In this article
Preparing your stories
How preparation fits into the whole process, from screen to final round, is covered in the interview process guide. The first four questions are the foundation for every later answer.
How do you prepare for a job interview?
Start from the job, not from a list of questions. Read the posting, note the skills it requires, and match each one to something you have done. The Lehigh University guide, accessed October 2026 tells you to develop brief STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories that demonstrate your leadership, teamwork, communication and initiative. Then say the stories aloud, because writing a story and speaking it are different skills.
Why it is asked: candidates ask it first because every later answer depends on it. Read the full explanation: what interview skills are and how to show them.
How many stories should I prepare, and how do I practice them?
Prepare a small set and reuse it. The University of New Mexico packet, 2020 walks you through drafting five STAR stories: an accomplishment you are proud of, a time you went above and beyond, a conflict you resolved, a challenge you overcame and a mistake you learned from. One story can answer several differently worded questions. Practice each one aloud against a timer, ideally with a person who asks probes such as "What exactly did you do?"
Why it is asked: candidates ask it because a small, well-rehearsed set covers a wide range of prompts. Read the full explanation: interview skills.
What is the STAR method, and how long should each part be?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, a four-part structure for telling a past experience (University of New Mexico, 2020). A University of Wisconsin guide suggests a time split of 15%, 15%, 50% and 20%. On an illustrative 120-second answer that is 18, 18, 60 and 24 seconds.1
Text description of the diagram
- On a 120-second answer the split is 18, 18, 60 and 24 seconds.
- Action is the longest part of a STAR answer.
Why it is asked: interviewers listen for a structured narrative with a clear result. Read the full explanation: interview skills.
Should I say "I" or "we" in an interview answer?
Say "I" for the parts you did and "we" only for context about the team. The University of Wisconsin guide tells you to explain the exact steps you took, using "I" rather than "we". Saying "we" to sound humble leaves the interviewer unable to tell what your own contribution was, which is the thing the question is trying to find out.
Why it is asked: interviewers rarely ask it directly; they assess it from how you narrate. Read the full explanation: how to show interview skills.
Types and classic interview questions
What is a behavioral question?
A behavioral question is a question about something you did in the past, used to predict how you will act in the job. Lehigh University describes it as evaluating past behavior to predict future behavior. The University of Wisconsin notes that these often start with "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of…".
Why it is asked: past actions are concrete and can be checked with follow-up probes.
What is a situational question?
A situational question is a question that gives you a realistic job scenario and asks how you would respond. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guide, September 2008 contrasts it with a behavioral question: behavioral asks what you did, situational asks what you would do. The OPM slides give an angry client at your desk as an example.
Why it is asked: it tests judgment where you have no direct past example.
How do you answer "Tell me about yourself"?
Give a short answer in three beats: your current or most recent work, one or two achievements that match the role, and why this job is the next step. Do not read your résumé aloud. A strong answer ends by pointing at the job, so the interviewer knows where to take the conversation next.
Why it is asked: it opens most interviews and shows how clearly you organize your story. Read the full explanation: interview skills.
How do you answer "What are your strengths?"
Pick two or three strengths the job posting values and give one short example for each. A claim without proof, such as "I am a hard worker", could describe anyone; a strength with a concrete result is memorable. Choose strengths you can back up with a STAR story, because the interviewer may ask for it.
Why it is asked: it shows whether you know what the role needs and how you see your own fit. Read the full explanation: interview skills.
How do you answer "What is your greatest weakness?"
Name a real weakness that does not undermine the core of the job, then explain what you do to manage it and what has improved. Avoid disguised strengths such as "I care too much", which interviewers tend to see through. A strong answer is honest, bounded and ends on the action you took, not on the flaw.
Why it is asked: it tests self-awareness and whether you act on feedback. Read the full explanation: interview skills.
How do you answer "Why are you leaving your current job?"
Keep the answer factual and forward-looking: say what you want more of, such as scope, a new skill or a different kind of work, rather than what you dislike. Never blame a manager or colleagues. If the reason is a layoff or a company change, say so plainly in one sentence and move to what you did and what you want next.
Why it is asked: it reveals your motivation and how you speak about past employers.
How do you answer "Why should we hire you?"
Connect two things: what the role needs and what you have already done that fits. A strong answer names two or three skills from the job posting, each backed by a short example, and avoids comparing yourself to other candidates, whom you cannot know.
Why it is asked: it checks whether you understood the job and can summarize your fit.
How do you answer "Where do you want to be in five years?"
Describe a direction, not a fixed title: the skills you want to build and the kind of responsibility you want to hold, in a way that this job supports. Avoid claiming you will leave the field or that you want the interviewer's job; stay honest and grounded.
Why it is asked: it checks whether your goals are compatible with the role.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
Interview Clozo is an AI interview copilot for real interview rounds: it hears the question and puts a strong answer on your screen, and you say it in your own words. See the features or how it works.
Start Free Trial →Role-specific questions
What are common Python job interview questions?
They depend on the job: a data role and a backend role stress different parts of the language. Typical topic areas include the difference between lists and tuples, how generators produce values one at a time, and why dictionary lookups are fast; these are illustrative, and no company is claimed to ask them. Employers write structured questions from a job analysis (OPM guide, September 2008), so read the posting and prepare the skills it names. For AI roles, see AI engineer interview questions and answers.
Why it is asked: interviewers check that the skills on your résumé hold up under a concrete question. Read the full explanation: AI engineer interview questions and answers.
How do I prepare for business analyst, sales, human resources (HR), nurse, teaching assistant or accounting interviews?
Use the same method for every role: list the competencies the posting implies, then match a story to each. A competency is a skill or behavior that a job requires, such as teamwork or oral communication. The OPM slides start from the job analysis and then determine the competencies to be assessed.
