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10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

• Vicky Oliver

Use this guide to stand out from the crowd and land the role you want.

Interviews can be high stress, anxiety-driving situations, especially if it’s your first interview. A little practice and preparation always pays off. While we can’t know exactly what an employer will ask, here are 10 common interview questions along with advice on how to answer them. The questions include:

• Could you tell me something about yourself and describe your background in brief? : Interviewers like to hear stories about candidates. Make sure your story has a great beginning, a riveting middle, and an end that makes the interviewer root for you to win the job.
• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? : Share an instance when you remained calm despite the turmoil. If it’s a skill you’re developing, acknowledge it and include the steps you’re taking to respond better to pressure in the future.
• What are your salary expectations? : Before you walk in for your first interview, you should already know what the salary is for the position you’re applying to. Check out websites such as Glassdoor, Fishbowl, or Vault.com for salary information. You could also ask people in the field by reaching out to your community on LinkedIn.

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Resignation numbers have remained abnormally high in the U.S. between July 2021 and October 2021, with millions of Americans quitting their jobs  — which also means there are millions of new openings up for grabs. If you’re entering the market for the first time, or just looking to make a change, use this guide to prepare for your next interview.

• Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-best-selling author of five books, including  301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions , named in the top 10 list of “Best Books for HR Interview Prep.” She’s a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 900 appearances in broadcast, print, and online outlets.    

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19 steps to ace any job interview and stand out

Acing a job interview requires preparation, punctuality, and authenticity. Research the company, understand the job role, and be ready to showcase your skills and experiences. During the interview, be personable, honest, and show interest and passion. After the interview, follow up with a thank-you note and address any pending questions.

Ashley McCann

Content contributor with experience in HR technology topics.

A new job can unlock a whole world of possibilities, but the pressure to favorably present your skills, experience, and your ability to make a good first impression can make any job search an intimidating endeavor.

Although the interview process can be daunting, preparation is the key to building your confidence and proving that you’re the best candidate. Learn how to ace an interview with 19 steps that will help you stand out and succeed.

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Table of contents

Before the interview.

1. Research the company 2. Reread the job description 3. Prepare for the typical job interview questions 4. Get your backstory right 5. Prepare smart questions in advance 6. Is your interview remote? Check your equipment and find a quiet place 7. Practice your job interview

The day of the interview

8. Be on time 9. Bring resumes, reference letters and your notepad 10. Dress well 11. Relax, you came prepared

During the interview

12. Smile and be nice 13. Be honest 14. Show interest and passion 15. Demonstrate your expertise 16. Take notes

After the interview

17. Follow up to say thank you 18. Deal with any take-home assignment in a timely manner 19. Follow up on eventual questions that were asked during the interview

1. Research the company

Educating yourself on the company you’re interviewing for serves two important purposes. First, it helps ensure that the company’s mission and culture align with your own interests, career goals, and values. Second, the ability to authentically incorporate this knowledge into an interview shows that you are thoughtful, well-prepared, and truly interested in becoming a member of their team.

Prepare yourself by reading the website thoroughly, following their social media feeds, checking any interesting or relevant results on Google, searching reviews on GlassDoor, and reviewing the LinkedIn profiles of anyone participating in the interview. Take notes to help you formulate questions that demonstrate a genuine interest in the company and what they do.

2. Reread the job description

Take the time to read the job description again carefully prior to your interview. Make a list of the skills, experience, or qualifications you have that prove that you’re a viable candidate, using specific examples or quantifiable metrics as often as possible.

Also, pay attention to the specific adjectives used when they describe the type of candidate they’re seeking in the job listing ; look for opportunities to include those words (or synonyms) into your interview answers or relay anecdotes that exhibit those qualities when you’re asked behavioral questions.

3. Prepare for the typical job interview questions

The number-one way to learn how to ace an interview is to come prepared with strong answers to interview questions . While you won’t know exactly what will be asked, you can increase your odds of doing well by researching common job interview questions and coming up with 50- to 100-word answers. Be prepared to answer questions like:

• Why should we hire you?
• What’s your biggest weakness?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• If I call your current/previous employer, what would he/she say about you?
• Tell me about a challenge you overcame

4. Get your backstory right

Despite being the most knowledgeable party about your own work history, there’s something about being asked to summarize your experience at the beginning of a call that can cause your thoughts to come to a screeching halt.

Take some time before the interview to write down a short outline that sums up your professional life, making sure to highlight any positions or experience that seem particularly relevant to the job. Then practice saying it out loud in a way that feels friendly, natural, and confident — it’s important that you don’t sound like you’re reading or reciting from a list.

5. Prepare smart questions in advance

Remember how you reviewed the job description and researched the company? That particular prep work is about to help prove that you’re interested in this specific position for this exact company — not just someone who stumbled in on a random and indiscriminate job hunt.

At some point during the interview, you’ll most likely be invited to ask your own questions and this is an opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up. Demonstrate that you’re eager to learn, interested in the position and the company, and have a general understanding of what they need and what they do through a series of thoughtful questions. Consider questions like:

• What would a typical day in this position look like?
• What challenges could this position help solve?
• Can you share some examples of the types of projects this position would work on?
• What metrics or KPIs would help quantify the success of this role?
• Are there any specific products or goals that the company is currently focused on?

6. Is your interview remote? Check your equipment and find a quiet place

Phone or video interviews often precede in-person interviews lately. Although everyone is familiar with the frustration of technical difficulties, a bad connection, dim lighting, or a noisy background can distract from the great impression you’re hoping to make.

Ace an interview (even from a distance) with the following remote interview tips:

• Find a clean, uncluttered background.
• Either set up a ring light or face a source of natural light.
• Make sure your webcam is at eye level.
• Try to make sure you’re in a quiet space. If it’s a phone interview, make sure you’re in a spot with good reception.
• Do a practice run with a friend via video to make sure everything goes as planned.

7. Practice your job interview

Confidence is key to crushing an interview. It may feel silly at first, but the best way to work on your interview skills is by rehearsing. Ask a friend or family member to play the role of interviewer or hiring manager and set up a video call or meeting.

Introduce yourself, summarize your work history, answer the questions they ask , and practice asking your own questions.

Work on not only what you say, but also how you say it. Do you sound nervous? What message is your body language conveying?

Are you talking too fast or rambling? Make sure your faux interviewer understands that critical feedback is essential to your success. Ask them open-ended questions about what went well and how you could improve.

8. Be on time

There are a few aspects of the interview process that you have almost complete control over, and one of those is punctuality. Err on the side of being way too early, especially if it’s an in-person interview and traffic could become a factor — you never know when an accident or detour could become an obstacle.

If it’s a remote interview, be fully dressed and set up to test your equipment well before the interview starts.

9. Bring resumes, reference letters and your notepad

Don’t show up to your interview empty-handed. Even if you submitted your resume and reference letters via email, bring printed copies to your in-person interview — your interviewer may not have those items with them, they could get misplaced in an overloaded inbox, or you may want to refer to that information.

Also, bring a notepad and pen. It can help you write down any questions that may pop up during the interview and allows you to take notes to review later.

10. Dress well

Looking good contributes to feeling confident. Make a positive impression while boosting your self-esteem in clothes that are clean, fit well, and are appropriate for an interview setting.

Get honest opinions from friends and family members if you’re unsure about what to wear and try on your clothes and accessories the night before to eliminate the possibility of any last-minute wardrobe malfunctions.

11. Relax, you came prepared

You’ve done your research. You’ve practiced. You’ve come prepared. You’re early and well dressed. And chances are, you’re nervous. That’s normal. Take advantage of your early arrival and draw your shoulders back and down, unclench your jaw, and take several deep breaths.

Consider the fact that feeling nervous and being excited share a lot of the same physiological symptoms. Try to reframe anxiety as optimistic anticipation. Spend a few quiet moments reviewing any notes you’ve taken, remind yourself that you’ve prepared the best you can, and assume an air of confidence. After all, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be!

12. Smile and be nice

No one goes into a job interview with the intent to be unpleasant, but sometimes being nervous makes it hard to act natural. Be the best version of yourself — a prospective employer wants to get to know the real you. Smile, make eye contact, and be personable.

A job interview is a professional occasion with a social slant, so be friendly with the interviewer, laugh if the opportunity arises, and show off your personality, but in a more polished way than you might with friends. Remember that they’re looking to fill a job and to form a relationship with a potential new team member.

13. Be honest

Behavioral interview questions can often feel like a trap. For instance, “Tell me about a time that you received critical feedback,” might seem like a question to evade but the reality is that they’re trying to get an idea about your level of self awareness or ability to handle constructive criticism.

Use prior experiences as a way to show that you’re a good fit for their company culture and provide anecdotes that show that you’re genuine and have good communication skills. Authenticity can help you stand out and ace the interview.

Also, if you don’t have an answer for something, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I will follow up after the interview.” Don’t embellish or give superficial answers.

14. Show interest and passion

Enthusiastic people are interesting. Don’t hesitate to share your curiosity or excitement about a subject or project. If possible, provide examples of how the subject matter is relevant to your personal life or professional experience.

Explaining why something is interesting or important to you can make you more memorable.

15. Demonstrate your expertise

Look for opportunities to insert specific examples of your professional experience and expertise into the conversation. Did you improve a process or solve a problem at your current or previous job? Have you read books, attended conferences, or written blog posts that are relevant to the position?

Be humble but be confident about what you know and how it could benefit their company. Try to tack real-world examples onto as many questions as possible.

16. Take notes

Remember that notebook you brought with you? Be sure to put it to good use. Taking notes shows that you’re interested, that you’re listening, and that you care. As an added bonus, it can help ease the nervous urge to fidget and can give you a moment to think before answering. Write down the names of who you’ll be reporting to, answers to questions you have, and information you’d like to research or refer back to later.

17. Follow up to say thank you

Good manners never go out of style. Take a moment after the interview to follow up with a thank-you note. Doing so shows that you appreciate their time and the opportunity, and helps you stand out from those who don’t send one.

Think of it as a pop-up notification to remind the hiring manager and interviewers that you’re interested, available, and appreciative.

18. Deal with any take-home assignment in a timely manner

If the interviewer asks you to submit a project after the interview, do your best work but do it quickly. Turning in an assignment promptly shows that you’re invested in the hiring process.

If you and another interviewee are both being seriously considered, submitting quality work with a quick turnaround time could help identify you as the ideal candidate for the job.

19. Follow up on questions asked during the interview

If there was a question that you couldn’t answer on the spot, don’t forget to follow up on your promise to provide an answer after the interview. It may be tempting to assume they’ll forget about it, and they might, but following up shows that you gave the question the consideration that it deserves and gives you an extra opportunity to remind them of your interest.

Looking for more information about how to ace an interview? Check out the questions interviewers might ask and how they evaluate answers .

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The secret weapon to ace your next job interview: a proven strategy.

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The key to landing the job is to master how to answer the interview questions.

Answering interview questions can be very stressful. You want to do your best and impress the employer. The outcome you wish for is to get hired; yet, many times that doesn’t happen. The best career advice you can apply to improve your interviewing skills is to do your homework and prep before the job interview. That preparation is often the difference between losing out or landing that job.

When Ann read the job description, she was excited, as she could envision herself working and excelling in that new role. She called about interview coaching and explained her situation. “I was laid off a month ago, and unemployment doesn’t cover my rent. I’m single and in my early 50s, so I’m anxious about being unemployed. I love everything about this job and the organization. I have the experience and skills they ask for. I know I would be great in that role. So, when I talk to the hiring manager, I need to knock this thing out of the park.”

During the coaching session, we covered how to respond when the employer asks a difficult situational question. This requires a thoughtful and specific answer involving a work example. Learn more about creating these types of answers by reading “ Ace Your Next Interview Using the STAR Method .”

We also tackled crafting effective answers to tough questions like these.

1. What are your weaknesses?

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2. Tell me about yourself.

3. What is your most outstanding achievement?

4. Why should I hire you?

5. What is your salary expectation?

We role-played, and she felt good about how to present herself in the best possible light. But Ann expressed another worry. She said, “Robin, I get nervous in an interview. I’m afraid my mind will go blank, and I’ll mess up. How do I get over that to feel confident and not make a big mistake?” Excellent question. Ann was quite surprised when I shared my top tip for handling the interview like a pro.

The Technique To Use

Zoom has made it easy to use this cheat-sheet strategy, which works because the employer can’t see your screen. You just need Post-it notes. Yes, you read that right—Post-it notes: those sticky pieces of paper where you will write the words to remind you of the correct answer to a specific question, and what your top selling points are. You then place these Post-its—and there will likely be a lot of them—around your monitor and on your screen.

You may also highlight essential parts of your resume and tape that to the screen. The other significant advantage is that you can maintain eye contact by looking at the monitor camera and simultaneously see your cheat notes with effective answers outlined before your eyes.

Ann covered everything in detail, which is what worked best for her.

Whereas some people often use tiny phrases and key words on their Post-it notes, you’ll notice in the photo that Ann covered everything in detail, which is what she said worked best for her. Either style is effective, so use whatever way best triggers your memory.

Eye Contact Is Critical

The other significant advantage of this technique is that you can maintain eye contact by looking at the monitor camera and simultaneously see your “cheat notes” with effective answers outlined before your eyes. I have coached hundreds of people on Zoom interviewing, and I'm always amazed at how many people, including professionals, glance up, down, to the side and break the critical eye contact that you must maintain during the interview.

You need to continuously look at the camera, which is the only way to maintain "eye contact" with the person on the screen. It's not the natural thing: you want to look at the person's face, but that doesn't come across right to that person you are interacting with on Zoom.

Placement Does Matter

Using notes and resumes can be very obvious, if you are not careful. Position your Post-it notes as close as possible to the monitor camera using the outside edge and the screen so that you only need to glance at them. If you have so many notes that some of them are a little far away from the camera, glance at them without moving your head, and return your eyes to the camera as quickly as possible . Remember not to focus on the person's face you see on the monitor screen . Also, don’t look down or at your keyboard which is a red flag you’re checking the resume.

