How is your deals

What does «what is your deal?» mean in an informal, romantic context?

I’ve heard a guy saying «What is your deal?» when hitting up on a girl two times on a TV show.

According to the Free Dictionary:

What’s the deal? (informal) something that you say in order to ask someone to explain what they have been doing or what they are planning to do:

Here someone says that «What’s your deal» is a way of asking «what’s up».

The latter seems more plausible, though after having looked it up on the Internet it appears that it’s just one man’s opinion. So, which meaning of this question is right in this case?

3 Answers 3

Typically, if an offense is given, the response is what is your deal?; aka what is wrong with you! you are offensive.

What’s the deal is a slang phrase in English to normally ask what’s going on (with a plan or a situation).

It does, however, have other uses with generally the same meaning with a slight change in meaning based on context:

The literal:
Inquiring about a deal
What’s the deal the gentleman proposed to you about that loan?

When asking about someone:
Inquiring about someone’s actions, reactions, attitude, or demeanor
What’s the deal with that guy? He doesn’t look okay.

There’s a few more usages of this phrase however they all approximate a question about the state of something.

OK, so now I know that the phrase «what is your deal?» means «what’s up». It suddenly hit me as I was coming back to this question.

So, just to clarify why I think so, the phrase comes from the Parks and Rec, so we’re talking American English. As I have said before, it’s been said only two times on the show, and each time, the context was that the guy was hitting on a girl. Also, asking this wasn’t preceded by any other comment. Besides, I was trying to recall what was the answer to it. So, once there was no respond, and the second time someone described their life, basically. Well, it’s a comedy, so the answers aren’t real clues.

But anyway, now that I think about it is pretty obvious that it’s just another variation of what’s up?

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Разговорные выражения с глаголом “deal”

Posted on 2014-04-22 by admin in Разговорник // 0 Comments

Expressions with «deal»

1. To deal with cards = to give out cards – первое, с чем мы познакомимся, это как глагол deal участвует в карточных играх. Когда мы сидим за карточным столом и нам раздают карты, мы берем их в руки и думаем, как использовать их в свою пользу – это и называется — to deal with cards – манипулировать картами, играть ими для своей пользы

2. What’s your deal? – вот таким вопросом можно поинтересоваться какие проблемы у ваших друзей или знакомых – «В чем проблема?»

3. Deal with it! – это выражение произошло от карточных игр, но используется повсеместно. Скажем, у вас произошла какая-то неприятность, и вы жалуетесь на судьбу, но вам говорят — Deal with it! – Твои проблемы, смирись с этим, живи с этим, ничего не поделать, прими факты такими, как они есть, – вот как-то так.

4. Deal me in – мы говорим это когда хотим в чем-то участвовать, например, в какой-то вечеринке, или опять же в карточной игре. На русском это будет выглядеть как «я тоже участвую, и на меня тоже рассчитывайте, я в деле».

5. He is a dealer – он дилер. Различают два типа дилеров – карточных (card dealer) =give out cards, и наркодилеров (drug dealer), которые раздают наркотики = give out drugs.

6. Who will deal with it? – не думайте что это одно и то же выражение с указанным в пункте 3. Задавая вопрос ‘Who will deal with it?’ Мы интересуется, кто будет нести ответственность за что-либо.

Следующие выражения похожи, но имеют противоположное значение. Запомните их и будьте внимательны!

7. So, what’s a big deal! – «Большое дело! (Не)велика беда!» — когда кто-то воспринимает ситуацию серьезнее, чем следует.

8. It’s a big deal! – противоположно предыдущему имеет значение «это очень важно!». Можно сказать he/she is a big deal – это будет означать, что «он или она очень важная персона».

9. It’s a deal! – Договорились! По рукам!

Перевод глагола deal на русский язык

Здравствуйте! В этот раз я хотел бы рассказать Вам о классных фразах со словом «deal». Используйте их, говорите проще и развивайте свой разговорный английский.

Значение слова «deal» в английском языке

В основном «deal» переводится, как «сделка, договоренность, соглашение».

He’ll come, don’t worry. We have a deal with him.

(Он придет, не переживай. У нас с ним договоренность)

Фраза «To make a deal» означает «договариваться». Например:

I’ve made a deal with my chief to meet tomorrow.

(Я договорился со своим шефом встретиться завтра)

We made a deal with you, but you didn’t come!

(Мы с тобой договаривались, а ты не пришел!)

Разговорные фразы со словом «deal»

В английском существует несколько хороших фраз со словом «deal». И первая из них- «what a big deal?»

Это один из способов сказать «Мне все равно, мне без разницы, какая разница» Например:

— He does’t like you.

— What a big deal!? I don’t care!

— Ты ему не нравишься.

— И что? Мне все равно!