Illustrative prompts: business analyst, "Describe a time you turned unclear requirements into a clear specification"; sales, "Tell me about a deal you lost and what you changed"; human resources (HR), "Describe a time you handled a sensitive conflict between two employees"; nurse, "Tell me about a time a patient's condition changed quickly and what you did"; teaching assistant, "Describe a time you explained a hard idea to a struggling student"; accounting, "Tell me about a time you found an error in a report".
Why it is asked: employers choose questions that map to the role's competencies.
Questions to ask the interviewer
What questions should I ask the interviewer in a job interview?
Ask open-ended questions about the work and the team. The Virginia Tech career advice, February 2025 gives "What does a typical day look like?" and "Are there training and progression opportunities?" as samples. Thompson Rivers University advises open-ended questions because they get you more information.
Why it is asked: the closing invitation is expected, and your questions show what you care about.
How many questions should I prepare to ask, and is it okay to have none?
Prepare more than you expect to use. Thompson Rivers University says to have at least three good questions. University of Washington (UW) Bothell notes employers commonly give about five minutes for them and says you should always prepare questions ahead of time. Having none can read as low interest; if the interview covered everything, say what you learned and ask one follow-up, such as how success in the role is measured.
Why it is asked: the closing slot is a chance to show curiosity and judgment.
Rules, structure and logistics
What can an employer legally ask in an interview?
Questions should be job-related. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says an employer may ask whether you can perform the job and how you would perform it, but may not ask, for example, whether you have a disability. Its disability page says disability-related questions generally wait until after a conditional offer. These pages are U.S. guidance, not legal advice, and carry no clear date, so check current rules.
Why it is asked: candidates ask it to know what to expect from a lawful interview.
How do I answer interview questions about salary?
Research a range for the role and location first, then answer calmly with a range or a question about the scope of the job. Salary questions have their own tactics and risks, which are covered in full in how to answer interview questions about salary. A strong answer is honest, specific and leaves room to negotiate once an offer exists.
Why it is asked: employers want to check that your expectations fit the budget. Read the full explanation: salary questions guide.
Why do employers use structured interviews?
Structured interviews ask every candidate questions that come from a job analysis, are realistic and open-ended, and are scored consistently (OPM guide, September 2008). The widely cited Schmidt and Hunter review (1998) covered nineteen selection procedures, structured interviews among them. A 2022 paper by Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens re-examined the corrections behind such validity estimates, so treat any single validity figure with care.
Why it is asked: candidates ask it because scripted, repeated questions are the mark of a structured interview.
What are valid reasons to reschedule an interview?
Illness, a clash with a prior commitment, an emergency or an unavoidable travel problem are the usual reasons, and the best practice is to tell the recruiter as early as you can and offer new times. Wording and etiquette are covered in valid reasons to reschedule an interview.
Why it is asked: it is a logistics question candidates raise, and the way you handle it signals reliability. Read the full explanation: reasons to reschedule an interview.
Follow-up questions
Which job interview questions should I prepare for first?
Start with the classic openers (tell me about yourself, strengths, weakness, why you are leaving), then build the reusable STAR stories for behavioral prompts, then add role-specific questions such as Python or business analyst topics. The twenty above cover that core plus the closing questions and the rules. The interview process guide shows where each one appears in a full process.
What interview preparation tips matter most?
Three habits carry most of the value: analyze the job to find the skills it needs, prepare a small set of reusable STAR stories, and bring several questions to ask. All three come from the sources above. Rehearse aloud, since a story that reads well may still sound unclear when spoken.
How is preparation different for AI-lab and big-tech loops?
The method is the same, but the loop has more rounds and a technical depth that depends on the role. See OpenAI interview questions and process, how the Anthropic interview process works and AI engineer interview questions and answers for role-level detail.
Does an applicant tracking system change how I prepare?
It affects the application stage, not what you say in the interview. For that separate question, see how applicant tracking systems relate to AI.
- Prepare from the job: find the skills it requires, then match a story to each.
- Keep about five reusable STAR stories and give the largest share (about half) of each answer to your own Action.
- A behavioral question asks what you did; a situational question asks what you would do.
- Bring at least three open-ended questions to ask at the end.
- Lawful questions are job-related, and disability questions generally wait until after a conditional offer.
Sources
- STAR Method for Behavioral Interview Questions (University of Wisconsin career guide; undated page, accessed October 2026) — University of Wisconsin, 26 Oct 2026
- STAR Method Interview Prep Packet (University of New Mexico Career Services) — University of New Mexico, 1 Jan 2020
- Behavioral Interview Guide (Lehigh University Center for Career and Professional Development; undated, accessed October 2026) — Lehigh University, 26 Oct 2026
- Structured Interviews: A Practical Guide — U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1 Sep 2008
- Structured interviews (OPM slides; undated, accessed October 2026) — U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 26 Oct 2026
- The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings (Schmidt and Hunter, Psychological Bulletin 124(2), 262-274) — American Psychological Association, 1 Jan 1998
- Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection (Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens, Journal of Applied Psychology 107(11)) — American Psychological Association, 1 Jan 2022
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and Medical Questions and Examinations (undated page, accessed October 2026) — U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 26 Oct 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and Disability (undated page, accessed October 2026) — U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 26 Oct 2026
- Questions to ask interviewers (Virginia Tech) — Virginia Tech, 20 Feb 2025
- Questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview (Thompson Rivers University; undated, accessed October 2026) — Thompson Rivers University, 26 Oct 2026
- Questions during the interview (University of Washington Bothell career services; undated, accessed October 2026) — University of Washington Bothell, 26 Oct 2026