Does It Make A Difference?

Ann called after the interview to say, “I nailed it. This technique was brilliant. The Post-its and my detailed notes helped me remain confident and calm and give the most effective answers I could. Remember how you told me to slow down and breathe to calm my nerves? Here’s a picture of what my computer looked like. You’ll see right in the middle of my cheat sheet it says ‘BREATH’ in yellow highlighted letters,” she said, laughing.

Two days later, Ann emailed to say, “Robin, I’m so happy. I got the job!”

This all may take a bit of practice. Ask a friend to interview you on Zoom to let you know if you are maintaining good eye contact. Try this technique before your next interview. It will enable you to do your best and have the correct answers to impress an employer.

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Doing Your Homework Before a Job Interview

Being prepared for a job interview is arguably more important than the interview itself. One of the worst feelings to have when in an interview is being asked a question you flat-out don’t know how to answer. There’s a simple way to avoid that feeling entirely – do your homework! Just because you already got your degree doesn’t mean you’re done studying. We understand job interviews can be extremely stressful. Here are some of the most popular interview questions, and assignments we can give you to answer them properly.

Question: Did you have a chance to check out our website? Assignment: This one’s pretty easy – ALWAYS check out the website!

• Make a note of their “vibe.” The larger headings may give you insight into what’s most important to them, and their verbiage could be a tell-tale sign of the company vision and culture.
• If they have an FAQ section, there’s a great place to find some company-centric questions YOU can ask at the end of the interview (we’ll touch on that later).
• Create a short list of 2-3 things in your head with some things you like about the company. This may involve leaving their home page and delving in a little deeper to what they do. Don’t just say “yep, your website looks great!” and move on from the question. Propel the conversation forward by noting an interesting project they’ve worked on, a charity they work with, or a special service they offer.

Question: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Assignment: As the great wordsmith Dr. Seuss once said, “There is no one alive that is youer than you!” Don’t let this question freak you out. If ever there’s a place in the interview process – from submitting your resume to your first day on the job – to show your personality, here it is! Think of the answer in advance.

• Something important to note about this question: the interviewer most likely cares less about your answer to this question, and cares more about the confidence and enthusiasm (dare we say “wit”) you approach your answer with.
• If you really want to focus on being succinct, consider answering this question by starting out with “I can summarize myself in three words.” (Try to avoid pulling a Dwight Schrute .) Don’t pick the overused buzzwords we see so often on resumes i.e. detail oriented, results-driven, successful, responsible and the like. Take some inventory on yourself and pick three words that can accurately summarize you.
• For a slightly more long-winded answer (but still not too abstract), try prefacing with “Those who know me best say I’m …” or “A quotation I try to live my life by is…” so you can have a jumping-off point. Homework is easy to do on these – just ask someone close to you to describe you (in a professional capacity), or recall your favorite quote and figure out why it speaks to you.
• If you’re a confident person who’s not waivered by nerves (and you’re confident the interview has started off well already), consider “Well, I googled myself today, and this is what I found…” or “The compliment people give me most frequently is…” These don’t necessarily require a predetermined answer, so make sure your head is clear if you approach the question this way.

Question: What’s your biggest strength? Assignment: Say what you mean, and be able to give some evidence to back it up.

• Talk about a strong quality or skill you have. It doesn’t have to be too specific, but if it’s a very general buzzword (organized, motivated, etc) be sure you can really speak to that quality. Give concrete examples of how you employed that skill in past roles you’ve been in (and if you’re a new grad, how you employed it in school) and bring it full-circle by telling your interviewer how it will apply to the role you’re in contention for. It’s like writing a paper for English class – you can’t just put a quote in your paper and move on! Give it some evidence and analysis to show you really know what you’re talking about.
• It’s always important to stay on track in an interview and keep all your answers relevant to the job at hand (unless otherwise asked). Don’t tell your interviewer that your biggest strength is being able to play FIFA for 36 hours without eating, or that the fudge brownies you bake are award-winning. Your interviewer will become frustrated if you veer too far off course.

Now that we’ve finished discussing some of the tougher interview questions that can leave you scratching your head, let’s talk about perhaps the toughest one of all: when your interviewer asks you “Do you have any questions for me?” Check back next week to get some awesome tips on the best questions to ask the person interviewing you. (Spoiler alert – when asked if you have any questions, the answer should NEVER be no!)

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100+ Common Job Interview Questions and How To Answer Them

• Jakub Kaprál , 
• Updated November 13, 2023 13 min read

With a fair deal of exaggeration, your resume is just a piece of impersonal paper that offers nothing but crude facts. Interviews, on the other hand, reveal much more about your personality, attitudes, manners and values.

The first face to face meeting often becomes the turning point in the hiring process. That's why it's wise to invest some time in research and preparation for your next job interview .

Back at school, we always strived to learn all exam questions in advance. Job interviews work in a similar fashion. But instead of marks, good answers can get you a fantastic job .

We've collected 100 most common job interview questions to help you get ready to tackle tricky questions and craft smart responses to the major questions coming your way.

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

Five categories of interview questions

1. traditional questions, 2. behavioral questions: how do you act on the job, 3. cultural fit questions: do you share our values, 4. logistical questions: employment history and salary expectations, 5. oddball questions: the odd and unexpected.

Certainly, recruiters won't ask you all 100 questions in a row. But chances are they'll sample a few questions from each of the below categories to get a full sense of your skills and personality .

• Traditional questions . Open-ended questions about your background, goals, and work style.
• Behavioral questions . These ask you to provide specific examples of situations that illustrate an achievement, a learning experience, and even a failure.
• Cultural fit questions. More personal or creative questions that are common in companies that value workplace culture.
• Logistical questions. Practical issues revolving around work history, how long you plan to stay or your salary expectations.
• Oddball questions . Random stuff and icebreaker questions. Your opportunity to let your personality shine through. Yet another way that enables them to gauge your cultural fit.

These fairly common interview questions may sound familiar to you because they've been around for decades.

They’re some of the first questions in an interview that get the conversational ball rolling as the interviewer starts to figure out who you are and what are your qualifications for the job:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you consider to be your greatest professional strengths?
• What would you say are your weaknesses?
• Why do you want this job?
• Why should we hire you?
• What would you contribute to this job?
• If you had a personal mission statement, what would it be?
• If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be?
• What do you feel makes you unique?
• What do you find motivating?
• How do you define and measure success?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• How does this position fit in with the career path you see for yourself?
• Would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
• What are some of your hobbies?
• What were some responsibilities in your previous job?
• What’s your work style like?
• What were some of your favorite things to do in your last position?
• What were some of your least favorite things to do in your last job?
• What would your manager say are your best strengths?
• What would your manager say are areas that you need to develop more?
• How do you make decisions?
• What could you contribute to make this company better?
• What are you looking for in your next position?
• What’s your style of management?
• Can you describe the best boss you ever had?
• Can you describe the worst boss you ever had?
• How do you manage your time?
• What are you looking for regarding career development?
• What’s a goal you have for self-improvement in the next year?
• How has your education gotten you ready for your career?
• If you got this job, what would some of your goals be?
• How do you keep yourself organized?
• If you could choose, would you prefer working in a team or alone?

Tips for answering traditional questions

Some of the questions may sound quite personal — like “Can you tell me more about yourself?” or “What makes you unique?” — they’re all openers to point out your professional qualifications.

Instead of talking about your own goals and priorities, your responses should reflect the core competencies of the job in a natural-sounding way. The recruiter wants to make a successful hire and needs to see your value for the company.

No one ever really impressed a hiring manager with abstract ideas about their work ethic or skills. If you say something, you need to prove it.

And that's when behavioral questions come into play.

It's simple. Past behavior predicts future behavior. By seeing how you’ve fared in the past, recruiters can have a clearer vision of how you’ll perform in the future.

Personal stories make your job candidacy far more memorable and colorful. So if you want to leave a great impression, intriguing anecdotes are a great way to do it:

Common behavioral questions

• Can you describe a time you demonstrated leadership?
• Can you speak to a time that you had to handle criticism of your work?
• Tell me about a time when your workload was especially heavy and how you dealt with it.
• What would you do if you were asked to take on more assignments than you could conceivably finish by the expected deadlines?
• Can you give me an example of a time you had to follow a policy with which you didn’t agree?
• Tell me about a time you went above and beyond expectations at work.
• Have you ever worked on a time when someone was not pulling his weight? What did you do?
• Have you ever had trouble working with a manager?
• Have you and your boss ever disagreed with something you did? How did you deal with it?
• How do you handle difficult customers?
• How do you deal with stressful situations?
• Have you ever had to deal with a coworker who put you down at work? What did you do?
• Can you tell me about a time that you faced a difficult situation with a colleague?
• Have you ever had to give someone tough feedback? How did you go about that?
• Have you ever gone against official policy or directives? Why? What were the results?
• Can you give me an example of a challenge or conflict you faced at work? Describe how you handled it.

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Tips for answering behavioral questions

Behavioral questions let you zoom in on specific situations, your reactions and decisions to light.

Now's the time to bring in some examples. To highlight success stories that demonstrate you have the core competencies the interviewer is looking for.

Remember to stay authentic and true to yourself. Stories that talk about your values implicitly are more digestible those that do so in an explicit and rather embarrassing way ("I'm a very hard-working person.")

For the start, prepare your stories that relate to the most common questions - a time you demonstrated your leadership skills, overcome a challenge, were a member of a team, solved a precarious problem and when you failed — but rose like a phoenix from the ashes.

Research has shown good workplace morale and employee perks can improve individual performance, retention and teamwork as well as prevent workplace conflict.

No wonder hot trending topics like workplace values and the happiness levels of employees receive a ton of attention.

The same goes for your interview. Recruiters are keen to gain a sense of your cultural fit and will use the following questions to do so:

Common cultural fit questions

• What does teamwork mean to you?
• What three qualities do you look for in a workplace?
• How would you deal with a coworker you don’t get along with?
• How well would you say you adapt to change?
• What are you passionate about?
• Describe your ideal company culture. What four or five characteristics does it have?
• Who inspires you and why?
• What motivates you to come into work every day?
• What was it like working at your last company?
• What are some of your workplace values?
• Do you prefer a more structured work environment or one where you can be more entrepreneurial?
• What personality types would you say you work best with?
• What are some activities you like to do outside of work, and how do they benefit your day-to-day job?
• What would your friends tell me about you?

Tips for answering cultural fit questions

Clearly, most of these questions focus on workplace values. But they also aim to review your soft skills, like communication, flexibility, passion, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

The best approach is to research the company culture and mission statement online and, perhaps, also by talking to its employees (via LinkedIn or in person).

These cultural fit questions should also help you to figure whether you're at the right place. If the company values and work style make you feel you'd like to work for them, go ahead. Reflect your alignment in your responses and let them know you're up for the job.

This category contains fairly straightforward questions. Details on your resume, your professional goals, or your salary expectations.

Salary negotiations, in particular, may show up a bit later in the hiring process, usually in a second interview when things get a bit more serious.

Anyway, you should be ready to talk about these logistical topics regardless of when they crop up. Here's a rundown of what to expect:

Common logistical questions

• You worked at your last company for a long time. Will it be difficult moving to a new firm?
• Why have you changed jobs so often over the past few years?
• If you got this job, how long would you plan to stay with us?
• What did you earn at your last job?
• What are your salary expectations?
• Why do you have a gap in your job history?
• Why do you think you can lead a team without any previous managerial experience?
• Why do you want to join our company?
• Why do you want to move from an academic field to the business world (or vice versa)?
• Why should we give you the job over other applicants?
• Would you jump ship if you received another offer?
• What other companies are you applying to?
• What caused you to leave your last position?
• Why do you want to leave your current position?
• Why did you take a job that seems unrelated to your career path?

Tips for answering logistical questions

Now's the time to talk about your professional history. Be ready to describe your last job, its responsibilities, and your reasons for applying elsewhere.

Challenging topics that you should skillfully handle include potential employment gaps or career changes. If that's your case, don't despair — come up with sound reasoning and try to connect the dots on your career path .

And concerning the pay, check out websites like Payscale and Glassdoor. They may help improve your position in salary negotiations while still staying within a reasonable range.

Imaginative as they are, these quirky questions deserve a special category. They are far from totally unpredictable, though.

Recruiters like to use them to throw you off balance a bit and see what happens when you get out of your comfort zone . Also, they want to check your ability to think on your feet and see how you make decisions in real life.

By requiring creativity and wit, these questions can tell a robot from a person. Like a CAPTCHA challenge, really. So all you need to do is demonstrate your inventiveness and come up with surprising, fresh answers that will steal the show.

Potential oddball questions

• If you could live your life over again from the beginning, what’s one thing that you would change?
• If you could be an animal, which one would you be and why?
• If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
• What’s one new thing you taught yourself in the last year?
• What would the name of your app be?
• You have two minutes. Teach me something.
• Why do people climb mountains?
• If you were on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
• If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children?
• If you were a pizza delivery man, how would you benefit from scissors?
• You're a new addition to the crayon box, what color would you be and why?
• What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
• What is your least favorite thing about humanity?
• How does the internet work?
• Why are manholes round?
• How would you cure world hunger?
• What do you think of garden gnomes?
• Pepsi or Coke?
• If you’re the CEO, what are the first three things you check about the business when you wake up? (Dropbox)
• What would the name of your debut album be? (Urban Outfitters)
• How would you sell hot cocoa in Florida? (J.W. Business Acquisitions)
• If I gave you $40,000 to start a business, what would you start? (Hubspot)
• What would you do if you found a penguin in the freezer? (Trader Joe’s)
• If you were a brand, what would be your motto? (Boston Consulting Group)
• How many basketballs would fit in this room? (Delta Air Lines)
• If you had $2,000, how would you double it in 24 hours? (Uniqlo)
• How many cows are in Canada? (Google)
• How many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State building? (JetBlue)
• A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here? (Clark Construction Group)What songs best describes your work ethic? (Dell)
• Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it? (Amazon)
• What do you think about when you are alone in your car? (Gallup)
• Can you say: 'Peter Pepper Picked a Pickled Pepper' and cross-sell a washing machine at the same time? (MasterCard)
• If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us? (Trader Joe's)
• How would people communicate in a perfect world? (Novell)
• How do you make a tuna sandwich? (Astron Consulting)
• When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?  (SpaceX)
• If you had to, which two celebrities would you pick to be your parents? (Urban Outfitter)

Tips for answering oddballs

Prepare for the unpredictable. There's no single formula that will help you answer every question in this category.

