38 common interview questions with answers
Your job interview is fast approaching and you're starting to feel nervous – these 38 common interview questions will help you prepare for your interview (and smash it!).
1 min read
Congratulations, the company you applied to seems interested in your application and has asked you to come for an initial interview. You've cleared the first hurdle and probably already been told the date and location of your interview. So now it's time to get down to some serious preparation with some common interview questions.
Whether online or face-to-face, recruiters tend to use similar interview questions.
As a result of the Covid pandemic, online job interviews have become standard procedure. These days, larger companies in particular invite candidates to interview via Teams, Google Meet or Zoom as standard. And although the atmosphere of an online interview is completely different, the typical interview questions remain the same.
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Your job interview is just around the corner and you're feeling anxious – but with the right preparation, there's nothing to worry about. These 38 common interview questions will help you land that perfect job! We've divided the questions into different categories so you can also think about the various topics that will come up in the interview in advance.
Interview opener
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "Did you find your way here all right?" | The classic interview opener. An invitation to engage in some casual small talk. Take the opportunity to talk briefly about your journey. Don't be taciturn and shy at the beginning – you want to come across as confident and unfazed. |
| "How are you?" | This question is another way for recruiters to test your small talk skills and get a first impression of you. Take them up on it: bring in some everyday issues and feel free to ask about the other person's well-being in turn. |
| "Would you like something to drink?" | This is part of being polite: don't turn down an invitation for a cold or hot drink, but be happy to have a glass of water or a cup of coffee brought in. It's easier to talk when you have a drink at hand. Online job interview tip: of course, you don't have to expect this question in a virtual job interview - but have a glass of water or a cup of coffee ready here as well. |
Presenting yourself
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "What can you tell us about yourself?" "Please introduce yourself briefly." | Ah yes, the famous "tell me about yourself" answer panic. Take a deep breath. This is your chance to assert yourself as a calm, relaxed candidate. Many recruiters want to let you take the stage at the beginning and give you the opportunity to present yourself. Use this opportunity to tell them something about yourself, your interest in the company and your suitability for the position advertised. You can use this three-part structure as a guide:
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| "Why are you suitable for this job?"? "What makes you different from other applicants?" "What skills do you have that others don't?" | These questions are also aimed at gleaning more about your personality and suitability for the job, without giving you precise guidelines on what to include in your answer. Here, too, you can use the opportunity to present yourself. You should focus on the skills that are relevant to the job. What practical experience do you have, what expertise can you bring to the table? |
Your motivation
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "What do you know about our company?" or "Why would you like to work at our company?" | You can prepare well for this question – research the company in advance, learn the key data on the number of employees, locations and company development. Put the emphasis on why you find the company interesting. Are you particularly interested in a product, a service or other aspect of the company? Then go into it in detail. |
| "Why did you apply for this job?" "Why did you resign from your previous job?" "Why are you looking to change jobs?" | Recruiters look for candidates who are enthusiastic about the company's product or service. So you need to make sure your answer clearly conveys your enthusiasm. Explain what fascinates you about the company and what you want to achieve with your application. Don't just use words, but underline your interest in the position with gestures and facial expressions. The key is to look animated! Be careful not to speak negatively about your former employer. Always formulate your desire to change jobs in a positive way and be specific about the direction in which you want to move forward. |
| "What is your salary expectation?" "What did you earn in your last job?" "How much would you like to earn with us?" | The question about the desired salary is certainly a common one in a job interview. If you have not yet stated your salary expectations in your application, now is the time to give a concrete figure. So think carefully beforehand about how much you want to earn in your new job. Research average salaries for the advertised position. Tip: name a number that still gives you some wiggle room to negotiate. A 10% mark-up on your target salary gives you the opportunity to meet the company's expectations. |
Character, strengths and weaknesses
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "Name three adjectives a friend would use to describe your character." "What character traits would your former boss attribute to you." | These questions are formulated so openly that you can put your strengths in the foreground here. Prepare well for this typical interview question by making a list of your strengths and skills. Make sure that these are also relevant to the job advertised. Tip: give specific, practical examples of your strengths from your studies or work. This makes your answers credible and authentic. |
| "Name your three biggest weaknesses." "What are your weaknesses?" | This kind of question is common so it's worth thinking in advance about your weaknesses for your interview. From the applicant's point of view, it's also one of the most unpleasant topics at interview. But have no fear: you can prepare well and turn it into an advantage! Consider what weaknesses you have in terms of your working methods, organisation or professional expertise. Concentrate on weaknesses that you can later turn into strengths. As a career starter, you can say, for example, that you still have little project experience or have not yet familiarised yourself with certain technical aspects in practice. Emphasise that you want to make up for this lack of experience quickly through your commitment to the company. This is how you turn a weakness into an incentive and present yourself in a positive light. You can also find more interesting information on the topic of "strengths and weaknesses" here. |
Technical questions in the job interview
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "What skills would you bring to the job?" "What is your professional expertise?" "How do you continue your professional development?" "What tools and methods are you familiar with?" | If your interview only involves recruiters, the technical part will probably be short and only scratch the surface. Prepare for this question by writing down your professional strengths and experience. Only mention technical aspects that are really relevant to your future job. If the job advertisement calls for specific software skills, go into detail and, if possible, mention experience you've gained from your studies, internships and student jobs. |
Stress questions
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "What do you think are your greatest internal obstacles to success?" "What would you do with a lottery win?" "How would you rate my performance as a recruiter today?" "What question should I rather not ask you?" | Recruiters use stress questions to deliberately put you under pressure and test your spontaneous reactions. These stress-inducing questions often have nothing to do with the job description or your skills, but are aimed at throwing you off your game. Our tip: stay cool and give a confident answer that underlines your personal values and character. |
| "Describe yourself in one word." "Why have you not yet been successful with your applications?" "What superpower would you like to have? "When was the last time you disobeyed the law?" | These common interview questions belong to the category of "trick questions". These questions also aim to draw you out. Our tip: don't give a rash answer, think for a moment and give a confident and eloquent answer. |
| "Wow, you've had a lot of short-term jobs." "I'm not sure you'll fit in with our team." "Is there anything you'd prefer I didn't know about you?" | Sometimes recruiters can be tempted to make provocative statements to test your reaction. Again, stay cool and counter with a question of your own, if it fits into the conversation. |
A look into the future
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "Where do you see yourself in five years?" "How do you envision your career path playing out?" "What career development do you aspire to in our company?" | Forewarned is forearmed. These are also common interview questions, so now you'll be able to prepare your answers and reactions. Think in advance about a realistic development opportunity in the company. Don't give unrealistic prospects, but focus on your professional and personal development. Focus on the added value of this development for the company. As an entry-level professional, a realistic prospect is, for example, that you would like to progress from junior engineer to project engineer. |
Conclusion of the interview/wrapping up
| Common interview questions | Recommended answer to interview question |
| "Do you have any questions for us?" | Your answer to this has to be "yes"! It's too good an opportunity to pass up. You should prepare your own questions to bring to the interview. These questions could be, for example:
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All the questions have been asked – on both sides. You've made it out alive (of course you did, we knew you would)! When saying goodbye, thank them in a friendly way for the interview and ask them about the rest of the application process. Try to agree on concrete next steps.
If you want to do even more to prepare for your interview and make sure you nail it, take a look at our interview checklist.
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