Business Insider compiled a list of the strangest interview questions that candidates received while interviewing for jobs at some of the nation’s top companies.
While it’s fun to ponder your answers to these questions, your focus in preparing for your interview should be on developing responses to the following 20 common interview questions. These are standard questions asked at companies of all types and to employees at all levels.
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Why are you interested in working for us?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
- What can you offer us that someone else can’t?
- What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
- Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
- What is your dream job?
- What would you accomplish in the first 30/60/90 days on the job?
- Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
- Why are you looking for a new job?
- Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
- Who are our competitors?
- What was your biggest failure?
- What motivates you?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
- What are your career goals?
- What are some of your leadership experiences?
- What questions do you have for me?
We hope you have found this list of questions helpful. Remember the interview is not just an opportunity for an employer to learn about you, but for you to learn about the company and your co-workers.
So be prepared to answer any or all of these common interview questions, but not to the point that you sound overly rehearsed. The interview should be a conversation, that hopefully concludes with you being offered the job of your dreams.