Можно также сократить и просто сказать «What a deal» или «Big deal» Это нормально.

Deal with it

Вторая хорошая фраза — «deal with it». Это означает «смириться с чем-либо, иметь дело с чем-либо или с кем-либо»

I don’t like my job, but I have to deal with it, because I need money.

(Мне не нравится моя работа, но я вынужден смириться с этим, потому что мне нужны деньги)

— I lost my wallet! I’m so upset!

— Just deal with it, my friend. It can happen sometimes.

— Я потерял свой бумажник! Очень расстроен!

— Просто смирись, дружище. Такое случается.

What is your deal?

Следующая фраза — «What’s his/her/their/ deal». Представьте, что Вы увидели человека с очень недовольным выражением лица и явно чем-то расстроенного. В таком случае можете спросить своего друга например «Hey, what’s his deal?». Это следует понимать как «Эй глянь, что с ним такое?» Например:

— My brother’s in the very bad mood today.

— Really? What’s his deal?

— Мой брат в очень плохом настроении сегодня.

— Серьезно? А что у него случилось?

Или наоборот, если кто-то явно счастлив и улыбается без особых причин. Можете также спросить «What’s his/her deal? Why is he/she smiling?»

— Mr. Smitt looks good today, he’s so happy! What’s his deal?

— It’s not a surprise. He bought a new car yesterday!

— Мистер Смит сегодня хорошо выглядит, такой счастливый! С чего это интересно?

— Это не удивительно. Он вчера купил новую машину!

Короче говоря, если кто-либо выглядит странно или не так как обычно, можно спросить «Hey what’s his deal?» = «Эй посмотри, что это с ним?» Я думаю, идею Вы поняли.

Deal me in

Еще одна фраза со словом «deal» — «Deal me in». Если вы хотите принять участие в чем-либо или присоединиться к кому-нибудь, можно сказать «Hey, deal me in!» то есть «Эй, я с Вами, я тоже буду, имейте меня ввиду, возьмите меня тоже» Например:

— I’m gonna play football, guys.

— Hey, I want to play too. Deal me in!

— Я пойду поиграю в футбол, ребят.

— Эй, я тоже хочу. Возьми с собой!

На этот раз у меня все. Очень хорошие фразы, особенно первые три=) Используйте их и развивайте свой разговорный английский!

How is your deals

hotukdeals.com is a community-based deals platform that allows everyone to share online or in-store offers, to share their insights and expertise and to find the deal content they love. It was founded in 2004 by Jen Nikkel and Paul Nikkel and went on to become the biggest deal community in the UK. In 2015, hotukdeals became part of pepper.com’s global deal platform.

Our voting system, represented by the temperatures displayed on each of the deals, makes it possible to sort the offers that have been shared according to the voice of our community members; those users can vote positively when they consider that the offer is a hot deal or negatively if they do not. This helps to maintain absolute neutrality, the voice of the people who drive the site decides which threads sink and which sail.

Deals which pass 100° are automatically pushed to the hot tab, showcasing the best deals in the UK at any given time.

Hotukdeals deal hunters share the offers they uncover and deal lovers consume that content while validating it with their comments and expertise. This helps others to make a decision on whether or not to purchase, and in time encourages those users to post deals of their own.

Who can post deals?

Are deals moderated or edited?

Our community support team will check every deal that goes live on site to make sure it isn’t missing anything. They’ll fix links, add images and drop you a message to let you know what is it they’ve updated.

How does hotukdeals make money?

Our running costs are covered by affiliate fees, which we sometimes earn if a user buys a product they saw on our site. Whether a deal earns commission or not doesn’t influence how we describe it, or the votes it receives on our site.

With this second category, only deals that are already proving popular with our users are put forward to go into sponsored placements. Content and community is the focus and we never compromise that regardless of how we earn our running costs. You can read more here about sponsored placements.

Are there sites like hotukdeals in other countries?

II. My account and registration

Why should I register on hotukdeals?

While you can browse hotukdeals without registering, you aren’t able to take advantage of the deal features we offer exclusively to registered users, such as tailored deal alerts, commenting / voting rights and our extensive private messaging system. Our platform is being built and improved with registered users in mind and as it grows, they’re the focus of bettering our user experience.

III. Using hotukdeals

We have four main sections on hotukdeals

Voucher codes : Powered by Voucherbox, this is where you’ll find the freshest codes for your favourite merchants so you can save even more money when you shop.

Freebies : 100% free stuff!

Discussions : Here’s where you’ll find info about merchants, user stories and community chit chat. Whether gaming is your thing or you just want to ask about shipping costs, jump in and say hello.

What is the highlights page?

