Congratulations! The company is interested in you for the position and requested an in-person or phone interview. Out of the dozens or hundreds or even thousands of candidates, you are among the few the hiring manager decides to pursue further. Now is your opportunity to really shine and make a lasting impression by introducing (selling) yourself and how you'll succeed in the position, company, and team.
During this interview stage, if you can anticipate the questions, then you can prep in advance with solid answers and not be thrown off your game. At the same time, you want to come across natural and fluid.
The good news is there are common interview questions that hiring managers ask. Here are questions decision-makers continuously repeat, broken down into categories. Depending on your interview, you likely may only be asked a couple of these, and some are more common than others and said in different variations, but it's best to prepare yourself for all of them.
Background
Can you tell me about yourself?
What do you know about our company?
Why are you interested in this position?
Why do you feel you're qualified for this position?
What are your long-term career goals--where do you see your career in 5, 10 years down the line?
Why are you looking to leave your current company?
Why is there a gap in your employment?
Were you ever let go and if so why?
Examples
What are some examples of projects you've worked on?
Can you tell me about a time when you overcame an issue or challenge?
Can you tell me about one of your failures and how you learned from it?
Personality
What makes you unique? In other words, how are you different from other candidates?
What are some of your most valuable personality traits?
What are some of your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
What type of culture do you thrive in?
When you're not working, what do you like to do such as hobbies?
What do you feel passionate about, what moves you?
What would your former/current boss and colleagues say about you?
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