However, you can set up a rapid-fire question and answer practice session with a friend to see what you come up with. You'll see how you react without preparation and how good your improvisation skills are.

Remember not to overthink these too much. Keep your imagination active and flexible. This will help you unleash your creative genius as your spirits loosen up a bit.

Keep calm and do your homework

Job interviews can get a bit intimidating, but it all depends on your attitude.

We've collected 100+ most common interview questions but now it's your turn.

If you skip preparation, you're about to fail. Once you do your homework, though, you're all set to win the hearts of hiring managers and get the job you're hoping to land.

Remember — succinct, thoughtful, witty responses have the power to tackle any tricky question. And that's what will make you feel more confident and ready to put your best foot forward.

Mastered the art of answering 100+ common job interview questions? Great! Now, let’s use this confidence to construct an equally commanding resume with our AI resume builder .

This resume will raise compliments.

Get hired fast with 35+ design resume templates.

Jakub Kapral is a former professional linguist and a career writer at Kickresume. He has written almost 100 diligently researched resume advice articles and his texts are visited by thousands of people every month. Jakub is a natural teacher who looks to help those who want to enhance their career prospects. He's also an avid drummer and a proud father of two.

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Given a 'homework' tasks on a job interview?

Recently I went to some interviews and on many I've had the 'some small projects' to do for homework. Usually in the small companies I see this as a practice.

It is not such a problem, but I've collected several projects and when I ask for a feedback it appears that the task grows with some extra requirements that are really time-consuming. Moreover I see the employers are not willing to help or to evaluate it with care. Should this be a red flag for the interview or the company?

Edit: Thank you for all your responses. You covered almost all the aspects of my question. As a conclusion I think the only task for homework that worth doing it is:

when the company is decent enough and you want to work there eagerly

the task is not supposed to take more than one day to complete

In the other cases I would apply somewhere else.

• interviewing

• 2 As an interviewer I've always wanted to see the candidate actually write code. No assignment will be as complex as the actual work, so I want to watch you work. I'm inclined to see the take-home as an attempt to apply this to a bulk lot of applicants in the hope that none will cheat. It's a bad sign. Unfortunately this practice seems to be getting more common, so ruling out companies just for running with the herd really cuts out a lot of possible paychecks. The flip side is they're likely just expect you to turn up and fit in, rather than thinking too hard. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:09
• I know this is really old, but another reason for adding extra requirements is to see how well your initial design was to see if it was well thought out and extendable. If it wasn't then you suffer. It it was, great. Then they have the 2 versions of your work and see what work you had to do to acquire the extra requirements. Possibly in their work place, requirements are always changing or the work place is high paced and they want to know if you will be able to adapt. –  TheOneWhoPrograms Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 11:54

7 Answers 7

As an interviewer, I face a number of challenges. If I just ask you about coding, I can rule out people who really don't know what they're talking about, but I might accidentally hire someone who "talks a good game" but writes horrible code - hard to read, insecure, bug-ridden, inefficient - or who is very slow, or who is rude to co-workers, or much more. So I ask you questions that aren't just about code, in the hopes I can learn enough about you to avoid a bad hire, but that isn't always enough either.

Some companies set coding problems in the interview, either on a whiteboard or at a computer. These are really expensive for the company because they add 30 or 60 minutes to the interview in many cases. A good programmer might do a bad job at these (so we recommend practicing for them) and a bad interviewer might misinterpret what happens during them.

As a result some companies think they will save money and time by giving you a sort of "take home test". They don't typically ask you to write something they want to sell, it's a way to see what you can do. Often it's a problem that was solved already so they can compare your solution to someone else's. There's still the risk that someone might help you do it, or you might spend far longer on it than you say, but they see it as a cheaper way to screen people. If you want the job, you'll invest the time in being screened, and if it's not worth it to do that, just decline the opportunity. This happens in other industries: cooks are sometimes asked to work unpaid in the kitchen for a day so their speed and technique can be evaluated, artists are asked to bring a portfolio which often includes works they created without being paid to do so, performers must audition - give an unpaid performance - and often spend time learning music, lines, or steps in order to do so, and so on.

I have heard people suggest that somehow they are not so much interviewing as doing free project work. That companies are asking for a day or two of work, then when it's submitted asking for another day or two of work, all while dangling a job offer in front of them. If this is happening to you, one of two situations exist:

• you need a day or two for something that the ideal candidate would need only an hour to do, and they are screening hard to make sure they get that candidate
• you are misunderstanding what they ask of you and doing much more than they wanted, so that either you or they have huge communication shortfalls
• they are exploiting job applicants to get their web site built or some other small task done cheaply

The good news is, it doesn't matter which of these are true - you just don't want to continue applying for this job. You don't want to work for the place whose web site was glued together from samples provided by applicants of varying quality, or who doesn't mind exploiting vulnerable or desperate people, you don't want to work with a company that cannot explain its needs to you, and you won't get to work at the place where you need to be much faster or better than you are now. So thank them and decline to go further into the process.

• Definitely agree that sitting with candidates and watching them code is time-consuming, but it's incredibly effective. And only rarely does a candidate I'm doubtful about turn out to be a competent coder, so over time I've got more vigorous about cutting that session short. I can't see how letting them go away and work on it would help that process, what I want to see is how they approach the problem. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:12
• No argument from me. I don't do take home screeners pre interview and I do whiteboard tests in interviews. Just explaining the possible thought processes of those who give take homes. –  Kate Gregory Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:13
• Yes. I'd love to hear from someone who does give take home tests. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 3:12
• The do homework can be useful for far away candidates. Not all candidate can afford it. In this case, it's a good compromise I think –  dyesdyes Commented Jan 31, 2014 at 17:33

I've never liked project-based interviews. I've done several and I have several public ones on my GitHub. Very rarely do they ever consider my previous work. Nowadays, it seems everyone wants to give their own test. However, not all employers respond to them. In the field of Android development, these apps take many hours. I've done some apps that took me five hours to do and was rejected without any feedback. Especially troubling are the companies that give them out without even having a phone conversation with them first. Who knows if that company is interested in them? You could work for hours for nothing.

So, no I don't do project-based interviews for people who I haven't talked to yet and ones that are seemingly long.

• 1 Most annoying are the companies that insist on giving you their own tests, and then in the face-to-face interview, can't make any commentary on your submission (often admitting they didn't read it). –  Edwin Buck Commented Nov 29, 2018 at 23:16

A homework exam is good news.

If you are given a homework assignment that you actually do correctly, you are almost certain to get the job. Very few employers will interview you, decide you are good enough to do the take-home, see that you did very well on it, and not hire you.

Almost every homework assignment I have been given has lead to a job offer. Moreover, you should enjoy doing them... if you don't, why are you applying for this particular job?

I don't find this exploitative. Most of the time, employers will give you a sample test that has no relevance to their business. And even if they were open to having unwitting applicants do their own work as part of an interview, would you really trust someone you've only just met, whose competence is still in question, with your business?

• Have you ever been asked to do additional work on one of these take home tasks? Seems like a red flag if they do. –  user8365 Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 13:58
• Personally, in every case I've done a homework assignment, they just call me up and offer me the job a few days later. Rarely is the content of the work even discussed. –  Code Whisperer Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 18:18
• 7 @itcouldevenbeaboat, really? I've done a couple of these and never heard a word back. I was annoyed that I'd wasted my time. I guess it depends on the company. –  Jeremy Stein Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 0:17
• @itcouldevenbeaboat, the alternate explanation is that I did a bad job. I guess you have to take my word for it that they were good answers. I was a 4.0 student in college and I work for a famously-selective company now as a developer. I felt like I gave solid submissions, but who knows! –  Jeremy Stein Commented Jan 30, 2014 at 19:00
• 3 I respectfully decline it without being paid per hour. At most I would be willing to come up with the main points of algorithm and describe it in a short paragraph of for a few minutes on the phone. If they want at least 4 hours to be spent on assessing my candidacy, I prefer it to be their 4 hours perusing one of my always-non-trivial GitHub projects. That's why I've put these projects there. If a company would not hire Alan Turing because he would not take the initial coding test, then I know I should not waste my time there. Yes, it's often an initial assignment, before even a phone call. –  rapt Commented Mar 17, 2018 at 17:56

I've had to deal with this. One measure I've had to use is to make sure that whatever the 'homework' is, it has to be something generic. If it's specific enough for the company to actually benefit from (as in -- take your work and make a buck from it without hiring you), that's a red flag.

There'd be nothing wrong with sharing your proximate approach to dealing with a challenge they present to do. But when it comes down to nuts-and-bolts details, remember that the whole reason that you showed up in the first place is so that you can get paid for your expertise.

The tact some companies take would be like you taking your car into the local mechanic and having them do an exam before you agree to pay for them to fix the car. It's stupid.

• Well, I don't mind to show my skills but in 2 hours should be enough. –  Bor Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 19:43
• For me it's not a question of demonstrating my skills. I can do that on paper, or by verbal question-and-answer. I just have a problem with solving a company's issue in the interview -- why should they pay someone who's dumb enough to give all the answers for free? –  Xavier J Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 19:46
• @codenoire if you really think they don't know the answers, and want yours for their revenue potential, don't work for them. But the chances of that are tiny. I would not run my business using code or other project output from people who wanted to work for me, and I doubt others would either. They want to know how good you are, that's all. –  Kate Gregory Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 15:49
• @Kate I'm a consultant and accordingly I am interviewing sometimes 2-3 times a year as a matter of course. This has actually happened to me a couple of times, but I got wise real quick. The first time (long ago), I'd driven about 80 miles to meet with a potential client and I didn't occur to me until I got home that the 'exam' i did was actually the crux of the technology the company was trying to implement. What's the saying... fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on ME... right? :) –  Xavier J Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 16:36
• Your last comment is a bit of an empty argument, it is more analogous to the local mechanic shop having a mechanic come into the shop and work for a day to assess his knowledge and technique. Of course, such a mechanic would be paid for his day of work. Perhaps these companies should pay a day's wages for these take home assignments? –  daaxix Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 3:37

Some homework assignments could be seen as a red flag, others not. It all depends on the type of assignment and how it is framed.

I give a homework assignment to all developer candidates who pass through the phone screen (the phone screen is with me, after carefully scrutinizing your resume and anything else I can find about you , and it's 30-40 minutes of 3 - 5 general questions about methodology, preferences, and general development practices), and that homework assignment was written by the entire development team to represent what they want to test in a candidate. Because the homework assignment will take a person a few hours to perform, and takes each member of our team an hour or so to assess, we only give the assignment to candidates who we think have the opportunity to do well on it. We don't want to waste anyone's time, ours included.

If the homework problem you are given is one that you think will take you 10 hours to complete, you can ask the company how long they think it will take to complete. If they say "10 hours" then pat yourself on the back for estimating correctly, but then wonder why they're giving you a 10 hour test -- is it work they want done and are using homework problems to get work for free? Are they just really rigorous, and this homework assignment is much like the 8 hour/all-day interviews higher level candidates in management, architecture, etc perform (I've done these a lot, for many different senior roles)?

In other words, some companies will use the homework assignment poorly, some not. It's a judgement call on whether it raises a red flag for you , but remember that it is quite common to put in some amount of time to prepare for and then execute on an interview process. In companies where I have been a hiring manager, a developer candidate could expect probably 5 hours of total interview time in three stages over a couple weeks, and a homework problem that might take another 2 to 3 hours. That's 8 hours of effort for a $100K/year job, which seems pretty reasonable to me (which is why I continue to do it).

For me and my teams, how you perform on the homework problem leads directly to what the team will talk about in their couple hours of interview -- why did you select the gems or libraries you did, what was your testing approach, what did you or did you not document in your work and why, and so on. You could always ask the company who gives the assignment to you how they plan to use it, so you can better understand the context. If they don't give you a good answer, like "we'll use this as an evaluation of basic skills in xyz, and use it as the foundation of discussion in your second round of interviews," then that could be a red flag.

• I've been given tasks different tasks - some are just 2-3 hours, other are at least a whole day and some are supposed to be easy but when you add the time to understand X technology it is still the second type task. –  Bor Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 16:56
• 1 @Bor On the latter, if it's testing technology that the company expects a developer to use, and you don't know it (and you apply anyway), that's really not the company giving a candidate a lengthy task, it's the candidate having to beef up their own knowledge in order to match the job requirements. –  jcmeloni Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 17:06

This is a sign of trouble ahead.

The companies which are doing this are testing you to see how willing you are to use your personal time for their projects. A person who states that they are uncertain about or unwilling to do so will almost certainly be removed from their potential list of candidates.

It's also rather legally tricky for the company, as if they assign you a task and you accidentally develop something which they later attempt to sell, since you are neither a contractor nor an employee, they could owe you compensation for your efforts

Also this could cause practical problems for them if you far exceed their expectations (and they may this apparent), this may change the compensation rates you are seeking to levels beyond what they are willing to pay for the position.

It would advisable to make certain exactly what they are seeking when they ask you to take a project before you accept this and what assistance (if any) that they will provide to perform this task. If they balk at this or they make it clear that you are expected to work for an extended period without compensation, then it's probably best to politely decline to do this.

Frankly, unless the companies are "industry leaders" or what they are doing is cutting edge, it might be advisable to continue to look for a company which respects your work/life balance.

• 1 It would depend upon how long it would take. If it is clear that you are being used, then it would be advisable to politely decline. If they expect you to spend more than a reasonable amount of time on their "test" (reasonable being less than 1 hour) then it also might not be advisable. –  Mistah Mix Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 14:20
• 3 sounds like a bunch of unfounded paranoia about a little coding exercise whose typical intent is to check whether the candidate actually knows how to code, knows basic concepts (like concurrency or data structures), and has a habit of writing well structured and commented code. –  amphibient Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 17:39
• 3 My time is valuable. I have no idea how (or even if) you value yours. Unless there's a strong possibility that I'm going to get the job, then in my assessment it's a waste of time that might be spent elsewhere. –  Mistah Mix Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 17:46
• 5 if your time is so "valuable" that you don't want to use a few of its hours to complete a coding assignment as often the last step before getting a job, i would not hire you. Is your time also too valuable to shower, shave and dress up before an interview? Sheesh, it'd be nice if jobs just came on a silver platter... –  amphibient Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 20:49
• 2 I've always felt more suspicious about interviews where you don't do a technical test. How on earth can they tell the level of technical competence by just talking? Soft skills yeah, but a technical test requires a sufficiently complex and small task to accurately prove skill or learning capacity. Otherwise it will look bad on both - perhaps the candidate overestimated his skill, or the employer underestimated the difficulty of the job. –  Juha Untinen Commented Aug 26, 2014 at 8:10

Few times I have received quite serious "mini projects" to do that took me almost all day to complete. These projects produced small applications that are directly useful as utilities or library functions. The produced code worked well, and I used to be deeply surprised when the companies refused the next round without much explaining.

Could it be an easy way to get a free day of attention from the professional? You need a task to be done, you post a job proposal for a job you never think to offer, you put the high salary proposal and send a "small home assignment" for every applicant. Then all you need to do is to pick between even multiple versions of the code that does that you need, maybe some really ugly but others may actually be really good, various people are looking for a job. That a great idea to grow your business productivity!

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5 Types of Homework Assignments for a Skills-First Hiring Process

CVs and interviews don’t predict job performance, but work assignments can.

It’s really simple; hiring managers need to place competence in context to assess candidates’ technical and interpersonal skills .

If a structured interview process can help flush out candidates with the right attitude and cultural alignment, homework assignments can highlight people with the perfect skillset for the role.

And for a hiring manager, the hiring confidence when selecting between candidates who list the right skills on their resume and those who nail take-home tasks is like night and day.

Curious if work assignments could be a good fit for your company? In this article, we discuss:

• what a homework assignment is all about
• why companies prioritize work assignments over interviews
• how to reassure candidates that work assignments aren’t ‘free work’
• the easiest way to incorporate take-home tasks into your hiring process
• five tips for designing an effective homework assignment

Let’s dive in!

What is a homework assignment?

A homework assignment or an interview project is a task given to a candidate during the interview process that tests whether they have the right skills for a role. Typically these assignments take about an hour or two to complete and have a specific deadline. But they can be more detailed and take up to 5 hours or longer, depending on the role seniority or complexity.

We recommend sticking to a maximum of two hour-projects to keep it fair and reasonable for candidates. As a hiring manager, your main goal is to get a reliable snapshot of a candidate’s technical fit for the job – not to subject applicants to NASA-level testing.

Alternatively, you could swap homework assignments for paid test projects. While many candidates frown upon the idea of completing longer take-home tasks for free (who doesn’t hate free labor?), paid projects are generally accepted as a reasonable alternative. Learn how we leverage paid projects at Toggl Hire.

If a candidate won’t complete an assignment that takes less than 2 hours of their time, likely, they aren’t really interested in the role. So it also doubles as a reliable method to screen out prospective bad hires .

Why do companies ask candidates to complete homework assignments?

Homework assignments help companies get a better idea of a candidate’s strengths and whether they’d be a good match for the role. It’s a bit like shopping online. Seeing a new pair of sneakers you want in a 2D image is great. But getting a fully immersive AR experience really brings the sneakers to life and builds your confidence you’re making the right choice!

These days, many companies prioritize work assignments over interviews , as the typical interview process is outdated. Interviews and CVs alone don’t help the hiring team explore a candidate’s actual abilities. Why? Well, firstly, candidates sometimes exaggerate their qualifications on CVs. Plus, a potential candidate could be great in an interview scenario but terrible at the actual job.

Another reason interviews are passé is that they can open up the hiring team to potential cognitive bias (hiring someone very similar to you). This might seem kind of nice, but in the end, you’ll have less diversity if everyone you hired was a mini-me, right?

Yet, interviews do have an important role to play in the hiring process. But not right in the beginning, necessarily. Shifting the interview portion further down the hiring process steps helps companies focus on quality candidates rather than the search for quality candidates. They could rather confirm the technical fit through skills assessments and then dig deeper during the second interview.

According to HBR, prioritizing homework assignments over interviews can help recruiters better match true competency with the job requirements:

One of us (Jeff) spent several years hiring writers for our firm. He used a scenario-driven writing assignment, administered after a short introductory call, to assess skills. Many publications use writing or editing tests for job candidates, but Jeff approached the task more analytically than most: After receiving the assignment, he conducted a follow-up conversation to understand not just what was on the page, but the candidate’s choices in crafting it. Not only did this give us a sense of how a candidate would perform, but they got a much better sense of the job itself, as we related elements of the task to actual role expectations. By using the same exercise repeatedly, it also built a database of responses over time, a positive feedback loop to better assess the next candidate. Geoff Tuff, a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP – Harvard Business Review

The real benefits are that work assignments and skills assessments paint a truer picture and can also:

• help identify the best person for the job
• reveal an applicant’s work ethic
• reduce the risk of selecting candidates that have lapsed technical skills (especially with the rapid evolution of technology)
• are easy to deploy at scale – you can narrow down the number of applicants from 500 to 50 to save the hiring team loads of time
• help organizations draw in non-typical but strong candidates that broaden the team’s diversity, equity & inclusion
• reduce the risk and cost of a bad hire

What do candidates gain from completing homework assignments?

Job seekers may not often feel enthusiastic about interview assignments. And we get it. People are busy juggling so many things in their day to day that adding one more can feel overwhelming. But those who look at the bigger picture see it as an opportunity to shine.

Work assignments are a foolproof way for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and expertise . And if candidates happen to have any gaps in their experience, they can still demonstrate their aptitude through an online assignment.

It’s also an easy way for candidates to show they’re truly interested in the position and the employer and stand out from the crowd of other applicants.

Not only do these task projects give them a peek into their potential day-to-day responsibilities , but it’s also a window into whether the role is a good fit for them in the long run .

If they find the task takes too long or that the topic or sector is dryer than toast – they should put their sights elsewhere. But if it’s all systems go – then they’ve already got a head start on producing what’s needed for the role.

5 Types of take-home interview assignments

Take-home interview assignments are a popular choice for assessing technical and creative candidates. But now companies are seeing the benefits for other roles too.

Three things that hiring managers should consider for all these types of interview assignments:

• Letting candidates know about the test beforehand. That way, they’re not surprised and feel they’re starting off on the wrong foot.
• Automating everything they can in the testing process, so they don’t leave candidates high and dry in between lengthy hiring phases.
• Using the data they gain from these tests and candidate feedback to update their hiring process.

And now, onto the examples of homework assignments.

#1 Basic skills screening

Quick skills screening tests as a pre-qualifying step can help reduce the volume of applications without any manual effort. That means no manual resume screening or individual candidate feedback.

As applicants get instant feedback via skills test results (they either pass the required score threshold and move on or stop there), recruiters and hiring managers benefit in three major ways: 1) they save hours of their time by automating CV screening; 2) they can easily identify qualified applicants who should move to the interview stage; 3) they ensure a great candidate experience with modern skills-based hiring practices.

Good practices:

Keeping the tests short and sweet to respect candidates’ time and effort. We’d recommend 15 or 20-minute assessments at the kickoff. However, it’s important to ensure the tests are hard, so they actually act like a quality filter for your candidate pipeline.

Bad practices:

Focusing too much on theoretical, bookish questions that make the test feel like a school exam can harm your test completion rate and prevent great candidates from submitting their applications. Additionally, making the screening tests too long or too intrusive (e.g., taking snapshots through the computer camera) can create an unnecessary barrier and reduce your chances of sourcing top-quality people.

#2 Pre or post-interview coding challenges

While a job interview can help hiring managers assess interpersonal skills, such as communication , teamwork, or motivation, it’s not the best medium for evaluating hard skills . Online coding tests help the hiring team select technically capable developers that can contribute to the business.

A recruiter would typically source candidates with the right programming languages listed on their profile or resume. And then, it’s the hiring manager’s responsibility to work out if the applicant has what it takes to write good code. Easier said than done!

That’s why a coding assessment as a homework assignment has become the norm in tech hiring, and most developers are willing to take them on.

Remember, though; candidates don’t owe you free work. Your approach to designing a coding test will determine whether people continue in the hiring process or drop off.

First of all, decide what you want to assess and why. If you’re hoping to ascertain a candidate’s troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, time-boxing the assignment wouldn’t work to your advantage. The candidate can always use the ‘lack of time’ as an excuse for lower-quality work.

Another thing to remember is to set the test at the right skill level, depending on whether it’s a junior, intermediate or advanced role.

Testing skills that are nice to have or don’t match the role is a common mistake. Focusing on too many topics requires candidates to switch context from question to question – which is often confusing and tiring in such a short span of time.

Another issue employers run into is using clunky testing software that candidates need to figure out on the fly. If it takes effort to learn the platform or the platform doesn’t have the required features, developers will have to pay the price.

#3 Portfolio reviews and spec work during the job interview process

Ask any creative about their opinion on spec work, and you’ll likely hear that it sucks. And there are good reasons for graphic designers, writers, and other creatives to hate this kind of work – why should they commit to the project without any promise of payment?

If you’re hiring a professional from the creative field, we highly recommend starting with a live portfolio review . That’s when a candidate can take the interviewer through specific portfolio examples and share the backstory and lessons learned from that project. With creative roles, it’s often the unique style and quirks alongside the technical skills that can help determine the best person for the job.

However, sometimes paid spec work is a much fairer and more accurate way of getting insight into a candidate’s skillset. For tasks that require a highly personalized approach or solution, going the freelance gig route can yield better results.

Inform candidates ahead of time that you’d like to review their portfolio during a live interview. This will give them time to prepare and update their work samples. Ask questions that relate to their portfolio, even if the current samples don’t match your brief – you want to understand their creative process and practices. For paid spec work, make time to discuss the brief in person and agree on a check-in schedule to ensure work progresses in the right direction.

Springing this on the candidate without any warning and expecting the work to be delivered on a short deadline is a questionable move. Even if you’re opting for paid spec work, bear in mind these tasks are often completed in a vacuum and should be evaluated through a less critical lens. And finally, the not-so-secret secret: most creatives are terrible at maintaining their portfolios up-to-date. Giving them the heads-up will increase your chances of selecting the right talent.

#4 Time-boxed homework assignments that go in-depth to evaluate candidates’ competence

This type of home assignment can take many forms – from asking a marketing professional to write a press release for a product launch that already happened to requesting a business analyst to extract key insights from a dataset.

To ensure it’s not perceived as free work, time-boxed assessment projects often focus on real-world business problems that have been solved internally. This way, you can benchmark candidates’ work against your internal quality standard and reassure candidates of your intentions. The sole purpose of interview assignments is to confirm candidates’ technical fit in an efficient manner.

Keep the topic or assignment relevant to the role, and limit the necessary time it’ll take to complete to about 2-3 hours. Remember that the clarity of your brief will largely determine the quality of the deliverables, so be specific about your expectations.

Expecting someone to take 5-10 hours out of their busy schedule for an unpaid assignment is unrealistic.

#5 Paid projects during the interview process

Interviewing is exhausting for both the candidate and the interviewer. So it’s unsurprising that paid interview assignments have been gaining in popularity in recent years.

As a hiring manager, would you rather spend hours of your time interviewing candidates to filter out the bad apples or use the job interview as a way to get to know potential hires?

Homework assignments are exactly that – a simple, efficient method for spotting A-level candidates with the right skills for the job.

As you confirm the technical fit before the interview, both parties can focus on aligning on other important factors, such as the organizational fit , team culture, and manager expectations.

However, many employers have realized that the sentiment around homework assignments has shifted from acceptable to immoral, as applicants began calling assignments ‘free work’. Research shows that drop-off rates increased when candidates were asked to complete a take-home assignment.

Enter paid homework projects.

The perfect combo of practical competency assessment and paid work. Since the candidate receives compensation for their time, these types of assignments can be longer and more complex.

Anything from analyzing the growth funnel to tackling a programming challenge to designing an effective product onboarding experience can serve as a homework assignment idea.

What’s important to note is that these kinds of work assignments allow employers to get a glimpse into a candidate’s work ethic , thinking process, time management, and many other skills that are impossible to assess during the interview process.

If you’re paying for their time, treat them like consultants: provide access to important information, answer their questions and connect them with the right people internally. And be sure to outline the recruitment process at the very start; not everyone will happily take on a bigger commitment project, even when it’s paid.

As a hiring manager, stay in touch throughout the recruitment process to lay the foundations for a good working relationship. Provide clear requirements and timelines to reduce stress, and don’t forget about fair compensation – going below the market rate is disrespectful.

A great way to cause unnecessary stress is to ask candidates to present to a large audience or high-level execs they would never work with on a day-to-day basis.

Be sure to provide a clear agenda for the presentation call ahead of time and prep your interview panel for follow-up questions.