The hotukdeals highlights page shows you a snapshot of the best deals on our plaform right now, including content from our community and partners. You’ll find a huge mix of categories and content, all featuring the information you need to help you decide whether or not to buy the deal. The highlights page is updated frequently to ensure you always find the freshest deals, including the hottest community-finds, partner exclusives, sponsored content and editor-curated features.

Why do I always land on the highlights page when I visit hotukdeals?

Our highlights page is the entry point for visitors as it shows the biggest mix of quality content and we’re confident the page serves something for everyone. However, if you’d prefer your default landing page to be a different place on site, you can alter that in your account settings. Once you’re registered and you’ve verified your account, take a look in your account settings at the Preferences tab.

Can I change the layout?

How do I filter by merchant?

For most brands, we’ve created a dedicated merchant page where you’ll find all deals and vouchers related to that specific merchant. You can find this by using the search bar in the site header (results appear under Merchant), or by visiting this page.

What does the word «Update» mean on certain deals?

If a significant change happened to a deal, such as a new price drop or additional discount, our team can add an update with this new information which re-pushes the thread to the hot page. This means our users don’t miss out when a good deal becomes even better.

What does the word «Sponsored» mean on certain deals?

Partners sometimes pay us to show their hottest deals to more people on our site. We use the «Sponsored» label so you can easily identify this kind of content.

Of course, despite these deals on site being part of a commercial arrangement, it is always up to the community to decide through the voting system whether a deal is hot enough to be promoted, and editors don’t post any deals in the first place without being sure it is market-leading as well as meeting other quality criteria.

Because of this quality criteria, as well as our focus on maintaining a neutral platform, we don’t allow merchants to post directly on site, except as part of the Verified Partner test. If you are a merchant and you want to find out how to work with us, you can get in touch via our contact form

How many times will I be served a sponsored deal?
These deals remain at fixed positions in our feed (eg, 3rd position on the Electronics page, or 6th position on the Highlights page). To avoid bombarding you multiple times with the same deal, we’ve set it so different deals can rotate to appear in these spaces at any time. So if you currently see a deal in one of these locations, chances are you’ll see a different deal the next time you visit that same page.
It’s worth noting that we may continue to «pin» deals or topics in certain lists without the title «Sponsored» appearing, when we consider that they are likely to be of interest to the entire community. In those cases, the threads are being showcased to users regardless of any commercial agreement.

Are the deals visible in sponsored locations the same for everyone?
No. We use certain types of anonymous targeting offered by Google Ad Manager to show you offers that are most likely to be of interest to you in those sponsored placements. We want to make sure that you find offers that suit you and in which you can find reliable and relevant information shared by members of the community. Of course, nothing is foolproof and we can’t guarantee that these offers will always be totally related to your interests although this is our main aim.

Finally, despite the commercial nature of these locations, it is always up to the community to decide through the voting system whether a deal is hot enough to be put forward.

I don’t want the content featured in sponsored placements to be personalised
You can simply withdraw your consent at any time from our Cookie Policy. Note that you will continue to see offers in sponsored locations on our platform, but these will be likely to be less relevant to you.

What are groups and how do they work?

Groups allow you a more refined sorting: the groups serve to display, according to your needs, all deals for a category of products. You can add your deals to multiple groups at once (such as «Video Games» AND «PS4 Games» AND «Destiny»), which will allow your deal to be visible wherever it’s relevant, which helps the community interested in those topics to find what they’re looking for.

2. How to post a good deal

Where can I read hotukdeals rules and regulations?

You can find our rules : on this page.

How do I post a deal?

To be able to post a deal or a discussion, you need to be logged in. Click the «+ Submit» button located at the top right of the menu bar, and choose the type of post you would like to submit. Deals are divided into 2 categories: Deals and Vouchers.

When you post a deal, fill in all of fields in the deal submission form and indicate where applicable any shipping costs, taxes or duties: you must always include shipping costs. You will also need to add a group to your deal: these are categories which make it easier for users to find the content they’re looking for (see Groups above).

If you’re posting a freebie, you can select “FREE” as a group using the same submission form. Freebies must be completely free and not incur any additional costs (such as shipping).

When you post a discount code, you will have to specify whether it gives you a monetary discount, a percentage reduction on the sale price or a free delivery.

Once your deal is posted, it will usually be checked quickly by the community support team before going live. If your thread doesn’t adhere to our site rules or regulations, we reserve the right not to publish it. We’ll let you know if this happens and the reasons why.

Run a quick price comparison and check your deal is actually a deal! Sometimes merchants inflate their RRPs to make discounts look bigger than they actually are. Once you’re satisfied you’ve found an awesome price, do a search on hotukdeals to make sure it wasn’t posted already within the last 28 days. If you don’t see it, you’re good to go.

