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101 Job Interview Questions You'll Never Fear Again
What are job interviewers actually looking for in a candidate? What questions will they ask? What does each question really mean? What are the answers that will secure you the job?
James Reed, chairman of one of the world’s largest recruiting agencies, takes you into the minds of top interviewers and reveals the answers that will land your dream job. 101 Job Interview Questions You'll Never Fear Again provides the best strategies for dealing with everything from classic questions like "Tell me about yourself" and "What are your greatest weaknesses?" to puzzlers like "Sell me this pen" and "How many traffic lights are there in New York?"
You’ll learn:
· The “Fateful 15” questions that form the basis of nearly every question you’ll be asked.
· The 101 most common questions and what the interviewer is really asking.
· Top line tactics for formulating winning answers about your career goals, character, competency, and creativity.
· How to identify the types of interviewers and adapt accordingly.
· How to adopt the right mindset, dress code, and approach to stand out from the pack.
James Reed, chairman of one of the world’s largest recruiting agencies, takes you into the minds of top interviewers and reveals the answers that will land your dream job. 101 Job Interview Questions You'll Never Fear Again provides the best strategies for dealing with everything from classic questions like "Tell me about yourself" and "What are your greatest weaknesses?" to puzzlers like "Sell me this pen" and "How many traffic lights are there in New York?"
You’ll learn:
· The “Fateful 15” questions that form the basis of nearly every question you’ll be asked.
· The 101 most common questions and what the interviewer is really asking.
· Top line tactics for formulating winning answers about your career goals, character, competency, and creativity.
· How to identify the types of interviewers and adapt accordingly.
· How to adopt the right mindset, dress code, and approach to stand out from the pack.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
320 people are currently reading
1073 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 24, 2016
This book not only gives you helpful tactics but also prepare you to have the right mindset for job interviews, and it's not boring at all.
November 18, 2016
I really liked the way this book started off with variations of the top 15 personal/character kind of questions that you may face in an interview. It analyzed the questions, spoke about what the interviewer is really after, gave sample answers, and even mentioned key phrases, verbs, and adjectives to help describe the concept in some cases. Honestly, I really didn't cover much more than the first 100 pages only because that was the most general part. I didn't think I would benefit too much from the rest unless it was questions specific to library science, such as situational questions about customer service, or what do I see as the future of reference collections/physical collections/staffing level needs/the role of libraries in the community/school room/online/embedded, etc. And of course, the dreaded question about outreach.
But if you're grappling with how to answer "what are your weaknesses? Tell me about yourself. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" then this is the book for you! I thought it was a great tool to skim, take notes, and return to the library.
But if you're grappling with how to answer "what are your weaknesses? Tell me about yourself. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" then this is the book for you! I thought it was a great tool to skim, take notes, and return to the library.
January 30, 2017
Insightful book which should be read not only by those preparing for interviews - great way to focus on the right mindset - but also by those conducting interviews. It is packed with meaningful questions and suggestions which should help any HR Manager / interviewer conduct a well structured and thoughtful meeting to bring out the best in a candidate.
February 10, 2015
Surprisingly a good one. This new book will equip you with some a-ha answers to prepare you better for the interview stage.
August 24, 2020
Very helpful.
January 15, 2021
Ideale Vorbereitung auf ein Gespräch dank der Aufschlüsselung was der Personaler mit der jeweiligen Frage erreichen möchte.
August 31, 2016
I checked out this book from the public library for some interviewing help. I am a post-dissertation Ph.D. currently job seeking. After three failed telephone interviews and an appointment for (GLORY HALLELUJAH! FINALLY!) one in-person interview, I decided the potential failure might be me requiring some quick input into some interviewing techniques. With a 101 potential interview questions covered, I thought Reed's book would be a safe bet.
**If you are looking for a amazingly smart and talented Nonprofit Unicorn, please visit my website and contact me.**
This book helped me get my interviewing game face on. I worked through the questions, got my stories outlined to serve as examples accompanying my answers to each question, memorized my Tell-Me-About-Yourself pitch, and found a clean joke to share. The amount of study I put in helped me feel prepared and confident. I was not overwhelmingly nervous for the interview. I felt I had my game together.
[Fade in: Interview Day] Enter interview. Shake hands. Greet each other. Get seated. Question one: Tell me what you know about _____. [Fade out.]
