We prepared for you a list of 15 most typical interview questions. It is always good to think about the answer before the job interview. Although you will not remember most of your answers, it will help you to calm down and be more confident in the job interview.

After the presented list of questions, you can find links to different specialized articles devoted to phone interview questions, Skype interview questions, group interview questions and other special forms of job interview.

In order to minimize the group of questions you can possibly get, it is good to look at these articles also. It is easier to prepare for ten questions (and remember ten answers) than try to prepare answers to fifty questions. Anyway, let’s have a look at the 15 most typical interview questions and answers.

List of 15 most common interview questions and answers

Question 1: Can you tell me something about yourself?

This is typically the first question in the job interview. If you answer it

well, you will make a good first impression, feel better and logically

have better chances to get a job.

You should focus on work related things in your answer. That means,

what you do, what you are good at, what you have done before, what

are you looking for in your career, etc.

You can mention your personal life and hobbies briefly, but it is not

what the employer is interested in.

Anyway, it is advisable to not spend more than one minute answering

this question. It is simply not good to tire the interviewers right in the

beginning… This is just a starting question. Good example of an

answer can be:

“I like to manage people and work on interesting projects. I have

been working for IBM for the past ten years, but am looking for a new

challenge right now. I like to do sports, especially football and spend

my free time with my wife.

Question 2: Why did you apply for this job?

Interviewers need to understand your intentions. And it is perfectly

all right and good for you. If you prepare a good answer to this

interview question, you can convince them right in the beginning that

you are the best person for the job.

The key thing is to speak about the company, not about you (this will

be deeply described later). Anyway, you should definitely spend

some time reading company website and the job description, so you

know what to answer to this interview question. Here are two good

examples:

“I really like the job description and the working duties for this

position. I believe that I am the perfect match for the job and can be

an asset for your team.”

“I decided to apply because I really like the vision of your company

and the possibilities for me there. It is a role where I can use my full

potential and really help your company to grow.”

Question 3: Why did you leave your last job? / Why are you planning

to leave your job?

Change is a part of life. However, employers want to understand the

reasons why you want to make a change, or why you are forced to

make a change.

It is important to stay positive on this place and do not mention any

negative things about your previous employers. You should simply

focus on the future, not on the past. Let me show you few good

answers to this interview question.

“My last job was not challenging enough. I was not motivated to

wake up to work anymore and I really needed a change. Based on the

job description I really believe that I can find what am I looking for in

your company.”

There was a downsizing in our company and similarly to most

people in my department, I was fired. However, it is the past. I am

ready to utilize the knowledge and experience and start to build my

new career in your corporation.”

“I want to be very honest to you. I have been in this company for

seven years, achieved great results and help it to become the leader

on the market. However, I did never get a raise and was never

promoted, although I asked for it. I believe that the results of my work

can be rewarded better somewhere else, maybe in your company.”

Question 4: Can you tell me something about your education?

For some employers and for certain positions, your education is very

important. Employers use to inquire about it. Degrees like MBA are

prestigious and many employers prefer candidates with these forms

of degrees.

However, if you do not have it, you can still offer a good answer to

this interview question. Try to not focus on the names of the schools,

but on the knowledge you gained. Here is an example of a good

answer to this interview question.

“I studied in Cambridge. I acquired knowledge from statistics,

project management and process management. I was very active

during my studies and took part in several practical projects. Overall

my studies were really practical and I believe that I am very well

prepared for this job of a project manager.

Question 5: Can you tell us something more about your working

experience?

You should always pick the most related experience. Many job

seekers spend twenty minutes answering this interview question. But

it is a mistake. Employer hiring for marketing management position is

not interested in your experiences from MC Donald’s, really. You

should pick just one or two from your previous jobs and briefly

describe what you did there and what you learned there. You can use

the following answer for your inspiration.

