Question: “Tell me about yourself.” This isn’t an invitation to recite your resume. It's a test of whether you can provide a concise, thoughtful overview of your past, present, and future. Keep it short. Focus on key decisions and insights that may not pop off the page.

Question: “Why this company?” Standard test for for shotgun blast applicants. A generic answer can derail your process. Do your research. Write down 2-3 unique points about the company that appeal to you. You won’t get the job with your answer, but you can definitely lose it.

Question: "What would you do in the first 100 days on the job?" This is a test of your preparation, research, initiative, and humility. Have a concrete plan for how you would approach your early days. Be sure fact-finding and learning is a key part of it (the humility aspect).

Question: “What are your strengths?” Resist the urge to reel off a long list of broad strengths. Tailor your response to the role and company. Provide 1-2 key strengths that make you well-suited for this specific job. Leverage storytelling—bring them to life with anecdotes!

Question: “What are your weaknesses?” The majority of candidates try to pitch a weakness that is (not so) subtly a strength. “I get TOO caught up in the details" just means "I’m detail oriented!" Don’t do this. Give a real weakness, but also how you're working to address it.

Question: "Tell me about a time you failed." This is an assessment of: • Whether you've faced failure • Your resilience • How you grew through the experience You should have 1-2 specific stories to share. Be as clear as possible—focus on the learnings from the failure.

Question: “What questions do you have for me?” This is a test of preparation and personality. Generic questions won’t kill you, but they won’t help either. Ask something unique and get them talking. Try this: “What are you most excited about that you’re currently working on?”

Question: “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” This is an assessment of: • Your ambition • Whether it aligns with your growth opportunity at the company In answering, keep those two in mind. It’s ok if you don’t have a perfect answer—I still don’t know mine!

Question: “Why are you leaving your job?” This can be a test for negativity. Never say anything negative about your former employer—after all, this company may be your former employer someday! Stay positive—highlight why the new role is a better fit for your goals.

Question: "How do you handle stress?" Saying you never get stressed is not a viable path with this question. Stress is a reality—everyone gets stressed. Talk about 1-2 specific tactics for stress management. Highlight a time when stress led you to rise to the occasion.

Those are 10 common questions to master if you want to nail your next interview. Follow me @SahilBloom for more writing on careers, business, and growth. I’ll write a deep-dive on this topic in my newsletter. Join 109,000+ others who will get it! #Newsletter class="text-blue-500 hover:underline" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.sahilbloom.com/#Ne...