128 Free Practice Interview Questions: Ace Your Next Job Interview

As you prepare for your upcoming job interview, it’s essential to practice answering common interview questions. Familiarizing yourself with potential questions and formulating thoughtful responses can boost your confidence and increase your chances of making a great impression on the interviewer. In this comprehensive guide, we’ve compiled 128 free practice interview questions spanning various categories to help you excel in your next job interview.

Part I: Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are designed to assess how you’ve handled specific situations in the past, as this can provide insight into how you might approach similar challenges in the future. Here are 53 sample behavioral interview questions to practice:

Teamwork

• Talk about a time you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours.
• Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced at work, and how you dealt with it.
• Give me an example of how you have worked on teams. What role did you play?
• Describe a time you struggled to build a relationship with someone important. How did you overcome it?
• Tell me about a time you wish you’d handled a situation differently with a colleague.
• Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very cooperative. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time you exercised leadership.
• Describe a time when you didn’t agree with others. What did you do?
• Tell me a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager’s actions?
• Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.

Motivation

• Describe a time when you saw a problem and took the initiative to correct it rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
• Tell me about a time when you worked under close supervision or extremely loose supervision. How did you handle that?
• Give me an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it?
• Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied in your work. What could have been done to make it better?
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty in order to complete the job.
• Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision that was made at work.
• Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy you didn’t agree with.
• Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
• Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What happened and what did you do about it?

Handling Customers

• Describe a time when it was especially important to make a good impression on a client. How did you approach things?
• Give me an example where you did not meet a client’s expectations. What happened and how did you attempt to fix the situation?
• Tell me about a time you went above and beyond what was required to make sure a customer was happy.
• Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult client. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?
• When you’re working with a large number of customers, it’s tricky to deliver excellent service to all of them. How do you go about prioritizing your customers’ needs?

Problem-Solving

• Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was going on, and how did you get through it?
• Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some changes you had no control over. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt?
• Tell me about the first job you ever had. What did you do to learn the ropes?
• Tell me about a time you failed.
• Describe a difficult work situation and what you did to overcome it.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information.
• Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work, what happened?
• Tell me about a time you were under a lot of stress at work and how you dealt with it.
• Describe a crisis you faced at work. What was your role? How did you resolve it? What were the results?
• Describe a time when you were asked to do something you weren’t trained to do. How did you adapt?
• Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. How did you handle that situation?
• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem.
• Sometimes it’s easy to get in “over your head.” Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
• What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
• We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example of how you have done this.
• Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.

Time Management

• Tell me about a time you had to juggle multiple high-priority tasks. How did you handle it?
• Describe a long-term project that you managed. How did you keep everything moving along in a timely manner?
• Sometimes it’s just not possible to get everything on your to-do list done. Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective?
• Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?

Communication

• Describe a time when you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to explain something fairly complex to a frustrated client or coworker. How did you make sure they understood you?
• Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit.
• Describe a time when you had to use your written communication to get an important point across.
• Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when they may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
• In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or team member? What steps did you take? How did you prepare yourself?
• Tell me about a time you thought you communicated clearly but were misunderstood. What happened and how did you handle the situation?

Part II: Standard Interview Questions

In addition to behavioral interview questions, employers often ask a variety of other common interview questions to assess your background, skills, and fit for the role. Here are 75 standard interview questions to practice:

Questions about Your Job Search

• Why did you leave your last job?
• How has your job search gone so far?
• What other types of jobs have you been applying for?
• What other companies are you interviewing with?
• Why are you looking for a new job?
• Why do you want to leave your current job?
• What is one thing you’re looking to either have or to not have in your next position?
• What are your salary requirements?
• How soon could you be available to start?
• Would you work holidays/weekends?
• Are you willing to relocate/travel?
• What are your career goals?
• Do you have any questions for us?

Questions about the Job and Company

• How did you hear about this position?
• What do you know about our company?
• What is it about this opportunity that most excites you?
• What’s your greatest fear about this opportunity?
• Who are our competitors?
• What is the name of our CEO?
• Why did you apply for this position?
• What concerns or hesitations do you have about this opportunity?
• What is something you think we could do better or differently?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why would you excel at this job?
• Why do you want this job?

Questions about Your Background

• Walk me through your resume.
• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about your current or most recent work.
• What’s your greatest strength?
• What’s your greatest weakness?
• Why was there a gap in your employment?
• Can you explain why you changed career paths?
• What professional achievement are you most proud of?
• What is something you are working on improving right now?
• What can you offer us that someone else can’t?
• If I called your last boss right now and asked them an area you could improve on, what would they say?
• What are some of your leadership experiences?
• What sets you apart from others?

Questions about Your Personality and Motivation

• If I had your three best friends sitting with us now, how would they describe you to me?
• How would your previous coworkers describe you?
• How would your current or former boss describe you?
• If you had only one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• How do you take advantage of your strengths? How do you compensate for your weaknesses?
• What’s your leadership style?
• How do you make decisions?
• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
• Describe the boss who would get the very best work from you.
• What will make you love coming to work here every day?
• Are you a leader or a follower?
• What makes you uncomfortable?
• What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?
• What’s an area you would like to improve?
• How do you handle pressure?
• What role do you tend to move into in group work, and why?

Questions about Your Interests

• What motivates you?
• What is your dream job?
• Who inspires you in your life?
• What was the last book you read?
• What are your hobbies?
• What are you passionate about?
• What is your favorite website?
• What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
• What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
• What was your favorite job you ever had and why?
• What was your favorite part of your last job?

Hypothetical Interview Questions

• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What would you do in the first 90 days of this position to succeed?
• What would you do if you made an important business decision and a coworker challenged it?
• What would you do if management made a decision you didn’t agree with?
• What do you do when you make a mistake at work?
• What would you accomplish in the first 30 days on the job?
• Assume that you come to work here. One year from now you go home one Friday afternoon thinking that accepting this job was the best thing you ever did. What happened during the year for you to feel that way?
• How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
• How would you fire someone?
• If you had a million dollars, what kind of work would you do and why?
• How many tennis balls can you fit into a limousine?

Practicing Your Interview Answers

Now that you have a comprehensive list of potential interview questions, it’s time to practice your responses. Here are some tips to help you prepare effectively:

• Record yourself speaking or practice in front of a mirror to get comfortable with your delivery.
• Don’t memorize word-for-word answers; instead, practice talking about general topics and ideas.
• Focus on discussing your job search motivations, your impressive experiences, your strengths, and how they relate to the company’s needs.
• Tailor your responses to the specific job and company you’re interviewing with.
• Practice answering questions concisely and coherently, without rambling or going off-topic.

By thoroughly preparing and practicing your interview answers, you’ll be better equipped to handle any question that comes your way during the interview process. Remember, the key is to stay calm, be authentic, and highlight your qualifications and enthusiasm for the role.