10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

By Swati SinhaPublished July 9, 20249 min read

10 Common Job Interview Questions and Sample Answers

Quick answer: The 10 most common interview questions are: tell me about yourself, why here, your strengths, your weakness, a challenge you handled, why you are leaving, why hire you, 5-year goals, current and expected CTC, and your questions for us. Answer each in 60 to 90 seconds using a clear structure, such as STAR, and real numbers.

Updated 20 October 2026.

Most interviews in India, from a fresher role to a senior manager search, are built around the same ten questions. Each one tests something specific. Once you know what that is, you can prepare an answer that is honest, short and memorable.

At Savanna HR we have prepared and debriefed candidates across 3,500+ roles we have filled. The pattern is consistent: candidates rarely lose an offer on technical skills. They lose it on answers that are vague, too long or rehearsed word for word.

The ten questions you are most likely to be asked:

Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to work here?
What are your strengths?
What is your biggest weakness?
Tell me about a challenge you faced and how you handled it.
Why are you leaving your current job?
Why should we hire you?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What are your current and expected CTC?
Do you have any questions for us?

For each one below you will find what the interviewer is really checking, a simple structure for your answer and a sample answer you can adapt.

1. Tell me about yourself

What they are checking: whether you can give a clear, relevant summary in under two minutes. This answer sets the tone for the rest of the interview.

Structure: present, past, future. What you do now, what you did before that is relevant to this role, and why this role is the next step.

Sample answer: "I'm a frontend developer with four years of experience, currently at a D2C brand in Gurugram, where I lead checkout and payments on our Next.js site. Before that I spent two years at a SaaS startup building dashboards in React. Last year I cut our checkout load time by 40%, which lifted conversion. I'm now looking for a product company where I can own a larger part of the frontend, which is why this role caught my attention."

Avoid: your life story, your hometown or reading out your CV line by line.

2. Why do you want to work here?

What they are checking: whether you researched the company and want this job, not just any job.

Structure: one thing about the company, one thing about the role, and how they connect to your goals.

Sample answer: "I've followed your expansion into tier-2 cities, and your recent funding round suggests that push will grow. This role sits at the centre of it. I've built regional sales teams from scratch before, and I want to do that again at a company that's growing this fast."

Avoid: salary, location or "it's a big brand" as your main reason.

3. What are your strengths?

What they are checking: whether your strengths match what the role needs, and whether you can prove them.

Structure: pick two strengths from the job description and back each with one example and a number.

Sample answer: "Two things. First, I'm good at structuring messy problems: I rebuilt our month-end close process and took it from nine days to five. Second, I communicate well with non-finance teams. I run a monthly session for sales heads on reading their P&L, and their forecast accuracy has improved since."

Avoid: a list of adjectives like hardworking, honest and a team player, with no proof.

4. What is your biggest weakness?

What they are checking: self-awareness, and whether you are working on it.

Structure: a real but non-critical weakness, what it cost you once, and what you do about it now.

Sample answer: "I used to take on too much myself instead of delegating. On one launch it meant I became the bottleneck and we slipped a week. Since then I plan work with my team at the start of every sprint and review only the critical pieces myself. Our last three launches went out on time."

Avoid: fake weaknesses like "I'm a perfectionist", or a weakness that is central to the job.

5. Tell me about a challenge you faced and how you handled it

What they are checking: how you think and act under pressure, using a real example.

Structure: the STAR method. Situation, Task, Action, Result. Spend most of your time on the Action and end with a number.

Sample answer: "Two weeks before our admissions season, our top counsellor resigned and her leads were going cold (situation). I had to protect the month's enrolment target (task). I split her leads across the team by course, ran a daily 15-minute review and took the highest-value calls myself (action). We finished at 104% of target, and I used the same playbook to onboard her replacement (result)."

6. Why are you leaving your current job?

What they are checking: whether you are moving towards something or running from a problem you will bring with you.

Structure: one line of respect for your current employer, then what you want next that this role offers.

Sample answer: "I've learned a lot at my current company, especially about scaling a sales team. But the business has stabilised and the next two years are about maintaining it. I want to build again, and this role lets me set up a new region from the ground up."

Avoid: criticising your manager or company, even if it is true. If you were laid off, say so plainly and move on to what you did next.

7. Why should we hire you?

What they are checking: whether you understood the role and can connect your experience to their need.

Structure: their top need, your proof that you have solved it before, and one thing that sets you apart.

Sample answer: "You need someone who can bring hiring time down while growing headcount fast. In my last role I hired 60 people in six months and cut time-to-hire from 45 to 28 days by building a referral programme. I've also worked closely with founders, so I'm comfortable making decisions without layers of approval."

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

What they are checking: whether your plans fit the path this company can offer, and whether you are likely to stay.

Structure: the skills you want to build and the scope you want to hold, linked to this company. Avoid naming a job title you would need to leave to get.

Sample answer: "In five years I want to be leading a product team and owning a product line end to end. This role gives me the customer exposure and analytics depth I need for that, and I can see from your team structure that people grow into those roles here."

9. What are your current and expected CTC?

What they are checking: whether you fit their budget, and how you value yourself. In India this question comes up in almost every interview, often in the first round.

Structure: state your current fixed and variable pay accurately, then give an expected range based on market data and the role's scope.

Sample answer: "My current CTC is ₹18 lakh, of which ₹15 lakh is fixed. Based on the scope of this role and what similar roles pay in Bengaluru, I'm looking for ₹23 to 25 lakh fixed. I'm open to discussing the overall structure."

Avoid: inflating your current CTC. Most employers check payslips or Form 16 before an offer, and a mismatch can cost you the job.

10. Do you have any questions for us?

What they are checking: your interest and how you think. Saying "No, everything is clear" signals low interest.

Structure: ask two or three questions about the role, the team or how success is measured.

Good questions to ask:

What would success look like in the first 90 days?
What is the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?
How does this role work with the other teams?
What happened to the last person in this role?

Keep questions on leave, notice period buyout and work-from-home for the HR round, unless the interviewer raises them.

How to prepare in the 48 hours before your interview

Read the job description twice and highlight the three skills it mentions most. Prepare one example for each.
Research the company: its products, recent funding or news, and the interviewer's LinkedIn profile.
Write down five STAR stories from your work. Most behavioural questions can be answered with one of them.
Say your answers to questions 1, 6 and 9 out loud. Time them; aim for 60 to 90 seconds.
Keep your latest payslips and notice-period details ready. These are usually discussed in the HR round.
For a video interview, test your camera, microphone and internet an hour before, and keep your CV open on screen.

What recruiters see candidates get wrong

These are the mistakes our recruiters at Savanna HR see most often in interview feedback:

Memorised answers. Interviewers can tell. Learn the structure and the key facts, not the script.
No numbers. "I improved sales" is forgettable. "I grew my territory's revenue by 32% in a year" is not.
Talking past the question. If you are asked about a weakness, don't answer with a strength. Answer it, then move on.
Not following up. A short thank-you note to the recruiter within 24 hours keeps you top of mind.

If you are actively looking, submit your CV to Savanna HR or browse our current jobs. Every profile is personally screened by a recruiter before it reaches the employer.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common interview questions?

Tell me about yourself, why do you want to work here, what are your strengths and weaknesses, why are you leaving your current job, why should we hire you, where do you see yourself in five years, what are your current and expected CTC, and do you have any questions for us.

How long should an interview answer be?

Most answers should take 60 to 90 seconds. Behavioural answers using the STAR method can run to two minutes. If the interviewer wants more detail, they will ask.

What is the STAR method?

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. It is a way to answer questions about past experience: set the scene briefly, spend most of your time on what you did, and end with a measurable result.

How should I answer "What is your notice period?"

Give your exact notice period and say whether it can be shortened or bought out. If you are already serving notice, give your last working day.

Should I memorise my answers?

No. Memorise the structure and the key facts, such as your numbers and examples, then answer in your own words. Scripted answers sound rehearsed and are hard to adapt to follow-up questions.

Do I need to pay a recruitment agency to get interviews?

No. Genuine recruitment agencies, including Savanna HR, are paid only by employers. Candidates never pay.

Questions to ask the interviewer

When the interviewer asks "Do you have any questions for us?", always say yes. Two or three good questions show you are serious about the role and help you decide if the job is right for you. Pick from these:

What would success look like in this role in the first 90 days?
What are the biggest challenges the team is facing right now?
How is performance measured, and how often are reviews done?
Who would I work with most closely, and how is the team structured?
Why is this position open? Is it a new role or a replacement?
What do people who do well here have in common?
What learning or growth opportunities does the role offer?
What are the next steps in the hiring process, and when can I expect to hear back?

Avoid asking about salary, leave or work-from-home rules in the first round unless the interviewer raises them. Save those for the HR or offer discussion.

How to prepare for these questions in one evening

Research the company: read its website, recent news and the job description. Note two things that genuinely interest you.
Match your experience to the job: list the top five requirements in the job description and write one example from your work for each.
Prepare three stories using STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. One about a success, one about a problem you solved and one about working with a difficult person or deadline. These stories answer most behavioural questions.
Know your numbers: current CTC, expected CTC and notice period. Be ready to state them clearly.
Practise out loud: say your answers to a friend or record yourself. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds per answer.

For video and phone rounds, also read our tips for video interviews and telephonic interviews.