If the seller isn’t from the UK, be aware we might need to make a few more checks before your deal goes live. From your side though, check there aren’t big import fees that could compromise the value of your deal, and make sure that the deal actually ships to the UK.

It’s good practise to use the next best price in your listing to indicate how good a deal your item really is. Don’t use inflated RRP to do this though; run a price comparison and stick to true values.

Yes, but don’t worry, we usually take a quick look at the deals posted before they are published. This allows us to verify that the offer is valid and that there’s no critical info missing from the thread. You will receive a notification as soon as your deal is published. In principle, we try to get these checks done as quickly as possible (usually within a couple of minutes) but depending on the number of deals posted and during certain periods, it is possible that there will be short delays. There is no need to repost your deal.

User rewards trial

3. Votes + temperature

What does the temperature mean on a deal?

The temperature indicates the opinion of the community on a deal: each member can give a positive vote («hot») or negative (“cold») and their votes add up to give a higher or lower temperature. A deal with a high temperature is therefore acclaimed by the community: good value for money, best price for a given service, interesting offer. This temperature is subjective and indicative: you can often find an interesting deal for yourself even if the community did not rate it well, and vice versa. Remember, if you’re voting on someones deal it’s common courtesy to leave a polite comment, especially if you voted negatively.

When a deal is published on the site, its temperature is masked by the term «New» for a duration of 10 minutes so that the votes are not influenced at the beginning. By this, we mean that sometimes a single cold vote on a new deal can encourage users to copy and vote cold en-masse without actually forming their own opinion on the deal.

How do the votes work?

Votes can not be changed so be sure before you’ve voted you’ve taken everything into consideration!

Accompanying your vote with an explanatory comment is always beneficial and useful for the whole community, we strongly encourage you to do so 😉

As stated in our general conditions of use, if we believe voting privileges are being abused we’ll be in touch and as a last resort these will be restricted.

4. Comments

My comment is not displayed, why?

Like deals, some comments are subject to verification by the moderation team before being published. This allows us to filter comments that do not respect our terms of use. However, this restriction only applies to newly registered members whose accounts are not very active: as soon as you are an active member of the community (and respectful of the rules), your comments are automatically published without prior verification. Sometimes we might moderate a thread to allow us to catch up on an issue but this is a last resort.

What are top comments?

How do I post an image in comments?

The image adding system is simplified: you can upload an image directly from your computer, or specify the URL of the image if it is online. Accepted formats are jpg, gif and png.

5. Changes

Is it possible to edit my deal once it has been released?

Yes, you can edit your tips and discussions as much as you want. If a member of the moderation team is already modifying your deal, you will have to wait a few minutes before you can make any further changes yourself. When editing information in a deal or discussion, remember to mention the changes made so that other members know what you have added or removed. We ask members to not change the fundamental basis (price, merchant etc) of a deal as it is likely the votes already placed were not for that new information.

The changes are subject to a moderation audit just like the deals and discussions.

Is it possible to add information to a deal posted by another person?

Only the most active users can add information directly into a deal. If you have important information to add, you can click on «Add information» below the deal when it appears.

If you do not see the “Add Information” option, you can also add your expertise as a comment in the relevant thread. You can tag the poster of the thread and ask them to update their info as well, by typing @USERNAME

Why expire / re-activate a deal?

It is necessary to expire a deal when the offer is finished, for example it’s out of stock or there was a price increase. A deal will remain active as long as it is possible to take advantage of it. Some merchants like Amazon for example allow you to place an order while the product is temporarily out of stock, in this case the deal must not be expired as long as the price remains the same. In addition, a deal does not appear to have expired until two members have clicked the “expire” button or a community support team member has manually expired the deal.

The re-activation of the deals works in a similar way. Users can vote a deal as being reactivated, or they can use the report function to ask a community support team member to review and unexpired the thread

Deals shared more than 4 months ago are automatically expired by the site.

6. Alerts

How do alerts work?

To receive an alert for each new deal corresponding to a product you are looking for, simply go to your profile settings on the «My Alerts» tab. Enter a keyword (for example «PlayStation» or «PS4») and adjust the notifications you want to receive for that particular keyword. You’ll need to be logged into your account to create multiple alerts and to manage them.

You can choose to receive site notifications, email notifications, or both. You can also choose to receive an email alert whenever a deal is posted or a daily summary of all deals posted in the day corresponding to all your keywords.

7. Search

How does the search work?

You can search for a deal from the search bar at the top of each page. Different categories of results are displayed: deals, merchants, forum topics, groups and users. From here you can pick whether you’re wanting to see all the deals based on the grouping of that search term.

Once you know what you’re looking for you’ll be able to decide which category you want to view from these selections. You’ll always better results from one of these categories instead of a general search.

8. Subscriptions and follow-up

Can I subscribe to a deal?

