Interview questions and answers
Pick a question, read what it is usually asking and a plan for the answer, then start the timer and say your answer out loud. The questions and plans are written for this site. Nothing is recorded or stored.
Opening questions
Tell me about yourself.
What it is usually asking
It is an invitation to set the frame. The listener wants a short, relevant summary, not a life story.
A plan for the answer
- Start with what you do now, or your most recent role, in one sentence.
- Add one or two things from your past that connect to this job.
- End with why this role is the next step. Keep it to about a minute.
Say your answer out loud
1:30
Press Start, then answer as if the interviewer were in the room.
The STAR method in four parts
| Part | What to say | How much time |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | The context, in one or two sentences. | The least |
| Task | What you had to achieve or what was your part. | A little |
| Action | What you did, step by step, with “I” rather than “we”. | The most |
| Result | What happened, with a number if you can, and what you learned. | Slightly less than the action |
Source: University of Cincinnati: STAR method for behavioral interviews; Santa Monica College: Using the STAR method, checked on .
Pick a story you can tell in your own words and check it has all four parts. If you skip the result, the story has no ending; if you skip the action, it has no you.
The time guidance comes from Santa Monica College’s career services. The worked example is further down this page and was written for this site.
How do I practice answering interview questions?
Choose a question, read the plan, then start the timer and answer out loud as if the interviewer were in the room. Saying it aloud matters: an answer that looks fine on paper often runs long or loses its thread when you speak. When the time is up, write one line on what you would change, then go to the next question. Five questions practiced out loud are worth more than thirty read silently.
What is the STAR method?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. You describe the context, explain your goal, say what you did, and show the outcome. The career services of the University of Cincinnati and Santa Monica College teach it this way, and Santa Monica advises spending the least time on the situation and the most on the action. It gives a story a shape, so it does not wander.
What does a good STAR answer sound like?
Question: “Tell me about a time you improved a process.” Situation: our team’s weekly report took two people half a day to assemble from four spreadsheets. Task: I wanted to cut that time without changing what the managers received. Action: I listed what each person copied by hand, built one sheet that pulled the four together, and wrote a one-page guide for the steps that stayed manual. Result: the report took one person about an hour, and the guide let a new hire do it in her second week.
How long should an interview answer be?
A rule of thumb is one to two minutes for most questions, a little longer for a STAR story, and about a minute for “Tell me about yourself”. It is a guide, not a rule: if the interviewer wants more they will ask. The timer offers one, one and a half, two and three minutes, so you can find the length where your answer is complete but not rambling.
What should I do when I have no story for a question?
Use a smaller example. School projects, volunteering, a team sport, helping family run a business and a hobby you organized all count, as long as the story is true and you can say what you did. If you really have no example, say so and describe what you would do, then add what you would want to learn. An honest short answer is better than an invented long one.
All 29 questions with a plan
Open a question to read what it is usually asking and a plan for the answer. Several have a worked answer, written for this site, so you can see how a plan becomes sentences.
Opening questions
The first few minutes: who you are and why you are here.
Tell me about yourself.
What it is usually asking. It is an invitation to set the frame. The listener wants a short, relevant summary, not a life story.
A plan for the answer
- Start with what you do now, or your most recent role, in one sentence.
- Add one or two things from your past that connect to this job.
- End with why this role is the next step. Keep it to about a minute.
A worked answer. I am a support specialist who spent the last three years helping small shops sort out shipping problems. Before that I worked in a warehouse, so I know what happens to a parcel after the customer clicks buy. I am applying for the team lead role because I have been training new hires informally and I would like to do that as my job.
Why do you want this job?
What it is usually asking. The interviewer is checking whether you picked this role on purpose and whether you read about it.
A plan for the answer
- Name one thing about the work itself that you want to do more of.
- Name one thing about the company or team that you read and liked.
- Tie both to something you have done, so the answer is about you and not only about them.
What do you know about our company?
What it is usually asking. It shows how much effort you put into getting ready, and whether you can find information.
A plan for the answer
- Read the about page, the careers page and the latest news or posts before the interview.
- Say two specific things in your own words: what they make or do, and something recent.
- Finish with a question that comes from what you read.
Why should we hire you?
What it is usually asking. It asks you to match yourself to the job in the words of the job post.
A plan for the answer
- Pick the two or three requirements in the post that matter most.
- For each, give one fact from your past that shows it.
- Close with what you would do in the first weeks to be useful.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What it is usually asking. The question is usually about whether the job fits what you want, not about a promise to stay forever.
A plan for the answer
- Describe the kind of work you want to be doing, not a job title.
- Connect it to what this role would teach you.
- Be honest and general: you do not need an exact path.
