Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
The 30 questions you are most likely to hear, with honest sample answers, coaching notes, and a printable prep checklist. Work through this page before your next interview and you will walk in with an answer ready for almost anything they ask.
How Interviews Actually Work
A job interview is a structured conversation with a purpose: the employer is trying to answer three questions. Can this person do the job? Will they fit the team? Do they actually want to be here? Every question they ask is aimed at one of those three things. When you understand that, preparation becomes much simpler — you are not memorising scripts, you are building a few strong stories and learning how to aim them.
Most first-round interviews run 30–45 minutes. Second rounds tend to be longer and may include a task or panel. Phone and video screens are common as an initial filter and often last only 15–20 minutes — so your opening answers carry extra weight.
The questions below appear across industries and seniority levels. Whether you are applying for a warehouse position, a customer service role, or an office job, interviewers draw from a surprisingly small pool. Knowing the pool — and practising out loud — puts you well ahead of most candidates who show up and improvise.
The STAR Method: Your Answer Framework
Any question that starts with "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of…" is a behavioural question. The employer wants evidence from your real work history, not a hypothetical. The STAR method gives you a clean four-part structure:
| Letter | Stands for | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| S | Situation | Set the scene briefly — role, company, timeframe. One or two sentences. |
| T | Task | What were you responsible for? What was the goal or the problem? |
| A | Action | What did you specifically do? Use "I", not "we". |
| R | Result | What happened? Quantify if you can — %, £, time saved, customer scores. |
Example STAR answer — "Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer."
Situation: I was working as a cashier at a busy supermarket during the pre-Christmas rush. A customer became very angry when an advertised discount did not appear on her receipt.
Task: I needed to resolve her complaint quickly and accurately without holding up the queue or escalating the situation.
Action: I calmly apologised for the inconvenience, asked her to step slightly to the side so I could focus on her issue without feeling pressured, and called my supervisor to authorise a manual price correction. While we waited, I explained exactly what had happened and what I was doing to fix it.
Result: The correction was applied in under four minutes. The customer left satisfied and actually came back to thank me later in my shift. My supervisor mentioned it in my next performance review as an example of handling pressure well.
Aim for 90–120 seconds per STAR answer. Prepare six to eight stories covering different themes — teamwork, conflict, initiative, error recovery, deadline pressure, customer service — and you will have something relevant for nearly every behavioural question they throw at you.
Questions About You
1. "Tell me about yourself."
How to answer: Use the present–past–future formula. Current role + key achievement → relevant background → why you are excited about this opportunity. Keep it to 60–90 seconds. This is a business pitch, not a biography. For full sample answers by situation, see our dedicated Tell Me About Yourself examples page.
2. "Walk me through your resume."
How to answer: This is a longer version of Q1. Move chronologically or reverse-chronologically and pause at each role to highlight one accomplishment. Do not just read your resume out — connect the dots and show progression or intent.
Sample: "I started in retail stock management straight out of school, which taught me how warehouse operations and inventory systems work at ground level. After two years I moved into a team lead role where I managed a small crew of six during overnight shifts. That experience made me want to develop the people-management side of the work more deliberately, which is what drew me to this supervisory role at your company."
3. "Why did you leave your last job?" (or "Why are you leaving?")
How to answer: Be honest, keep it brief, and stay positive. Avoid criticising a former employer — it reads as a red flag. Frame it as moving toward something, not running away.
Sample: "The role was a great starting point and I learned a lot, but after three years I have reached the ceiling in terms of progression there. I am looking for a team where I can take on more responsibility and keep developing, which is exactly what this role offers."
4. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
How to answer: Show ambition without threatening the interviewer. Tie your goals to the company's structure. Employers want to know you will stay and grow, not that you are treating this role as a stopgap.
Sample: "In five years I would like to be a specialist or senior contributor in this area — someone the team turns to for the harder problems. I am also interested in eventually mentoring newer members. I do not know exactly what shape that takes yet, but I am looking for a place where I can earn that kind of trust."
5. "What motivates you?"
How to answer: Be specific. "Money" is honest but incomplete. "Seeing a project through to completion" or "solving a problem no one else had figured out" is memorable. Connect it to this role.
Behavioural Questions
6. "Tell me about a time you worked well as part of a team."
