How to Answer Interview Questions Confidently: Examples, Tips

Tough interview questions can make or break a candidate's chances of landing a professional career. In fact, job interviews only have a 20% success rate, translating to 1 out of 5 applicants receiving a job offer after the interview process.

Despite the statistics, hard interview questions can be conquered when candidates are well-prepared. To help with this preparation, we summarized this guide containing the most common and tough interview questions, how to answer interview questions confidently, how to prepare for the process, and some valuable tips.

Most common job interview questions and answers

Job interviews vary from one hiring manager to another, but some questions tend to recur and become common to both the talent team and the job candidate. This is because a candidate's answers to these questions are fundamental to how they will approach their future work environment.

Here are 5 of the most common interview questions with sample answers to know how you can respond to them appropriately:

1. Tell me about yourself.
   Know the qualities the company is looking for and show them your work experience, character, skill set, and accomplishments that match the job role. For example, "I am an accountant with 5 years of experience in preparing financial statements, analyzing financial data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and conducting audits."
2. Why should we hire you?
   The answer lies in how you are different from other candidates and how that distinction benefits the company. For example, "Since you need someone who performs well in a fast-paced environment while delivering accurate results, I believe that my experience and skills as a quality assurance analyst for 5 years make me qualified for the job."
3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
   This demonstrates your self-awareness and growth opportunities. Use specific examples and highlight improvements. For example, "I am good at collaborating with people as I have led cross-functional teams for 2 years. Although I am a perfectionist, I learned to manage faults with consideration by working with diverse people."
4. Where do you see yourself in the coming years?
   Align career goals with the company's values and vision. For example, "In the next 5 years, I aim to streamline the cybersecurity processes of the company as a computer engineer. I also want to strengthen my career path through the professional development that comes with the job roles and responsibilities."
5. Why do you want to work for the company?
   After doing thorough research into the company culture, show genuine interest by highlighting qualities you think would fit in with the company's mission. For example, "Your advocacy towards continuous learning and sustainable development in the company inspires me to grow in the team."

Tough interview questions and answers

Knowing how to answer tough interview questions is a game-changer in the hiring process. Once you can maneuver your way through them, you can impress hiring managers and potentially land the job.

Some are situational interview questions, which can depend on the type of industry you are applying for. To give you further guidance on what are tough interview questions in general, here are a few examples:

1. Why did you leave this position?
   Avoid negative details about your previous job. Focus on future opportunities in the current company. For example, "I'm grateful for my time in my previous position, but I am now looking for professional development that aligns with my career goals. This position matches more with my skill set and advancement in the years to come."
2. What are your career options right now?
   Be honest if you're considering other opportunities while still genuinely interested in the company. For example, "I am currently exploring opportunities in the field of marketing, particularly in advertising and content creation, since I have experience in digital and social media management. I am excited to be part of your dynamic team."
3. Tell me about a time when your work was criticized.
   Show them positive performance reviews while owning your minor learning experience from the early years of your career. For example, "In my earliest career, I have been told to collaborate more with other teams. Since then, I initiated team meetings for practical strategies in projects and improved my leadership skills."
4. How do you feel about working overtime and weekends?
   Ask the norms of the company's top performers and positively imply that you can be productive with or without working overtime. For example, "I love my work and have demonstrated good qualities and results like [Insert Qualifications]. I work smart, so you are assured of my productivity even when I'm given more quality time for my personal life."
5. How much salary do you want?
   Be informed of the right compensation for the position you're applying for through the Personal Salary Report before answering this question. For example, "While opportunity and career growth are important for me, I think I have enough experience and skills that would reflect a [Insert Salary Range] pay. I'm willing to negotiate with this."

How to prepare for the job interview process

Learning how to answer interview questions confidently requires thorough preparation. An upcoming interview can be daunting, but following the steps below can help you be more ready and composed:

• Gather information: Be informed about the company by reading job ads and job postings, their official company website, online content, or people you may know that work within the team. Know the specific qualifications they need and potential questions.
• Conduct research: Contemplate your reputation and performance in your current or previous workplace. Also, consider your online reputation, as interviewers might search for your online presence during the hiring process.
• Analyze strengths and weaknesses: Make a list of your strong and weak points so you can better articulate them in the interview. Again, use specific examples and highlight improvements.
• Assess key competencies: Check for specific experience and skills required in the job description carefully, such as good communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and tech industry expertise. Relate how these competencies are applied to your previous roles.
• Practice composure: Rehearse your piece and stay confident in what you have to offer in the company. Practice tricky and hard interview questions to boost your self-confidence. Apply active listening for follow-up questions.

Tips for answering interview questions

Hard interview questions are possible to answer. You should just take extra measures and preparations to properly articulate your value as a job candidate. Here are quick tips for you:

• Take your time: The key to learning how to answer interview questions confidently is allowing yourself enough time to come up with thoughtful answers. This gives you space to gather detailed and truthful responses that interviewers appreciate.
• Prepare to discuss salary: Establish your pay expectations based on your location, industry, and experience through Real-time Salary Intelligence, so you are prepared when interviewers ask about salary.
• Ask your own questions: Demonstrate your curiosity and preparedness by asking questions to interviewers. It could be about the company culture or metrics that evaluate success in a role.

Since you have already learned how to answer interview questions confidently, you are now halfway through landing your dream job!