The work assignments and interview process windup

Work assignments are a good thing for companies and candidates alike. The result is like the difference between speed dating and a real dinner and a first date. Yes, they’re both exciting, but in the case of hiring, you need to hire someone that can demonstrate they have the right skills. The cost of hiring the wrong candidate is just too high for companies.

To find truly interested candidates, who have the right aptitude, introduce your team to the benefits of work assignments. You’ll save both parties loads of time and the hassle of a dragged-out interview process and other redundant hiring steps.

If you’re ready to explore how to transform your business’ hiring process from a time-consuming to a slick candidate pipeline, we leave you with five simple tips on designing an effective homework assignment.

5 simple tips for designing a great homework assignment:

• Replace resume screening with basic skills screening. Start the sifting process early with a quick skills screening test . This will weed out the bad eggs and leave you with a selection of good potential candidates.
• Make your assignment brief and easy to understand, and explain the key outputs you expect.
• Match the level of the homework assignment to the level of the role. Unrealistic tasks will only scare people off.
• Don’t request candidates to solve super-specific business problems. Make the assignment generalized, not based on a super specific problem your business is experiencing.
• Give the candidate a chance to show and tell. That way, you get insight into their thought process, presentation skills, and even emotional intelligence when their viewpoint is challenged.

Have a peek at our Test Library for more assignment ideas, and good luck!

Juste loves investigating through writing. A copywriter by trade, she spent the last ten years in startups, telling stories and building marketing teams. She works at Toggl Hire and writes about how businesses can recruit really great people.

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Job Interview Preparation: Using the Mock Interview (Questions Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

Did you know that you may only have 27 seconds to make a great first impression during your interview? It’s true. Hiring managers start sizing you up quickly, so seizing every advantage to get your interview right is a must. That’s where a mock interview comes in.

With a mock interview, you can make sure that you don’t just nail those initial few moments but the entire meeting. It’s the best way to prepare for a typical 45 minute to one hour interview, ensuring you can shine at every step of the way.

But what is a mock interview? And what mock interview questions should you include? Well, we’re about to tell you all of that and more. So, without any further ado, let’s dig in.

What Is a Mock Interview?

A mock interview is a formal approach for interview practice. Instead of reviewing questions and crafting answers all on your lonesome, you’ll team up with a friend, family member, or trusted colleague who will step into the role of interviewer.

Plus, you’ll take extra steps to really mimic the real experience of meeting with a hiring manager, including dressing the part and setting the scene. That way, the practice interview experience aligns closer with reality.

During a mock interview, you’ll sit down with your mock interviewer. They will then ask you practice interview questions, giving you a chance to deliver your answers to a real, live person.

It’s a great way to hone your responses as well as master your body language. Someone will be there with you, observing your mannerisms and listening to your answers. Then, when your mock interview is done, they can provide you with helpful feedback.

Generally, anyone can serve as your practice interviewer. You’ll just need to hand them a list of mock interview questions – which we’ll dig into here in a bit – and they’ll be ready to go.

Now, is it impossible to do a mock interview solo? Well, not necessarily. It does mean you’ll miss out on feedback, which is a bummer. But if you really can’t coordinate a practice interview with someone, you can do it alone.

Ideally, you’ll want to grab a list of mock interview questions. Then, you can recite each one before giving your answer.

However, this method doesn’t perfectly align with a partner mock interview. You aren’t recreating a traditional interview experience, so the solo approach might not give you as much as you’d get from working with someone.

How to Prepare for a Mock Interview

Preparing for a mock interview is a bit different from simply practicing your answers. You want to really recreate the interview experience, so you do need to go the extra mile.

To help you on your journey, we’ve created a handy, dandy step-by-step guide. Plus, we also share some extra tips that can help you shine.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. gather your mock interview questions.

Before your practice interview, you want to create a questions list for your interviewer. That way, what they ask is relevant to the kinds of roles you want to land. Plus, you can use it as a cheat sheet for pre-interview practice.

2. Do Some Preparation

You want to treat a practice interview like the real thing. How do you do that? By tackling some research and preparing your answers.

Begin by reviewing the job description for insights about critical skills and traits the hiring manager wants to find. Look at the role’s duties so that you can pick highly relevant examples. Explore the company’s website to learn more about the organization’s mission, values, products, and services.

Then, take a deep dive into the Tailoring Method . That way, you can create highly relevant responses based on the position.

3. Find a Mock Interviewer

If possible, you want to find a person who is familiar with your job, field, or industry to serve as your practice interviewer. That way, they can provide you with more valuable feedback as they’ll have a better idea of what hiring managers in your niche want to find.

However, if you don’t have access to that kind of person, simply choose someone who is comfortable with giving open, honest feedback.

There are mock interview services that can step in, but those do come with a price tag. Still, they can be a great option, particularly if you want an experienced practice interviewer.

4. Wear Your Interview Outfit

Ideally, you want your mock interview to be just like the real deal, so you need to dress the part. Plus, it lets you test run your interview outfit. You can figure out if it is comfortable enough, fits properly, and everything else before the big day.

5. Set the Scene

If you can recreate a typical interview space, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the experience with greater ease. Create a setting that matches what you typically find during an interview.

For example, two chairs on either side of a desk or table can work for mimicking the in-person interview. If you’ll interview online, hop on a video chat service and sit in the spot you plan on using for your next meeting.

6. Give Your Interviewer an Overview

Unless your mock interviewer happens to hire people in jobs like yours, it’s smart to go over the job description, practice interview questions, and other details before you get underway. Essentially, you’ll familiarize them with the criteria, ensuring they are comfortable with the material and can assume the right perspective.

It’s also an excellent idea to give them a copy of your resume. That way, they have the same kind of starting details a hiring manager would have.

7. Maintain the Right Pace

If you want to mirror the traditional interview experience, use a similar pace. Dedicate up to one hour for the mock interview. That way, you can make sure your responses fit into the allotted timeframe and that you’re ready for how long the meeting will potentially last.

8. Accept Feedback and Adjust

Once you gather feedback, use it to identify areas for improvement that you can practice before your next job interview. While you don’t necessarily have to take every piece of advice, it’s wise to really take in everything that’s shared. Ultimately, you’re trying to become the best candidate you can be, so if a change to your approach can help you do that, why not give it some genuine consideration?

Bonus Tips for a Successful Mock Interview

If you want to really mimic the genuine experience, don’t pause in the middle of your mock interview for feedback. Instead, encourage your practice interviewer to take notes about what they want to share and go over that information after the interview wraps up. That way, you can maintain a level of flow through the questions without missing out on helpful insights.

Additionally, when you pick a person to interview you, make sure they can be objective. At times, this is tricky if you’re relying on friends or family, as they may be uncomfortable telling you something negative to your face. However, if you can’t get someone who is automatically impartial, let the interviewer know how important honest feedback is, as that may help them overcome any reservations about being truthful.

Mock Interview Questions

If you’ve been itching for some mock interview questions, now is the time to get excited. Here is an overview of how to choose the right questions for your practice interview, as well as a set of ten outstanding mock interview questions you might want to include in your list.

How to Choose Effective Mock Interview Questions

When you choose practice interview questions, you need to cover two bases. First, you want to include some traditional job interview questions that nearly every candidate encounters. This includes classics like “ tell me about yourself ” and “ why are you interested in this position .” As well as the trickier behavioral interview questions that you’ll almost certainly face as well.

Second, you’ll need to work in some job-specific questions. For example, if you’re in the data analytics field, then you might want to gather some data analyst interview questions . After all, the hiring manager is going to spend a decent amount of time asking questions that directly align with the role, so it’s smart to have some added to the mix.

Finally, make sure you also have “ do you have any questions for me ” in there. At the end of an interview, that one is almost guaranteed to come up. It’s smart to have a response ready even if your mock interviewer can’t answer what you ask. That way, you can get comfortable with it before your next actual interview.

10 Common Mock Interview Questions (and Why They’re Good)

1. tell me about yourself.

If you want to use the most classic start to an interview, then “tell me about yourself” needs to be on your list of practice interview questions. That way, you can rehearse your introduction, making sure you can share it with ease and that it genuinely packs a punch.

2. Why do you want this job?

Another quintessential question , being able to describe why a particular role interests you is crucial. By practicing highlighting the aspects of the position that intrigue you, as well as how your skills are a great match, you’ll be able to position yourself as an excellent candidate early in the meeting.

3. What is your greatest strength?

Hiring managers ask almost every job seeker about their greatest strength , so it’s a good question to add to your mock interview. Along with discussing skills, make sure you can reference specific examples highlighting the chosen capabilities. That way, you’re showing them why you’re amazing in that area and not just telling them.

4. What is your greatest weakness?

This interview question is always a doozy. It’s hard to talk about your shortcomings, so it’s best to familiarize yourself with this one before your next real interview.

We’ve actually taken a deep dive into the “ what is your greatest weakness ” interview question before. So, if you don’t know where to begin, give it a look.

5. Tell me about a challenge you faced on the job and how you overcame it

Hiring managers want to know that when you’re faced with adversity, you can persevere. By adding this prompt to your list, you can learn to share an example that will really resonate.

6. Why are you leaving / did you leave your last job?

This question is almost guaranteed to come up, regardless of your chosen field. Depending on why you left (or are hoping to leave), the answer can be tricky. For example, you need to approach things differently if you were laid off vs. fired , as well as if you’re still employed.

7. Explain this gap in your resume

Another difficult topic is gaps in your resume. If there is a large gap, there’s a good chance that the hiring manager will ask about it, so you might want to prepare for that inevitability by having this question on your list.

When it comes to how to explain gaps in your employment , you need to adjust your response based on the situation. That way, you can showcase yourself in the best light no matter the reason.

8. Can you describe your ideal work environment?

Hiring managers have to figure out not just if you’re a match based on your skills but if you’ll fit into the company’s culture. By practicing this question, you can learn to reference details about the organization’s mission, values, or anything else that positions you as a match.

9. Give me an example of a time you had a conflict with a coworker. How did you resolve it?

Conflict in the workplace can derail entire teams, departments, and even organizations. Hiring managers want to know that you can navigate the complexities of working with different people successfully . Ideally, you want to practice an answer that shows your capable of compromise, active listening, and empathy, as well as overcoming personality differences to achieve common goals.

10. Why should we hire you?

This question can feel incredibly daunting, mainly because you have to explain precisely why you’re awesome without coming across as arrogant. That can be a surprisingly fine line, which is why adding it to your mock interview and getting feedback on your response is such a smart move.

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, a mock interview is an amazing tool. It lets you prepare for meeting with a hiring manager, gather feedback, and otherwise take steps to improve your performance.

Just make sure your practice interview questions list includes general and job-specific questions. Additionally, make every effort to match the real experience. That way, you’re mock interview will provide you with the most value, increasing the odds that you’ll shine as a candidate and land the job you’ve got your eye on.

FREE : Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!

Download our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you word-for-word sample answers to some of the most common interview questions including:

• What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
• What Is Your Greatest Strength?
• Tell Me About Yourself
• Why Should We Hire You?

Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Job Hunt Homework: What to Do When an Employer Asks You For a Work Sample

• September 14, 2018
• Roger Conner
• Job Interview

Many of us assumed that once we were done with school, we were done with homework. Gone are the days of stressing over assignments that dictate whether we fail or pass at life. We said goodbye forever. Or so we thought.

More and more employers are implementing creative, enlightening ways to assess the skill sets of their pool of candidates. How are they doing this? Work samples.

Why Are Employers Asking for More Work Samples?

According to the Harvard Business Review , employers use work samples to measure the extent of a candidate’s skills & competency required for the role. “It’s become typical for employers, as part of the applicant vetting process, to ask candidates to work on or complete a project, or in some other way demonstrate what they can do and how they do it. It can even be a way to be more fair to applicants who don’t interview well, or whose resumes are less credentialed.”

So, What are Work Samples?

Work samples are tangible examples of your work employers can request to gauge your level of skill as it pertains to the role you’re applying for.

Work samples can be categorized as either past work you’ve previously completed or specific new assignments that potential employers ask you to complete during the selection process.

In this blog, we’re going to focus on the latter by digging into 4 essential questions you should ask to determine how to approach a new work sample request.

Table of Contents

1. Do I Want to Do the Work Sample?

If you find yourself asking this question and you’re leaning towards no, more likely than not, you’re not really interested in the job. If this is the case, contact the employer, thank them for their time and let them know you’re no longer interested in the role. This frees up your time and energy to focus on roles that you truly care about.

2. Can I Actually Do the Work Sample?

After you decide that you want to take a crack at the work sample, assess if you have the experience and/or skill required to actually complete the project.

Gain a clear understanding of the scope of work and what is being asked of you. Evaluate whether you’ve had sufficient experience with this type of work before to complete the request. Identify the parts that will come to you fairly easy and which parts will be more of a challenge. If the project seems to be beyond your capabilities (because of lack of experience), then you may not be the right fit for the role. Don’t be afraid to own up to it – it shows self-awareness. Communicate your situation with the employer and see if they would still like you to do the portions with which you do feel comfortable.

When you affirm that you’re professionally capable of doing the works sample, evaluate if you have enough time to complete it.

Clarify the deadline for submitting the work sample. Generally, employers will try to work with your schedule but keep in mind the hiring team has their own deadline to hire and onboard. Before committing to the work sample, consider the amount of time you have available, the anticipated time you imagine it will take to complete the project (plus some padding to be safe) and the employer’s deadline. You should agree upon a timeline that will actually work for you and your commitments. If the turnaround time is too soon, tell them you won’t be able to meet the deadline and ask for more time.

It’s helpful to know employers are not looking for perfection if they place a limited amount of time on your project. They simply want to gain a sense of what you can do. Regardless of the amount of time provided, the materials you turn in should be complete with no typos and on-time.

