What are the most common interview questions?

Tell me about yourself, why do you want this job, what are your strengths and weaknesses, tell me about a time when, what are your salary expectations, and do you have any questions for us.

What is the best answer to what is your weakness?

Name a genuine weakness that is not essential to the role and explain the concrete steps you are taking to improve it. Avoid clichés like being a perfectionist.

How many questions should I ask at the end of an interview?

Prepare four or five and ask two or three. That leaves some in reserve if the interviewers answer a few during the conversation.

How long should my answer to tell me about yourself be?

Around one to two minutes. Cover your current role, one or two relevant experiences and why this job is your logical next step.

Can an employer in Denmark ask if I am pregnant?

No. Pregnancy, parental leave and adoption may not count against you under the Danish Equal Treatment Act, and you do not have to answer the question.

Job Interview Questions and Answers (with Examples)

Updated October 14, 2026

The most common job interview questions are "Tell me about yourself", "Why do you want this job?", "What are your strengths and weaknesses?", behavioural questions about real situations, salary expectations and, finally, "Do you have any questions for us?". If you know them in advance, you can spend the interview showing who you are instead of searching for words.

This guide covers what each question is really testing, example answers you can adapt, the best questions to ask the employer, and, if you are interviewing in Denmark, what an employer is not allowed to ask you.

What questions are asked in a job interview?

Most interviews follow a similar pattern: a little small talk, an introduction to the organisation, your background and motivation, questions about specific situations, practical matters and your own questions at the end. Almost every question is a variation on three underlying ones:

Can you do the job? Skills, experience and results.
Do you want this job? Motivation, and whether you understand the role.
Will you fit in? Collaboration style, values and expectations.

If you are applying in Denmark, expect a relaxed but thorough conversation. Panels often include your future manager and one or two colleagues, sometimes a union representative or HR. Titles matter less than in many countries, so you will usually be on first-name terms from the start. Being direct, honest and down to earth tends to land better than polished self-promotion.

If your interview is only days away, pair this guide with our guide on how to prepare for a job interview.

How do you answer "Tell me about yourself"?

This is almost always the opening question, and it is not an invitation to walk through your whole CV. Aim for one to two minutes with a clear storyline that ends at the job you are interviewing for.

Present: your current role or studies in one sentence.
Past: one or two experiences relevant to this role, ideally with a result.
Future: why this job is your logical next step, linked to something specific in the job ad.

Example: Priya, a data analyst moving to Copenhagen

I am a data analyst with four years of experience in e-commerce, most recently at a fashion retailer in Manchester where I built the weekly sales dashboards used by the buying team.

The project I am proudest of was a returns analysis that helped us change our size guides, which noticeably reduced returns on our best-selling lines.

I moved to Copenhagen this spring with my partner, and when I saw that Nordlys Retail is looking for an analyst to support its buying team, it felt like a natural fit: same kind of problems, and a company whose focus on sustainable sourcing I genuinely care about.

Why do you want this job, and why us?

Here the employer checks whether you have done your homework and want this particular job rather than any job. Answer on two levels: the work itself and the organisation. Avoid generic lines like "You are a leading company" without saying why that matters to you.

Example: Tom, applying for a customer success role at a software company

The part of my current job I enjoy most is helping customers get real value from the product, and in this role that would be the whole job.

Your job ad says customer success feeds directly into the product roadmap. I have done that informally, collecting feedback and presenting it to developers, so I would love to do it properly.

I also read your case study on the logistics customer who cut their planning time. It is clear the product makes a practical difference.

If they ask why you are leaving your current job, keep it positive and forward-looking. Talk about what you are moving towards, not what you are escaping, and never criticise your current employer.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

For strengths, pick two or three that match the job ad and back each one with a specific example. "I am organised" says little; "I took over a project that was three weeks late, re-planned it and delivered on time" says a lot. Using the same strengths you highlighted on your CV keeps your story consistent; see our guide to skills for a CV.

For weaknesses, the employer is looking for self-awareness, not perfection. Choose a genuine weakness that is not essential to the role, and explain what you are doing about it. Skip clichés such as "I am a perfectionist" and avoid anything that hits the core of the job.

Example: a project coordinator answering the weakness question

I have found it hard to say no when colleagues ask for help, which sometimes squeezed my own deadlines.

I now plan my week every Monday and agree priorities with my manager whenever something new comes in.

I still like helping, but I will say something like: I can look at it on Thursday, does that work?

Behavioural questions: how to use the STAR method

Questions that start with "Tell me about a time when…" are behavioural questions. The idea is that how you acted in the past predicts how you will act in future. They are common everywhere, including in larger Danish companies and the public sector. The easiest way to answer them clearly is the STAR method:

Situation: the context, briefly.
Task: your role or responsibility.
Action: what you did. Say "I", not only "we".
Result: the outcome, and what you learnt.

Have a story ready for each of these classic prompts:

A conflict with a colleague and how you resolved it.
A mistake you made.
A time you had too many tasks at once.
A difficult customer or stakeholder.
A change you helped put in place.

Example: a STAR answer from a store manager

Situation: Last December two of my staff fell ill in the same week, right in the middle of the Christmas rush.

Task: I had to keep the shop open and customer service at the usual standard.

Action: I rebuilt the rota that evening, persuaded two part-timers to take extra shifts and borrowed a colleague from our other branch for two days. I covered the tills myself at peak times.

Result: We stayed open every day and hit our sales target for the week. Afterwards I created a standing list of people happy to pick up extra shifts, so we are better prepared next time.

Prepare five or six strong stories from your working life. Most of them can be reused for several different questions.

How do you answer salary expectation questions?

When asked "What are your salary expectations?", give a specific figure or a narrow range based on research, not "I haven't thought about it". In Denmark, salaries are discussed as a monthly amount, and pension is a significant part of the package, so say clearly whether your figure includes or excludes pension. Check the relevant union's salary statistics and whether the role is covered by a collective agreement.

If you are new to the Danish market, it is fine to say you expect a salary in line with the market for similar roles and then name your number. For tactics, read our guide on salary negotiation.

What questions should you ask at the end of an interview?

Never answer "Do you have any questions for us?" with no. Good questions show you are already picturing yourself in the role, and they help you decide whether the job is right for you. Prepare four or five so you still have some left if a few get answered along the way.

What would I need to achieve in the first three months for you to feel it was a great hire?
What does a typical week look like in this role?
What is the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?
Why is the position open?
How do you onboard new colleagues, and is there support for learning Danish?
How do you approach professional development and training?
What are the next steps, and when can I expect to hear from you?

Save questions about holidays, flexible hours and working from home for a second interview or the offer stage, unless the employer raises them first.

What can an employer not ask you in Denmark?

Under the Danish Equal Treatment Act (section 9), pregnancy, parental leave and adoption may not play any part in the assessment of you, so a question about whether you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or intend to adopt is not one you have to answer. Under the Act on Prohibition of Discrimination in the Labour Market (section 4), the employer may neither ask for nor use information about your race, skin colour, religion or belief, political views, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or gender characteristics, or your national, social or ethnic origin. Age is a protected ground too, and a discriminatory job ad is unlawful in itself.

Health questions are restricted too: under the Danish Act on the Use of Health Information on the Labour Market (section 2), an employer may only ask whether you have or have had an illness, or symptoms of an illness, that significantly affects your ability to do the specific job. The duty runs both ways: you must tell a prospective employer about an illness you know of that significantly affects the work.

If you are asked anyway, you have the right not to answer. A calm reply works: "That does not affect how I would do the job, so I would rather not go into it." If you believe an illegal question cost you the job, contact a Danish union for advice.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common interview questions?: Tell me about yourself, why do you want this job, what are your strengths and weaknesses, tell me about a time when, what are your salary expectations, and do you have any questions for us.
What is the best answer to what is your weakness?: Name a genuine weakness that is not essential to the role and explain the concrete steps you are taking to improve it. Avoid clichés like being a perfectionist.
How many questions should I ask at the end of an interview?: Prepare four or five and ask two or three. That leaves some in reserve if the interviewers answer a few during the conversation.
How long should my answer to tell me about yourself be?: Around one to two minutes. Cover your current role, one or two relevant experiences and why this job is your logical next step.
Can an employer in Denmark ask if I am pregnant?: No. Pregnancy, parental leave and adoption may not count against you under the Danish Equal Treatment Act, and you do not have to answer the question.