All of the questions were similar to the above. All of the questions were subject matter questions. Therefore, my interviewing experience tells me employers possibly do not care whether or not you have ever taken a pen from your place of work (an actual question covered in the 101). Employers possibly only care about your level of knowledge, your plan of action, and whether or not you will make more coffee when you see the pot is empty or be a prima donna expecting the coffee to magically appear at your commanding. Period.
My review should not be a dismissal of the book. Again, after working through the questions I felt prepared and confident going into the interview. The book is worth checking out of the library. But, return the book so that others may use the same copy. Purchasing a personal copy just seems unnecessary.
**If you are looking for a amazingly smart and talented Nonprofit Unicorn, please visit my website and contact me.**
This book helped me get my interviewing game face on. I worked through the questions, got my stories outlined to serve as examples accompanying my answers to each question, memorized my Tell-Me-About-Yourself pitch, and found a clean joke to share. The amount of study I put in helped me feel prepared and confident. I was not overwhelmingly nervous for the interview. I felt I had my game together.
[Fade in: Interview Day] Enter interview. Shake hands. Greet each other. Get seated. Question one: Tell me what you know about _____. [Fade out.]
All of the questions were similar to the above. All of the questions were subject matter questions. Therefore, my interviewing experience tells me employers possibly do not care whether or not you have ever taken a pen from your place of work (an actual question covered in the 101). Employers possibly only care about your level of knowledge, your plan of action, and whether or not you will make more coffee when you see the pot is empty or be a prima donna expecting the coffee to magically appear at your commanding. Period.
My review should not be a dismissal of the book. Again, after working through the questions I felt prepared and confident going into the interview. The book is worth checking out of the library. But, return the book so that others may use the same copy. Purchasing a personal copy just seems unnecessary.
December 23, 2018
Must read before every interview and job application - the author is the owner of Reed Recruitment Agency - one of the biggest in the UK.
May 28, 2021
I got a copy of this book 22h before my interview. I managed to read 2 chapters before it. I landed the job!
Expert advice from an insider and founder of reed.co.uk
Expert advice from an insider and founder of reed.co.uk
September 30, 2018
A practical little read, especially considering my current stage of life! The top-level insights in this book can basically be boiled down to "Ask not what the company can do for you, but tell what you can do for the company." (Or, in plainer language: "Remember that the interview process isn't really about you, it's about finding someone who can do the work in the way the company wants the work done.") A great perspective, to be sure, but the true excellence of this book is in the detailed descriptions of how that perspective should play out in your behavior during the interview process. Each question is listed, along with a "translation" of what the interviewer is really asking, and an overview + detailed look at how to strategically answer this question. Some of the analyses of the interview questions were kind of obvious (for example, I really didn't need the explanation that "What is the last thing you taught?" is an interviewer's way of asking if I can coach others through work processes), but others blew my mind (you'll have to read it for yourself to find those!). I'm glad I read this book!
August 2, 2016
You got it! Your job interview is scheduled! Now what?
This book will give you tips and tricks you need on preparing for a job interview. A must have!
Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.
This book will give you tips and tricks you need on preparing for a job interview. A must have!
Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.
August 16, 2017
This book is good for the mindset. It doesn't have canned Q & A however it gives useful and honest tips which should get help you in preparation of your interview. I will read it again before my interview
November 17, 2015
just finished translating it
gave-up-on
January 18, 2016I'm sure this is good for those in the corporate world but just not very relevant to me.
April 20, 2018
Great resource. Reminder to self: must reread before any interview.
June 24, 2019
I didn't read it cover to cover, but read it more than once in bits and pieces. It's essential for helping you through the interview process if you're as bad at it as I am.
December 4, 2022
Take the time to sit down, pen and paper (or digital notepad), and take notes of what the book is asking you to do.
There are no clear steps where it literally says "Hey, do this and this to get results." You have to sit down and work through the book to the questions that you think are relevant to remember in an interview environment. You have to come up with the questions that are important. The book asks questions too, but they may not be relevant to your field, so pick and choose.
In this book you get a good sense of what to expect and what the interviewer is looking for when asking a specific question. If anything, always go with work related information and never stick to personal interests.
I've not put in the work of this book's effort at an actual interview, but I've been working the questions that I find important and that I think would be important to remember my answers to.
