Interview questions
How to answer interview questions
Answer the question in your first sentence. Then give one real example with a number in it, say how it ended, and stop. Most answers fit in under two minutes, and if they want more, they'll ask.
A method for any interview question
It works whether they ask about your past, your opinion or what you'd do.
- 1
Answer first
Put your answer in the first sentence, before any background. CareerOneStop's advice for the interview itself is honest, direct answers.
- 2
One example, with a number
Pick one situation, not three. Amazon's interview tips ask for a detailed account of one situation per question, backed by data or metrics.
- 3
How it ended, then stop
Finish on the result and what you learned, which Amazon's interview guide calls the most important part. Then stop and let them ask.
An example. Put your own facts in the brackets.
Question“Tell me about a time you had to meet a tight deadline.”
Answer“I got it out on time by cutting [one feature] early. In [month], my team had [time] to launch [project], and [a problem] put us [how far] behind. I [what you did], and we launched on [date]. [The result, with a number], and I've planned [the next project] the same way since.”
Leave out complaints about a past employer, blame, and a story that stops before the result.
How long should interview answers be?
Keep most answers under two minutes, shorter for a quick question and about two minutes for a story.
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“Tell me about yourself”
30 to 90 seconds covers it in most cases, says a guide republished by Harvard's career office, and past two minutes “it can start to feel like too much.”
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A story about something you did
About two minutes, Alabama's career center says, without rushing the action and the result. Amazon's interview guide says its STAR answers typically run two to three minutes.
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A quick question
A sentence or two. Alabama's career center suggests adding a brief example where it fits.
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A question with several parts
Answer each part, in order. California's state hiring guide tells candidates that each part of a question is scored.
In the mock. Your scorecard shows how long each answer ran. Answer out loud for more than two and a half minutes and the AI interviewer cuts in, the way a person might.
Difficult interview questions, and how to answer each
Each guide covers what the question checks and what to say.
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About you
“Tell me about yourself”
About a minute: what you do now, one highlight, and why this job is next.
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About you
“Why should we hire you?”
Two things the posting asks for, and proof of each.
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About you
“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
What you want to be good at, how this job helps you get there, and what that could lead to.
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About you
“What are your weaknesses?”
One real weakness the job doesn't depend on, a quick example, and what you're doing about it.
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About you
“What are your strengths?”
Two strengths the posting asks for, each proved with a short example that ends in a result.
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About you
“Can you explain this gap?”
What happened, what you've done since, and why you're ready now.
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About the job
“Why do you want to work here?”
One specific thing about the job and one about the company, each tied to work you've done.
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About the job
“Why are you interested in this position?”
Two duties from the posting you want to do, an example of each from your own work, and where the job takes you next.
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About the job
“Why are you leaving your job?”
One short, honest reason that points toward the new job, with no criticism of your employer.
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About the job
“What are your salary expectations?”
Ask for their range first, name a researched range, and keep your current pay to yourself.
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About your past
“How do you handle conflict?”
One real disagreement: what it was about, what you said to the other person, and what changed.
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Your turn
“Do you have any questions for me?”
Have four or five ready. CareerOneStop notes that asking none can read as a lack of interest.
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By round
The phone screen
The recruiter's first call: your background, why you're leaving, pay and timing.
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By round
The hiring manager interview
Questions about the work in the posting, from the person you'd likely report to.
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By round
A second interview
The details round one skipped: which project, what you did yourself, and the number.
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By round
An internal interview
For a job at your own employer, with a few questions only an insider hears.
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About your past
“What's your greatest accomplishment?”
Pick one recent result you caused that fits this job, and say what you did and how it turned out, with a number.
The four kinds of interview questions
Most questions are one of these four, and each asks for something different.
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About your background
Your experience, education or interests. Answer directly, and add a brief example where it fits, Alabama's career center says.
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Your opinion
“What's your biggest strength?” or “Why should we hire you?” Give your view, then back it with an example.
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“Tell me about a time…”
A real story from your past. OPM's interview guide says these rest on the idea that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior on the job.
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“What would you do if…”
A realistic problem from the job. Walk through what you'd check first, what you'd do and why.
When they ask a follow-up
Expect them, especially after a vague answer. The Defense Department tells its hiring managers to ask a follow-up when a first answer is “vague or inadequate.”
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“What was your part in that?”
Say what you did yourself, not what the team did.
Say“My part was [what you did]. I [action], and it [result].”
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“What was the result?”
Give the number, or say how you knew it worked.
Say“It went from [before] to [after] in [time].”
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“Can you give me an example?”
Pick one specific time, not a general habit.
Say“Yes. In [month], [one situation].”
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A question you can't answer
Say so, then give the closest thing you have.
Say“I haven't done exactly that. The closest was [example].”
In the mock. The AI interviewer asks up to two follow-ups on each main question, such as the outcome, the number or exactly what you did.
Try the method out loud
An AI interviewer asks the kind of questions real hiring managers ask and follows up when an answer is thin. Your scorecard shows how long each answer ran and grades five skills, answer structure among them. Your first two scored mocks are free, with no card.
Start a free mock interviewMore guides: Phone screen questions · Salary expectations · Phone interview tips · Calming interview nerves · Negotiating a job offer · What not to say in an interview · Asking for a raise · Practicing for an interview · Panel interviews · Why it's hard to find a job · Asking for a promotion