The short answer: the most common interview questions are “Tell me about yourself”, “Why do you want this job?”, “Why should we hire you?”, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”, “Why are you leaving your current job?”, behavioral questions that start “Tell me about a time…” (a challenge, a conflict, a failure, teamwork), “What are your salary expectations?” and “Do you have any questions for us?”. You can’t script them all, but you can prepare four or five true stories that answer most of them, and practice saying them out loud. Below are all 25, what each is really asking, and how to answer.
What every interview question is really asking
Almost every question comes back to three things:
- Can you do the job? Your skills and experience, shown with examples.
- Will you do it well? Your motivation, work habits and how you handle difficulty.
- Will you fit here? How you work with people, and whether this role fits where you’re going.
When a question surprises you, ask yourself which of the three it’s testing, and answer that.
The 25 most common interview questions
Each question links to a full guide where we have one.
About you
| Question | What they want to know | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about yourself. | Can you summarize yourself clearly, and does your story lead to this job? | Present, past, future in 60 to 90 seconds, ending on why this role |
| How would you describe yourself? | What you’re like to work with | Two or three qualities, each with a short example |
| What are your greatest strengths? | Whether your best skill is one this job needs | One strength that matters for the role, with proof and a result |
| What is your greatest weakness? | Self-awareness, honesty and what you do about problems | A real weakness that isn’t central to the job, an example, and what you’re doing about it |
| What motivates you? | Whether the job will keep you engaged | One real motivator, shown in something you’ve done, connected to this role |
Values questions such as “What are your core values?” come up here too. See our guide to answering questions about your values.
Why this job
| Question | What they want to know | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Why do you want to work here? | Whether you’ve researched the company and chose it on purpose | One or two specific things about the company, and how they connect to what you want to do |
| Why do you want this job? | Whether the work itself appeals to you | What in the role you’d enjoy and be good at, with evidence |
| Why should we hire you? | Of everything the job needs, what you can prove you’ll deliver | The job’s top two or three needs, matched to your proof |
| Where do you see yourself in five years? | Whether your goals fit this role, and whether you’ll stay | A realistic direction that this role helps you build toward |
| Why are you leaving your current job? | Whether there’s a problem, and whether it would follow you | A positive reason focused on what you’re moving toward, never criticism of your employer |
| Why is there a gap in your résumé? | Whether the gap raises any concern | A short, honest reason, and what you did to stay current |
Behavioral: “Tell me about a time…”
Answer these with the STAR method: the situation, your task, what you did and the result. More in our guides to teamwork, leadership and problem-solving interview questions, and to handling criticism.
| Question | What they want to know | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about a time you faced a challenge. | How you handle difficulty | A real obstacle, your specific actions and a clear result. See describing a challenging project |
| Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker. | Whether you can disagree well | Stay factual, show how you listened and resolved it, end on the working relationship |
| Tell me about a time you failed. | Ownership and learning | A real mistake, what you did to fix it, and what you do differently now |
| Tell me about a time you worked in a team. | How you collaborate | Your part in a shared result, not just “we” |
| Tell me about a time you took initiative. | Whether you act without being asked | Something you noticed and fixed. See examples of taking initiative |
| Tell me about a time you worked under pressure. | How you prioritize under stress | A deadline or crisis, how you decided what came first, the outcome |
| Tell me about a decision you made with limited information. | Judgment and risk | What you knew and didn’t, how you limited the downside, the result |
| What’s your greatest achievement? | What you value and what you’re capable of | One achievement relevant to the job, with your part and a number |
Practical questions
| Question | What they want to know | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| What are your salary expectations? | Whether you’re in their budget | A researched range, or ask for theirs first |
| When can you start? | Your notice period | Be honest about your notice period; offering to start sooner than you can backfires |
| Are you interviewing elsewhere? | How quickly they need to move | Yes, briefly, without names, and that this role is a priority if it is |
| How do you handle stress? | Whether you’ll cope with the job | A specific habit, shown in a real example |
| What do you know about our company? | Whether you prepared | Two or three specific facts and why they matter to you |
At the end
| Question | What they want to know | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have any questions for us? | Your interest and how you think | Two or three prepared questions about the role, success and the team |
How to prepare for common interview questions
For the full process, from researching the company to following up, see our step-by-step guide to how to prepare for an interview, with a free printable checklist.
- Build a story bank. Write down four or five true stories from your work or studies: a challenge, a success, a mistake, a disagreement, a time you led something. Most behavioral questions can be answered with one of them. Our STAR method guide has a free worksheet for this.
- Read the job posting closely. Underline the skills that appear most. Those are the questions you’ll get and the evidence you’ll need.
- Research the company. You’ll need it for “Why do you want to work here?” and for your own questions.
- Practice out loud, not in your head. The University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Career Center notes that “it is not necessary to have prepared answers memorized, but be prepared to talk about yourself, your skills, and your experiences.” Saying an answer out loud is how you find where it drags.
- Do a mock interview. Ask someone to interview you with questions you haven’t seen, and score your answers. Our guide to running a mock interview has a script and a free scorecard.
- Sort out the logistics the day before. Know where you’re going or test your video setup, and decide what to wear so it’s one less thing to think about.
Questions for your role
The questions above come up in almost every interview. Most interviews also include questions specific to the job. See our mock interview questions by role, from nursing to software engineering, or practice with questions built from the job posting itself.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common interview questions?
"Tell me about yourself", "Why do you want this job?", "Why should we hire you?", "What are your strengths and weaknesses?", "Where do you see yourself in five years?", "Why are you leaving your current job?", behavioral questions such as a time you faced a challenge, disagreed with someone or failed, "What are your salary expectations?" and "Do you have any questions for us?".
What are the top 10 interview questions?
Tell me about yourself; why do you want to work here; why should we hire you; what is your greatest strength; what is your greatest weakness; where do you see yourself in five years; why are you leaving your current job; tell me about a challenge you faced; what are your salary expectations; and do you have any questions for us.
How do I prepare for common interview questions?
Build a bank of four or five true stories, read the job posting for the skills it emphasizes, research the company, and practice your answers out loud rather than memorizing scripts. A mock interview with unseen questions is the best final check.
How should I answer behavioral interview questions?
Use the STAR method: describe the situation, your task, the specific actions you took and the result, ideally with a number. Keep it to about two minutes and focus on what you did, not only the team.
Should I memorize my interview answers?
No. Know the points you want to make and the stories you'll use, then practice saying them in your own words. Memorized answers tend to sound rehearsed and fall apart when the question is phrased differently.
Sources
- The University of Iowa Pomerantz Career Center, Interview Questions. Read on 30 September 2026.
- The University of Alabama Career Center, Interview Questions. Read on 30 September 2026.
