The 100 Top Interview Questions

In order to feel comfortable during a job interview, you need to be well prepared. Part of being well prepared is having a good idea of what to expect during the interview. To help you prepare for the interview, below are the top 100 interview questions. You may not hear all of these questions, but if you review them beforehand, you will be ready to give the best interview possible.
To help you prepare, you may want to write out short answers to each question as you read it. A good way to practice your interview skills is to have a practice interview with a friend, or even look in a mirror as you practice by yourself. During your real interview, you will have to be able to think on your feet and adjust your answers accordingly. However, with practice, you will be able to do this easily and with confidence.
The purpose of a job interview is to let the interviewer find out more about you. They are trying to find out more about your background, skills, education, goals, personality and work ethics. In general, there are 20 qualities that interviewers will be looking at during a job interview. These are:

• The ability to take direction


• A positive, proactive attitude


• Productivity


• Flexibility


• Honesty and integrity


• Good communication and interpersonal skills


• Teamwork style


• Loyalty


• Willingness to learn


• Initiative


• Willingness to help


• Time management skills


• Problem solving skills


• Planning and organization skills


• Decision making skills


• Goal setting


• Motivation level and energy


• Stress management


• Creativity


• Leadership abilities and style

Interviewers will use the following 100 questions to find out all of this information during the interview process.

1. Tell me a little about yourself.


2. How did you find out about this job? Do you know what this job entails?


3. What do you know about our company?


4. Why are you interested in this particular career?


5. Why do you want to work here?


6. What interests you the most about this position?


7. What is your personal mission statement?


8. Does your boss know you are here today?


9. Are you a Type A, B or C personality?


10. What are your personal strengths? Have about 5 personal job-related strengths ready and explain how you have used them in the workplace.


11. What are your weaknesses? Talk about how you have turned 2 or 3 weaknesses into strengths.


12. What is your work ethic?


13. Give me an example of a time when you went above the call of duty at work.


14. How do you define success and failure?


15. What are your goals for the next five years?


16. Why did you leave (or are leaving) your previous job?


17. How have you saved your employer money and increased income?


18. What are the most important things you learned in school, at work and in life?


19. How do you define leadership? What makes a good leader?


20. Do you take pride in your work? How does it show?


21. Do you have good communication skills? Are you better at written or oral communication?


22. How good are your vocabulary and grammar skills?


23. Describe some of your effective written communications.


24. Tell me about two occasions when you were proactive.


25. Are you competitive?


26. Can you explain the gaps in your work history in your resume?


27. How do you react when you receive "no" for an answer?


28. Can you tell me what you think is the difference between a healthy ego and a big ego?


29. Tell me about an example of helping a coworker when you got no direct benefit from it.


30. How are your manners? What kind of people do you think deserve to be treated with good manners?


31. Do you try to learn something every day?


32. What does "thinking outside of the box" mean to you?


33. How are your computer skills? What programs and software are you familiar with?


34. How are your internet skills?


35. How would you handle a client from another country?


36. Do you work better as part of a team, with just one other coworker or alone?


37. When working as part of a team, what role are you more comfortable playing?


38. Who are your heroes? Why?


39. Name one world leader that you admire and tell me why.


40. How would you handle the war in Iraq?


41. Tell me a joke that you feel is funny.


42. What character from a popular TV show do you identify with?


43. Have you ever been fired?


44. Tell me about a time when you stood up for something you believed in.


45. What is your definition of intelligence?


46. Tell me about the characteristics and working styles of supervisors you like to work with.


47. What is your proudest achievement?


48. What would you do if you were at a business lunch and the steak you ordered cooked rare as served well done?


49. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?


50. Tell me about someone who helped you in your career.


51. What is your ideal company to work for?


52. How do you plan to further development your career?


53. Do you prefer structured or unstructured activities? Why?


54. Give me some examples of original ideas that you have had, and how you implemented them.


55. What is your dream job?


56. What kind of work style do you have?


57. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a conflict at work.


58. What is the last book you read?


59. What magazines do you like to read?


60. What is something you would want to change about your last job?


61. What is your opinion of your former boss?


62. What is your opinion of me and my interview skills?


63. What would you do if you found out that your entire department would be laid off, except for one worker?


64. What can you offer us that the other candidates cannot?


65. Tell me about your responsibilities at your last job.


66. How long do you think it will take for you to make a significant contribution to this company?


67. Will you relocate?


68. Tell me about the latest project that you led.


69. How do you deal with conflict?


70. What are your goals in this job?


71. Why should I hire you?


72. If you won the lottery, what would you do?


73. Tell me about a time when your work was criticized. How did you handle the situation?


74. Have you ever been a part of team, at work or school, where there was someone who did not pull their weight? How did you handle this?


75. What is your greatest failure? What did you learn from the experience?


76. How have you handled having to give someone difficult feedback?


77. What kinds of traits irritate you about other people? How do you deal with it?


78. What is your biggest fear?


79. Tell me about a problem that you solved in a unique way.


80. Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision without all the information you needed.


