# Common interview questions and how to answer them Source: https://www.cvsorted.co.za/blog/common-interview-questions Published: 2026-10-15 Common interview questions include "Tell me about yourself", "Why do you want this job?", "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" and "Tell me about a time when...". Answer each one directly, back it with a short real example, and keep it to about one to two minutes. ## Key points - Interviewers use common questions to check fit, reliability and how you think. - A good answer is short, specific and true. Add one example per answer. - Prepare four or five stories that can be reused for many questions. - Practise aloud, but do not memorise word for word. - If you do not know something, say so and explain how you would find out. ## What are interviewers really asking? Behind most questions are three simple concerns: can you do the work, will you fit in and stay reliable, and do you want this job? If you keep these in mind, you can shape each answer so it speaks to the real concern. The wording of the question can change. The concerns do not. ## "Tell me about yourself": how do I answer? Give a short summary in three parts: what you do now or did most recently, a highlight that fits the job, and why you are applying. Aim for under a minute and a half. Do not start with your childhood or read out your CV. Sample for a fictional applicant: "I have worked as a receptionist at a medical practice for three years, booking appointments and handling payments. I enjoy meeting people and keeping things running smoothly, and I completed a short course in billing software. I am looking for a front desk role in a bigger practice where I can learn more about administration." Replace the facts with your own. The structure stays the same. ## "Why do you want this job?" Show that you understand the job and have a real reason. Mention one or two things in the work and one thing about the employer. Avoid answers that are only about pay or travel distance, even if those matter to you. Sample: "I like work where accuracy matters, and this role involves checking deliveries against orders, which I have done for four years. I also know your depot serves local businesses, and I would like to work close to home." ## "What are your strengths?" Pick two strengths that matter in this job and give a short example for each. Do not list a string of adjectives. Sample: "One strength is staying calm when it is busy. During month-end at my last job I handled queries from customers and still captured my invoices on time. Another is accuracy. I check my work twice, and my supervisor asked me to review new colleagues' entries." ## "What is your weakness?" Choose a real, minor weakness that you are working to improve, and describe what you do about it. Do not use a fake weakness such as "I work too hard", and do not name something that would stop you doing the job. Sample: "I used to say yes to every request, which made it hard to meet my deadlines. Now I check my list first, say what I can do by when, and ask my supervisor to help with priorities." ## "Tell me about a time when..." These are behavioural questions. They ask for a real past example. Use the STAR pattern: situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on what you did and what came of it. Common versions include: - A time you handled a difficult customer or colleague. - A time you made a mistake and what happened. - A time you worked under pressure or a tight deadline. - A time you helped a team reach a goal. - A time you had to learn something quickly. Choose stories from work, school, volunteering or home, and prepare them in advance. See the article on behavioural questions for more. ## "Why did you leave your last job?" Give a short, neutral reason and look forward. Do not criticise your former employer. Common honest reasons include a contract that ended, wanting more responsibility, a change of location, retrenchment or studying. Sample: "My contract ended when the project finished. I enjoyed the work and I am now looking for a permanent role where I can keep developing my skills." If you were dismissed, be honest, brief and calm, and say what you learned. The article on explaining a dismissal covers this in detail. ## "Where do you see yourself in five years?" They are checking whether you have realistic goals and might stay. Give a direction rather than a promise. Speak about the kind of work you want to be doing and the skills you hope to build. Sample: "I would like to be doing more advanced administration work and to have completed further studies. I want to build a solid base here first." ## "What are your salary expectations?" Prepare before the interview by researching typical pay for the role from reliable sources and thinking about your minimum. You can answer with a range based on that research, or ask about the budget for the role. If the pay is not yet discussed, it is reasonable to say you would like to understand the full role first. There is more in the article on the salary expectation question. ## "Do you have any questions for us?" Always have two or three. Ask about the work, the team or the next steps. For example: "What would a good first three months look like?" Avoid "No, I think you have covered everything", which can sound uninterested. ## "How do you handle pressure?" and "How do you work in a team?" Give a concrete example rather than a general claim. For pressure, describe a time with a real deadline or workload, what you did to stay organised and what happened. For teamwork, describe a task where several people had to coordinate, your role in it and the result. If you are new to work, use school projects, sport, volunteering or helping at home. ## How should I handle questions I cannot answer? Pause, then say honestly: "I have not done that, but here is something similar I have done" and then describe it. Or say how you would learn it. Do not guess or invent. If you need time, say "Let me think for a moment." ## How should I handle questions that feel inappropriate? Some questions about marriage, children, religion or health may come up. Rules and norms differ by country and situation. You can answer briefly and steer back to your ability to do the job, or politely ask how the question relates to the role. If it concerns you, you can check official sources or seek advice. See the article on awkward interview questions. ## What mistakes make answers weak? - Rambling for several minutes without a point. - Giving general claims without an example. - Reading from memorised scripts. - Blaming others for past problems. - Saying "we" for everything, so the interviewer cannot tell what you did. - Giving the same example for every question. ## How do I practise? Write each question on a card, answer aloud, and time yourself. Then pick the three weakest answers and rewrite them with a clearer example. Ask a friend to play the interviewer. Record one answer on your phone and listen for filler words and pauses. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the most common interview question? "Tell me about yourself" is almost always asked in some form. Answer in about a minute with your current or recent work, one or two highlights that fit the job and why you are applying. Do not repeat your whole CV. ### How long should my answers be? Aim for about one to two minutes for most answers. A direct first sentence, one example and a short close is enough. If the interviewer wants more, they will ask follow-up questions. ### What if I have no work experience to talk about? Use examples from school, sport, volunteering, family responsibilities or community activities. The interviewer wants to see how you act in real situations. Describe what you did, what you learned and how it relates to the job. ### How do I answer questions about weaknesses honestly? Choose a real but manageable weakness, and say what you are doing to improve. Avoid clichés such as being a perfectionist. Pick something that does not prevent you from doing the job, and show that you are making progress. ## Next steps List the five questions you most dread, write a short true example for each and say them aloud. Then ask someone to run through them with you. If you want a guided way to put this together, you can build your CV step by step with [CV Sorted](/cv): it is free to build and preview. ## Related reading - [How to prepare for a job interview, step by step](/blog/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview) - [How to answer "Tell me about yourself" in an interview](/blog/tell-me-about-yourself) - [Behavioural interview questions and how to answer them](/blog/behavioural-interview-questions)