“I had done a lot of things in my life, what helped me to gain a good

overall understanding of business. From 2001 to 2004 I worked like a

project manager for Siemens, mostly we were working on smaller

energetic projects. I believe that I can utilize the knowledge and

contacts I gained during this time in your company. I learned how to

budget the project and lead it from the scratch to completion. From

my other experience I can briefly mention my position in marketing

from 1998 to 2001 and my freelancing experience from 2005 to 2009.”

Question 6: Why should we hire you?

This is probably the most difficult interview question. However, if

your answer is convincing enough, it really can convince the

employer to hire you!

You should simply focus on your USP (Unique selling point). It

means to show the employer something special other candidates can

not offer him. To use general phrases will not help you. You simply

need to find this unique selling point by yourself. You can use the

following answers for your inspiration.

“Well, I have a relevant experience for the job and I am strongly

motivated to work for your company.”

“I fulfill all the requirements for the job. However, some other

applicants do probably also fulfill it. I think that I am a nice guy and

help to create a good atmosphere in the workplace. You can contact

my previous employers to question about this.”

“I believe that I bring success with me to the companies. All the

companies where I worked were prospering. It is good to have such a

worker in your team, isn’t it?”

Question 7: What are your strengths?

Interview questions about strengths and weaknesses are typical. And

it is easy to answer it. All you have to do is to pick one or two

strengths that are relevant for the job.

“I am very responsible person and always accomplish all my duties.”

“I am a very organized person, what is strongly reflected in my work.”

“I have good communication skills. I believe that communication

skills are crucial in every job, but especially in job like this one.”

Question 8: What are your weaknesses?

It is not so important what weaknesses you list here. More important

is to define how exactly you try to get rid of your weakness. This is

what the employer wants to hear.

Secondly, you should choose the weakness that is not so important

for the job you are applying for. This is pretty straight forward and

you should manage to do it. Here are some good examples of an

answer.

“I am not very patient, what is obviously not good. But I am working

on it every day, doing various exercises.”

“Sometimes I struggle to concentrate. However, I practice every day

and my concentration has improved over the years.”

“I trust the people too much. It is nice to live with it, but it brought me

into many problematic situations in the past. However, as I am

getting older I am starting to distinguish who I can trust and who I

can not trust.”

Question 9: What are your goals in five years horizon?

Every responsible person has some goals. Employers know this.

When questioning you about your goals, they simply want to hear

that you have any goals.

However, you can do a mistake here. Some people like to mention

that they dream about their own business. This is not a good answer.

Companies do not want to hire someone who leaves after two years

to start his own business.

Recruiting is too lengthy procedure for this. That’s why you should

either choose personal goals, or connect your goals with the

company where you are applying for a job. Let’s have a look at good

answers to this interview question.

“My goal is to become a better manager and help my employer to

achieve good results as much as I can.”

“I want to start a family and have a good position. I believe that your

company is a right place to realize my goals.”

“I would like to be promoted in five years and have a really good job

in a really good company – like yours one.”

Question 10: What are your biggest achievements so far?

Achievements are more important for the employers than your

experiences. This is a fact. Other fact is that everyone of us has some

achievements. We just sometimes do not realize it. You should

think about it for a while.

Employers can be impressed by both tangible and intangible

achievements. If you was a heavy smoker before and was able to quit

smoking, it shows that you have a strong determination and will.

Think about it…

Our life is full of achievements. You just need to choose some for

your answers to interview questions. Just like our job applicants did

in their answers.

“I was able to run marathon under 3:30. I trained for it very hard and it

strengthen me both physically and mentally.”

“When I worked like a sales manager in Cobeco Inc., the sales of the

company grew by 20 percent every year.”

“I became a better person over the years. I learned to listen to the

others and see the good in people. I consider this as my biggest

achievement.”

Question 11: What characterize a good boss/ colleague from your

point of view?

In most of the companies, you will not work alone. Interviewers try to

understand if you fit into the company and if you may get along with

your colleagues. The crucial thing here is to not mention anything too

tangible.

