Common interview questions and how to answer them

The questions that come up most

• “Tell me about yourself.” Give a one-minute story: what you do now, two results that matter for this role, and why this job is the next step. Do not recite your resume.
• “Why this role and this company?” Name something specific about the work or the team, and tie it to what you have already done.
• “Tell me about a time you…” (led a project, handled conflict, failed, changed someone’s mind). Use the structure below.
• “Why did you leave, or why are you leaving?” Keep it short, factual and forward-looking. For a layoff, see how to explain a layoff in an interview.
• “What is your biggest weakness?” Pick a real one that does not undercut the job, and say what you do about it.
• “What are your salary expectations?” Where the law allows, ask about the range for the role first. If you must give a number, give a range based on what the market pays for the role.
• “Do you have any questions for us?” Always have three ready. See below.

A structure for behavioral questions

For any “tell me about a time” question, answer in three parts: the situation in one or two sentences, what you personally did, and the result with a number or a clear outcome. Choose examples from the last few years, and have five ready that between them cover leading others, a conflict, a failure, a deadline and a change you drove.

Questions to ask the interviewer

• What would success look like in the first six months?
• What is the hardest part of this role that is not in the posting?
• How does the team make decisions when people disagree?
• What happened to the person who held this role before?

How to practice

Say your answers out loud and time them. Record one practice run and listen for rambling and filler. Practice the first minute of “tell me about yourself” until it is smooth, since it sets the tone for everything after it.

Frequently asked questions