Have you got a job interview coming up? One of the most important stages of preparing for a job interview is anticipating what the interviewer is going to ask you. 

Kickresume analyzed common interview questions from 50 companies like Apple and Accenture to break down what topics come up the most often, aside from technical or industry-specific questions. By looking at over 250 interview questions, our findings reveal what companies care about the most when interviewing candidates. 

Here’s a quick overview of what we found out:

  • 54% of the companies we investigated asked candidates to describe a situation in which they used a particular skill or experienced a specific problem.
  • 26% of companies wanted to know about a previous achievement — with 16% asking what candidates’ number one proudest achievement was.
  • 22% of companies asked interviewees about previous mistakes and failures, and what they did next.
  • 16% of companies included a question about deadlines, with 10% including a question about how candidates cope under pressure.
  • 10% of companies asked candidates to talk about either a previous, current or hypothetical future manager, with the same percentage asking questions about working with difficult colleagues. 

Companies want you to give them some proof you’re a good fit

Our research showed that companies overwhelmingly wanted to hear about how candidates had acted in a particular situation. 54% of the companies in our sample asked a question that included a phrase like ‘Describe a situation in which…’ or ‘Describe a time when…’ — proving that demonstrable experience is key. 

Here’s one example of this type of question, shared by people who have been interviewed for a position at Hewlett-Packard. ‘Tell us about a time you came up with a solution to a problem and how you executed it.’

It’s clear to see that when hiring managers ask this question, they are inviting you to share how well you fit the job description, backed up with evidence. It’s a very similar process to customizing your resume or cover letter to fit the job description, so if you have already updated these in order to apply for the job, the skills, attributes or experience they ask about in the interview shouldn’t be a surprise. 

Hiring managers want to know about your wins — but also your losses

We also confirmed with our research that it’s highly likely that your interviewer will ask you to tell them something you’re proud to have achieved. 26% of the companies we reviewed included a question about a previous accomplishment.

However, 16% went further and wanted to know about your ‘proudest’ or ‘greatest’ achievement. This question is more personal, as it reveals something about your values — are you proudest of qualities like your leadership abilities or your tenacity, or a skill you have developed over the years?

But employers were not just interested in hearing about times that you met or exceeded a goal — they were also curious about times that you didn’t quite make it. We searched the questions for the keywords ‘fail’ and ‘mistake’ and found that 22% of companies asked candidates to talk about a previous failure. Again, this question reveals something deeper about a candidate. It tells the interviewer what your attitude is like when things don’t go to plan, as well as showing off your problem-solving abilities. 

Companies want to hear your enthusiasm for working with them

16% of companies asked candidates what their favorite thing about the company was, what their favorite product made by the company was, or asked them to share what interested them the most about joining the team. 

Asking you this question shows the interviewer whether you have done your research about the company, as well as letting them know your level of interest in the company. 

People who have been interviewed at Google shared that they had been asked: ‘What is your favorite Google product? Why? How would you improve it?’ This question isn’t a request for flattery (although most hiring managers are happy to hear that you like their company and its work)! It goes a little deeper. Candidates are being asked to show their skills and critical insight, as well as their enthusiasm. 

Questions about how you cope under pressure are common 

In an interview, you’re presenting your best version of yourself in a controlled environment. Companies want to know what you will be like in a real work environment, particularly when things get stressful. 

16% of companies asked candidates questions about deadlines. They wanted to understand the interviewees’ approach to time management, how they balance different tasks with competing deadlines, and how they feel about fast-paced work. 

10% of companies also asked interviewees how they work under pressure, with a further 10% asking questions about the topic of ‘work environment’. These included both questions about the work environment at that particular company, and questions regarding the candidates’ ideal work environment. 

Companies want to know that you have a plan

Another common thread identified in our research was companies asking candidates to talk about their plans for the future, both in the short and long term. 16% of firms wanted to know what candidates would achieve at the company, if hired, with some specifying a time frame. For instance, SaaS company Square asked interviewees, ‘How long will it take you to begin working on projects and make a meaningful contribution at Square?’ 

A slightly smaller percentage at 14% asked candidates where they saw themselves in five years’ time. This question reveals several things about the interviewee. How you answer shows whether you are serious about the company, as well as the skills you want to develop in the future, or the kind of role you are hoping to work towards.

Working relationships are a priority for hiring managers

Our study also found that questions around working relationships are quite common. 10% of all companies asked a question about managers. This included both questions about candidates’ relationships with previous managers, as well as questions about hypothetical future managers, such as Unilever’s question, ‘How would you react if you were given negative feedback from your line manager?’

Potential future employers want to know how well you work under the supervision of a manager, as well as what kind of boss you work well with. It’s in their interests to hire someone who will fit in well with the existing team. 

The same percentage of companies asked a question about conflict within the team or working together with a difficult colleague. While ideally, everyone will work together well, sometimes moments of conflict may be unavoidable — companies are keen to make sure that their new hires have good communication skills and can resolve any disagreements in a productive manner. 

Top recruiters: the companies with the most job ads

We looked up each of the companies included in our research on LinkedIn to find out which ones are hiring for the most jobs right now. It’s not surprising to see that the companies with the highest number of open positions are multinational corporations with offices in many cities around the world. 

Amazon had the highest number of positions available for job hunters, with 32,070 adverts up on LinkedIn. While it’s a tech company, the jobs available are very varied, with adverts for product management, marketing, HR and customer service roles, to name a few. 

The remainder of the top five companies with the most positions open were all in the consultancy and professional services sector. Deloitte and Accenture were in second and third place, with 28,966 and 28,759 adverts up respectively. PwC was next, at 25,729, followed by EY, where there were 22,933 jobs up for grabs.

Final thoughts 

Our research shows that while interviews will vary across industries and job roles, there are some key concerns that hiring managers are very likely to ask you about. Many of the questions we identified are well known, like ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ and questions about what interests you most about the company you’re applying to.

The findings show that questions that reveal something deeper about you are popular with hiring managers, which makes sense. Asking about how you act in a certain situation is a great way to learn about your personality, values and experience, as is asking you to talk about a time where things didn’t go your way. So if an interviewer asks you something like this, they’re not trying to catch you out — it’s just an attempt to get to know you better and find out if you’re the right fit for the role. 

Note

This study sampled common interview questions from 50 different companies across a range of industries and sectors. Between 5 and 10 questions, shared on careers websites from people’s real experiences, were sampled for each company. Kickresume searched the questions for keywords to discover the most frequent topics. Kickresume also looked up each company on LinkedIn to see the number of open jobs. The research was conducted on 16 December 2024. 

About Kickresume

Kickresume is an AI-based career tool that helps candidates source jobs and raise salary with powerful resume and cover letter tools, skills analytics, and automated job search assistance. It already helped more than 6 million job seekers worldwide.