Most interviewees are usually nervous as hell before an interview. Well, they have all the reasons to be nervous? Even after scaling through the initial processes of the job application, it is rare for any job applicant to feel confident. So, right now, you’re probably on your bed wondering what preparations you should make and what could go wrong. The thing is, you most probably don’t know what they are going to ask you. You have probably read every information you can find on their website and more. Or you don’t even know what to read or where to start from. Although every job interview has its quirks and other job-specific questions, I have some good news for you! There are some set of questions that almost always pop up on every hiring manager’s list.
Knowing this, you can prepare yourself how best to answer these questions and reduce the inevitable anxiety. Drawing from my years of experience with hiring managers and companies,

On this note, here are the answers to the five most asked interview questions! Face your interview with confidence and land your dream job!
1. Tell Me About Yourself
If there is one simple question that has made many interviewees go blank, it is “Tell me about yourself.” This is more of a demand than a question and comes as innocently as it looks. This question, usually asked with a smile on the face, is the world’s hardest softball.To answer this question satisfactorily, you need to Note that:
- The interviewer doesn’t want to hear your life story
- The interviewer wants to hear what VALUE you can bring to the company
- The interviewer wants to know what PROBLEMS you can SOLVE for the company
- You should be your BEST self while being authentic
- You should tie every statement you make to what’s in it for them

2. What Do You Bring to This Role That Other Candidates Don’t?
This is another question that you can rephrase to mean, “Why should we hire you?” Since the hiring manager has interviewed other applicants, he/she wants to know WHY they should CHOOSE YOU. So, your selling point should be what you have that other candidates don’t. In answering this question, you should describe your top-selling points relevant to the job and focus on how suitable you are for the company.
If your experience does not apply directly to the job, you should state how the SKILLS you have learned – such as problem-solving, organizational ability, etc., can help the company. Then state how you’re ready to translate your skills to become an asset for the company.

3. Describe a Difficult Work Situation or Project and How You Overcame It
Yes! It’s time to put your narration skills to work! There is no wrong or right answer to this question. This question is a behavioral question, and all the hiring manager wants to know is your behavior in times of great difficulty or stress. Will you freak out or flare up when there is a problem, or will you handle it diplomatically. Past behaviors are a strong prediction of what you’ll most likely do in the future in similar circumstances. Here are some tips for answering this question and leaving a good impression of your behavior:
- Choose concrete examples of a situation or project that was the most difficult
- Focus on how the situation was critical to the company
- Then discuss what you did in that situation to solve the problem
- Prepare the best story, be specific, and show positivity
- Highlight how your determination to solving the problem was crucial for actually solving it.

4. What Professional Achievement Are You Most Proud Of?
It is typical of employers to ask candidates about their professional achievements, especially those they are most proud of. The purpose of this question is to determine what you contributed professionally to your previous jobs. In answering this question, you need to select a relatively recent professional achievement relevant to the job at hand.Discuss your achievement confidently but without bragging
Highlight skills where your hard work, intelligence, or strategic planning come to play
Don’t talk bad about other people’s slip-ups
Acknowledge the role that others had to play and give them so credit.

5. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
This is a question you should expect in almost every job interview. It can come in different shades, such as “what are your goals for the next X years” or “how you would like to grow within the company.” This question helps you demonstrate your focus and motivation to the recruiter and how long you’re willing to stay on the job. Interviewers ask this question for two major reasons:
- They want to know how long you’re willing to stay in your new position
- They want to know your long-term goals and see if they align with the company.
However, here’s what interviewers don’t want to hear:
- How you will be the one on the other side of the table
- Detailed schemes about your promotion within the company
- That “It’s hard to say” or that you don’t know
- How you’ll be going back to school, own a business, become famous, etc.
Here’s a guide to what recruiters want to hear when they ask you where you want to be in five years.

State that you want to have completed the internal training program for your position, if any. (Check the company’s website to confirm if any internal training program exists. Reference that and tell them how cool you think it is).
That this job will put you on the right track to other positions (which is your top career goal)
That you can also help them work abroad, or in new branches especially if they need people for that (do your research to know if they are looking for people like that)
Give the hiring manager the impression that you’re contented with the position as it is. However, also express your enthusiasm about how you aim to develop yourself (be realistic). Don’t forget to show the hiring manager how your career goals align with that of the company. Let it sound like you’re a match made in heaven!