“Your interview is scheduled.” That’s one of the most tempting texts to read for a job seeker. But when it comes to interviewers, most candidates stick to the top 5 tips from the so-called gurus. 

In today’s competitive job space, you need more than a few buzzwords and scripted replies to stand out. That’s why we have compiled the most asked interview questions with proper answers for you. Don’t sound like a chatbot. Learn how to answer!

Types of Interview Questions 

Ditch the memorised responses. This interview questions guide teaches you how to read between the lines of what interviewers really want. So, after you read this, you can react confidently, strategically, and authentically.

Introductory Questions

What the interviewer may ask:

• “Tell me about yourself.”
• “How’s your day going?”
• “Can you walk me through your background?”

What they want to assess:

• Your ability to communicate properly and comfortably under pressure.
• How do you organise your story?
• Are you someone who aligns with the company environment? 

Common mistakes that candidates make:

Most candidates start delivering mugged-up answers, telling about their employment history or narrating what’s already mentioned in their CVs. 

What to do instead:

Let us teach you the Present-Past-Future model to counter these types of introductory questions. What’s that? Start with what you are doing in the present. Then go a step back and take a glimpse of your past experience, and then dive into what your plan is for the future. 

Experience & Past Work

Now, if you are an experienced professional, you will definitely get these questions:

• “Do you have prior experience doing similar work?”
• “Can you explain your employment gap?”
• “Tell me about a project you have previously worked on.”

What they want to assess:

• Proof that you have done something in the past. 
• Awareness of your involvement in a larger perspective.
• How does your experience relate to their wants?

Mistakes that candidates make: 

Most candidates tell about how they have personally contributed, displaying a self-centered attitude. 

What to do instead:

To answer these types of questions properly, let us teach you the CAR method. It stands for the challenge, action, and result method. First, reveal the challenges you faced in your previous role, how you contributed to solving the problem, and what results your actions brought. 

Interest & Motivation

Here are the questions you may get related to this topic:

• “Why do you want this job?”
• “What made you apply?”
• “Why should we hire you?”

What they want to assess:

•  How well do you understand the company and your role within it?

Mistakes that candidates make:

Most candidates come up with memorised answers that are too generic. Like they will say, I love your mission and think it’s a great opportunity to explore. 

What to say instead:

Make sure you know about the company. Tell about one of the reasons for the moves that the company made, any partnerships, deals, or collaborations. Highlight that and say that it will bring new opportunities for the employees to explore new horizons of learning and growth. This will ensure you leave a positive impression. 

Role-Specific Questions

You can’t escape these technical questions. So, here are the questions you can expect:

• “Have you used XYZ tools?”
• “What’s your experience with the XYZ process?”
• “Can you handle X type of workload?”

What they want to assess:

• They want to judge your technical skills and ability to handle different tools and high workloads. 

Mistakes that Candidates Make:

Many candidates often try to match the job requirements and lie about their experience working with tools. That’s a wrong move. If the recruiter goes after you, asking questions on those tools, your entire interview will be a mess. 

What to say instead:

If you have used the tool or have technical knowledge, that’s great. Tell everything you know. But if you don’t, make sure you don’t fake it. Highlight relevant adjacent experiences and show your learning mindset. 

Questions About Your Current Situation

Here are the typical questions you can expect:

• “Why did you leave your last job?”
• “What are you looking for in this job position?”
• “What will be your next step?”

What they want to assess:

• How did you treat your last company? 
• If you are focused and you have planned your next move, or not. 

Mistakes that candidates make: 

Many candidates start complaining about their last job and manager, and pass on negative reviews. That’s a red flag. 

Here’s what you should say:

You should highlight a positive attitude. You must say what you learned from your last role. Try saying that you are looking for a role with broader ownership. All you need to do is underline a positive, forward-looking, and growth-focused attitude. 

Teamwork & Interpersonal

These are some HR questions you can expect during an interview:

• “How do you handle constructive feedback?”
• “Tell me about an instance in which you helped a teammate.”
• “How would others define your working style?”

What they want to assess:

• Are you a team player or not?
• Your level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

Mistakes that candidates make:

Most candidates say I am a team player, and fail to explain how. 

Here is what you should say:

Don’t just say you are a team player. Justify it. Tell how you contributed to the team. Mention how well you handle feedback and how constructive feedback influences your decision-making and work process. 

Behavioural & Scenario-Based Questions

Behavioural questions are pretty common in most interviews, no matter whether it’s technical or non-technical. Here are the questions you can expect:

• “Tell me about a time you significantly failed.”
• “Describe a situation with conflicting priorities.”
• “How did you handle a challenging teammate?”

What they want to assess:

• Self-reflection.
• Problem-solving under pressure.
• Perseverance and learning from the mistakes you make.

Mistakes that Candidates Make:

Whenever these questions arise, most candidates switch to the protective mode. They try to conceal their blunders or mistakes. That’s the wrong way to deal with these questions. The interviewers come with years of experience. They will take seconds to catch your moves.

Here’s what you should do:

Be honest. Tell me about the moment where you screwed up. However, counterbalance the truth with your process of dealing. Tell how you managed to handle the repercussions and made sure the same mistakes did not reappear. This ensures that you are not just quick in catching your mistakes but also work to rectify them. 

Creative Questions 

While these questions won’t be common for all interviews, if you are applying for a more creative role, you can expect questions like 

• “If you had an unlimited budget, what would you build here?”
• “What’s your superpower?”
• “What crayon color would it be and why?”

What they want to assess:

They are not measuring your imagination powers. They are checking your thought process. They want to measure how you deal with sudden surprises and how you think of a solution. 

Mistakes Candidates Make:

Speak up randomly. Unplanned and foolish answers can have a negative impact. 

What to say instead:

Anchor your answers with what you know about them. Try to build your answers with a touch of creativity. You can also add a funny remark to make the answers more engaging. 

Spare time and hobbies

Here are some of the questions you can ask during the interview:

• “What do you do outside work?”
• “What are your hobbies?”

What they want to assess:

It’s not just small talk. They want to know who you are when you are free. Do you waste your leisure hours? Do you focus on personal growth?

Mistakes that Candidates Make:

Most candidates often say we go to movies, we sleep, and so on. Well, all these are fine, and the interviewer knows these are important to rewire your brain. But you can give an answer that leaves an impact.

Here’s what you can do:

You can choose to highlight something that demonstrates transferable skills. Something that underlines your creativity, curiosity, and discipline. Don’t go with monotonous answers like “I play cricket” or “I read books.” Try to be a bit creative. 

Salary Expectations and Questions

Salary-related questions are pretty common. Here’s what you can expect:

• “What are your salary expectations?”
• “Do you have a range in mind?”

What they want to assess:

How well you have researched the role. 

Mistakes that candidates make: 

Speak up to a random figure out of nowhere.

Tips to excel at these questions:

• Know about the current market rate.
• Try not to be the first to come up with a number.
• If you must, specify a range rather than a specific amount.

Here’s what you can say:

As per my research, the industry standards, and considering my skills and experience, I deserve a salary between X and Y amount. However, I am open to further discussion and negotiations. 

Your Turn to Ask Questions

Wrapping up the interview, the interviewer will surely ask you, “Do you have any questions for me?”

What they want to assess:

How interested are you in the company and the role? Sharp candidates ask sharp questions.

Mistakes Candidates Make:

Many candidates get nervous and end up saying, No, I don’t have any questions. 

Here’s what you should do:

You should be prepared with some questions to ask. You can either research any technology or software the company uses and ask questions about that. You can ask about the responsibilities in your role. You can try to understand more about the company, and so on. This is your chance to leave an impact. So, grab it. 

Interview Tips 

Don’t treat an interview like an exam. It is a two-way discussion about work. You’re not there to perform or to deliver. Your task is to determine if this job and team align with your abilities, ambitions, and working style. Your job is to highlight how skillful you are and how your abilities align with the role. This slight attitude adjustment alone could affect how you present yourself.

Want to ensure a better interview? Just follow these tips:

Prepare, but don’t rehearse

When you look for interview tips on the Internet or YouTube, you will find the so-called gurus telling you to memorise the best introductions and answers to the commonly asked questions. But we won’t recommend that. Review your experience, reread the job description, and come up with a bunch of tailored stories that demonstrate how you have solved challenges or contributed value. By this, we are not telling you to memorise a script. Sounding too polished can make your answers feel prefabricated and fake.

What to do instead? Focus on knowing your own habits, including how you approach difficulties, communicate, prioritise, and deliver. Then, adjust those narrations to the questions you have been asked. Sounds too difficult? With proper practice, this will come naturally. 

Practice out loud

Ever felt the answers are ready in your mouth, but when you spoke, you eventually fumbled? That’s pretty normal if you don’t practice. The tension in the situation in an interview can cut words from your tongue. That’s why we recommend saying your responses aloud in the practice mode. This helps to smooth out your thoughts, improve tempo, and makes you sound more authentic. You can try a dry run with a friend or mentor, or record yourself. It will expose previously unnoticed tendencies or fumbles. 

Research like you are joining the team tomorrow

Don’t ever go for an interview without researching the company. Dig deeper than the business biographies. Examine their product roadmap, engineering blog, or the CEO’s recent LinkedIn updates. Develop the habit of reading about the company before heading to an interview. This is significantly more impressive than vague enthusiasm.

Evaluate them too

Yes, the interviewers are evaluating you. But you should be evaluating them as well. Why check? What is energy like? How do they talk about their team? Is the communication courteous and clear? All these will help you measure the situation and adjust your answers accordingly. We will tell you to maintain an internal scorecard. Understand whether you feel heard. Is there room for growth here? 

Final Words

Knowing how to answer interview questions does not require memorising. It’s more about understanding the gaps in the conversation and jumping to make an impact. Understand what the interviewer really wants to know about you, and answer confidently, contextually, and ethically. That’s all.

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