Top 30 Most Asked Interview Questions

You might be feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement as you prepare for your job interview. While job interviews can be stressful, we understand that they cannot be excelled without an ease of mind.

To help you out here are the 30 most asked questions during an interview. Remember the key to answering these questions is to believe in yourself and do not be scared.

Tell me about yourself

The most basic and simplest question an interview starts with is an introduction of yourself. You will start by answering by your name, what is your educational experience  and why you are there for the job; here is a simpler way:

“My name is (your name). I have completed my bachelors from ( your institute) in ( your degree of expertise). I applied for this job for gaining experience in way that benefits both your company and myself”.

What do you think is your greatest weakness?

This question is asked to test your self awareness and responsibility towards accepting your mistakes. This needs to be answered with great honesty and here is how you can answer this:

“I would say my greatest weakness is that I get overwhelmed when I have a lot on my to do list however ,I am working on that by improving my time management skills and prioritising more important tasks”.

What would you define as your greatest strength?

The purpose of asking this question is to allow you to realise where your positive points lie and how it can be beneficial to them. To answer this question keep a professional tone that does not sound like over confidence and boasting like:

“I would say my greatest strength is communication and strategies. I have been faced with multiple situations in my previous projects where I have successfully used this strength to accomplish greater tasks by keeping an open demeanour and quick thinking.”

What makes you interested in this role?

Let us assume the role is that of a project manager. This role requires someone who has proper leadership qualities along with exceptional planning. The way to address this question is:

“I am interested in this role because it would provide me a more wider image of this vacancy and increase my experience along with my planning skills and leadership qualities”.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Make sure to answer this question in such a manner that your interests align with the company’s interest as well. This question is to determine how you would use your experience from them later in life. Here is what to say:

“I hope to inspire younger members to come up for this role and I want to be a role model with the experience that I gain from here, to train people younger than me hopefully when I am still here in the next 5 years since your values and work ethic align with mine”.

What is your work ethic?

Your work ethic is a turning point in any company’s success. They ask you this question to see whether you have what it takes for the role they are offering and if you can handle their work environment. Here is how to tackle this question:

“I am an organized and punctual person who takes my work very seriously and tends to give my best to what is required of me. My punctuality helps me keep all my tasks completed and I am a dedicated individual who wants to exceed the expectations of my seniors”.

Why are you looking for a new role?

The point of this question is to how ready you are to new horizons and why you left your previous role. You have to answer this question in way that does not seem like your throwing the previous company under the bus instead say:

“I am looking for new roles because I want to look at the bigger picture of the skills that I currently possess. The company i currently work for has an excellent senior project management team which leaves me less room for growth however, working with them has given me the ability to impact smaller projects to a great extent that helped me polish my current abilities.”

What motivates you on a daily basis?

The employer looks for someone who does not just have a short term interest in the salary package or experience rather they look for someone who aligns their goals with them and learn something. The simplest way to address this question is:

“As a project manager, I am passionate about bringing my visions to life with critical thinking and problem solving. This not only benefits me but my team who I keep up with according to their capabilities and work”.

Why do you think you are the best candidate for this role?

This may come as a tightrope to walk around since you are not aware or familiar with the other candidates. You may not want to sound too arrogant or overconfident by saying that you are the best. On the other hand highlighting your previous work and its success can be said in your answer as:

“As my previous experience with my company, i would say that i am the best candidate for this role due to my excellent teamwork collaboration, high success rates of projects and being honest with my superiors about my progress. These qualities are something that match with the description of your role and makes me a strong candidate for this role”.

How would your team describe you in three words?

No matter how independent a role is, it is impossible to achieve the required goal without team collaboration. This question is meant to determine how you work in a team environment and how your team members see you. The most easy answer to this is:

“Due to the nature of my work, it has always been my priority to consult with my team to make them feel values and heard. My team has always described me as helpful, reliable and calculated. I think of my team as a unit that I have to move along with and am always open to feedback and honest criticism”.

What do you plan in the first 90 days of hiring?

Hiring managers want to know whether you can keep up with the work without slowing their current progress down and develop quick relations within and outside the department. You can answer this question by saying:

“Within the first 90 days of my hiring, I would quickly familiarise myself with the progress with of the project and what would need the most urgent attention. Additionally, I would set up a meeting with potential project clients and discuss their expectations from me as their current incharge of project”.

How would you respond to negative criticism from clients?

While some criticism may be harsh and can ruin your day, employers look for someone who can keep it together even in times like these so their work quality is not affected. To answer this shed some light on your temperament and say this:

“The role I work in is quite demanding and tiring, but I also understand different clients have different tastes. I try to keep a professional attitude and treat negative criticism as an opportunity to expand my efforts and try to meet the client expectations while rectifying errors as soon as I can”

Describe a problem you solved in a creative way?

This question is specifically targeted at your creativity and how you would use it to solve any problem at hand. While answering you need to consider the role you are applying for and you can say:

“As a project manager I was tasked to collaborate with project managers from other companies. I identified an opportunity at a gathering of the leading project managers of different companies and shared my opinions and thoughts with them to which they whole heartedly agreed to”.

Describe a time when you had to make a decision without proper research:

Being on your toes and quick thinking is an important element hiring mangers look for in their candidates. This question is asked to determine whether you have the ability to make decisions based on your present skills without consulting anything. Here is how you can answer it:

“During my time as junior project manager in my previous company, I was once faced with a time strict decision regarding one of the leading projects at that time. It was required of me to close the project deal with one of the clients in the absence of a senior. I took matters into my own hands and did as I thought was right which ultimately became the most successful project of my company”.