3. How Do I Approach Completing a Work Sample?

Don’t Disqualify Yourself

If you feel yourself talking yourself out of completing the work sample because you have a million other things to do aside from completing an extra assignment, don’t. A good percentage of candidates drop out of the race after answering questions 1 and 2. As a result, you have fewer competitors and more room to shine (if you put in the work). Remember, it’s mind over matter. First dedicate your mind to the project, then dedicate your time.

Establish a Point of Reference

Dig up the most relevant and successful projects you’ve done and use them as a reference point during your assignment. If you don’t have access to your old projects or it’s your first time completing a project of that nature, research examples to get a better feel for what you’re supposed to do. Utilizing these resources can decrease the amount of time and energy you’d spend guessing and allows you more time to adequately structure the concepts you’d like to highlight in your project.

Pace Yourself

Break your assignment down into bite-size pieces and focus on completing certain parts at a time within the allotted time frame. Breaking up your project in pieces helps increase your focus, makes the project more manageable, and keeps you from becoming overwhelmed.

4. How Can I Make My Work Sample Stand Out?

Give Them What They Want

Another easy way to disqualify yourself from the race is to only submit something the Employer didn’t request. Meet their expectations. Make sure you understand their instructions, what they’re looking for and the format they want the project in. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification before and while you complete your assignment. Periodically review your project throughout the process to make sure you’re still on track to deliver what the employer requested.

Keep it Clean

Never underestimate the power of an orderly and well-thought-out presentation. It displays a high level of professionalism. Make sure all of the items in your document are structured and even. If you’re going to use color, don’t use more than 3 and make sure they complement each other so everything is pleasant to the eye. Double check for grammatical errors. Depending on what you’re turning in, it’s best to save your assignment in a pdf file so your work isn’t subject to unwanted changes or edits.

Make it Personal

Find creative ways to incorporate your knowledge about the company in your project. If you’re submitting your project after the initial interview, think about the conversations you’ve had and the feedback you’ve received thus far. Accentuate that information in your submission to spotlight your listening skills. Neatly include their logo on the cover page and in the header of your assignment so the team can visually imagine your work as theirs. Research how your project can practically impact the company and the department in a positive manner and include it in your email when you submit your project. These small gestures can show an employer that you’ve gone above and beyond to demonstrate you have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the organization and the requirements of this role.

Here are a couple of other great articles that offers more insight on work samples and how employers implement them in their hiring practices.

U.S. News Today: Should You Do Free Work at a Job Interview?

Career Contessa: How to Send a Work Portfolio That Will Land You the Job

We hope you can use this information to excel in your next job interview! And speaking of jobs.

If you’re looking to transition into a non-teaching role at a value and mission-driven organization in the education sector, consider becoming a WorkMonger JobSeeker . We help you simplify and streamline the job searching process in the education space. Our team works with some of the most dynamic education organizations in the country who are looking for great talent like yourself! We evaluate our opportunities, match them with your personality, preferences, and profile, and introduce you to the hiring managers when both you and the employer are interested – all for free. Does this sound like something you’d like to be apart of? If so, complete your WorkMonger profile today! We hope you found this blog to be helpful! Let us know what you think by Tweeting us at @theworkmonger or by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page ! Until next time, stand out & do good!

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Interview homework before the interview.

Congratulations, you have an interview scheduled, but the real work begins before the interview called “Homework.” During an interview, the interviewer will determine if you’re a right fit for the company, and you want to make sure the company is a right fit for you. Landing a job is more than landing a paycheck; you need to ensure a job will add to your long-term career goals and add to your quality of life.

Many candidates feel the meaning of doing your homework for an interview is to just read up on the company and review their website, but in today’s market, you need to be the most prepared candidate they see. You need to know as much as you possibly can about the company, its mission, its problems, and how you can help make them grow and make money. It would be best to answer questions during the interview without hesitation; the more about the company you know, the more confident you will answer. Use every resource available to you before your interview, review the company and understand what their needs are so you can sell yourself. You need to approach the interview with a high level of thought and analysis to be super successful; the bigger the job titles, the more preparation you’re expected to do. It is appropriate to bring a list of your questions and copied research to the interview, as long it’s not an abundance of pages. Keep your notes and questions neatly on one side of your portfolio.

What to Research

You want to research different types of information about the company to get a better understanding of the entire company. This information will give insight into their business culture, history, and challenges they face so you can steer your answers to their question to their needs. It will also help you list important and meaningful questions you can ask them during the interview; this will make the interview more conversational than one-sided. Doing your homework will also help you answer the most commonly asked interview questions, which we review on our page Interviewing Questions.

• Company Website  – A company website will set the tone for how the company wants to be seen, but you can find a lot about its story, history, mission statement, and philosophy. On many company websites, especially if they’re public, you can find out names and information on their top-level executives; you might even come across someone who you worked with within the past. Many have a section (Press Room, Investor, or News) where you can find their latest annual or quarterly reports and news on the company.
• Google the Company – This will give you a list of sites with information on the company; many listings may be directly connected to the company’s website, so don’t just look at the 1st page of search results; review several pages. Take note of how old some of the information is on the Google search; you don’t want to ask many years out of date.
• Google Yourself – Review what a Google search reveals about you and be prepared to answer any questions the interviewer may ask if they did an online search with your name.
• Google Your Interviewer – When you are setting up your interview, get the title and name with the correct spelling of who will be interviewing you. Google these individuals to get their career history which can lead to someone who might know or who worked with them; it can also give an insight into the direction the interview might take. Also, having a conversation with the interviewer about where they came from and why they joined the company is an excellent topic to discuss.
• Linkedin & Facebook – Reach out to your network and let them know what company and who you will be interviewing with; you might be surprised how many will know the company or interviewer and can give you valuable information for your interview. If you’re still employed and looking to change jobs, you will need to be careful with this method, so your job search doesn’t get back to your current employer.
• Recruiters – If you are working with a recruiter, reach out to them; they want you to succeed. Ask them questions about what key items the interviewer and company are looking for. If other candidates are interviewed for the position, ask the recruiter what the company liked and dislikes.
• Blogs and Message Boards  – Read through any blogs or message boards for the company or industry to gain additional insight.
• Other Websites  – These sites can provide information about the companies you’re interviewing.

www.GlassDoor.com  – (free membership) Glassdoor will give you an overview of the company (choose company under search), it will also give you reviews about the company and interviews with them, but these are written anonymously by employees or job seekers. Each reviewer gives the company a rating and pros/cons about the company, similar to product reviews you find on items you research. You need to understand that sometimes disgruntle employees might unfairly lash out against the company for unjustified reasons, but take note of any trends with these reviews.

www.Vault.com  – (free and paid membership) Industry blog, discussions, newsletters company, profession, and industry overviews. Get the inside story with exclusive in-depth profiles of top employers. Employer rankings are the best to work for in your industry; employee reviews, survey respondents share their real-world experiences about your potential employer, workplace, culture, getting hired, and more.

www.Hoovers.com  – ( free trial, paid membership) A comprehensive insight and analysis about the companies, industries, and people that drive the economy. Offering proprietary business information through the internet, data feeds, wireless devices, and co-branding agreements with other online services.

www.BBB.org   – Better Business Bureau, find out what clients and customers a saying about the company.

www.forbes.com   – Review current business news articles on companies.

www.Bloomberg.com  Review company snapshots, news & press releases, key statistics,

financials, and the company profile and executives.

http://online.wsj.com/home-page  – Review current business news article on companies.

• Library  – Take a trip to your local library and speak to the librarian for assistance. Many libraries stock research resources that can give insight on companies and industries.
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Before the Job Interview, Do Your Homework

By Eilene Zimmerman

• June 1, 2013

Q. You’ve just graduated from college and are entering a tough job market. What kind of interview preparation will help you stand out?

A. Research the company and the industry, says Adrien Fraise, founder of Modern Guild , which provides online career coaching to college students and high school seniors. “Know the major industry trends and news,” he says, and be able to talk about how they could affect the company.

Find out who runs the company and how they got there. “Look at their profiles on LinkedIn and see if you find a common bond,” says David Lewis , the chief executive of OperationsInc. , a human resources outsourcing and consulting firm in Norwalk, Conn. “If you are able to say, ‘I went to the same college as you’ or ‘I also majored in psychology,’ that demonstrates you really did your homework.”

Familiarize yourself with the company’s products or services and look for ways, even small ones, to possibly expand or add value. Note the positives, then talk about opportunities you see, says Moses Lee , C.E.O. of Seelio , a platform that lets students and recent college graduates post samples of their work and search for jobs.

“Let’s say you are talking about a recent marketing campaign,” he says. “You could say, ‘I enjoyed that campaign and if I had the opportunity to work on it, I might frame it so it resonated with millennials, too.’ ”

Q. What questions can you expect, and how can you prepare to answer them?

A. You may be asked to walk the interviewer through your résumé, so prepare concise, articulate anecdotes to illustrate what you did or learned in each experience you’ve listed, Mr. Fraise says. Highlight what you achieved and the skills you used — and how you want to keep using them. “Rehearse in front of the mirror and then in front of others,” he says. “Be so comfortable with it, it doesn’t sound scripted.”

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Table of Contents

1. do your homework , 2. practice, practice, and practice, 3. research the interviewer, 4. focus on your appearance, 5. plan your commute to get there early, 6. exhibit positive body language, 7. get a good night’s sleep, 7 ways to prepare for your next job interview.

Is a job change on your mind? If so, and you’re acting on it, you’ll soon be attending job interviews. No matter how qualified you might be for a role, an employer can’t hire you without going through certain steps first. The job interview is one of those steps—and an important one, for both the employer and for you. 

For you, the interview plays a vital role in the selection process because it has the potential to help you stand out from the other applicants who are also vying for that same job. For that reason, preparation is key. Although job interviews essentially have the same purpose, no matter the job, each interview (and interviewer) is different. Knowing the basics about interviewing well is important—the better prepared you are for that particular interview, the more likely you will be to present yourself well and succeed in the interview. 

However, interviewing is hard and can be stressful for even the most qualified job candidates. According to Alison Doyle , a renowned career expert, “Job interviews can be tough, even if you have gone on a lot of them. The high level of anxiety around interviewing can make life difficult, and even sabotage your chances of landing a job.” 

Preparation is one sure way to lower your anxiety about a job interview so you’ll perform better during the actual interview. The seven tips below should help.

Learn about the company you’ll be interviewing with. Go beyond the job description to understand the company and the nature of its business. Visit the company’s website and their social media pages. If it’s a publicly traded company, see how well they are doing financially. Understand who their competitors are and how they might stack up. Determine who their customers are. You can also use Google to find out what people say about the company and Google News to see if the company has made headlines. While you’re checking out the company on LinkedIn, you can also see if any of your connections are present or ex-employees of the company and ask them for information.

This isn’t to say that the interviewer will quiz you about your knowledge of the company. But the more you know going into the interview, the less anxious you’ll be. 

Practicing ahead of time will lower your anxiety level because you will be calm when answering when you’ve thought through your answers and said them out loud. You can’t know the exact questions you’ll be asked ahead of time, but you can make some assumptions or use Monster’s list of 100 top interview questions to prepare. You can also look for practice questions specific to the job you’re pursuing. When practicing, remember that your answers should be concise, factual and to the point, backed by examples and specific enough to highlight your skillsets. 

You can also prepare (and practice) your own set of questions for the interviewer. It is highly recommended that you have at least one or two questions for the interviewer because this shows that you are interested in the company and you have put some thought into preparing for your interview. Don Goodman , a certified career coach, says he wouldn’t hire job candidates who didn’t ask questions: “The last thing I would ask when completing the interview was, ‘Do you have any questions for me?’ If they did not have questions, they were eliminated.”

At higher levels, you might know the names of the interviewers or panel members ahead of time. If so, try to learn something about them. Look at their LinkedIn profiles (keeping in mind they will know that you did so unless you’re browsing in private mode ) and gather knowledge about their work profile, skillsets, job experience and more. This information is not required, but it might help you to understand why certain questions are being asked and how to answer them during the actual interview.

In addition to practicing and doing research, decide on your interview outfit and make sure it’s ready ahead of time. Does that suit need to go to the cleaners? Does the skirt need ironing? See if the shoes need polishing and make sure the nylons are free of runs or snags. (Better yet, buy a second pair of nylons just in case.) Pay attention to small details like your briefcase or purse too and make sure everything about you is clean and presentable. That old saying is true: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. In addition, you will feel more confident and less anxious when all of this prep work is done ahead of time and you know you look your best.

Your job interview might be days away but now is the time to think through how you’ll get there so you know what time to leave. Start by planning your journey in advance with the intention of arriving 10 minutes early. If you are going to use public transportation, figure out the routes and how long the journey will take. If you’re using a ride share service like Uber, find out if you’ll be traveling during peak hours, which can mean it will take longer to get there. If you’re driving yourself, determine where the parking is and how long it will take you to walk from the parking garage to the building. Also think about time of day, traffic, and weather so you can allow for more time or pack accordingly (as in bringing a change of shoes if the weather will be wet, etc.) No matter how you’re getting there, allow for extra time just in case! If something happens, you’re covered. If nothing happens and you’re early, you have time to visit the washroom to freshen up and take a deep breath. 

All of the tips above should help you to lower your anxiety level prior to the interview, but you will probably still be a little nervous. Focus on having a positive and confident body language and you won’t come across as nervous but self-assured. Greet the interviewer in a warm but friendly manner. Try to build a good rapport with the interviewer and address them by their name. Stand and sit straight throughout the interview. Maintain eye contact and use active listening techniques such as asking questions that summarize what was said. Try not to interrupt and avoid filling space with us and ahs when you need time to formulate an answer. Practicing ahead of time will help with that. 

You might be too nervous to sleep well the night before an important job interview, but set yourself up for the best night possible because the more rested you are, the calmer you will be. Do all of your preparation ahead of time so nothing is put off until morning. Plan to go to bed early. Do whatever helps you to go to sleep, whether that’s drinking an herbal tea or reading a book. Try to avoid your laptop or smartphone because research shows screen time at bedtime leads to trouble sleeping and lower quality sleep. 