Why are you leaving your current job?
What it is usually asking. The listener is checking how you talk about people you worked with, and whether you are running toward something or away.
A plan for the answer
- Give one true reason and keep it about the work, not about people.
- Turn it toward what you want next.
- Never criticize a former employer or colleague by name.
Tell me about a time (STAR)
Questions that ask for a real story. Answer them with the STAR method.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker.
What it is usually asking. Disagreements happen everywhere. The point is how you handle them: do you listen, and do you keep the work moving?
A plan for the answer
- Situation: one sentence on the project and the disagreement.
- Task: what you needed to get done despite it.
- Action: what you did, step by step. Spend most of your time here.
- Result: what happened, and what you would do again or differently.
A worked answer. Situation: on a store reset, a teammate and I disagreed about the order of the aisles. Task: we had one weekend to finish. Action: I asked her to walk me through her plan, found that her order saved a trip across the floor, and suggested we use hers for the heavy items and mine for the displays, since mine let the cashiers open on time. Result: we finished Sunday afternoon, and she asked me to help plan the next reset.
Tell me about a mistake you made.
What it is usually asking. Everyone has made one. The question shows whether you notice, own it and fix it.
A plan for the answer
- Pick a real mistake of modest size, not a disaster and not a fake flaw.
- Say plainly what you did wrong, without blaming anyone.
- Spend most of the answer on how you fixed it and what you changed so it would not happen again.
A worked answer. Situation: I once sent a customer the price list from last year. Task: fix it before they placed an order. Action: I saw it an hour later, called them before they replied, sent the right file and an apology, and then added a check to my own routine: I now open the attachment before I send it. Result: they ordered at the right price and I have not repeated the mistake.
Tell me about a time you worked under a tight deadline.
What it is usually asking. It shows how you plan, what you drop and whether you ask for help.
A plan for the answer
- Say what the deadline was and why it was tight.
- Explain how you decided what mattered most.
- Give the result, and say what you would do to avoid the squeeze next time.
Tell me about a time you led others.
What it is usually asking. Leading does not need a title. The question looks for how you help a group move in one direction.
A plan for the answer
- Choose a moment where you organized people, even for a day.
- Describe how you shared the work and kept everyone informed.
- Say what the group achieved and what you learned about leading.
Tell me about a time you went beyond what was asked.
What it is usually asking. The listener wants to see initiative that helped someone, not extra hours for their own sake.
A plan for the answer
- Describe the task as it was given.
- Say what you noticed that nobody had asked you to deal with.
- Give the effect on the team or a customer.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager.
What it is usually asking. It shows whether you can speak up respectfully and still carry out a decision you did not choose.
A plan for the answer
- Pick a disagreement about the work, not about personality.
- Say how you raised it: in private, with facts and with an alternative.
- End with the outcome, including when the decision went the other way and you did your part anyway.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly.
What it is usually asking. Most jobs change. The question looks at how you learn and whom you ask.
A plan for the answer
- Name what you had to learn and by when.
- Describe your method: who you asked, what you read, how you practiced.
- Show the result with something that could be checked.
Strengths and weaknesses
Questions about how you work and what you are still learning.
What is your greatest strength?
What it is usually asking. The listener wants a strength that matters for this job, with proof.
A plan for the answer
- Choose one strength that appears in the job post.
- Give a short example where it made a difference.
- Stop there. One strength with proof beats a list of adjectives.
What is your greatest weakness?
What it is usually asking. It tests self-awareness. A fake weakness (“I work too hard”) tells the listener nothing.
A plan for the answer
- Pick a real weakness that is not central to the job.
- Say what you do about it now, with a recent example.
- Show that it is improving, even if it is not solved.
A worked answer. I tend to say yes to every request and then stretch myself thin. I noticed it last spring when two deadlines landed together. Now, when someone asks for something, I check my list and answer with when I can do it, not just whether. It has made my estimates more honest, and I am still practicing it.
How do you handle pressure?
What it is usually asking. The interviewer wants a method, not “I thrive under pressure”.
A plan for the answer
- Describe what you do first when things pile up: list, rank, ask.
- Give one short example.
- Say what you do to recover afterwards.
How do you take criticism?
What it is usually asking. It shows whether feedback makes you defensive or better.
A plan for the answer
- Say how you listen: you ask for an example before you answer.
- Give a time you changed how you worked because of feedback.
- Say what changed, and what you learned.
Do you prefer to work alone or on a team?
What it is usually asking. Most jobs need both. The listener is checking that your answer fits how this team works.
A plan for the answer
- Say you can do both and describe when each works best for you.
- Give a short example of each.
