Having a successful interview is all about being prepared for the questions you will be asked. Prepared candidates are much more confident when interviewing that unprepared candidates. Here are some common questions to prepare for.

1. Why are you looking for a new job? / Why did you leave your last job?
   Keep things positive. Focus on where you want to go in your career, not the people in your last job that you want to get away from. Good reasons may include wanting more growth opportunity, relocation, or layoff.
   
   
2. Why do you want to work for us? / What do you know about our company?
   Briefly sum up one or two positive pieces of information you gathered from your research of the company. Then add how you can contribute to the company with your strong points. Keep your answer short so that you don’t bore the interviewer!
   
   
3. What is your greatest strength? / What are your proudest accomplishments?
   Keep your strengths and accomplishments professional. You may want to tell about how you got first place in your church’s bake sale, but the interviewer would rather hear about how you solved problems or added to a company’s bottom line.
   
   
4. What is your greatest weakness?
   Be careful! This is a tricky question to answer. When you list your weaknesses be sure to follow with how you overcame that weakness. Admit a minor weakness and explain what you’re doing to fix it.
   
   
5. Why should I hire you?
   This is your chance to market yourself! Reiterate your strong points as they relate to the position you’re applying for.
   
   
6. Why did you change jobs so frequently?
   Keep your answer to this question positive. Give acceptable reasons for frequent job changes such as relocation or layoffs. If you simply changed jobs a lot, you might respond that you were focusing your goals and now you’re ready to begin your career with a long-term, permanent position. You can also emphasize that each of the positions were on a promotional path, highlighting the skills that you obtained at each job.
   
   
7. Describe the worst supervisor you ever had.
   The interviewer wants to see if you can get along with him or her. Resist the urge to badmouth your former employer. You may note a lack of communication with or lack of feedback from your old boss.
   
   
8. How do you think your present boss would describe you?
   Pick some of your strong points as they relate to the position you are applying for. Assure the interviewer that your boss will verify the information. Be honest!
   
   
9. Describe a time you were criticized for poor performance.
   List a minor incident of poor performance but be sure to tell how you overcame that obstacle. If you gave a poor presentation, describe how you got feedback from your supervisor or took a public speaking course and improved your presentation skills.
   
   
10. What are you doing now to improve yourself?
    The interviewer wants to know that you’re interested in adapting to new challenges. Pick something that relates to the position you’re interviewing for and emphasize that you will grow with the company’s needs.

Be prepared for off-the-wall questions. These are designed to see how you respond on your feet. Try to relate them to the job you are interviewing for. Don’t worry – there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. Some interviewers will ask you riddles with no correct answers at all. They are interested in thought processes. If you cannot come up with a thoughtful response, just admit that you would need to check with some references to find a correct answer. Here are some examples:

1. If you were an animal, what would you be?
   
   
2. Why are manhole covers round instead of square?
   
   
3. If you lived in a fairy tale, what character role would you play?