Sample: "At my last job we had a period where two members of our shift were off sick simultaneously. I volunteered to cover the picking station and coordinated with the remaining three team members to rearrange our workflow. We hit our daily target every day that week. The manager recognised the team at the monthly briefing."
7. "Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult person at work."
How to answer: Choose a situation where you stayed professional and found a resolution. Do not turn this into a story about how wrong the other person was. The interviewer is assessing your emotional intelligence, not your grievances.
8. "Tell me about a time you made a mistake. What did you do?"
How to answer: Every interviewer knows you have made mistakes. The question is whether you own them and learn from them. Pick a real but not catastrophic example, explain exactly what you did to fix it, and close with what you changed going forward.
Sample: "Early in my customer service role I mislogged a refund and the customer received a double credit. When I noticed the error I flagged it to my supervisor immediately rather than hoping it would be missed. We contacted the customer, explained the situation, and recovered the overpayment amicably. After that I built a double-check step into my end-of-shift reconciliation and made no similar errors in the following 18 months."
9. "Tell me about a time you had to manage competing priorities."
How to answer: Structure this with STAR. Employers want to see that you can assess urgency, communicate proactively when timelines are at risk, and deliver without losing quality.
10. "Give me an example of when you showed initiative."
Sample: "I noticed our team was spending 20 minutes at the start of every shift manually sorting delivery manifests that had already been sorted by the system. I put together a one-page guide showing how to export the pre-sorted view and shared it with the team lead. She rolled it out to the whole floor — we saved around 30 hours of labour across the team that month."
Your resume is your prep foundation
The best interview answers come directly from your work history. If your resume is vague or out of date, your stories will be too. Build a sharp, achievement-focused resume with Drafted — and your answers will practically write themselves.
Strengths and Weaknesses Questions
11. "What is your greatest strength?"
How to answer: Pick one specific strength that is directly relevant to the role, then prove it with a brief example. Avoid generic answers like "I am a hard worker" — they are impossible to verify and instantly forgettable.
Sample: "I am genuinely good at staying calm under pressure. In my last role during peak season I was handling twice the usual call volume while simultaneously training a new starter. I kept my satisfaction scores above target throughout and the new team member was fully independent within four weeks. I think that composure comes from breaking large problems into small, manageable steps."
12. "What is your greatest weakness?"
How to answer: Choose a real weakness — not a disguised strength like "I work too hard." Pick something genuine that does not disqualify you from the role, explain how you have been working on it, and show concrete progress.
Sample: "I used to struggle with delegating. I was reluctant to hand work to others because I felt responsible if something went wrong. Over the last year I have deliberately worked on it — I set clear expectations, check in at agreed points, and resist the urge to micromanage. My team's output has actually improved and I have more bandwidth for the higher-level work."
13. "Why should we hire you?"
How to answer: This is your 60-second pitch. Match your top two or three strengths directly to the job requirements. End with something about why this specific role or company, not any role at any company.
Sample: "You need someone who can manage a fast-paced inbound queue, resolve complaints confidently, and keep satisfaction scores high under pressure. I have done all three — in my current role I handle 70 calls a day at a 4.6 satisfaction score, and I have reduced average handle time by 12 % over the last six months. Beyond the numbers, I genuinely like solving customer problems — it is the part of the job I look forward to."
14. "Tell me about a time you received criticism. How did you respond?"
How to answer: Show that you can hear feedback without becoming defensive, and that you acted on it. Pick an example where the criticism led to genuine improvement.
Situational Questions
Situational questions describe a hypothetical scenario and ask what you would do. Unlike behavioural questions, they are about the future, not your past. Answer them with your genuine approach, structured clearly.
15. "What would you do if you disagreed with your manager's decision?"
Sample: "I would raise my concern privately and directly — explain my reasoning, ask questions to make sure I understand their perspective, and listen to the rationale I might be missing. If after that conversation I still disagreed, I would share my view once more clearly and then support the decision. My job is to give honest input, not to win every disagreement."
16. "How would you handle an angry customer?"
Sample: "First, let them speak — most angry customers need to feel heard before they are ready to hear a solution. I would acknowledge their frustration without agreeing with any inaccurate version of events. Then I would focus on what I can actually do to fix the situation, not what is outside my control. I have found that being calm and specific about the next step almost always de-escalates things quickly."
