If you’re a job candidate looking for a new role, check out these common interview questions and possible answers to prepare for your next interview.

Tell me about yourself

Generally, “Tell me about yourself” the very first question is asked you in a job interview. It is one of the most common interview questions.

There’s no right or wrong here; it depends on the requirements of the job. This question gives insight into personal motivations.

The question is considered a very reliable measure of a candidate’s self-confidence and their degree of preparation by interviewers. 

Choosing the right words to describe yourself is very important.

The first thing you should keep in mind that an interviewer does not want to know about your life history.

The interviewer is interested only in knowing whether you have the skills and qualities necessary to fulfill the requirement of the position which are you interviewing. 

You should have a clear intention of informing and persuading the interviewer that you are a strong candidate. 

So your response would be focused on articulating your history, strength and skills in a way that illustrates how you are the ideal person for the position.

Why are you leaving your current organization?

One very important question that may be asked during an interview is “Why do you want to leave your current job?”

you really have the answer to this question. but the answer is not the problem. The real problem is what your answer makes the interviewer think of you.

It is often said that what you say doesn’t matter.

How you say it is what matters.

This statement is true.

According to several resources, the number one reason most people voluntarily leave one position for another is because of a bad boss or supervisor.

If you are going to leave your job due to this reason, you shouldn’t say anything negative regarding your company or individual supervisor in an interview,  so how should you answer this question?

Sample answers;

“I am interested in learning more about (something this job includes), and this job provides an opportunity to leverage my current areas of expertise and increase my skills in…“

Tell me about your greatest strength

Don’t give lofty answers with the list of adjectives such as hardworking, intelligent, loyal and committed, etc . Adjectives are nothing but unproven claims. Use a few of them but you should add some proof in your response to convince that you have such qualities.

For example; you can say;

“I’m hardworking.”

To prove it, you can give an example of how hard you work relative to your peers.

What is your greatest weakness?

This question causes discomfort to all job candidates because no one wants to discuss shortcomings. Don’t respond that you have no weakness. you know , everyone has some kind of weakness.

For example; you can reply to this question

“I have problems delegating work to other people because I find that the end result doesn’t meet my expectations“

“I am very dedicated to my job and I expect the same level of dedication from other people.“

You can pick a weakness that is somewhat innocuous such as your love of pizza.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

You should give a realistic response to this question. Tell about your long term goals that are attainable only after three or four years.

Sample answers;

“If I get this job I want to move into a supervisory position eventually. I know that will take time and hard work but it is something I expect to achieve.“

Why should we hire you?

The interviewers want to hire the best person for the company. With this question, your interviewer is asking you to sell him you as the best candidate for the position.

You should summarize your answer in the top three or four strong reasons to hire you.

This is an opportunity to show your most impressive strengths and describe your most memorable experiences to align with the requirement of the job.

Convince him that:

• You can do the work and deliver better results
  
  
• You have a combination of skills and experiences that make stand out from the crowd.
  
  
• You can tell about your accomplishments and success stories