Describe a time when you went up and above for a client

Catering to a clients need effectively reflects your attitude towards the clients and your dedication to their satisfaction. You can answer by this recalling such an incident:

“One of my clients had an unusual request towards their project which exceeded our budget by a little bit. However, upon hearing the request I pleaded with my leader to exceed our budget and the client could pay their extra due. It was finally approved and the client was very satisfied with my favour”.

Why do you prefer working remotely?

Working remotely can be glorified in the age of digital media. Keep your answer to the best of their interests and do not sound selfish. This question can be tackled by saying:

“I prefer being ina remote environment due to the amount of work I can get done with full concentration and my productivity is at its peak during remote working. However, I am flexible when it comes to my job and role to be on site when it is required without delay”.

What profession would you have selected if not the current one?

This question is more general than professional and the employer might want to know what your other interests are and how they can be useful to them. You may want to answer this as:

“If I would have selected another profession, it would probably be a literary author due to my immense passion for reading books. I have always been an imaginative person which was further boosted by my book knowledge. It has helped me in a certain light that I can use my imagination into my projects and ring my visions into reality.”

How did you find out about us?

This also falls under a general question category and they are simply asking you about how you found out about them. The simple answer is:

“ i had been looking for jobs for quite some time and happen to come across your company profile in LinkedIn with an empty vacancy, so I just applied for this role through there”.

How do you promote a positive work environment?

This question is directed at your overall work demeanour and behaviour towards your superiors since a positive and conflict less environment is ideal for efficient working. You can answer this question by:

“I tend to keep respectful boundaries with my co workers and promote a positive environment by understanding the needs of those around me and being as helpful as I can. As for my superiors, I try to keep an open mind and listen to their instructions carefully to carry them out as expected.”

How do you manage to stay productive during your remote hours?

While remote working can be more relaxing than an on site job, it is still an area of concern for employers whether you are as productive in a work environment as you would be if you were in the office. Convince them by answering:

“While i admit working remotely is more relaxing, I tend to be as productive as possible by dividing my task into subtasks and keep a time goal to achieve them. That way I complete my tasks due for the day within the working hours without delay.”

Can you talk me through your career gap and how did you manage to get back into the field?

If you have had any career gaps, the employer might want to understand the reason behind that gap and how it affected you professionally; answer this question by saying:

“Due to some personal reasons, i had to take time off from work since it was clashing with my mental health at that time.However , i was quickly able to recover and kept myself up to date with market trends and get back into the professional line sooner than anticipated”.

How do you handle stress?

For large scale companies, it is a given that sometimes work can be overwhelming and stressful which might affect the quality of your work. The employer wants to know how well you perform in stressful situations. To answer this question focus on your attitude and state:

“Even though work gets quite overwhelming at times, it is required of me to stay calm and collected and manage the situation at hand, since logically panicking would not be a solution. If my task is too big, i would divide it into smaller parts to make it less stressful”.

How would you solve a conflict between two team members?

Teamwork is essential to any project of a company however some situations may arise where one can arise against the other. The employer wants to know your stance on this. The way to address this question is:

“I would attentively listen to their conflict and be completely unbiased to solve it. I would give my solution to both of them according to their interests and tell them to work accordingly”.

You get into a conflict with your team member. How do you address this issue?

Having workplace conflicts is not common however if it involves you it can get a bit confusing if your behaviour is not kept in check. This question is asked to determine whether you can solve a conflict on your own or not. Here is how you can answer this:

“ if i ever get into a conflict with my team member, i would keep a calm and understanding behaviour and be understanding as to why my team member is upset. I would pinpoint the problem and find a common ground with them to resolve the issue”.

How would you deal with a difficult client?

Clients can have different tastes and choices and sometimes will not be satisfied with your work. This question will be directed towards your ability to handle clients who might be more picky or difficult than others. Here is an easy way to answer them:

“I would cater to the clients need as they expect of me and try to keep a professional approach to their expectations. I would make them feel welcome to share their opinions on matters regarding their projects”.

A team member has called in sick at the last minute. How do you handle it?

Last minute calls can be frustrating and it is even difficult to compensate for the tasks of that missing team member for the day. The employer would like to know how would you keep the work going in such a situation. The answer to this question can be given as:

“Last minute replacements are almost impossible, however te division of tasks is not. I would gather the rest of my team and assign them some tasks of that missing member so we do not completely lack his part that day.”

How would you react to a colleague violating company policies?

A company’s policies are essential to them and they ay have dire consequences when not followed. The employer wants to ask whether your personal relations with the colleague would affect your loyalty to their policies. Here is a perfect answer for that:

“If i find myself in such a situation, I would try to ask them privately to stop and if it does not stop, I would have to involve management”.

Have you ever thought of owning a company?

This question may come to you as unusual but it is actually is not since it is asked to determine your ambition for future. You can tackles this question by saying:

“Of course! I have always been ambitious about having my own company and making it a leading one on top of that. Additionally, this ambition has played quite a role in my professional life”.

What are your hobbies?

A very general and simple question that does not need an explanation. Clearly state your hobbies but do not come across as careless in your hobbies. Instead say:

“I have always had a passion for reading and solving crossword puzzles in newspapers or if I do not engage in either, I like to paint.”

Do you have any questions for us?

This is where the interview should end and you can put forward any question regarding your pay, working hours or work environment. You can ask:

“What would the salary package be like? Also can you clarify my working hours?”

Wait for their answer do not bombard them with questions and then finally ask:

“How would you say is your work environment ?”