Most Common English Job Interview Questions and How to Answer

Them Well
1. Tell me about yourself

After greeting, shaking hands and introducing yourself, the next thing that interviewers
are probably going to ask you to do is to talk about yourself.
Now, this might seem easy for you – you’ve practiced it in your English class so much,
but they don’t want to hear every single detail. Avoid saying something like: I was born
in Beijing. I love playing the computer and surfing the net. or I have two sisters. They
don’t want to know everything about you. They want to know about you and your career
growth; they want to know about you related to the job you’re applying for.

For example:
I’ve been working as a junior chef at a small Italian restaurant for 2 years and my duties
included assisting the head chef and preparing salads. I have always been interested in
food and cooking which was why I chose to follow this career path. I studied at *******
college, where I gained my first level cooking diploma.

2. What are your strengths?

When your interviewer asks you this question, they want to know all your positive
qualities. These positive qualities need to relate to what they want and are looking for.

So before you head into your interview, make sure you do your research as to what kind
of person suits this job, especially if you’re a newbie (new) and entering the workforce
for the first time. Treat this question as a chance to advertise yourself – you are the
product, now market yourself. The thing to remember here is not to just list a number
of adjectives (anyone can do this). Instead, use examples to support your point.

For example, you could answer with any of the following:

To be punctual – to be on time.
I’m a punctual person. I always arrive early and complete my work on time. My previous
job had a lot of deadlines (time when you must finish something by) and I made sure
that I was organized and adhered to (respected) all my jobs.
To be a team-player – to work well with others. I consider myself to be a team-player. I
like to work with other people and I find that it’s much easier to achieve something when
everyone works together and communicates well.
To be ambitious – to have goals. I’m ambitious. I have always set myself goals and it
motivates me to work hard. I have achieved my goals so far with my training, education
and work experience and now I am looking for ways to improve myself and grow.
 To take initiative – to do something without having to be told to do it. When I work, I
always take initiative. If I see something that needs doing, I don’t wait for instruction, I
do it. I believe that to be get anywhere in life, you need this quality.
To be proactive – To do things and make them happen. I’m proactive. When I think
about things, I do them. I like to see results and it’s important in this industry to be
proactive and responsible for your own actions.
To keep your cool – To stay calm in all kinds of situations. I think it’s really important to
be able to stay calm when you’re working as a reporter. It can get really stressful, but
one of my greatest qualities is that I can keep my cool and I don’t allow the pressure to
get to me, which helps me achieve all my goals and remain focused. Here are a number
of other words that can help you answer this question:

Focused To Confident Not shy

(Adj) concentrate (adj)
well

Problem- Can find Team You’re

solver (N) answers to building able to
problems skills (N) take the
easily lead and
be the
leader of
the
group.

Negotiate To be able to To have a To work

(V) get a better good work hard,
deal that is ethic (V) follow
favourable to the rules
you and
respect
your
duties of
the job.

REMEMBER: It’s really important that you give good, solid answers and back them up
with evidence otherwise it’s just going to sound like you’ve memorized what you’re
saying. Some companies won’t directly ask you what your strengths are, they could ask
the same thing, but using different words, such as:

• Why do you think we should hire you?

• Why do you think you’re the best person for this job?
• What can you offer us?
• What makes you a good fit for our company?
 3. What are your weaknesses?

What? I don’t have any weaknesses! Of course you do – no one’s perfect. Everyone has
weaknesses, but what they’re checking for here is how you try to fix your weaknesses
and they also want to know how self-aware (how much you know about yourself) you
are.
Another trick here is to turn those weaker qualities into positive qualities. For example,
your weakness is that you spend too much time on projects which makes you work
slower. Turn that into a positive by saying: I sometimes am slower in completing my
tasks compared to others because I really want to get things right. I will double or
sometimes triple-check documents and files to make sure everything is accurate
(correct).
Another great trick is to talk about a weakness (like being disorganized) and mention
some methods that you are using to help overcome this: e.g. I have created a time-
management system, which allows me to list all my duties and organize my deadlines so
I have a clearer idea of what I need to do.