17. "What would you do if you noticed a colleague was not pulling their weight?"
How to answer: This tests whether you escalate everything to a manager (too passive-aggressive) or try to resolve it directly first (maturity). A good answer shows you would talk to the colleague first, give them a fair chance to explain, and only involve a manager if the problem persisted.
18. "If you had a deadline and realised you were going to miss it, what would you do?"
Sample: "I would flag it as early as possible — the moment I knew it was at risk, not the day before. I would explain what had changed, what I needed to complete the work, and give a realistic revised timeline. I would rather have that uncomfortable conversation early than deliver a surprise miss."
Questions About the Job and Company
19. "Why do you want this job?"
How to answer: Connect the role to your skills and your career direction. Be specific about the company — mention something real you found in your research. "Because I need a job" is the subtext; your answer should show genuine pull.
Sample: "This role combines the two things I am best at — managing customer relationships and analysing data to improve processes. I have been following your company's expansion into the retail sector and the way you use customer feedback to drive product decisions is the approach I want to be part of. This is the kind of work I want to be doing at this stage of my career."
20. "What do you know about our company?"
How to answer: Do not recite the About page. Show you did actual research. Mention something specific: a recent product launch, a news story, a customer review trend, a value that appears in their culture content.
21. "Why do you want to leave your current company?"
Already covered above in Q3, but if asked in this form: keep it brief and forward-looking. Avoid listing your current employer's failures.
22. "What salary are you expecting?"
How to answer: Research the market beforehand. If you must answer, give a range rather than a single number, and anchor it at the upper end of what you would genuinely accept. It is also fine to say, "I would prefer to understand the full package before giving a number — can you share the band for this role?"
23. "Are you interviewing with other companies?"
How to answer: Be honest but brief. You do not need to name competitors. "Yes, I have a few conversations in progress, but this role is my priority" is a perfectly complete answer.
Closing Questions
24. "Is there anything you would like to add?"
How to answer: Do not say "No, I think that covers it." This is an invitation. If there is something important you did not get to mention — a relevant certification, a key achievement, a personal motivation — say it now. Keep it brief.
25. "What are your hobbies and interests?"
How to answer: Light and genuine. Pick one or two real interests and mention any relevant overlap with work skills. Organising a local sports team shows leadership. Coding projects show initiative. Reading about your industry shows genuine interest. Keep it to a sentence or two.
26. "How do you handle stress?"
Sample: "I find that the best antidote to stress is preparation — the more I have thought through the scenarios in advance, the calmer I am when they arrive. When something unexpected does happen, I have learned to pause for five seconds before reacting, which lets me respond rather than just react. Exercise at the end of the day also helps me reset."
27. "Are you willing to work overtime / shift work / weekends?"
How to answer: Be honest about your constraints. If you are available and flexible, say so clearly. If you have a genuine limitation (childcare, a second job), it is better to name it now than to create a problem later.
28. "Do you have any questions for us?"
This is covered in the section below — always prepare at least three questions.
29. "Can you start immediately?"
How to answer: Be honest. If you have a notice period, name it. Most employers respect a professional handover — trying to leave a job immediately can actually raise concerns about your reliability.
30. "How did you hear about this role?"
How to answer: Simple and honest. If you were referred by someone, mention them (with their permission) — referrals carry weight. If you found it on a job board, say so. If you actively sought out the company, say that — it signals genuine interest.
Interview Preparation Checklist
Work through this list in the 48 hours before your interview. Print it, tick it off, and walk in ready.
- Read the job description three times. Highlight every skill and quality mentioned more than once.
- Prepare a STAR story for each of: teamwork, conflict, initiative, mistake, deadline pressure, achievement.
- Research the company: read the About page, one news story from the last six months, and a handful of recent employee or customer reviews.
- Prepare your "Tell me about yourself" answer and time it — it should be 60–90 seconds.
- Practise your answers out loud, not just in your head. Use a mirror or record yourself on your phone.
- Prepare 3–5 questions to ask the interviewer (see below).
- Print two copies of your resume — one for the interviewer, one for you to reference. Build a polished version with the AI resume builder if yours needs updating.
