Ten Commonly Asked Interview Questions and Tips to Answer
Haub School Career Services recommendations for answering common interview questions.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Tip -Talk about a couple of your key achievements, and the interviewer will likely select an accomplishment and ask you to share more about it.
- Don’t just list things on your resume. Add a personal touch.
- What is your greatest strength?
- Tip – Figure out what your number one strength or skill is, then talk briefly about it and provide a good example. Before going into an interview, write down several of your top strengths and examples of each.
- Remember, don’t pick a strength that most people could lay claim to. In this case, rarity and scarcity creates value and sort of a unique professional offering. If they want someone who has that, they need to come to you. For example, a strength to avoid saying is being a hard worker.
- Can you describe a situation in your past where you learned from a mistake?
- Tip – The best mistakes to share are those from which you learned something. Use your mistakes to show how you have matured and grown.
- Take accountability for the mistake and explain how you fixed it.
- Use professional examples.
- What is the most difficult situation you have ever faced?
- Tip – Pick an example in which you successfully resolved a tough situation. Tell your story briefly but try to reveal as many good qualities as possible. Your interviewer wants to hear about qualities such as perseverance, good judgment and maturity.
- Is there anything you would like to improve about yourself?
- Tip – Pick a weakness (for example, not being comfortable with public speaking or even oral presentations in class), then show how you’re working to improve it (presenting to industry professionals during your capstone semester). Your goal here is to provide a short answer that satisfies the interviewer.
- What is the most important thing you are looking for in a job?
- Tip – Figure out what you want most in a job. You might value challenges, good working conditions, or friendly co-workers. Talk about one or two items and explain why they are important to you.
- What are your career goals?
- Tip – The interviewer likes to see if you are a person that plans your future and if you might be someone that would meet the company’s needs after you finish school. Your task is to talk about the goals that you think the company can help you achieve. You score points if you leave the impression you are a growth-oriented person with realistic expectations. That shows initiative and planning.
- What motivates you?
- Tip – Challenge, creativity, success, opportunity and personal growth are most frequently mentioned. You can also mention specific skills that you are motivated to use, such as problem solving, decision-making, listening, writing, speaking, planning or counseling people.
- Why would you like to work for us? What excites you about the position?
- Tip – This is a great opportunity to impress the interviewer with what you know about their organization. Talk about the positives of their organization.
- Why should I hire you?
- Tip – This is a great opportunity to sell you. Talk about your strengths and how they fit the needs of the company. You can briefly talk about skills or strengths that haven’t already been discussed.