Seven most common job interview questions

What are the seven most common interview questions?

You can’t predict every question that will come up in a job interview. I know I’ve heard some very weird questions.

There are some interview questions, your interviewer will ask you, where you’ll sit there and think “I really have no idea what you have just asked me! What is it that you actually want to know?”

Sometimes interviewers will ask you a seemingly strange question just to throw you off guard or to see how you think on your feet.

I remember being asked a very strange question when I was about 20. The interviewer asked me what was the worst thing in my life that ever happened to me?

I sat there and thought, well, um, so far in my life I have had a pretty lucky and safe middle class existence, yellow brick road to a yellow brick home in the suburbs, and all that. Should I make up something dramatic so I don’t sound really lame?

Strange questions aside there are some job interview questions that will come up at some stage in the process.

What does this blog post cover?

In this blog post I’ll cover the most common interview questions.

Then I’ll give you some links to our most popular blog posts covering tricky interview questions.

These are questions many recruitment consultants love, as they’re screening you for their clients.

Here are some interview questions that you really should prepare for.

Question 1. Tell me about yourself.

For such an innocuous slightly pleasant standard question, this is one that most people fear.

I used to use it as an interview as a “settling in” question so I could get my pen working, re-familiarise myself with someone’s resume and break the ice.

I didn’t realise I was doing just the opposite, that my interviewee was thinking where do I start, what do I say, isn’t that the whole purpose of an interview, so which bit are you not going to cover in the rest of the questions.

Take a read of this blog post on how to manage the “tell me about yourself” question and come back to me.

If you have an iPhone, download our new app myPitch, and learn how to manage this question and sell yourself effectively.

Question 2. Why did you leave your last job?

This one is to see that you’re leaving for a reasonable reason, and that what you’re looking for you’ll find in the new role on offer.

Recruiters will often go through your entire job history looking for patterns in the reasons you have left organisations.

Take a read of this post on the five trickiest interview questions for some great tips.

Question 3. Why do you want this job?

Pretty basic, and if you have access to the employer’s website, you have no reason not to give a reason.

Read this post on interview tips, to get some great questions.

Question 4. What are your strengths?

If you struggle to answer this question, think of what others have said are your top points. Think about what you have achieved and how you have achieved it. Back whatever adjective you choose with a reason you say this.

Question 5.What are your weaknesses?

Read this post on how to handle weakness questions in interview.

Question 6. What are your achievements?

With this question, think about the impact you’ve made and how that will benefit your potential organisation.

Question 7.Why should we hire you for this job?

You can’t compare yourself to other candidates with your answer to questions like these. But you can have done your homework and understand what makes you stand out.

Tagged as: Interview Tips