How to Answer the Five Most Commonly Asked Questions in a Job Interview

The trend of the Great Resignation, spurred by the pandemic, is still in full swing, and employees who have decided to raise anchor and find happiness in another job, or who have been handed a termination due to unfavorable circumstances, must prove their skills to potential employers in all those dreaded job interviews. To assist millions of people seeking new jobs, the American employment specialist company – Zety has researched the most common questions in job interviews, and its director Jacques Buffet revealed to Business Insider how to best answer them:

1. Tell me something about yourself

According to Zety’s research, this is the most frequently asked question in all job interviews, regardless of the industry or position the candidate is applying for. Buffet advises candidates not to list personal interests but to highlight their previous (professional) achievements and explain how their personal values fit into the new system (the company’s mission and vision can help with this). It is also an opportunity to clarify certain points in the resume, such as any career shifts or gaps, but of course, it should not be a sad story but rather emphasize personal motivation or lessons learned. Ideally, the answer to this question should last between 30 seconds and one minute, during which the candidate should be as authentic as possible and showcase their personality.

2. What have been your biggest challenges/conflicts in your career and how did you resolve them?

By answering this question, the interviewer can gain insight into how self-aware the candidate is and how capable they are of growth. Candidates should keep this goal in mind while answering the question. The worst thing to say is that the candidate has had no challenges or conflicts, as this does not indicate ultra-competence but rather the opposite, an inability to acknowledge and recognize one’s own mistakes. Therefore, as Buffet advises, it is best to think about challenges that had a happy ending, from which the candidate learned the most, and to be able to briefly explain what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how the situation was resolved.

3. What are your greatest strengths?

Although this is an opportunity for self-praise, candidates should provide a clear and concise answer. Often in interviews (or throughout the hiring process), candidates undergo various personality and competency tests so that potential employers can gain insight into strengths, weaknesses, competencies, and general personality traits. Therefore, in a one-on-one conversation, it would be wise to focus on what the candidate considers their greatest strength and undeniable quality.

4. How did you find out we were looking for this position/how did you hear about this job?

Although this question sounds simple, the answer should not be. Even if it is true that, for example, a search engine brought up that job ad and you assessed that it would be convenient to apply, the answer should not be (just) that way but should show what attracted your interest in the position or the company. Thus, the answer to this question is not just – Google showed it to me or the ad arrived in my email, but rather to state the reasons why you chose to apply for this particular job among all others.

5. What are your greatest weaknesses?

This is the question that candidates fear the most, Buffet said. As tempting as it is to say that you have no ‘special weaknesses’ (or none at all) or that your weakness is ‘perfectionism’, such answers are best avoided. Instead, one should talk about weaknesses that the candidate has but which do not necessarily disqualify them from performing a specific job. An example of such a weakness is a problem with public speaking, which can hinder the delivery of meetings, presentations, or similar, but this weakness is not insurmountable, meaning it does not imply that the job will be poorly done (unless you are applying for a public speaking role).