You can track updates and new comments added to a deal that interests you. Click on the bell icon below the description of the deal and you will automatically receive a notification when clarifications and comments will be added. You need to be logged in to do this.

How do I unsubscribe from a deal?

If you have commented on a deal or clicked the bell icon under its description, you will receive notifications when new comments or information are added to this deal. Just click «Do not follow» under the deal description to unsubscribe from notifications.
If you never want to receive new comments on a deal, you can uncheck the box in the «Notifications» tab of your profile settings.

Can I save a deal to find it later?

Just click «Save» (or the bookmark icon) under the deal description

Where can I find saved deals?

Go to your profile by clicking on your avatar and then on «Saved Deals» to see all the deals you have saved.

Can I follow a member?

You can choose to follow the activities of other members. To do this, click on their avatar or their nickname and click on the «Follow» button that appears in their profile. You can subscribe to as many members as you want. If you cannot find a member it could be because that member has disabled this function.

How to ignore / no longer ignore a member?

Sometimes, in all walks of life, we’ll meet people we just don’t get along with. That’s true of forums as well, but we encourage you not to get involved in fights or squabbles. It is possible to ignore all activities of a member on the site if you really can’t get on. You will no longer see his comments, and you will not be able to exchange private messages.

To ignore a member, click the «Ignore this member» button from their profile.

9. Team

Who are the community support team and what do they do?

The community support team’s jobs are administration of the site, and moderation of comments and deals. They are identified as such on the site thanks to a small shield (which marks the members of the staff without distinction of role) and on the apps with labels Admin and Community Support next to their nickname.

The community support team make sure that the deals posted are clear and valid, that the users are fair and friendly to one another and that our site rules are being respected at all times.

If you have any moderation questions, simply write a private message to hotukdeals_team

Note that our team consists of humans and not robots. Moderation is done in a human way, with an inevitable part of subjectivity, and humans sometimes make mistakes. Be lenient and let us know if you think we went wrong somewhere

Who are the editors and what do they do?

The editorial team consists of editors. Like other team members, a tag (on the apps) or a small symbol (on the site) indicates their role. In short, the editors are responsible for finding and posting the best deals possible.

Editors are not paid for the number of shared deals, so they have no interest in sharing bad deals on the site (they have a reputation to keep!). In addition, the deals shared by the editorial team are not sponsored. They are sometimes monetised exactly as a deal shared by a member.

This operation benefits everyone, merchants have an official way to submit their deals to the judgment of our editorial team and therefore learn that no one is interested in inflated RRP or junk, and from the point of view of the community it brings additional content quality, deals that are curated just for the hotukdeals users and exclusive inside info that would never have been published otherwise.

Most of the editors’ work involves good, old-fashioned deal hunting. The only difference between a deal found directly and a deal offered by a partner is the source: one side is a typical “find”, the other is a kind of «newsletter» from the merchant. The editors remain totally independent from sharing any particular deal, whether it is from a merchant or not.

What do labels and shields look like for some users’ nicks?

10. New Features

Is it possible to go back to an old version of the site?

I do not like the new design of the site.

Where did the chat forum go?

The chat forum is now called «Discussions». You will find all the features of the old forum, misc and all conversations.

IV. My profile

I have not received a confirmation email, what should I do?

I would like to change my username, is it possible?

You can edit your username directly from your profile settings. You can only change your nickname once every 6 months, so choose wisely!

I forgot my password, how can I reset it?

If you have forgotten your password, do not panic! You can reset your password on this page and enter your username or the email address you used to create your account. An e-mail will be automatically sent to you with a secure link allowing you to reset your password. Check your spam 🙂 If you have any problems please get in touch.

Access to private messaging is limited by default to prevent abuse and spam sent through this feature.
This limitation is temporary, your email will automatically unlock when your account becomes active and you’ve passed our automated criteria checks. In the meantime, no manual intervention can be done to remove this limitation.

If you have restricted access, you are only able to reply to messages sent to you by other members. You can’t send out PMs of your own. This is to safeguard our users against spam.

How can I delete my account?

To delete your account, go to your account settings and open the «Profile» section, then click on the «Delete my account» button. Once you’ve confirmed, the deletion of your account will become effective after 30 days as long as you do not reconnect to your account in the meantime.

We’re confident that any problem you’re experiencing can be resolved so we hope you’ll allow us the chance to help you out before you make the decision to delete your account.

How do I cancel the deletion of my account?

You can reconnect within 30 days of deletion, but after this point we can not reactivate a deleted account.

I created my account recently and I was able to post a deal, but now this feature is blocked, what’s going on?

When you register, you can post your first deal immediately. However, it is important that your account is confirmed (just click on the link in the confirmation email sent to you at registration). This step is necessary to ensure that the email address used to create your account is yours. Once your account is confirmed, you will be able to post your best deals and promo codes again!

