Today’s job interviews are especially difficult. Since recruiters want to make certain that they hire the right people, candidates are grilled on various dimensions of their personality as well as professional competence. From phone to video to one-on-one interviews conducted by individuals or panels of people across different managerial levels, it can feel like a laborius, and often intimidating, process.
With so many interview hurdles to cross, how can you ensure that you don’t stumble along the way? While there is no foolproof method to succeed, what you can do is prepare.
Based on our market experience, we’ve compiled a broad list of 100 probable interview questions. Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll be asked any of them, but most interviewers incorporate at least a handful of these in their interactions. Here’s the list:
Basic interview questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your strengths?
3. What are your weaknesses?
4. Why do you want this job?
5. Where do you see yourself in five years?
6. Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
7. Why should we hire you?
8. What did you like least about your last job?
9. What can you offer us that someone else cannot?
10. Why do you want to leave your company?
11. What do you know about this industry?
12. What do you know about our company?
13. What motivates you?
14. Are you a team player?
15. Are you willing to relocate?
16. Are you willing to travel?
17. How did you hear about this vacancy?
18. Do you have any questions for me?
Related: Tips to Ace Different Types of Interviews
Behavioural interview questions:
19. Give me an example of a time that you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
20. Was your work ever criticized? How did you handle it?
21. Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you deal with it?
22. What is your greatest professional failure, and what did you learn from it?
23. How do you handle working with people who annoy you?
24. If your supervisor asked you to do something you disagreed with, what would you do?
25. Give me an example of a time you made a professional error of judgment.
26. Have you ever had to deal with conflict of interest on the job?
27. If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
28. What’s the most difficult professional decision you’ve made and how did you come to that decision?
29. Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
30. Have you ever missed a deadline?
Leadership interview questions:
31. What is your leadership style?
32. How would you deal with a disobedient employee?
33. Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision without all the relevant facts.
34. You’ve just made an unpopular decision. How would you handle the fallout?
35. Give examples of ideas you’ve had or implemented.
36. How do you measure leadership success?
37. Would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
38. What motivates you as a leader?
39. What are the qualities of a good leader?
40. Should a leader be feared or liked?
41. How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
42. How would you go about praising an employee in public?
43. How do you lead through change?
44. How do you persuade others about your ideas?
45. What’s the most difficult part of being a leader?
46. Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback.
Salary interview questions:
47. What salary are you seeking?
48. What’s your salary history?
49. If I were to give you the salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next year, what would it say?
Career development questions:
50. What are you looking for in terms of career development?
51. How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
52. What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?
53. If I were to ask your last supervisor to provide you additional training or exposure, what would s/he suggest?
Getting started questions:
54. How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
55. How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
56. What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of the job?
57. If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
More interview questions about you:
58. What is your ideal work environment?
59. What do you look for in terms of culture—structured or entrepreneurial?
60. How organized are you?
61. Tell us about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
62. What do you think of your previous boss?
63. Was there a person in your career who really made a difference?
64. What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
65. Tell me about your dream job.
66. What is your ultimate career goal?
67. What is your personal mission statement?
68. What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
69. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
70. What do co-workers say about you?
71. What are three positive character traits you don’t have?
72. If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
73. List five words that describe your character.
74. What is your greatest fear?
75. Tell us about a time you made a mistake.
76. Why did you choose your major?
77. What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
78. Do you prefer verbal or written communication?
79. Are you more effective working in a group or alone?
80. Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
81. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
82. What’s the last book you read?
83. What magazines do you subscribe to?
84. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last year?
85. What are your hobbies?
86. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
87. Are you willing to work overtime—say, nights and weekends?
88. What will you do if you don’t get this job?
89. How do you go about resolving a conflict?
90. How would you encourage the professional development of your employees?
91. Give me an example of how out-of-the-box thinking helped you come up with a solution to a difficult problem.
92. How would you rate me as an interviewer?
Brain teasers:
93. How many times do a clock’s hands overlap in a day?
94. How would you weigh a plane without scales?
95. Tell me 10 ways to use a pencil other than writing.
96. How would you sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo?
97. The Indian team requires 7 runs to win from 3 balls. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are playing on 94 each. How can both of them ensure India’s victory while also completing their centuries?
98. How many auto-rickshaws ply in your city?
99. What will the price of this pencil be five years from now?
100. Twenty different socks of two types have been placed in a drawer in a totally dark room. What is the least number of socks you must grab so that you have a matching pair?
For more tips on how to prepare yourself for an interview, click here