81. Tell me what you think you will be doing in the first 30 days of this job.


82. If you started working here, what is the first thing you would change?


83. How do you handle changes in life?


84. What will you miss about your previous job?


85. What is your greatest achievement in life?


86. If your boss asked you to do something you disagreed with, what would you do?


87. Tell me about a situation when you anticipated problems and what you did to take preventative measures?


88. What was the most difficult decision you have made in the last year?


89. What do you like to do in your spare time?


90. Why are you leaving your present job? Or, why did you leave your last job?


91. What do you think is the difference between good and superior?


92. When was the last time you took a risk and how did it turn out?


93. What is your biggest regret? Is there anything that can be done about it?


94. If you found out that your company was doing something illegal, what would you do about it?


95. What kind of salary are you looking for?


96. Are there any reasons that will stop you from getting to work on time every day?


97. If you could be any superhero, who would it be?


98. What is the last movie you saw?


99. If you have multiple assignments that are due at the end of day, but it is not possible to finish them all, what would you do?


100. Why should we hire you?

In addition to you answering the interview questions, during the interview is your chance to ask questions. If you have any questions about the company or specifics about the job details, now is the time to ask. A few things that you might want to know include:

1. What might be some of the challenges facing a new employee during the first month and first year of the job?


2. Why is this job open?


3. How will this job develop over time?


4. Does the company plan to expand over the next five years?


5. What are the opportunities for advancement within the company?


6. What is a typical workday like?

How to Answer 10 Tricky Interview Questions

Does it seem as though some job interview questions are designed to trip you up?

It should, because they are. Here are 10 of the trickiest tricky questions you might be asked at a job interview, with ideas on how to handle them:

1. “Tell me about yourself.”

• DO: Talk about the ways that what you know and what you can do are perfectly suited to this job.
• DON’T: Tell the interviewer your life story.
  
  

2. “Tell me something bad you’ve heard about our company.”

• DO: You wouldn’t apply for a job at a company you disapproved of, would you? So you should be able to honestly answer that you haven’t heard anything negative about this place.
• DON’T: Repeat gossip you might have heard.
  
  

3. “Why should I hire you?”

• DO: Impress your interviewer with how much you know about the company’s requirements and then describe how you are the best person to meet those requirements.
• DON’T: Get tripped up by a lack of prior research.
  
  

4. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

• DO: Talk about how your specific abilities, training, and experience will enable you to smoothly integrate with this company.
• DON’T: Say that you have no idea.
  
  

5. “How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible?”

• DO: Recognize that this is a test to see if you get flustered. Say, mildly, that you would ask for reasons why.
• DON’T: Freak out. Remember, the interviewer said “if.”
  
  

6. “What’s the last book you read?”

• DO: Mention a book that reflects well on you. Choose something by a reputable author that your interviewer has probably heard of.
• DON’T: Name a book you haven’t actually read.

7. “Can you work under pressure?”

• DO: Say that of course you can, and then relate a brief story about a time you did.
• DON’T: Just say, "Yes I can." Provide a specific example.

8. “Who’s your hero?”

• DO: Name a person who has inspired you and then describe specifically how this inspiration relates to your work.
• DON’T: Get caught off-guard by what should really be a softball question. Come prepared with a good answer.

9. “Have you ever considered starting your own business?”

• DO: Talk about how you are happiest and do your best work in a company that is amazingly similar to the one you’re applying at.
• DON’T: Go on and on about how you’d love to be your own boss one day.

10. “If you won the lottery, would you still work?”

• DO: Be honest and say you’d be thrilled to win the lottery; then add that even if you did you’d still seek out satisfying work, because work is what makes people happy.
• DON’T: Say that you’d never work again (too honest) or that you’d just work for free (too BS-y).

Bottom line: It pays to think through in advance how you would handle some of the more common trick questions. In general, remember never to badmouth or blame others, especially past employers. Be careful not to betray your nervousness with jittery body language. Don’t lie or babble, or show frustration, impatience, disappointment, or anger.

The most important thing to remember is that hiring managers who ask these questions are far more interested in how you answer than what you answer. They just want to see how well you think on your feet. So even if a question completely flummoxes you, keep your cool, smile, and look ‘em in the eye.

The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview

1. Tell me about yourself.

Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be extracareful that you don't run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don't waste your best points on it.

2. What do you know about our organization?

You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and philosophy. But don't act as if you know everything about the place. Let your answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don't overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.

You might start your answer in this manner: "In my job search, I've investigated a number of companies.

Yours is one of the few that interests me, for these reasons..."

Give your answer a positive tone. Don't say, "Well, everyone tells me that you're in all sorts of trouble, and that's why I'm here", even if that is why you're there.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

The deadliest answer you can give is "Because I like people." What else would you like-animals?

Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from having done your homework so that you can speak in terms of the company's needs. You might say that your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved with, and that it's doing them in ways that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on research and development, emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that you know this is a place in which such activity is encouraged. If the organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence for numbers.

If you feel that you have to concoct an answer to this question - if, for example, the company stresses research, and you feel that you should mention it even though it really doesn't interest you- then you probably should not be taking that interview, because you probably shouldn't be considering a job with that organization.

Your homework should include learning enough about the company to avoid approaching places where you wouldn't be able -or wouldn't want- to function. Since most of us are poor liars, it's difficult to con anyone in an interview. But even if you should succeed at it, your prize is a job you don't really want.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?

Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it?

List three or four attractive factors of the job, and mention a single, minor, unattractive item.

6. Why should we hire you?

Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability, your experience, and your energy. (See question 4.)

7. What do you look for in a job?

Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at this organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your contributions. Make your answer oriented toward opportunity rather than personal security.

8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for which you are being interviewed].

Keep your answer brief and taskoriented. Think in in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you are not certain. ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?

Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

10. How long would you stay with us?

Say that you are interested in a career with the organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. Think in terms of, "As long as we both feel achievement-oriented."

11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?

Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in his job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at a premium. Suggest that since you are so wellqualified, the employer will get a fast return on his investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never have too much talent.

12. What is your management style?

You should know enough about the company's style to know that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task oriented (I'll enjoy problem-solving identifying what's wrong, choosing a solution and implementing it"), results-oriented ("Every management decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line"), or even paternalistic ("I'm committed to taking care of my subordinates and pointing them in the right direction").

A participative style is currently quite popular: an open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility.

As you consider this question, think about whether your style will let you work hatppily and effectively within the organization.

13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?

Keep your answer achievementand ask-oriented. Rely on examples from your career to buttress your argument. Stress your experience and your energy.

14. What do you look for when You hire people?

Think in terms of skills. initiative, and the adaptability to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others. Mention that you like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in the organization.

15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation?

Admit that the situation was not easy, but say that it worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual. Show that, like anyone else, you don't enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.

16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive?

Mention planning, execution, and cost-control. The most difficult task is to motivate and manage employess to get something planned and completed on time and within the budget.

17. What important trends do you see in our industry?

Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges or opportunities, economic conditions, or even regulatory demands as you collect your thoughts about the direction in which your business is heading.

18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?

Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. where you considered this topic as you set your reference statements. If you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision, the result of your action. Do not mention personality conflicts.

The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The "We agreed to disagree" approach may be useful. Remember hat your references are likely to be checked, so don't concoct a story for an interview.

19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job?

Mention that you are concerned, naturally, but not panicked. You are willing to accept some risk to find the right job for yourself. Don't suggest that security might interest you more than getting the job done successfully.

20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least?

Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you liked than disliked. Don't cite personality problems. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now.

21. What do you think of your boss?

Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the future.

22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?

Say that this is one reason that you are conducting this job search. Don't be defensive.

23. What do you feel this position should pay?

Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might say, "I understand that the range for this job is between $______ and $______. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it." You might answer the question with a question: "Perhaps you can help me on this one. Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization?"

If you are asked the question during an initial screening interview, you might say that you feel you need to know more about the position's responsibilities before you could give a meaningful answer to that question. Here, too, either by asking the interviewer or search executive (if one is involved), or in research done as part of your homework, you can try to find out whether there is a salary grade attached to the job. If there is, and if you can live with it, say that the range seems right to you.

If the interviewer continues to probe, you might say, "You know that I'm making $______ now. Like everyone else, I'd like to improve on that figure, but my major interest is with the job itself." Remember that the act of taking a new job does not, in and of itself, make you worth more money.

If a search firm is involved, your contact there may be able to help with the salary question. He or she may even be able to run interference for you. If, for instance, he tells you what the position pays, and you tell him that you are earning that amount now and would Like to do a bit better, he might go back to the employer and propose that you be offered an additional 10%.

If no price range is attached to the job, and the interviewer continues to press the subject, then you will have to restpond with a number. You cannot leave the impression that it does not really matter, that you'll accept whatever is offered. If you've been making $80,000 a year, you can't say that a $35,000 figure would be fine without sounding as if you've given up on yourself. (If you are making a radical career change, however, this kind of disparity may be more reasonable and understandable.)

Don't sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don't leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.

But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the "final" stage of the interview process. At that point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is likely to be flexible in salary negotiations.

24. What are your long-range goals?

Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. Don't answer, "I want the job you've advertised." Relate your goals to the company you are interviewing: 'in a firm like yours, I would like to..."

25. How successful do you you've been so far?

Say that, all-in-all, you're happy with the way your career has progressed so far. Given the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that you've done quite well and have no complaints.

Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, but don't overstate your case. An answer like, "Everything's wonderful! I can't think of a time when things were going better! I'm overjoyed!" is likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you're trying to fool him . . . or yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quiet confidence.