Concretely, to say that you prefer your boss to be older than you is a

huge risk… If the boss is younger, you will not be chosen. The best

way is to choose a neutral answer and say that you can pretty much

get along with everybody. Let’s have a look at two good responds.

“I can get along with everyone. All I want to be sure about when it

comes to my boss and colleagues is that they are qualified for the

job. And when I see the level of proficiency in this interview, I am

sure they are qualified.”

“There is nothing like an ideal boss for me. I simply focus on my job

and on my performance and try to avoid any conflicts with other

employees.”

Question 12: What motivates you? / How do you motivate the others?

Motivation is crucial in every role. You need to convince the employer

that you are motivated and do not need any special incentives to

work hard. The best way to do so is to show the enthusiasm in the

interview and be filled with energy! If you do so, you will not get this

interview question about motivation. However, if it comes here is the

answer.

“I want to feel important in my job, do a good job for my employer.

This is very important for me, to see a purpose in my job. It naturally

motivates me to work hard and try to become better every day.”

“I just like to work. If I was not strongly motivated to do this job, I

would not apply for it. I would never work only for money.”

Question 13: What are your salary expectations?

This is actually a good question. If the employers ask it, it means that

they consider to hire you (or least give you a chance). You should not

start the discussion about salary by yourself. However, once the

employer starts it, you should have your answer ready.

The key is to emphasize that the salary is not the deciding factor for

you. However, on the other hand, you should never say less than

your minimum expectations are. It won’t make any sense…If you

need to mention the number, it is always better to mention the salary

range than the figure. Here are examples of good answers to this

interview question.

“First of all, salary is not a deciding factor for me. I really like the job

description and want to get this job. I will accept an average salary

for this position what is something between $35,000 and $40,000″,

according to my knowledge.

“I really like this job and would like to do it. I have looked at the

average salaries and found out that the average is between $35,000

and $40,000 for this position. I am willing to accept the lower figure

from this range, as I really like would like to have this job.”

Question 14: When are you able to start?

Companies have their plans and needs. If they need someone from

the next month, they need him and that’s it. That’s why you should

always say that you can start when they need you. But if you really

can not short circuit the notice period or something else, you still can

save yourself with an exceptional answer! Let’s have a look at several

of these answers.

“I am ready to start as soon as possible.”

“There is a two months notice period in my company. However, I

have very good relations with my boss so I am sure I can negotiate it

and start earlier.”

“I could possibly start tomorrow, but I want to finish the project I

currently work on. It will be very unprofessional and irresponsible

from me to leave now. I will need two or three weeks. I hope you

understand this.”

Question 15: Do you have any questions?

In every good job interview, there is a place for the questions of the

candidates. It is good to ask one or two questions. You should

definitely not ask about something that was already answered in the

interview or something from the job description. However, you can

use one of the following questions:

“What are the next steps of the recruiting process?”

“Can you tell me something more about the working environment?”

“What are the goals of your company in long term horizon?”

Interview questions for customer assistants are very specific, related to the position of customer service assistant you are just applying for, or any other position in this field. In this post, we will have a look at ten tough, common interview questions for customer service and advise you some good answers to these questions.

First of all, you need to have a right approach during the job interview. You should try to act like an ideal customer service assistant in every second of it. That is the best thing you can do to be successful and end up being chosen for this job. Let’s progress to the questions right now.

Ten tough interview questions and answers for customer service

Question 1: How would you deal with an aggressive or strongly unsatisfied customer?

People are just people, and in the job of customer assistant, you will have to deal with all kind of people. The good answer to this question is that you would definitely approach him, try to stay calm and smiley, and uncover the reason why he is unsatisfied or behave offensive to the others.

Once you uncover the reason, you would try to solve his problem, or call a more experienced member of staff to come to help you. Good customer

assistant is not afraid of aggressive or bad customers. He tries to calm them down and solve the problem.

Question 2: Is there anything extra you will do for your customer, to make him as happy and satisfied as possible?

