Common interview questions and answers, with examples

What the employer wants to find out

Almost every interview question is about one of three things. Can you do the job? Do you want this particular job? And will you work well with the people who are already there? Once you know which of these sits behind a question, it becomes much easier to give a precise answer instead of talking around the topic.

Interviews in Norway are often informal in tone. You will probably be offered coffee, everyone uses first names, and the conversation can feel like a normal chat. Do not let that fool you. It is still an interview, and the people across the table usually have a list of questions they ask every candidate. Many employers run two rounds, where the first is broader and the second goes deeper into your experience, salary and practical details. If the job requires Norwegian, expect at least part of the conversation to be in Norwegian, even if it starts in English.

Questions about you and your motivation

1. “Tell me a bit about yourself.” This is the warm-up, but it also tests whether you can pick out what is relevant. Stick to work and education, and finish with why you are applying. Example: “I trained as an accountant and have spent three years at an audit firm in Bergen, where I have my own clients and work closely with their managers. Now I want to work inside one company and follow the numbers over time, which is why I applied to you.” There is more on this in the guide on how to talk about yourself.

2. “Why are you applying for this job?” The employer wants to know whether you have thought it through or are applying for everything. Link your answer to something specific about the role and something specific about them. Example: “I enjoy working with customers and want more responsibility for sales myself. You work with business clients in central Norway, and that is the market I know best.”

3. “What do you know about us?” This tests your preparation. Mention what they deliver, who their customers are and something you have read recently, such as news about a product or a new department. Say why it caught your interest. If you have moved to Norway, you may also hear “What brought you to Norway?” or “How long are you planning to stay?”. Employers ask because hiring takes time and they want people who stay. A short, honest answer is enough.

4. “Why do you want to leave your current job?” Talk about what you are moving towards, not what you are running from. Example: “I have learned a lot where I am, but there is little room to work on project management. That is the main reason I am looking for something new.” Do not speak negatively about your current manager or colleagues, even if you have reason to.

Questions about experience and skills

5. “What are your strengths?” Pick two or three strengths that fit the job and give an example of each. “I am good at structure” is worth little on its own. “I made a new rota that meant we stopped being understaffed at weekends” shows the same thing, with proof.

6. “What are your weaknesses?” The employer is looking for self-awareness. Name a real weakness that is not central to the job and say what you are doing about it. Example: “I have tended to say yes to too many tasks. Now I go through the week with my manager every Monday, so we prioritise together.” You will find more examples in the guide on strengths and weaknesses.

7. “What are you most proud of in your working life?” Choose a result that resembles what they need. Briefly explain the situation, what you did and what came of it. Numbers help, but only if they are accurate.

8. “Why should we choose you?” This is your chance to sum up. Point to two or three requirements in the ad and how you meet them. Example: “You are looking for someone with warehouse and leadership experience. I have led a shift of eight people for two years and introduced new routines for receiving goods. I also hold a forklift licence.”

Questions about situations you have been in

Many employers use behavioural questions. The idea is that what you have done before says more than what you think you would do. They are easy to recognise, because they start with “Tell me about a time when you...” or “Give an example of...”.

9. “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague.” They want to see that you can handle disagreement without making it personal. Show that you raised it directly, listened and found a solution. Avoid stories where the whole point is that the other person was wrong.

10. “Tell me about a mistake you made.” Choose a real mistake without serious consequences, and spend most of the time on what you did afterwards and what you learned. Example: “I sent a customer a quote with the wrong price. I called the same day, explained what had happened and sent a new one. Since then I have always had a colleague check quotes above a certain amount.”

11. “Tell me about a time you had too much to do.” Here they want to see how you prioritise and whether you speak up. Explain what you chose to do first, who you talked to and how it turned out.

The STAR method gives your answer structure

Behavioural questions are easiest to answer with the STAR method. It makes sure you give enough background for the story to make sense, while spending most of the time on what you did yourself.

Here is how a short STAR answer to the question about having too much to do might sound: “Last year two people left our team in the same month (situation). I was responsible for making sure customer enquiries were answered within two days (task). I sorted the cases by urgency, agreed with my manager what could wait, and wrote ready-made replies to the most common questions (action). We met the deadline for almost the whole period, and we still use the templates (result).”

Prepare five or six stories like this before the interview. A few good stories will cover most behavioural questions, because the same story often fits several of them.

• Situation: Where were you, and what was the challenge? One or two sentences.
• Task: What was your responsibility or goal?
• Action: What did you actually do? Say “I”, not just “we”.
• Result: What happened, and what did you learn? Include numbers if you have them.

Questions about teamwork, the future and salary

12. “How would your colleagues describe you?” Answer with something you know they would actually say, ideally something a former manager can confirm. References are usually checked in Norway, so your answer should match what your referees say.

13. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” They want to know whether you have a direction and whether it fits what they can offer. Example: “I want to have become really good at this work and to have taken on more responsibility, for example training new staff. I am looking for a place where I can stay for a while.”

14. “What are your salary expectations?” This often comes up in the second round, but it can come early. Give a specific figure or a narrow range based on what similar jobs pay. In Norway salary is usually discussed as a yearly figure before tax. Read more in the guide on negotiating salary.

15. “Do you have any questions for us?” Always say yes. Ask what matters most in the first few months, how the team works, or what the people who do well in the role have in common. There are more ideas in the guide on questions to ask the employer.

How to practise interview questions and answers

Do not memorise your answers word for word. It sounds rehearsed, and you are easily thrown if the question comes in a different form. Learn the main points and the examples you want to use instead, and say them out loud several times. Knowing what you want to say and having actually said it are two very different things.

Go through the job ad and write down the questions its requirements might lead to. If it asks for someone who is “solution-oriented”, have an example of a problem you have solved. If it says “thrives in a fast pace”, have a story about a busy period.

Selja's free tool Interview questions lists common questions with tips on how to answer, filtered by profession. If you want to practise the interview for a specific job, you can use Interview practice, where the questions are built from the ad and your CV, and you get feedback on each answer.