The Most Popular Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Are you in the market for a new job? If so, it’s time to brush up on your job interview skills as part of your interview preparation. While we don’t have a crystal ball to tell you the exact interview questions you’ll be asked, we can provide you with some of the most common interview questions that you can review, with some sample answers.
And be sure to check out the last section that offers some good questions for you to ask in an interview!
Common Job Interview Questions
You’ll get the most out of these tips by making it interactive—as you read the questions and answers here, begin to craft your own responses. Once you have them written down, make sure to also practice answering out loud. Doing so will help you walk into your job interview with a lot more confidence! (And a lot less sweat!)
“Tell me about yourself.”
Most people will say that the way to respond is a quick overview of your present, past and future formula, providing a glimpse of:
• Present: What you’re currently doing • Past: What you were doing
• Future: What you’d like to do in the future.
But ZipRecruiter’s Co-founder and CEO has a hack for this answer. Because, as Ian says in his book, Get
Hired Now!, there is a one sentence
response that will supercharge any interview you’re in. The goal is to turn
the conversation from yourself to your interviewer.
This “magical sentence” has 3 parts: 1. Say the interviewer’s name.
2. “I’m so excited to be here because…” 3. Share something you love about the business and ask a question about it.
Saying your interviewer’s name will help them focus on you. Sharing something you know about the company will show that you did your research, and asking the question will get your interviewer talking—and the conversation is off to a great start!
Alex…I am so excited to be here because I love great customer service, and I have personally experienced great service here as a customer. Is that something you train or is it just the kind of person you hire?
“How did you hear about this position?”
Here is another question that might seem insignificant—but if it’s being asked, it matters. Every question is an opportunity to highlight who you are and why you’re the right fit for the job. When you answer this question you also have an opportunity to share why you’re so excited for the role. If you found your job on ZipRecruiter, let them
know that they are using the right tools to find the right people. If you came to know about the role through a referral, that’s a chance to name drop your connection to the company.
I heard about the position on ZipRecruiter and applied since it was a perfect match for my skills as a salesperson. Then I realized that a friend’s former coworker, Janice Johnson, works here, so I reached out to her to hear about her experience. Since I’m a fan of the type of work you all do in online sales, I thought it would be the perfect job opportunity for me to pursue.
“Why are you looking for a new position?”
Be careful on this one! Sure, interviewers ask this question to understand your reason for applying, but also to assess your honesty and integrity. Be honest and positive, and use it
as a way to focus on expanding your opportunities to reach your career aspirations. DO NOT talk negatively about your current boss, co-workers, or company. The interviewer will assume that if you do it now, you’ll do it if you come aboard too.
It’s been a privilege to work with an award-winning creative team, and I’ve learned a lot about UX design in
my current position. With that said, I’m interested in being with a firm where I can work with multiple clients vs. a single business. This position and organization would allow me to do that.