Most job seekers take the time to mentally and emotionally prepare for an interview. Do you research and prepare to answer basic interview questions? If not, you probably should. Not only is preparation the key to acing an interview, it also is important to fully understand yourself as a potential employee before you can decide what positions or organizations would be the best fit for you.

Taking the time to practice answering the questions and being fully honest with yourself can prepare you to determine what type of roles may be the best suited for your future career plans. It’s just as important that the career is a good fit for you as it is for you to be the right fit for the company. If you have to lie, deceive, or change your responses to obtain the position; chances are it won’t be the right position for you in the long run. Take some time to review the most popular interview questions and analyze your responses. According to Forbes the most popular interview questions are:

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16. Discuss your resume.
17. Discuss your educational background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work holidays/weekends?
23. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
24. What are your salary requirements?
25. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
26. Who are our competitors?
27. What was your biggest failure?
28. What motivates you?
29. What’s your availability?
30. Who’s your mentor?
31. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
32. How do you handle pressure?
33. What is the name of our CEO?
34. What are your career goals?
35. What gets you up in the morning?
36. What would your direct reports say about you?
37. What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
38. If I called your boss right now and asked him what is an area that you could improve on, what would he say?
39. Are you a leader or a follower?
40. What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
41. What are your co-worker pet peeves?
42. What are your hobbies?
43. What is your favorite website?
44. What makes you uncomfortable?
45. What are some of your leadership experiences?
46. How would you fire someone?
47. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
48. Would you work 40+ hours a week?
49. What questions haven’t I asked you?
50. What questions do you have for me?

Most often times your gut instinct is the most accurate and true. If you have questions that you struggle to answer, now is the time to identify your true strengths and passions. If you continue to question your responses, consider speaking with someone who is familiar with your work who can share with you an objective opinion. Sometimes we forget our biggest strengths and our greatest assets because they become second nature to what we do.

Keep in mind interviewing can be a difficult process. For more information on interviewing, resume writing, and follow up tips visit our job seekers section.

Are you a stand out professional, skilled trades person, or technical professional seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job seekers section for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.