If you are lost, do this at the very least:
-Write down accomplishments (Work related)
-Write down improvements that have resulted from your participation
-Write down times of which you have done things without one asking you to (initiative)
-Write down a special time when you went above and beyond for the company
-Write down why you want the position and why you fit there
-What would coworkers say about you
-What questions can you come up with for the end of the interview (training available, how large is the team I'm working with, are there team building events, et cetera)
-Why are you leaving your current role (never admit to being bored of the job [always look to say in need of advancement or progression for growth, et cetera] something that contributes to the company, not you)
If the questions I provided help you or even make you think more advanced, please go ahead and give this book a review to help the author for I wouldn't have been able to ask these questions without the book itself. But I also know that you as a reader may not have the time to read a 240-page book before an interview and thus at least you get something to assist you meanwhile. But you should pick this one up and read it just to be prepared for a better future if you do not like your job.
Don't ever feel bad if you didn't get a response back after an interview. It might be time to let go and find something else, but that is just part of the process, so don't ever get overly excited if you get a recruiter calling: that is just the beginning step, much more comes after that.
I recommend this book.
There are no clear steps where it literally says "Hey, do this and this to get results." You have to sit down and work through the book to the questions that you think are relevant to remember in an interview environment. You have to come up with the questions that are important. The book asks questions too, but they may not be relevant to your field, so pick and choose.
In this book you get a good sense of what to expect and what the interviewer is looking for when asking a specific question. If anything, always go with work related information and never stick to personal interests.
I've not put in the work of this book's effort at an actual interview, but I've been working the questions that I find important and that I think would be important to remember my answers to.
If you are lost, do this at the very least:
-Write down accomplishments (Work related)
-Write down improvements that have resulted from your participation
-Write down times of which you have done things without one asking you to (initiative)
-Write down a special time when you went above and beyond for the company
-Write down why you want the position and why you fit there
-What would coworkers say about you
-What questions can you come up with for the end of the interview (training available, how large is the team I'm working with, are there team building events, et cetera)
-Why are you leaving your current role (never admit to being bored of the job [always look to say in need of advancement or progression for growth, et cetera] something that contributes to the company, not you)
If the questions I provided help you or even make you think more advanced, please go ahead and give this book a review to help the author for I wouldn't have been able to ask these questions without the book itself. But I also know that you as a reader may not have the time to read a 240-page book before an interview and thus at least you get something to assist you meanwhile. But you should pick this one up and read it just to be prepared for a better future if you do not like your job.
Don't ever feel bad if you didn't get a response back after an interview. It might be time to let go and find something else, but that is just part of the process, so don't ever get overly excited if you get a recruiter calling: that is just the beginning step, much more comes after that.
I recommend this book.
June 30, 2023
This was a very useful book in terms of learning to think like an interviewer (and I do interview people sometimes, and it actually helped me with ways to ask the questions I wanted to ask as diplomatically as possible). I’d highly recommend it to a serious job seeker, with some caveats.
First, this seemed to be geared toward those in the marketing/finance/general corporate world; I work in tech, broadly speaking. and it did not seem to speak to that world quite as much, and much less to something like civil service. I do still think it’s worthwhile for most, but something to note.
Second, the writer’s POV bordered on offensive at times with regard to ethics, being much harder on employees than employers when determining if something is wrong (he literally says “If you don’t like it don’t take their money” at a couple points). I realize that a major goal of the book is to describe how employers think, but a lot of his analysis seems to describe some toxic workplaces compared to what I’ve actually seen as a senior PM with 20+ years experience, and in any case if it were me writing I think I would have taken greater pains to distance myself from some of the value judgments.
Still solid and I don’t want to knock down my rating for the above as I think the book is worth checking out.
First, this seemed to be geared toward those in the marketing/finance/general corporate world; I work in tech, broadly speaking. and it did not seem to speak to that world quite as much, and much less to something like civil service. I do still think it’s worthwhile for most, but something to note.
Second, the writer’s POV bordered on offensive at times with regard to ethics, being much harder on employees than employers when determining if something is wrong (he literally says “If you don’t like it don’t take their money” at a couple points). I realize that a major goal of the book is to describe how employers think, but a lot of his analysis seems to describe some toxic workplaces compared to what I’ve actually seen as a senior PM with 20+ years experience, and in any case if it were me writing I think I would have taken greater pains to distance myself from some of the value judgments.
Still solid and I don’t want to knock down my rating for the above as I think the book is worth checking out.
