50 Top interview questions

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Strong interview skills can make a huge difference when you're searching for a job. Regardless of when you had your last interview, it never hurts to brush up on those skills and prepare yourself for some common questions a hiring manager might ask you.

"Over and over again, we see some very common interview questions asked at companies for nearly all job titles, " Scott Dobroski, a Glassdoor career trends analyst, told Business News Daily. "If you are aware and prepared for what is nearly always asked in any interview, you'll start the interview off on a great foot."

Glassdoor analyzed thousands of interview reviews and compiled a list of the 50 most common questions asked in interviews. Prepare for your upcoming interview by knowing how you'd respond to these questions. [See Related Story: Why Hiring Managers Really Ask These 12 Common Interview Questions]

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for [company name]?
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [date] and [date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else cannot?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. Discuss your educational background.
16. Describe yourself.
17. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
18. Why should we hire you?
19. Why are you looking for a new job?
20. Would you work holidays/weekends?
21. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
22. What are your salary requirements?
23. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
24. Who are our competitors?
25. What was your biggest failure?
26. What motivates you?
27. What’s your availability?
28. Who’s your mentor?
29. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
30. How do you handle pressure?
31. What is the name of our CEO?
32. What are your career goals?
33. What gets you up in the morning?
34. What would your direct reports say about you?
35. What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
36. If I called your boss right now and asked him/her what is an area that you could improve on, what would he/she say?
37. Are you a leader or a follower?
38. What was the last book you read for fun?
39. What are your co-worker pet peeves?
40. What are your hobbies?
41. What is your favorite website?
42. What makes you uncomfortable?
43. What are some of your leadership experiences?
44. How would you fire someone?
45. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
46. Would you work 40+ hours a week?
47. What questions haven’t I asked you?
48. What questions do you have for me?

Dobroski said hiring managers can always tell when a candidate has spent time prepping for an interview.

"Try practicing answers to these questions out loud in front of a mirror, or ask a friend or family member to listen to your answers and give feedback, " he said.

"Practice is key, " added Dana Leavy-Detrick, founder and chief creative scribe at Brooklyn Resume Studio. "The more comfortable you become speaking about yourself in a marketing context, the easier it will be to answer any type of interview question that comes your way."