How do I change my avatar and description?

Once registered and verified, go to your profile by clicking on your avatar in the menu bar and then on «Settings». You can replace your avatar as much as you like. To make it even more awesome, load a square image! You can change your username just below, but be careful as you can change it only once every 6 months. Your username or avatar must not contain anything offensive or illegal.

What are badges for, how do you get them?

Badges are markers of your involvement on the site. They are rewards that can be attributed to all active members of the site. Some are very easy to get, others are almost impossible to keep hold of! The conditions for obtaining each badge, as well as your progress to obtain it, are indicated in the «My badges» section of your profile.

The badge that appears next to your avatar in your comments and deals is the one of your acquired badges which is the most difficult to obtain.

V. Notifications

How do I get notified when deals that interest me are posted?

Your alerts help you to get notified on everything you care about. We’ve made alerts very simple to configure: just go to the «Alert settings» section of your profile settings and you’ll be shown your keyword-alarm centre. Here, you’ll see a feed of everything related to the alerts you’ve set up in the past, and you’ll be able to set up new alerts. Just enter in the dedicated field a keyword corresponding to the product or brand you are looking for (for example «PS4» or «Samsing Galaxy S8» or «Adidas»).

You can edit each alert with a minimum temperature (which must be reached by a deal before you are alerted.) You can also choose to receive these alerts via email or via browser notification.

To find all deals corresponding to your alerts, click on your avatar in the menu bar and then on «My alerts».

How do I unsubscribe from e-mail notifications?

You can unsubscribe either directly from one of the e-mails you have received, or by going to the «Alert Settings» by selecting the alert concerned and clicking the delete icon.

From one of the emails you have received, you can choose to unsubscribe for a single alert or for all alerts. If you choose not to receive emails from us at all, you will also be unsubscribed from the newsletter.

I can’t remember subscribing to browser notifications? How do I disable them?

This is an alert from your browser. This has been enabled from your device when you visited hotukdeals so you’ll need to go in to your device browser settings and revise this notification setting to stop these alerts.

How can I unsubscribe from the newsletter?

You can unsubscribe at any time from the newsletter. To do this, go to the «My subscriptions» section of your profile settings, or simply click on the unsubscribe link at the end of each newsletter.

VI. Deletions and Reports

My deal has been removed, why?

Why are some merchants banned from the site?

Sometimes, merchants try to pose as users in order to promote their deals. This affects our on site neutrality, tricks our users and unfairly gives merchants a platform they therefore don’t deserve. This is strictly forbidden and any merchants trying to post or promote their deals unfairly will be suspended from site.

I’ve seen illegal, annoying, insulting, off-topic content, what should I do?

You can report content that has no place on the site simply by clicking the «Report» button that is below each post and comment. Our moderation team will be automatically notified. We appreciate your help in keeping the site as friendly and informative as possible.

When should I report a deal?

If a deal is no longer valid you can simply click on «Expire» under its description: the other members will know that the promotion is no longer valid or that the merchant has exhausted his stock. You can also report this deal to the community support team.

It may be that despite all our checks, a dodgy looking deal has been validated. You can tell us by clicking on «Report» under the deal description and letting us know the issue.

What happens if break the site rules

VII. Contact us

How can I contact hotukdeals?

You can send all your questions and partnership requests directly via the site contact form

If you want to give us feedback on a malfunction or a bug on the site, do not hesitate to create a feedback thread so that other members can also comment!

I have a great idea for the site, can I send it to you?

Of course, let us know in the dedicated section of the discussions! Remember to do a preliminary search to see if another member has already made the same suggestion 😉

Where else can I find you?

How do I become a member of the team?

We choose our community support team and editorial team from the friendliest, most active and reliable members of the community, according to our needs and especially their availability. All of our staff are salaried, most work from home.

Your 2022 Guide to the Most Common Interview Questions and Answers

Wouldn’t it be great if you knew exactly what questions a hiring manager would be asking you in your next job interview?

We can’t read minds, unfortunately, but we’ll give you the next best thing: a list of 50 of the most commonly asked interview questions, along with advice for answering them all.

While we don’t recommend having a canned response for every interview question (in fact, please don’t), we do recommend spending some time getting comfortable with what you might be asked, what hiring managers are really looking for in your responses, and what it takes to show that you’re the right person for the job.

Consider this list your interview question and answer study guide. (And don’t miss our bonus list at the end, with links out to resources on specific types of interview questions—about emotional intelligence or diversity and inclusion, for example—and interview questions by role, from accountant to project manager to teacher.)