- Plan your route, add 20 minutes buffer time, and check for any travel disruptions.
- Lay out your outfit the night before. Dress one level above the company's everyday standard.
- Get a full night's sleep. Tired candidates consistently underperform confident, rested ones.
Questions to Ask the Interviewer
Ending with "No, I think that covers it" is one of the most common interview mistakes. Asking thoughtful questions signals genuine interest and gives you information you actually need to decide whether to take the job.
Choose two or three from this list based on what you genuinely want to know:
- "What does success look like in this role in the first 90 days?"
- "What is the biggest challenge facing the team right now?"
- "How would you describe the team culture — how do people tend to work together?"
- "What do you enjoy most about working here?" (especially useful in a one-on-one with a future peer)
- "How does the company support ongoing development or training?"
- "What are the next steps in your process and when can I expect to hear back?"
Do not ask about salary, holiday entitlement, or benefits in a first interview unless the employer raises it. It sends the wrong signal early on.
What to Bring to the Interview
Arriving organised is itself a signal. These are the basics:
- Two printed copies of your resume. One for the interviewer (they sometimes forget to print it) and one for you to glance at. Make sure it is up to date — if it needs work, start here.
- A notepad and pen. Taking brief notes during the interview shows engagement and gives you material for your thank-you message.
- The job description (printed or saved on your phone) so you can refer back to requirements when framing your answers.
- Any portfolio or work samples relevant to the role — especially for creative, technical, or project-based positions.
- ID documents if the role requires a right-to-work check at interview stage.
After the interview, send a brief thank-you email within 24 hours. Reference one specific thing from the conversation. It takes five minutes and most candidates skip it — meaning you immediately stand out.
Your resume is the single most important document you bring. Visit the Resume Examples Hub for full samples by job type, and browse our complete resume writing guide if yours needs a full rebuild. Pair it with a cover letter and you arrive prepared end to end.
What job seekers say
"I read this page the night before my interview and used the STAR method for every question. I got the job. The sample answers helped me figure out what kind of stories to tell from my own experience."
"The prep checklist alone was worth it. I had never thought to print two copies of my resume. The interviewer actually commented on it."
"I had been getting to final rounds and then losing out. After reading this guide I realised I was answering the weakness question all wrong. Changed my approach and got an offer the very next interview."
Testimonials shown are placeholders for illustration and will be replaced with verified customer reviews.
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We respect your inbox. One useful email at a time.Frequently asked questions
How should I prepare for a job interview?
Research the company (website, news, reviews), reread the job description and match your experience to each requirement, prepare 5–6 STAR stories covering your key achievements, prepare 3–5 questions to ask the interviewer, and do at least one practice session out loud — alone or with a friend. Lay out your clothes and plan your route the night before.
What is the STAR method and when should I use it?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Use it for any behavioural question that starts with "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of…". Briefly set the scene (Situation), explain what you were responsible for (Task), describe what you specifically did (Action), and end with a measurable or concrete outcome (Result). Keep the whole answer to 90–120 seconds.
What should I wear to a job interview?
Dress one level above the company's everyday dress code. If the workplace is casual, wear smart casual. If smart casual is the norm, wear business casual. When in doubt, err toward slightly overdressed — it is much easier to explain that you made an effort than to recover from looking unprepared.
Is it OK to ask about salary in an interview?
Yes, but timing matters. Avoid raising salary in a first-round interview unless the interviewer brings it up. Wait until you have a clearer sense of mutual interest — typically after you have received a formal offer, or at least after a second-round interview. Research typical ranges beforehand so you are ready when the conversation happens.
How do I answer "Tell me about yourself" in an interview?
Use the present–past–future formula: briefly describe your current role and one or two recent achievements, mention the background that led you there, then explain why you are excited about this specific opportunity. Aim for 60–90 seconds. Keep it professional and relevant — this is not a life story, it is a business pitch. See our dedicated page of sample answers for examples by situation.
What questions should I ask at the end of an interview?
Ask about the biggest challenge facing the team right now, what success looks like in the first 90 days, how the interviewer would describe the team culture, and what the next steps in the process are. Avoid questions whose answers appear clearly on the company website — that signals you did not prepare.