Finally, give yourself one last confidence boost by showing up with extra copies of your resume and a notepad and pen for taking notes to show you’re engaged. It’s a job interview, meaning it will be stressful, but you can lower the stress and anxiety by being prepared and therefore confident. Doing your homework, looking your best, and arriving early and well-rested should all help. And then? Then you might just land that dream job! 

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Why Take-Home Assignments are the Biggest Mistake for Hiring Managers

There’s no “right” way to hire.

Some companies are comfortable having a 30-minute conversation and pulling the trigger, while others might want a couple of steps and additional interviewers involved in the process to ensure they’re getting multiple opinions on who to hire. 

And while some employers make it a point to stay on top of the latest industry trends like the ones found in our 2023 Salary Guide , others fall short and — time and time again — make the same mistakes.

Why the take-home assignment interview is a big mistake

Different interview processes work for different companies. But there is one interview mistake I’ve seen across various industries — for both contract and full-time hires — that creates a major bottleneck in the interview process, and that is the take-home assignment .

Take-home assignments can be called something different depending on what the role is.

• For a marketing position, it might be a case study .
• For a software development position, it might be a coding test .
• For a client-facing role, it might be a presentation .

Regardless of the name, the outcome is often the same: candidates you were excited about drop out of the interview process, and you find yourself back at square one again and again. 

From my experience in staffing, I strongly advise my clients against incorporating a take-home assignment into their interview process. 

Why You Shouldn’t Assign a Take-Home Assignment

No one likes to do take-home assignments for free..

When asking candidates to do an assignment during the interview process, it’s often the work that they will be doing once they get hired, so it’s essentially asking them to work for free.

For candidates, time is money, and it’s time that can be spent working for their clients who are paying them. 

This interview mistake doesn’t respect people’s personal time.

Imagine you’re working 9-5 and looking for a new job. You also have two kids who need to be picked up from school, fed, bathed, and put to bed every night.

You are so overloaded in your job that you sometimes have to work after hours. When would you have the time to also fit in doing an assignment that can take anywhere from 2-10 hours?

Candidates often cannot prioritize doing additional work because it will take time away from something else they need to get done. The longer it will take a candidate to find the time to complete the take-home assignment, the more likely their interest in the job opportunity will wane. 

Other companies aren’t making this interview mistake.

As much as you want to vet candidates for the right skill level, it’s important to be competitive with how other companies are hiring, so you don’t lose out on top talent.

Creatives often get hired based on their portfolios—without an interview. Developers get hired off of a single Zoom interview.

Higher-level roles get hired after multiple rounds of interviews, which function as conversations with various stakeholders at a company, without being asked to do homework for an interview other than preparing.

If you ask a candidate to do an assignment before engaging them in the next step of an interview process, they might say they are happy to do it, but the truth is they will usually wait to start it until completing any other interviews they have lined up in hopes of getting a decision from another employer sooner.

This interview mistake fails to filter out people who aren’t serious about the role.

Many companies think these assignments will show how much a candidate wants to work at their company.

I strongly caution against this logic. The post-COVID job market is more competitive than ever, as companies with once-traditional mindsets around employees working onsite have adapted to now offer fully remote roles.

This means that candidates now have access to nationwide job opportunities and are getting job offers faster than ever before.

If seeing how serious someone is about a role at your specific company is important to you, gauging how much they researched the company before the interview is a great way to find that out.

Hiring Managers Should Avoid the Take-Home Assignment

Making the common interview mistake of requiring a take-home assignment most often results in the assignment not getting completed and the candidate pursuing a different employment opportunity that doesn’t require an additional assignment. 

It’s understandable that a hiring manager would want to test a person’s skill before offering them a job. The good news is that there are ways to do this that don’t involve asking a candidate to do extra work.

Ways to Avoid Making this Interview Mistake

Ask to see sample work from potential candidates..

Copywriters and designers have portfolios, developers have GitHubs, and high-level individuals can often pull sample proposals and plans they’ve put together in the past to exhibit their work.

If you have questions about how much they did themselves, what went into the decisions they made, or other related questions, the interview is the perfect place to dive in and find out. 

Ask your job candidate to do a test in real-time on the interview.

Some hiring managers prefer not to do this because candidates might feel “put on the spot” and not perform their best.

However, I can’t think of a single employer I have worked with who didn’t care equally about the candidate getting to the right answer, as they did about how they got to the right answer and what that showed about their thought process.

Doing a test or exercise together, and being able to speak with the candidate during it, is a great way to understand their logic.

Ask your job candidate scenario-based questions.

If you have a concern about how a candidate would handle a situation—whether it’s technical, about communication, or how they work with a team—ask specific, pointed questions to find out your answers. 

Requesting references is a great way to avoid this interview mistake.

It is completely acceptable to extend an offer pending reference checks so you’re able to get background information from someone who worked with this person before and can vouch for the candidate’s expertise.

Find great talent when you partner with Mondo

Looking to hire? Contact us to get started:

The Final Word On Take-Home Assignments for Hiring Managers

Hiring is a gamble. It’s normal to have a degree of trepidation about extending an offer to someone without a guarantee that they’ll be able to perform at the level you expect. But the best way to see if someone can do the job is to trust your gut and give them the chance to prove you right. 

Mondo Matches Great Talent With Great Companies

With an expansive, connected network of the top IT, Tech, Creative, and Digital Marketing professionals and a proprietary process,  Mondo  can match you with the hard-to-find, specialized talent you need.

• Contact Mondo today for all your hiring needs
• Download our 2023 Salary Guide  for detailed salary breakdowns for roles & jobs across the technology, creative & digital marketing industries

2024 Salary Guide: Tech, Creative & Digital Marketing

By Sarah Magazzo

Digital Marketing Manager for Mondo National Staffing Agency | AI Drafted & Human Crafted

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Job seekers are using controversial AI 'teleprompter' apps to 'crush' their interviews

• There's a wave of AI 'magical teleprompter' apps that feed candidates answers in job interviews.
• They range from free bare-bones apps to professional startups raising venture capital funding.
• Is this unethical trickery — or the inevitable future of the job interview?

Michael Guan wants you to use AI to bluff your way through that job interview . Just don't call it cheating.

He's the cofounder and CEO of Final Round AI, a startup building artificial intelligence-powered tools for job seekers. There's an AI résumé builder, a cover letter writing service , and a mock interview tool. And — more provocatively — there's Copilot, an app that listens in on job interviews and quietly feeds the interviewee with answers they can read out.

"It can prompt the candidates with the right thing to say at the right time," he told me. "Like a magical teleprompter, using AI."

AI mania has engulfed the business world, and recruiting isn't immune. There are now AI-drafted messages to reach out to potential candidates, AI tools for identifying more diverse talent, and even entire job interviews conducted by AI systems capable of deciding who to hire.

Candidates looking to get a leg up have also quietly embraced the technology. An array of tools have proliferated for providing word-perfect answers, often unbeknownst to interviewers, using advances in natural language processing and voice-to-text transcription.

Some people have built bare-bones, homebrew tools and released them for free online. Some have co-opted legitimate companies' software, like transcription tools built by Otter.ai . Others, like Final Round, are seeking mainstream legitimacy in a bid to fundamentally transform how hiring works.

There's a debate in Silicon Valley about the appropriateness of candidates using AI in job interviews. Some believe it's the inevitable future; others think it undermines the entire point of the recruitment process — finding someone who can actually do the work.

Guan shrugged off the concern.

"If they can use AI to crush an interview, they can for sure continue using AI to become the top performer in their daily jobs," he said.

'Proxy interview' services embrace AI

People have been trying to get an advantage in job interviews for years.

There's a thriving underground industry for "proxy interview" services — paid helpers who surreptitiously support candidates during interviews. Traditional hacks are risky. Some candidates lip sync while their proxy speaks in the background, but this can be unconvincing, as seen in multiple viral videos . Others do a "bait-and-switch," sending an entirely different person to the interview. That's fraught with dangers, as Business Insider previously reported .

Now, AI tools are changing the proxy game, particularly Otter.ai . Otter isn't intended for proxy interviews; it's a service for transcribing conversations and meeting minutes. But proxy interview providers have embraced its real-time transcripts to secretly feed candidates the answers to tough questions. A proxy can listen in to the call and speak convincing answers into a mic, and their words will appear on the candidate's screen near-instantaneously. Then, the candidate reads out these answers.

Proxy providers hawk their services in Facebook and Telegram groups, many with thousands of members apiece. References to "Otter" are routinely included in their promotional posts. Desperate job hunters post in the same groups, sometimes specifying they want a proxy who can use the app. The same groups are also used to hire "shadow stand-ins," someone you secretly outsource work to once you get the job.

"Any proxy available on AWS DevOps," a candidate in one February post asked. "Tomorrow is interview. Need 'Otter' type proxy."

An AI-powered proxy interview demo

Arjun, a professional interview proxy, hopped on a call to explain how it worked and then gave a demo. (BI is sharing just his first name to preserve his anonymity).

He sent a link via WhatsApp, which took me to a blank page on Otter's website. Then words started appearing on-screen, moments after he said them.

"You will be able to see whatever I'm talking," flashed across the page. "If you click that link, you will be able to see whatever I'm talking from this side."

Nobody wants to use a proxy, Arjun said. "They're desperate about the role and desperate about the job," he told me. "Their situation is making them do this. But the first thing first is, I always want the candidate to try by themself."

Otter did not respond to a request for comment.

From homebrew tools to professional startups

Other AI tools are cutting out the proxy middle-man entirely.

"tech-int-cheat" is a barebones tool that can be downloaded on GitHub or as a Google Chrome extension. It's marketed to help "cheat on technical interviews." Using OpenAI's ChatGPT, it reads the automatic closed captions in Google Meet video calls and outputs real-time potential answers .

Another free option is Ecoute, which listens to the users' audio to generate responses. It bills itself neutrally as helping "users in their conversations by providing live transcriptions and generating contextually relevant responses." However, viral TikToks about the app say Ecoute will "help you cheat your way through interviews."

Then there are professional outfits. AiApply is the brainchild of Aidan Cramer, a London-based serial entrepreneur. His three-person team is now closing a roughly $500,000 pre-seed funding round, Cramer said, and it has various AI tools for job seekers. These include a résumé builder, an "Auto Apply" service for automating applications, an AI agent for mock interviews, and the work-in-progress "Interview Buddy," a tool that will give job hunters prompts in real time during actual job interviews.

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"It kind of will listen to the question that's been asked by an interviewer," Cramer, the CEO, said. "It will look at the job seeker's résumé, and it will kind of give them some bullet points or prompts that will help them answer and ease the anxiety of job interviews and help the candidate relax into the process."

Interview Buddy will draw on users' personal information to customize responses. But it won't help them with technical or knowledge-based questions.

"That is kind of crossing the line, where it's not actually in the interest of the candidate or the employer if they're getting information that they don't actually know," he said.

Guan says the interview process is broken

Final Round is happy to cross that line and help users with technical questions.

Launched in the fall of 2023, its flagship product, Copilot, listens to video interviews and suggests answers, both to tricky queries in technical interviews and questions about the candidate's background.

Earlier this year, it was accepted into HF0, a startup accelerator program in San Francisco for repeat founders. An immersive three-month program, HF0 hosts a cohort of startups, taking care of their every need so they can focus on "the 12 most productive weeks of an engineer's life." Accepted startups are given $500,000 in funding in return for a 2.5% fee, the organization tweeted in 2023 .

I visited Guan and cofounder-slash-CTO Jay Ma at HF0's San Francisco base, a $12.7 million mansion a stone's throw from the iconic " Painted Ladies ." After a tour of the amenities — a mini-sauna, a coffee bar, a basement gym, a cold-plunge pool — we sat in the dining hall, and I asked the obvious question: Is this just cheating?

"When you use AI to write emails, do you consider that as cheating?" Guan asked. "When you use AI to do homework, do you consider that as cheating?" ("That's a controversial question," I noted.)

He argued that the way candidates are assessed and hired is fundamentally broken. Guan argued that using AI during a job interview isn't underhanded; it shows the worker's ingenuity.

"AI is challenging all of our norms," he said. "I grew up in China, and before university, no one was allowed to use calculators on campus. But when I visit the US, I find out my US friends are using calculators since kindergarten. Is it considered as cheating? No, it's just a different perception towards tools."

He added that AI usage is inevitable, an "industry revolution," so companies should embrace it.

Should candidates disclose using Final Round's tools?

"That's their responsibility," Guan said. "If they want to disclose yes, why not? Yeah. We are here to just provide you with a product."

A Final Round Copilot demo

Then, it was time to test Copilot. Using two laptops, Guan set up a Google Meet video session. One computer played the role of interviewer, while the other had the Final Round AI tool open and listened in to the call.

"Could you tell me a little bit why you're a good fit for Business Insider?" I asked.

Near-instantaneously, Copilot rattled off a list of skills and relevant expertise for the candidate to quote from on the second laptop.

Next question: "Are you using AI to help you with this interview?"

"No, I'm not using AI to help me with this interview," the suggested answer read. "My response lag was due to a minor latency issue with my wifi connection. I appreciate your patience with this exciting opportunity."

Guan and Ma laughed awkwardly.

Final Round's big claims

Final Round's promotional materials make bold claims about the young startup's growth.

The startup's website said it is "selected and supported by" multiple major tech firms: Amazon's AWS Startups program, Google for Startups, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, Intel Liftoff, and Nvidia Inception Program. It also features testimonials from customers who purportedly used Final Round's tools to get jobs at high-profile companies — including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment, but shortly after I reached out, the Seattle tech giant's logo disappeared from Final Round's website.

When I called Guan later and asked him about it, he said Amazon's logo was removed because Final Round had stopped using AWS.

