The 100 Most Common Job Interview Questions – And How to Prepare for Them

Some interview questions appear in almost every hiring process, regardless of the industry or position.

The most common questions include:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you looking for a new job?
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What is your biggest weakness?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Why should we hire you?

The exact questions depend on the company, industry and level of experience. However, these topics are covered in almost every interview.

Our specialised recruiters and career consultants share the most common interview questions and explain how to prepare for them successfully.

The questions recruiters ask most frequently.

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. How would you describe yourself in three words?

3. Why did you choose this career path?

4. Which role in your career has shaped you the most?

5. What professional achievement are you most proud of?

6. Which experience has helped you grow the most?

7. Why did you choose your degree or vocational training?

8. Which skills make you a good fit for this role?

9. Which of your previous responsibilities did you enjoy the most?

10. What would your former colleagues say about you?

11. What are your greatest strengths?

12. Which skills would you like to improve?

13. What motivates you at work?

14. How do you organise your workload?

15. What role do you usually take within a team?

16. What makes you different from other candidates?

17. Which career achievements matter most to you?

18. What decision would you make differently today?

19. What have you learned from your mistakes?

20. Which values are most important to you at work?

Recruiters want to understand why you're applying and what motivates your career decisions. These questions help employers assess whether your expectations align with the role, whether you're genuinely interested in the company and if you're likely to stay and grow within the organisation.

Typical questions in this category include:

21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Why did you apply for this position?
23. What do you know about our company?
24. What attracted you to this role?
25. Why should we hire you?
26. What do you expect from your next employer?
27. What are your long-term career goals?
28. Where do you see yourself in five years?
29. What does career success mean to you?
30. Which responsibilities would you like to take on in the future?
31. Why is now the right time for a career move?
32. Which development opportunities are you looking for?
33. What motivates you more: responsibility or job security?
34. What does your ideal workplace look like?
35. What type of company culture do you thrive in?

Questions about strengths and weaknesses are among the most common in job interviews. Recruiters are not looking for perfect candidates—they want to understand how well you know yourself, how you respond to feedback and whether you're willing to learn and develop professionally.

Typical questions in this category include:

36. What are your greatest strengths?
37. Which strength helps you most in your daily work?
38. Which professional skill sets you apart?
39. Which of your strengths is often underestimated?
40. What is your biggest weakness?
41. What are you currently working to improve?
42. What feedback do you receive most often?
43. How do you handle criticism?
44. Tell us about a situation that challenged your limits.
45. What personal skill would you like to improve?

Almost every role requires collaboration with colleagues, managers or clients. Recruiters therefore want to understand how you communicate, build relationships and contribute to a positive team environment. Whenever possible, answer these questions with real examples from your professional experience.

Typical questions in this category include:

46. Do you prefer working independently or in a team?
47. How do you deal with conflict?
48. Describe a difficult collaboration.
49. How do you handle different opinions?
50. What role do you usually take in a team?
51. How do you build trust within a team?
52. How do you deal with difficult colleagues?
53. How do you give constructive feedback?
54. How do you receive feedback?
55. What makes a great team?

Employers are interested in how you respond to pressure, solve problems and make decisions. Rather than looking for perfect answers, they want to understand your thought process, resilience and ability to learn from difficult situations. Using specific examples is often the best way to answer these questions.

Typical questions in this category include:

56. Tell us about a difficult professional situation.
57. How do you deal with stress?
58. How do you prioritise your work?
59. How do you react to unexpected changes?
60. Tell us about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.
61. How do you work under pressure?
62. How do you solve complex problems?
63. When did you last take ownership of an important task?
64. How do you make decisions?
65. How do you deal with uncertainty?

Leadership questions are not only asked when applying for management positions. Recruiters also want to understand whether you can take ownership, support colleagues and make well-founded decisions. Demonstrating initiative and accountability can leave a strong impression.

Typical questions in this category include:

66. What does good leadership mean to you?
67. How do you motivate others?
68. How do you delegate tasks?
69. How would you deal with performance issues within your team?
70. Which manager has influenced you the most?
71. How do you make difficult decisions?
72. How do you resolve team conflicts?
73. How do you support the development of your employees?
74. How do you define success as a leader?
75. What are your greatest leadership strengths?

Technical interview questions vary depending on the role, industry and level of experience. While finance professionals are often asked about reporting, ERP systems or financial analysis, IT candidates can expect questions about technologies, development processes and problem-solving approaches. Employers want to assess both your technical expertise and your ability to apply it in practice.

Typical questions in this category include:

76. Which technical skills are most relevant for this position?
77. Which software tools or systems have you worked with?
78. Which projects are you most proud of?
79. Tell us about a challenging technical problem you solved.
80. How do you keep your professional knowledge up to date?
81. Which KPIs or performance metrics do you work with?
82. Which ERP systems, programming languages or technologies do you use regularly?
83. How do you approach complex technical challenges?
84. How do you ensure the quality of your work?
85. Tell us about a successful project you contributed to.
86. Which professional achievement best demonstrates your expertise?
87. How do you prioritise competing tasks or projects?
88. How do you document your work and share knowledge with colleagues?
89. How do you deal with changing technologies or business requirements?
90. Which technical skill would you like to develop next?

Towards the end of the interview, recruiters often discuss practical topics such as salary expectations, availability and preferred working conditions. These questions help both sides determine whether there is a mutual fit—not only professionally, but also in terms of expectations and logistics.

Typical questions in this category include:

91. What are your salary expectations?
92. When would you be available to start?
93. Are you willing to travel?
94. What do you expect from your manager?
95. What working style suits you best?
96. How important is remote work to you?
97. Which employee benefits matter most to you?
98. What would convince you to change jobs?
99. Are you currently interviewing with other companies?
100. Do you have any questions for us?

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