50+ most common job interview questions

This question seems simple, so many people fail to prepare for it, but it’s crucial. Here’s the deal: Don’t give your complete employment (or personal) history. Instead, give a pitch—one that’s concise and compelling and that shows exactly why you’re the right fit for the job. Muse writer and MIT career counselor Lily Zhang recommends using a present, past, future formula. Talk a little bit about your current role (including the scope and perhaps one big accomplishment), then give some background as to how you got there and experience you have that’s relevant. Finally, segue into why you want—and would be perfect for—this role.

Possible answer to “Tell me about yourself.”

“Well, I’m currently an account executive at Smith, where I handle our top-performing client. Before that, I worked at an agency where I was on three different major national healthcare brands. And while I really enjoyed the work that I did, I’d love the chance to dig in much deeper with one specific healthcare company, which is why I’m so excited about this opportunity with Metro Health Center.”

Like “Tell me about yourself,” this question is a common interview opener. But instead of framing your answer around what qualities and skills make you best for the position, your answer should group your qualifications by your past jobs and tell your career story. You might choose to tell this story chronologically, especially if there’s a great anecdote about what set you on this path. Or, as with “Tell me about yourself,” you can begin with your present job then talk about what brought you here and where you’re going next. But regardless, when you speak about your “past” and “present,” highlight your most relevant experiences and accomplishments for this job and wrap up by talking about the future, i.e. connect your past and present together to show why this job should be the next one you add to your resume.

Possible answer to “Walk me through your resume.”

“Well, as you can see from my resume, I took a bit of a winding road to get to where I am today. In college, I double majored in chemistry and communications. I found early on that working in a lab all day wasn’t for me and at some point I realized I looked forward to the lab class I TA’ed the most.

“So when I graduated, I found a job in sales for a consumer healthcare products company, where I drew on my teaching experience and learned even more about tailoring your message and explaining complex health concepts to people without a science background. Then, I moved into a sales training role at a massive company where I was responsible for teaching recent graduates the basics of selling. My trainees on average had more deals closed in their first quarter than any of the other trainers’ cohorts. Plus, I got so much satisfaction from finding the right way to train each new hire and watching them progress and succeed. It reminded me of my time as a TA in college. That’s when I started taking night classes to earn my chemistry teaching certificate.

“I left my full-time job last year to complete my student teaching at P.S. 118 in Manhattan, and over the summer, I worked for a science camp, teaching kids from the ages of 10 to 12 about basic chemistry concepts and best practices for safe experiments. Now, I’m excited to find my first full-time teaching job, and your district is my top choice. The low student-to-teacher ratio will let me take the time to teach each student in the best way for them—which is my favorite part of the job.”

Another seemingly innocuous interview question, this is actually a perfect opportunity to stand out and show your passion for and connection to the company. For example, if you found out about the gig through a friend or professional contact, name-drop that person, then share why you were so excited about the job. If you discovered the company through an event or article, share that. Even if you found the listing through a random job board, share what, specifically, caught your eye about the role.

Possible answer to “How did you hear about this position?”

“I heard about an opening on the product team through a friend of a friend, Akiko, and since I’m a big fan of your work and have been following you for a while I decided it would be a great role for me to apply for.”

Beware of generic answers! If what you say can apply to a whole slew of other companies, or if your response makes you sound like every other candidate, you’re missing an opportunity to stand out. Zhang recommends one of four strategies: Do your research and point to something that makes the company unique that really appeals to you; talk about how you’ve watched the company grow and change since you first heard of it; focus on the organization’s opportunities for future growth and how you can contribute to it; or share what’s gotten you excited from your interactions with employees so far. Whichever route you choose, make sure to be specific. And if you can’t figure out why you’d want to work at the company you’re interviewing with by the time you’re well into the hiring process? It might be a red flag telling you that this position is not the right fit.

Possible answer to “Why do you want to work at this company?”

“I saw on The Muse that you were also hiring for new positions on the West Coast to support your new operations there. I did some more reading about the new data center you’re building there and that excites me as I know this means there’ll be opportunities to train new teammates. I also learned through a Wall Street Journal article that you’re expanding in Mexico as well. I speak Spanish fluently and would be eager to step up and help liaise whenever necessary.”

Again, companies want to hire people who are passionate about the job, so you should have a great answer about why you want the position. (And if you don’t? You probably should apply elsewhere.) First, identify a couple of key factors that make the role a great fit for you (e.g., “I love customer support because I love the constant human interaction and the satisfaction that comes from helping someone solve a problem”), then share why you love the company (e.g., “I’ve always been passionate about education, and I think you’re doing great things, so I want to be a part of it”).

Possible answer to “Why do you want this job?”

