50 interview questions worth actually preparing for.

HR + Behavioural + Technical, with the meta reason each one gets asked.

Updated September 2026 · By the ClaudeCV Editorial Team

HR / Screening (they're testing baseline fit)

• "Walk me through your resume." — Signal: can you tell a coherent story with a throughline?
• "Why us?" — Signal: did you do 15 minutes of homework?
• "Why leaving current role?" — Signal: mature framing, not blame.
• "Salary expectations?" — Signal: are you researched and self-aware?
• "Notice period?" — Signal: logistics + integrity in existing commitments.
• "Have you applied elsewhere?" — Signal: are you serious about the search?
• "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" — Signal: intentionality, not ambition olympics.
• "What's your biggest weakness?" — Signal: self-awareness. Please, no "perfectionism".

Behavioural (STAR method eats these for breakfast)

• "Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager."
• "Tell me about a time you failed."
• "Tell me about a difficult teammate."
• "Tell me about your biggest professional win."
• "How do you handle tight deadlines?"
• "Describe a time you had to persuade someone."
• "When did you take initiative without being asked?"
• "When did you receive tough feedback? How did you react?"

Technical — Software

• Explain HTTPS vs HTTP.
• What's the difference between SQL and NoSQL?
• Explain event loops in JS.
• How would you scale a URL shortener to 1B URLs?
• Explain caching layers (browser, CDN, app, DB).
• Diff between processes and threads.
• What's the CAP theorem?
• Explain OAuth 2.0 in one minute.

Reverse (questions YOU should ask)

• "What does success look like in this role at 6 months?"
• "How is performance measured here?"
• "What's the team's biggest current challenge?"
• "Why is this role open?"
• "How would you describe the manager's style?"

Prep the story, not the script. Interviewers can smell rehearsed answers a mile away.