April 7, 2022
An easy read. It gives lots of philosophical and psychological reasoning (e.g. behind-the-scenes glance) in an interview. It gives us glimpses and perspectives from both sides of the table: i.e. interviewee and interviewer. However, at times, it becomes repetitive (as usually happens with books), or it could be intentional to make use of repetition and reinforcement to establish an idea.
Still heavily recommended for anyone out there working somewhere, basically for everyone including people who will not participate in the hiring process being self-employed. The principles and ideas discussed go well beyond the interview or hiring process. It drills down to the fact of
1. know yourself
2. switch your thinking hats to decide, what to speak out, how to do that, and when to stop talking
3. sell yourself without pushing too hard
Still heavily recommended for anyone out there working somewhere, basically for everyone including people who will not participate in the hiring process being self-employed. The principles and ideas discussed go well beyond the interview or hiring process. It drills down to the fact of
1. know yourself
2. switch your thinking hats to decide, what to speak out, how to do that, and when to stop talking
3. sell yourself without pushing too hard
December 15, 2025
Not only is this book old, but it is also not particularly useful. I was actually surprised to see some of the things the author recommends saying. Maybe because they do things differently in the UK. Either way, I was not impressed & didn't really find this book to be helpful. Some of the questions in the book also don't make much sense so not sure why it's even listed.
I think there are better books out there that are more in line with what most people are looking for. Definitely pass on this.
I think there are better books out there that are more in line with what most people are looking for. Definitely pass on this.
October 8, 2021
Pretty useful to understand HR's perspective when being asked the most-asked interview questions.
Written by an insider from HR world, James Reed helps us understand the "real" meaning of each question and the general tactics to face those questions in your own way (not a specified, canned answer).
It's unnecessary to read the whole book. Just read the first half which covers the top asked questions to get the real things that the interviewers are looking for and you're good to go.
Written by an insider from HR world, James Reed helps us understand the "real" meaning of each question and the general tactics to face those questions in your own way (not a specified, canned answer).
It's unnecessary to read the whole book. Just read the first half which covers the top asked questions to get the real things that the interviewers are looking for and you're good to go.
March 18, 2020
This book has definitely removed some of the fear associated with having to go through the job application and interview process (for the first time in about 20 years for me!). Understanding the perspective of the interviewer is key. I'll be sharing these words of wisdom with my kids in a few years' time.
May 28, 2020
Cartea te ajută să întelegi cum gândește o companie tot procesul de recrutare și cum ai putea să ieși în evidență, mai ales pe joburile cele mai căutate.
Am învățat din propria experiență, că nu e ok să fii 100% sincer la un interviu.
Cartea te ajută să te vinzi și poate face diferența între a fi, sau a nu fi angajat.
Regret că nu am citit-o înainte de un interviu important.
Am învățat din propria experiență, că nu e ok să fii 100% sincer la un interviu.
Cartea te ajută să te vinzi și poate face diferența între a fi, sau a nu fi angajat.
Regret că nu am citit-o înainte de un interviu important.
April 26, 2022
I thought I was pretty instinctive about interviewing so I was surprised at how much I learned from this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has some reluctance about going out on the job market. As an older than average candidate I found it very reassuring but it is also designed with recent graduate in mind. It would make a great gift for a young person early in their career.
January 27, 2025
This is by far the best book I have read on preparing for interviews! It not only offers a window into common interview questions and ideal respective responses, but also emphasizes the importance of reflecting on why one would be the best candidate for the job while aiming for happiness and self-fulfillment. Worth a regular read! 👌
January 25, 2021
DNF, but there's an amazing aura surrounding this book. It's well-written, and the advice provided is excellent; honesty and a good mindset win the day. If you are looking for work and are struggling with interviews, do yourself a favour and read it. It really helped me.
September 16, 2021
Well written logical book on how to approach interview questions with some example answers.
Properly the best book on the market in my opinion and you get a sense that the author has vast experience with the interview process from both sides.
Properly the best book on the market in my opinion and you get a sense that the author has vast experience with the interview process from both sides.
March 10, 2022
Very informative and better suited to a professional who has to order their history of experience and academic achievements.
Still good as a starter as it gives some insight into how to approach an interview, with tips for confidence and not straying too far from being yourself
Still good as a starter as it gives some insight into how to approach an interview, with tips for confidence and not straying too far from being yourself
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews