Preparing for an interview can be daunting, but with the right approach, you can handle any question that comes your way. We've compiled a list of 101 interview questions to help you prepare and confidently tackle any curveballs.
Tips to Get You Started
Avoid Essays: Don’t write out essay answers. Instead, jot down dot points to talk around.
Practice Aloud: Rehearse your answers in front of a mirror or with a friend. Speaking them out loud clarifies your thoughts.
Mock Interviews: Conduct as many mock interviews as possible to refine your answers and build confidence in your body language.
Use Figures: Include numbers, percentages, and quotas to illustrate your successes.
101 Interview Questions
General Questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why do you want this job?
3. What are your greatest strengths?
4. What are your weaknesses?
5. Describe yourself in three words.
6. What motivates you?
7. What are your hobbies?
8. What are you passionate about?
Work Experience:
9. Describe a typical work week in your current or previous role.
10. How did you impact the bottom line?
11. Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
12. Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it.
13. Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
14. Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
15. Describe how you managed a problem employee.
16. Describe the gap in your employment history.
17. Did you ever make a risky decision? Why? How did you handle it?
18. Do you consider yourself successful in your career to date?
19. Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
20. Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
21. Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you do it?
22. Have you worked with someone who didn’t like your work?
23. How did you fit in with the company culture?
24. How did you get along with your previous manager, co-workers, and subordinates?
25. Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and how you handled it.
26. Give an example of a goal you reached and how you achieved it.
27. Give some examples of teamwork.
28. Have you been in a situation where you didn’t have enough work to do?
29. Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager?
Skills and Abilities:
30. How do you handle stress and pressure?
31. How do you handle criticism?
32. How do you handle failure?
33. How do you handle success?
34. How do you prioritise your work when given multiple projects?
35. How do you handle a challenge?
36. How do you evaluate success?
37. How will your greatest strength help you perform in this role?
38. How would you describe the pace at which you work?
39. If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something, how would you handle it?
40. Tell me about how you worked effectively under time pressure or with conflicting deadlines.
41. What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
42. What do you do when you feel unmotivated in your role?
43. What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
44. What is the biggest criticism you received from your boss?
45. What is your biggest failure in your professional career?
46. What is your greatest professional career success? How did you achieve it?
47. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
48. What management style gets the best results out of you?
49. What strategies would you use to motivate your team?
50. What type of work environment do you prefer?
51. Which parts of this job would be the most challenging for you?
Company Fit
52. What do you know about this company?
53. How does this job fit in with your career plan?
54. Why should we take a risk on you?
55. What do you expect from a supervisor?
56. Why did you leave or are you leaving your current or last job?
57. Why did you choose a career in [your field]?
58. Why did you decide to join your previous company? Did the job live up to your expectations?
59. How can our company offer you what your previous company could not?
60. What do you like and dislike about the job after hearing more information on what it’s about?
61. What do you think is the most important hurdle facing this business today?
62. What interests you about our company, product, or service?
63. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
64. What philosophy guides your work?
65. How do you fit in with the company culture?
66. What can we expect from you in the first 60 days on the job?
67. What can you do for us that is better than the other candidates?
Behavioural Questions:
68. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work and how you resolved it.
69. Describe a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
70. Tell me about a time you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about.
71. Describe a time when you had to handle multiple projects at once.
72. Tell me about something you would have done differently at work.
73. Tell me something about you that’s not on your resume.
74. How do you handle failure?
75. How do you handle criticism?
76. How do you handle stress and pressure?
77. Describe a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem.
78. Describe a time when you had to take initiative.
Career Development
79. What are your salary expectations?
80. Where do you want to be in five years?
81. What is your professional development plan?
82. What are the most significant trends in your field?
83. What are the most important rewards you expect in your business career?
84. What motivates you?
85. What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
86. How does this job fit in with your career plan?
87. What will you do if you don’t get this position?
88. What will your references say about you?
89. When could you start work?
90. Why weren’t you promoted at your last job?
91. What did you think of your previous manager?
92. How did you get along with your previous manager, co-workers, and subordinates?
Other:
93. Are you overqualified for this job?
94. Are you willing to travel?
95. Do you prefer to work in a small, medium, or large company?
96. Do you take work home with you?
97. How would you feel about working for a younger manager?
98. Is there anything else we should know about you?
99. Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
100. What applicable attributes or experience do you have?
101. What do you think is the most important hurdle facing this business today?
Myth-Busting Interview Preparation Tips
Myth #1: Memorising Answers
Reality: Focus on key points and practice speaking naturally. Over-memorising can make you sound robotic.
Myth #2: Only Talking About Strengths
Reality: Employers value honesty. Discuss your weaknesses and how you're addressing them.
Final Preparations
Once you know your answers and have rehearsed them, spend time before the interview reflecting on your career chronology rather than repeating your answers verbatim. This will help you respond to unexpected questions and prevent your answers from sounding robotic and impersonal.
Good luck!
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BLOG EDITED 03/06/2024