Nowadays, the competition is tough. Questioning these sort of customer service interview questions, interviewers simply try to identify if you really are one of the exceptional customer service assistants.

And what to answer to this question? To say that you would have an informal talk with the customer, just to make him feeling better, is not a bad idea. You can also say that you would not mind giving a customer a small unexpected gift, of course if it is okay with company policy. Hand shaking also means a lot for people – it’s a gesture of friendship. To mention that you will create some extra program of benefits for returning customers and for a new one is also advisable. You should simply try to be creative when answering this question.

Question 3: If a customer buys 3 items, each for $4.43, and gives you $20 bill, what is the change?

With such mathematical interview questions, they are testing if you simply can do a basic math, and will not make basic mistakes in the work. However, it’s tough to get prepared for this questions in advance. Just pay attention during the job interview and listen carefully. You can calmly use pen and paper for quick calculation or even bring a calculator to the interview with you. Show them that you are prepared and really want to get this job. Most importantly, take the task seriously, and do not joke about it. Simply count it, announce the sum and that’s it.

Question 4: What plays the key role in the success of any retail business? Price, product value, or communication?

To answer this question honestly, in some cases, both price and product value might be truth. But as an applicant answering the interview questions, you should say communication definitely. Communication is very important. Some people will come back to shop just because they like the approach of the staff

there. Wall Mart built the business on it, and it is pretty much reflected also in Wal-Mart interview.

Question 5: The role-play.

Doesn’t matter if you like it or not, the role-play exercise will come in majority of customer service interviews. You will play the assistant and the interviewer will play a specific type of customer with specific needs or desires.

The best you can do is to practice these scenarios with a friend, before an interview. She should represent different types of customers. The key is to always stay communicative, smiley, problem solving oriented and patient. Present such behavior in the job interview and your chances of nailing it are pretty good.

Question 6: What are your weaknesses?

Every person has some weaknesses and the customer assistant also. However, you should never mention things like aggressiveness, bad communication skills or fear from talking to people. Oppositely, good weaknesses to mention are the tendency to be over friendly to customers or lack of computer skills (typically these skills do not matter much in the position of customer assistant). You can learn more about questions about weaknesses here.

Question 7: Where do you see yourself in three years from now?

Let’s face it: There are not too many career growth possibilities for customer service workers. That’s why you need to answer that you would like to have a good job in the field that makes you happy. To say that you simply like to help the customers and that it makes you happy in work every day is also a good answer.

Question 8: Why should we hire you?

On this place, it is a time to mention several unique skills and abilities you have for this job. You simply need to come up with something unique, something

that differentiate you from applicants for a job. Amongst many other ideas are the following:

People really enjoy being with me and I am sure they will return to the store

I am very enthusiastic in work and very passionate, what helps all the other people in the office to feel the same and be more efficient in work.

There are many possible answers to such customer service interview questions. However, the key is to mention the ability or character feature you really have. Employers are not stupid and they will easily uncover your lie.

Question 9: Are there any customers you have problems with?

Some of us do not like to talk to teenagers when some others struggle to deal with seniors. However, as a good applicant for this job you should mention that you can get along with everyone and enjoy this diversity in your job. To emphasize that you approach every demographic group differently, taking into account their preferences and point of view will win you the hearts of the employers.

Question 10: Why do you want to be employed as a customer service assistant in our company?

This is a tricky question. Good answer can win you a job and the bad one can ruin your chances of being chosen. Being like that, you should focus on positive aspects of the company where you apply for the job. Let’s have a look at some sample answers:

I really like the way the customer assistants approach people in this company. I can imagine to do it as well if not better.

I like the products of your company and am also a regular customer. These preferences will for sure help me in my job, as I can speak to the customers and convince them to buy with my own positive experiences.

These were the ten most tough questions in customer service. Do you want to know more?

Have a look at typical interview questions, job interview tips or other sections on the website to boost your chances of getting a job.