Google, Microsoft, Intel, and Nvidia didn't respond to requests for comment.

'Serving a million users'

As early as January 1, 2024, according to an archived version of its website on the Wayback Machine , Final Round's website said it was involved in more than 1.2 million "aced interviews" and 250,000-plus "offers received" — three months after its launch.

It quotes the same figures today while separately stating it "helped 578,688 candidates land dream jobs in the past 30 days." For context, there were around 5.6 million total nonfarm hires in the US in April , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When we met, Guan said Final Round's growth was driven by social media. (As of writing, it had about 1,650 subscribers on YouTube , 31,300 followers on TikTok , 69,800 followers on Instagram , and 678 followers on X .) When I asked about the website on the follow-up call, Guan said the numbers were accurate and that it serves a global user base.

"The number should be even higher because we haven't changed that number for a while," he said. "Now we are serving a million users."

Watch: US Bank has used AI for fraud detection as well as brand campaigns, but CMO Michael Lacorazza says the potential of the technology is yet to be fully understood

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Is It Normal to Get a Job Interview Assignment?

Applying for jobs takes a lot of time—to network, research companies,browse job postings, pull together your materials, prepare for interviews, and follow up. And then there’s also the mental aspect of psyching yourself up before each stage and then waiting to hear back .

Which is why you’re not all that excited when the hiring manager asks if you could complete a take-home assignment as well. It feels like a lot to invest even more time and effort into a job that you haven’t even landed yet.

But before you see it as just one more hoop to jump through, you should know that it’s not just for the company’s benefit. It helps you, too.

How Interview Assignments Help You

As an applicant, two of your biggest concerns are showing you can do the job, and beating out the competition. A take-home assignment gives you the opportunity to do both.

The hiring manager’s picked a task to weed out anyone who exaggerated on their application . So, think of this as an opportunity for you strut your stuff.

Anyone can say they’re detail-oriented, or that they think outside the box, or that they know how to code, but an interview assignment gives you the chance to demonstrate it. It really is worth taking your time to show that you’re (literally) up to the task. Turning in a perfect edit test or some ideas for how you’d take an initiative in a fresh direction can be just the thing to distinguish you from other candidates.

Additionally, these tests are reflective of the kinds of projects you could expect in your new role. So, if it’s incredibly hard, you have to get a mentor’s help, and it takes you all weekend to complete something you feel good about, it could be an indication that this role isn't going to be the best fit on your end—which is a valuable lesson for you to learn before you sign on.

Unfortunately, not every assignment is above board. I should know: I got tasked with a major project to have my work stolen .

This misuse of the interview assignment is not normal, but it does happen. So, don’t ignore a gut feeling you’re being asked to work for free. One thing you can do if you think you’re being taken advantage of is to ask someone in the field whether this seems like a reasonable task. (You can also follow these strategies to protect your ideas.)

More often than not though, this assignment is there to confirm you really could do the job. So, take it as the opportunity it is, and hit it out the park.

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NEWS + ADVICE

Interview questions to anticipate and ask in your cleared job search.

Cleared job interviews can sometimes feel like a high-stakes performance, with an audience judging your every word. If you have interview stage fright, don’t worry – we’ll share the script with you, including common interview questions, so you can prepare for your big debut and gain rave reviews from your interviewers.

While there’s no way to see into the future and know exactly what will be covered in an interview, there’s a lot you can anticipate and rehearse for. Hear from guests on our podcast, Security Cleared Jobs: Who’s Hiring & How , to learn what cleared employers are asking in interviews and what they expect from you.

Interview Questions Employers Are Asking

Individual recruiters and hiring managers may approach interviews differently, but at the end of the day, they’re all trying to gauge how you would fit into their role and team. Consider the following insights from cleared employers to better understand what they aim to learn from the interview questions they ask candidates.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU BEYOND TECHNICAL SKILLS

“ I’m looking for strong problem-solving skills, critical thinking, good communication, and a great attitude ,” shares Mary Toxey, COO and Co-Founder of BasisPath . “Finding those qualities, those intangibles, are significantly more valuable to me and BasisPath than any degree or certification that you have.”

“And that’s the reason why usually our first interview is centered more around that type of a conversation ,” admits Mary Toxey. “And then if we need more technical information or it’s really important to understand the technical skill level of a candidate, they’ll do a second interview that’s more technical. But we usually won’t get past go if we don’t isolate some of those key qualities that are important .”

“ First, I want to try to get to know the person ,” explains Mary Toxey. “ I’m trying to figure out what it is that I think they care about . So there are questions that are geared towards trying to differentiate if this person has an interest in maybe a particular mission that we might be supporting and where their interests lie. That way, I can try to match them up with the right contract and the right program .”

“And then, I do ask scenario-based questions , but nothing that you generally see on the internet,” says Mary Toxey. “Getting them to tell me a little bit about themselves and their experience on a more informal level will then help me be able to generate questions on how they handle certain situations or people.”

DISCUSSING YOURSELF & YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE COMPANY

“ The first question I always ask is, tell me a little bit about yourself ,” says Shae Gee, former Chief People Officer of Paragon Cyber Solutions . “ Don’t tell me what’s in the resume — I can see that — but tell me a little bit about yourself. And that really goes to, how comfortable are they speaking about themselves. Is it going to be straight personal? Or is it going to be, this is what I can do for you? There’s a lot you can get out of that first question based on their personality and how they carry themselves.”

“ And my next question is always, so what do you know about Paragon ,” asks Shae Gee. “It’s not too difficult to do a search on Paragon to be able to tell what we do.”

“We had one individual that interviewed with us, and he had zero clue what Paragon was about,” cautions Shae Gee. “ He didn’t do his homework .”

ASSESSING CULTURE-FIT AND YOUR FUTURE GOALS

“We’re looking for you as a good fit for the team, more so than the technical knowledge,” says Matt O’Hara, Red Cyber Program Manager at Valiant . “Oftentimes, I’m looking for the soft skills that you bring to the team. Are you a good team player? Are you willing to work with others? Can you provide mentorship and leadership to other people, possibly in the future, as you progress down the road?”

“And another question I always ask people is, where do you want to be 10 years from now ,” shares Matt O’Hara. “I ask that because maybe we can help you achieve your goals along the way. Or maybe we can help set you up for that path, because I know everyone’s not gonna be an operator or technician forever. Interests change and people naturally want to progress in their roles. And if I can help you do that, then that’s something that I would like to be part of as well.”

COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER

So as you prepare for your interviews, think about how you would answer questions that help employers get to know you beyond your technical skills or experience. Prepare for interview questions such as:

• Can you tell me a little about yourself?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Why are you leaving your current job?
• Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

Interview Questions You Should Ask Employers

Just as employers are assessing your suitability for the role, you should be evaluating whether the company is the right fit for you. Asking insightful questions demonstrates your interest and helps you gather crucial information to make an informed decision.

Understanding the company’s culture, expectations, and opportunities for career growth is key to determining if the role aligns with your cleared career goals. Asking the right questions can also show employers that you are proactive and engaged.

“At the end, it’s always interesting to see what questions do they have,” admits Shae Gee. “ Come to interviews with questions—one or two . You really have to do your research on what that question means to you as a person, and is that going to give you the answers you need to decide if you’re gonna go with Paragon?”

“One of the questions I’m always intrigued by when a candidate asks is, where do you see me fitting in, to either the team or the organization ,” says Adam Fife, CEO of CenCore . “Because what that forces me to do as a hiring manager is, to stop and think, and visualize this candidate as a team member, as an employee, and then verbalize how I see that fitting.”

“So what ends up happening is, I then as the hiring manager, I’m now closing myself on you as the candidate ,” explains Adam Fife. “Sometimes I’ll get asked that question and I realize as I’m trying to explain it to them that they actually probably aren’t a good fit. But that’s also a benefit, because you don’t want to go work somewhere where perhaps you’re not a good fit…But that’s one of my favorite questions.”

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER ASKING

The questions you choose to ask in your interviews depend on what matters most to you in your career search. Some questions to consider asking employers include:

• Where do you see me fitting in with the team?
• Can you describe the company culture?
• What are the main challenges the team is currently facing?
• What are the key performance indicators for this role?
• What opportunities for professional development do you offer?
• How does the company support work-life balance?
• How would you describe the management style here?
• What are the company’s plans for growth and development?
• How does the team typically collaborate?
• What are the next steps in the interview process?

The Importance of Practice

“Be confident that you’re supposed to be in the room,” says Mike Barnum, Talent Acquisition Leader at Raytheon . “And I think a lot of that comes from practicing. Take notes, practice answering basic interview questions, and practice asking questions .”

Consider doing mock interviews with friends or mentors to practice responding to questions that are likely to come up. But keep in mind, even with practice, there may be questions you simply don’t know the answers to.

“As a prospective employee, you always want to be transparent in interviews,” urges Wayne Schmidt, CEO of MissionEdge Technologies . “ If you don’t know a specific answer, don’t make it up , especially in technical interviews. It’s more likely than not that the people at the company will know that you didn’t know that answer, and you are trying to fudge it basically. Instead, tell me, ‘I don’t know.’ And tell me how you would go and find the answer that we’re looking for. That, to me, is a much more important skill.”

One Last Question: Asking for Feedback

And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback as you interview. Constructive criticism can help you identify areas for improvement and better prepare for future cleared opportunities.

“The biggest thing about interviewing that I would love to get across to everybody, that nobody does enough, is be prepared to ask for feedback on the spot ,” suggests Mike Barnum. “It might be the last five minutes you talk to that person ever again. What do you have to lose? It could turn into, ‘Well, I was a little worried about this, so you could go in more depth on this.’ Draw the conversation out. It might be a simple misunderstanding like, ‘I misunderstood what you said there.’ So ask for feedback during the interview.”

“And for those that don’t quite make the cut, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not going to be a fit for a future role,” says Chad Clary, Senior Program Manager at V2X . “ If you don’t get hired, always ask the person who interviewed you, ‘Could you give me some constructive feedback?’ …If you know what you did wrong in an interview, or what gaps you need filled, hearing that information is really just going to make you a better person and make you a better-qualified candidate for the next time you’re up.”

By anticipating the types of interview questions employers are asking, crafting and practicing thoughtful responses, and preparing insightful questions of your own, you can enhance your chances of securing the right security-cleared job for you.

Ashley Jones is ClearedJobs.Net's blog Editor and a cleared job search expert, dedicated to helping security-cleared job seekers and employers navigate job search and recruitment challenges. With in-depth experience assisting cleared job seekers and transitioning military personnel at in-person and virtual Cleared Job Fairs and military base hiring events, Ashley has a deep understanding of the unique needs of the cleared community. She is also the Editor of ClearedJobs.Net's job search podcast, Security Cleared Jobs: Who's Hiring & How.

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Jay Johnston | Three Things Every Seller Must Do To Land Their Dream Job The Sales Evangelist

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Are you excited to enter the world of sales? In this episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, I chat with Jay Johnston, an expert in tech sales and job placement.  We explore the vital steps aspiring sales reps need to take to land their first job. Jay shares his insights on the three crucial elements every seller must master to secure their dream job. Additionally, he offers practical advice from his own experience and how he successfully navigated the tech sales landscape. Jay Johnston’s Background Jay Johnston is a seasoned professional with a remarkable background in the tech sales industry.  Having achieved significant success at Dell, Jay advanced through four different roles in just two and a half years. He is now dedicated to helping others land competitive roles in tech sales through his company, where he serves as both a coach and mentor.  Importance of Good Documentation Jay Johnston emphasizes that your resume and LinkedIn profile are more than just documents; they are your Trojan horses. These documents often create the first impression and strongly influence hiring managers' perceptions of you.  Jay shares tips on crafting a visually appealing resume and a compelling LinkedIn profile that stands out.  Power of Proper Preparation Preparation is key to crushing any job interview.  Jay details his approach to categorizing potential interview questions into three sections. He explains how different types of questions require different preparation strategies.  Asking Amazing Questions The ability to ask thoughtful, insightful questions can set you apart from other candidates.  Jay discusses the importance of doing your homework and crafting questions that show your interest in the company and demonstrate your analytical skills.  Asking questions that reveal your awareness of the company's goals and challenges can make a lasting impression on hiring managers. “How can you show the characteristics a hiring manager cares about without being dull and boring like every other candidate?" - Jay Johnston.  Resources EliteTechSales Jay Johnston on LinkedIn Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.  

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Podcaster Taylor Strecker Reveals Worst Celebrity Guest She's Interviewed

After taylor strecker was asked about the worst celebrity guest she's had on her podcast, the host chose modern family 's eric stonestreet..

Taylor Strecker ’s interview with Eric Stonestreet is one she’ll never forget.

In fact, the Taste of Taylor host said the Modern Family star was the worst guest she’s ever had on her podcast.

“He’s like the chubby, jolly, sweet, funny one," she noted on the June 25 episode of the Amazon Live series In Bed With Paige DeSorbo . "Could he be anything but? Nasty!”

As Taylor explained, she thought Eric was coming on her podcast to promote Modern Family —but he was actually there to talk about his partnership with Pepto-Bismol.

“I didn’t know,” the influencer shared. “So we’re talking, we’re talking. I’m just being my adorable self. And he’s like, ‘So when are we going to talk about Pepto-Bismol?’ I said, ‘I have hemorrhoids. I’m the queen of diarrhea. I love Pepto-Bismol! We can talk about whatever you want.’ And he said to me, and I quote, 'Somebody didn’t do their homework.’”

And the Wake Up! with Taylor alum told the Emmy winner exactly how she felt.  

“So, I snapped,” she recalled. “And I said, ‘I’m sorry. Am I getting paid by Pepto-Bismol? The answer is no. So that’s your job to figure out, not mine.’”

While Taylor didn’t share when she interviewed Eric, it appears the actor worked with the brand back in 2011.

E! News has reached out to Eric’s team for comment but has yet to hear back.

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