feels unnatural and boastful. It certainly requires tons of confidence. If you get this question, you have to remember that you are trying to “sell” yourself to the employer. Fortunately, even though showing off your experiences and skills can feel weird at first, it gets better with time. Try to come up with your “selling points” beforehand and practice speaking well about yourself.

5. What have you learned recently?

This question is designed to test your willingness to learn, grow, and gain new skills. You do not want to say “nothing” in this situation. Try to remember the challenges that you had to overcome in your job or even your personal life. What did you learn? Perhaps you had to use a new tool or a web application. Or maybe you started working remotely and had to adapt to a new schedule. Come up with 1-2 examples, no more, and make sure to support them with some details.

6. Can you work in a team?

If an interviewer asks you this question, you should know the answer if you have researched the position. Many jobs require employees to work as part of a team. Respond by highlighting some of your traits, such as the ability to actively listen and bring new ideas to the table.

Remember that being introverted is not a flaw but just one of many personality types. You don’t have to be the life of the party to work in a team. You can say that you like your alone time and need some quiet space to focus, but you also like to ask your coworkers for feedback.

Conclusion

There are tons of common interview questions, but the ones listed above are a great start. Of course, you cannot memorize all “correct” answers, but you can still prepare for them. Better safe than sorry, right? Do your research and learn about the company and its culture. And finally, think positively about yourself – list your strengths and make the employer want to hire you!