- Match the balance to what the job post describes.
What would you do
Made-up situations that show how you think.
What would you do in your first 90 days?
What it is usually asking. It shows whether you would listen first and whether you can plan without knowing everything.
A plan for the answer
- First weeks: learn the work, the people and how decisions are made.
- Next: pick a small task you can finish and do it well.
- Then: ask for feedback and agree on what to take on next.
You have three urgent tasks and time for one. What do you do?
What it is usually asking. The answer to look for is a method for choosing, together with communication.
A plan for the answer
- Ask who is waiting on each task and what happens if it slips.
- Do the one with the largest consequence, or the one only you can do.
- Tell the owners of the other two when you can deliver them.
What do you do when you are given unclear instructions?
What it is usually asking. Listeners want to see you ask good questions rather than guess or freeze.
A plan for the answer
- Say you would write down what you understood and send it back for confirmation.
- Ask the one or two questions that would change how you do the work.
- Start on the part that is clear while you wait.
A customer is angry about something that is not your fault. What do you do?
What it is usually asking. It checks your patience and whether you move from the emotion to a fix.
A plan for the answer
- Let the person finish, then restate the problem so they know you heard it.
- Say what you can do, and what you cannot, without blaming anyone.
- Follow up on what you promised.
Pay, timing and gaps
The practical questions people dread and rarely rehearse.
What are your salary expectations?
What it is usually asking. The company wants to know whether you fit its budget before spending more time.
A plan for the answer
- Do your homework first: look up the pay for the job in a source you trust, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, and any range in the post.
- Give a range you would be glad to accept, not a single number.
- If you are not ready, say you would like to learn more about the role and ask for their range.
I see a gap in your work history. Can you tell me about it?
What it is usually asking. The listener wants a short, calm explanation and a sign that you are ready to work.
A plan for the answer
- Say what the gap was in one sentence: caring for family, study, health, a move, a search.
- Mention anything useful you did during it.
- Move on to why you are ready now.
When could you start?
What it is usually asking. It is a planning question about notice periods and your availability.
A plan for the answer
- Check your contract for the notice you owe before the interview.
- Give a date, or a range, that you can keep.
- If you are flexible, say how much.
Questions to ask them
The interview goes both ways. Bring two or three of these.
What does success look like in this role after six months?
What it is usually asking. It shows you care about results, and it tells you how the team measures them.
A plan for the answer
- Ask it in your own words.
- Listen for concrete outcomes, not only adjectives.
- Write the answer down and refer to it in a follow-up note.
Can you tell me about the team I would work with?
What it is usually asking. You are choosing a team as much as a company.
A plan for the answer
- Ask how many people, how they communicate and how often they meet.
- Ask who you would work with most closely.
- Notice how the answer is given: is it specific?
What is the biggest challenge the team faces right now?
What it is usually asking. It shows interest in the real work and gives you a hint at what the first months will be like.
A plan for the answer
- Ask it plainly, then listen.
- If you have an example from your own experience that helps, offer it briefly.
- Do not argue with the answer. Ask a follow-up.
What are the next steps in the process?
What it is usually asking. It closes the interview and tells you how long to wait before following up.
A plan for the answer
- Ask who you will hear from and when.
- Thank them for their time.
- Write down the date they gave you, then send a short thank-you note the same day.
Questions about interview questions
Are these the questions I will be asked?
Some may be, some will not. They are common patterns, not a prediction. Practice the shapes (tell me about a time, what would you do, why this job) and adapt them to the post.
Is there a model answer for every question?
Every question has a plan. A worked answer is included for several of them, so you can see how a plan turns into sentences. Use them as examples, not as scripts.
Should I memorize my answers?
Memorize the outline, not the words. A rehearsed script sounds stiff and falls apart when the question comes in a different form.
What should I ask the interviewer?
The group “Questions to ask them” has four. Bring two or three and write down the answers.
Does the timer record my voice?
No. It only counts down. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent anywhere.
How do I talk about salary in an interview?
The question “What are your salary expectations?” has its own plan. Look up the pay for the job before the interview, for example in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, and give a range.
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Sources and limits
- University of Cincinnati: STAR method for behavioral interviews
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result: describe the context, explain your goal, share what you did and show the outcome.
University of Cincinnati. Opened on .
- Santa Monica College: Using the STAR method
It advises spending the least time on the situation, little on the task, the most on the action, and slightly less on the result.
Santa Monica College Career Services. Opened on .
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
The handbook lists occupations in 25 groups and lets you select them by 2025 median pay, entry-level education, on-the-job training, projected new jobs and projected growth rate. We link to it as a place to look up pay for a job; we copy no figure from it.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Opened on .
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