4. Why did you leave your last job?

The the interviewer wants to find out why you left your old job. Did you leave because
you were fired? (Your old boss asked you to leave for doing something wrong). Did
you quit? (Resign – Did you choose to stop working?) Or were you laid off? (Made
redundant – no longer needed because the job is no longer available?)

If you chose to leave your old job, avoid saying anything negative about your old
workplace or boss (even if this is true). The person or people interviewing you will just
look at you in a negative way. You can say the following:

• I’m looking for new challenges.

• I feel I wasn’t able to show my talents.
• I’m looking for a job that suits my qualifications.
• I’m looking for a job where I can grow with the company.

5. Tell us about your education

Here they want to know everything you’ve studied related to the job. For example your
training and further education (e.g. university, polytechnic, college). You don’t need to
tell them everything you’ve done since elementary school, just the important things.
Your: Degrees – 3-4 year qualification from university/college.
Diploma – A short-term qualification (e.g. 1 year) from college/university/polytechnic.
 Certificate – A piece of paper showing your participation in a course. NB: Make sure you
take all the necessary documents with you, as they may need proof!
If they ask you the question: tell us about your scholastic record, they want to know what
kind of grades you received.

6. Reasons You Want this Job

Example Questions:
• “Why are you interested in this position/job?”
• “Why are you interested in working at XX Company?”
With these questions, you should highlight what about the job is of interest to you. Is it
the interaction with clients and problem-solving? Is it saving money for the company
through accounting? Or growing sales of a product you believe in?
Focus on what you will actually do in the job and what excites you about the position,
not the benefits or salary or day-to-day tasks.

7. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Here, they are asking about your goals. Again, it’s related to your career, not your
personal life. So if having a family is on the list, don’t mention it. Be careful what you say
here, you need to be ambitious, but NOT too ambitious as those interviewing you may
see you as a threat (competition). You can mention: By then I will have…I would have
liked to…
• Improved my skills
• Created more of a name for myself in the industry (become more known for what you
do).
• Become more independent in what I do and productive (doing more).
• Enhanced (improved) my knowledge.
• Achieved a higher position.
• Become a team leader…
•
8. What kind of salary do you expect?

Here, they are asking you about how much money you would expect to earn from the
job. Be reasonable. Make sure you do your research on the internet about what the
average salary is. Do not say I don’t know, it makes you sound unsure. Be confident and
name your price without selling yourself too short (going for less) or going too high. The
truth of the matter is, they already have a salary in mind, but this is their way of
checking if you know the industry and if you’re aware of your own skills.
 9. What Do You Know about the Company

Example Questions
• “What do you already know about our company?”
• “What do you know about our competitors?”
• “What makes you a good fit for our company?”
With these questions, the interviewer wants to see what you know of the company and
its product or service. Don’t just repeat what is on their website or brochures. Show
that you know something about the specific industry and the company’s role in the
industry. Talk about their competitors or their marketing strategies that you are familiar
with. Talk about the company culture or values, what is it known for and why you are a
good fit.

10. Motivation questions

Example Questions
• “What is most important to you in your current position?”
• “What is most important to you in a new position?”
• “What is most important to you in a career?”
• “What are you looking for in a company?”
Again the focus is on goals but also your motivations. Think about why you want this
job. What is your motivation to be successful in this position? Will this job really help
you accomplish your career goals? Is this job (or is the company) really a good fit for
you? It is best to be honest with yourself and in your answer.

11. Do you have any questions for me/us?

Yes, you do! This is how an interviewer will usually finish the interview. They are not just
being polite – they want you to speak.

Remember, they’re still judging you as you answer this question. So don’t ask anything
that will make you sound silly, such as what kind of work does your company
do? Or how much vacation time do I get each year?You want to find out more, and if
you don’t ask any questions, then they may view this as you being not very interested in
the job. Ask questions like:
• Do you have any examples of projects that I would be working on if I were to be offered
the job? This shows that you’re interested in the actual job and not just being
employed.
• What is the typical day for this position (job)? Find out what kind of duties are involved
and what kind of things you would be expected to do on a day-to-day basis.
• Does the company offer in-house training to staff? This shows your interest in not only
getting the job, but also wanting to improve and grow.
• What is the next step? Here, this is a way of asking what is next in the interview process.
They will tell you how many days it will take to make their decision and will inform you if
you need to come back for a second interview.