When you apply for a job and you called for an interview, there are various questions that are asked. The better prepared you are; The more successful your interview would be. You must prepare yourself for the general questions you will be answering during the interview. When you are sure about the questions that may be asked, it becomes easier for you to get through the whole process successfully and even end up getting the dream job that you were after!

So, here in this article, we shall look into some of the most common interview questions and possible answers for them. What exactly the interviewer thinks when asking certain questions and what exact answers the interviewer will be looking at and what are the common mistakes that you usually do!

1. Tell me something about yourself?

This is one of the most common interview questions “ Tell me something about yourself ” but i guarantee it’s going to come up with every interview you go on for the rest of your career. It’s not just for job interviews either, you will get asked this question all the time on different occasions but obviously, the way you answer it depends on the context in which it is asked. Don’t just think you know how to answer this because your answer could negatively affect whether you get the job or not so you should take your time and practice this what you will say when answering this question.

Here the interviewer is not really interested in your answer but what they are looking at is, your confidence, enthusiasm and the passion that you answer with. It’s the best time to show off your communication skills. Many people end up saying, I love watching movies, and I like to go out with friend etc. but that is not the right way to answer this question. What you need to talk about is about your education, your past work experience if you have any and your personal interests.

It is important that you share basic information about yourself early on in the interview. Maybe you can tell the number of years you have been working or when you have graduated from college. However, make sure that you don’t divulge too many details about yourself. Also, please refrain from giving out your political beliefs or religion.

2. Why did you leave your last job?

This is probably one of the oldest interview questions. Here, you need to be as honest as you can whilst remaining positive. However, this does not mean you have to divulge all your details.




This question can be answered in several different ways but try your best to keep the answer short and really avoid being dishonest with this question because for whatever reason your interviewer may spot your dishonesty and believe there is something you are just not telling them. There is usually only a few reasons people really want to leave their job and surprisingly money does not rank up with the top of the list.

There are many more reasons people want to leave a job like you may not have gotten along with your manager or your co-workers. Maybe you were not excited to be there at the first place, Maybe you just got that job to pay the bills or perhaps you really were just underpaid and you need more money but that’s really not an uncommon story and to be clear, Don’t list any of these reasons for leaving a current job in an interview because the interviewer will not be impressed and you will probably lose the chance of getting the job.

A list of good reasons for leaving a job:

”The position i held previously was stagnant and there were not many opportunities for growth within the company. I strive for continuous improvement and career growth, so it’s important to me that i find that in my next position.”

”I do enjoy working with my current job, the culture and the people make it a great place to work but i am looking for more responsibility with new challenges. I have worked on and successfully completed several projects from start to finish during the past few years. Currently, advancement opportunities are limited in my current job i don’t mind the slow down in pays from time to time but it is important for me to keep my career continuously moving in the forward direction that’s really consistent with my career goals.”

”Departmental changes and corporate restructuring have made it difficult to keep on track with my career goals as a result of these changes future advancement opportunities were limited and i no longer see a future for myself with that company.”

The best answers to the question ”why did you leave your last job:

”A perfect answer would be that your last job was good but was reaching a dead-end position and would really need more room to grow that is the reason i left my last job.”

”After working there for 3 years, I learned a lot about the company and the ways we conduct business. It is time for me to move on to a more progressive organization with more opportunities and challenges.”

”My spouse just got a promotion where she is working and she needs to move. This is the reason we decided that it is much better and more beneficial for her to accept this new assignment.”

”My company recently moved its offices across the town and now my morning drive would be about 90 minutes long and i need to be closer to home.”

3. Why do you want this job?

You need to research a bit to give the best answer to this question ”why do you want this job”. As a part of your research, try identifying the core values and mission of the company you are applying to. Identify who their customers are and who their competitors are. If possible, talk to some of their employees before the interview and see what they liked about the company and so on. Remember, do not ever answer this question in a short way or give self-serving reasons, like ‘I want to extend my career further’, ‘I badly needed some money’, and so on.

4. What according to you is an ideal work environment?

This can be a tricky question for many. However, you need to be honest and up for it. Tell your interviewer that you are looking forward to working in any environment. Also, the previous job you were in also offered a flexible and healthy work environment.

5. When a mistake is made how do you handle it?

Mistakes are made by humans and, therefore, I handle them calmly. We need to learn from our mistakes and ensure they do not get repeated. Also, when mistakes are made, they need to be corrected within the realms of the company’s procedure and policies that have been laid out there for everybody.

6. Is there any accomplishment that is most notable to you?

Some of the great answers to this question can revolve within your past work, your education, personal aspects of your family, and any volunteer work. Try as much as possible not to get too personal in your answers. But even if you do, tell the interviewer how it can be of help to get better at your job. At the end of the interview, you may be given an opportunity to question them. This is the chance for you to indicate that you are willing to work for the long term. In this section, you can consider asking them about your promotion opportunities and so on.

7. Why should we hire you?

This is often the last question you will be asked in the typical interview so prepare for it. This question is your best opportunity to prove that you are the best person for the job. This is your chance to restate the skills you possess that are the most relevant to the position and summarize the other qualities that make you the perfect person for the job. Your answers should be short and to the point. It should reflect your profession, your background as it relates to the current needs and the problems of the position. Review the job description and tell them how you are the right person for the job by matching up your skills set with each point for the job description.