“I’ve always been a fan of X Co’s products and I’ve spent countless hours playing your games. I know that your focus on unique stories is what drew me and other fans into your games initially and keeps us coming back for more. I’ve followed X Co on social media for a while, and I’ve always loved how you have people in different departments interact with users. So I was psyched when I came across this posting for a social media manager with TikTok experience. At my last job, I was responsible for launching our TikTok account and growing it to 10,000 followers in six months. Between that experience, my love of gaming, and my deep knowledge of your games and fanbase, I know I could make this TikTok account something special and exciting.”

This interview question seems forward (not to mention intimidating!), but if you’re asked it, you’re in luck: There’s no better setup for you to sell yourself and your skills to the hiring manager. Your job here is to craft an answer that covers three things: that you can not only do the work, but also deliver great results; that you’ll really fit in with the team and culture; and that you’d be a better hire than any of the other candidates.

Possible answer to “Why should we hire you?”

“I know it’s been an exciting time for General Tech—growing so much and acquiring several startups—but I also know from experience that it can be challenging for the sales team to understand how new products fit in with the existing ones. It’s always easier to sell the product you know, so the newer stuff can get shortchanged, which can have company-wide ramifications. I have over a decade of experience as a sales trainer, but more importantly, most of those years were working with sales teams that were in the exact same boat Gen Tech is in now. Growth is wonderful, but only if the rest of the company can keep up. I’m confident I can make sure your sales team is confident and enthusiastic about selling new products by implementing an ongoing sales training curriculum that emphasizes where they sit in a product lineup.”

When interviewers ask this question, they don’t just want to hear about your background. They want to see that you understand what problems and challenges they’re facing as a company or department as well as how you’ll fit into the existing organization. Read the job description closely, do your research on the company, and make sure you pay attention in your early round interviews to understand any issues you’re being hired to solve. Then, the key is to connect your skills and experiences to what the company needs and share an example that shows how you’ve done similar or transferable work in the past.

Possible answer to “What can you bring to the company?”

“As Jocelyn talked about in our interview earlier, PopCo is looking to expand its market to small business owners with less than 25 employees, so I’d bring my expertise in this area and my experience in guiding a sales team that’s selling to these customers for the first time. In most of my past roles, this segment has been my focus and in my current role, I also played a big part in creating our sales strategies when the business began selling to these customers. I worked with my managers to develop the sales script. I also listened in on a number of sales calls with other account execs who were selling to these customers for the first time and gave them pointers and other feedback. In the first quarter, our 10-person sales team closed 50 new bookings in this segment, and I personally closed 10 of those deals. I helped guide my last company through the expansion into small businesses, and I’m eager to do that again at PopCo. Plus, I noticed you have a monthly karaoke night—so I’m eager to bring my rendition of ‘Call Me Maybe’ to the team as well.”

Here’s an opening to talk about something that makes you great—and a great fit for this role. When you’re answering this question, think quality, not quantity. In other words, don’t rattle off a list of adjectives. Instead, pick one or a few (depending on the question) specific qualities that are relevant to this position and illustrate them with examples. Stories are always more memorable than generalizations. And if there’s something you were hoping to mention because it makes you a great candidate, but you haven’t had a chance yet, this would be the perfect time.

Possible answer to “What are your greatest strengths?”

“I’d say one of my greatest strengths is bringing organization to hectic environments and implementing processes to make everyone’s lives easier. In my current role as an executive assistant to a CEO, I created new processes for pretty much everything, from scheduling meetings to planning monthly all hands agendas to preparing for event appearances. Everyone in the company knew how things worked and how long they would take, and the structures helped alleviate stress and set expectations on all sides. I’d be excited to bring that same approach to an operations manager role at a startup, where everything is new and constantly growing and could use just the right amount of structure to keep things running smoothly.”

What your interviewer is really trying to do with this question—beyond identifying any major red flags—is to gauge your self-awareness and honesty. So, “I can’t meet a deadline to save my life” is not an option—but neither is “Nothing! I’m perfect!” Strike a balance by thinking of something that you struggle with but that you’re working to improve. For example, maybe you’ve never been strong at public speaking, but you’ve recently volunteered to run meetings to help you get more comfortable when addressing a crowd.

Possible answer to “What do you consider to be your weaknesses?”

“It can be difficult for me to gauge when the people I’m working with are overwhelmed or dissatisfied with their workloads. To ensure that I’m not asking too much or too little from my team, we have weekly check-ins. I like to ask if they feel like they’re on top of their workload, how I could better support them, whether there’s anything they’d like to take on or get rid of, and if they’re engaged by what they’re doing. Even if the answer is ‘all good,’ these meetings really lay the groundwork for a good and trusting relationship.”

Nothing says “hire me” better than a track record of achieving amazing results in past jobs, so don’t be shy when answering this interview question! A great way to do so is by using the STAR method: situation, task, action, results. Set up the situation and the task that you were required to complete to provide the interviewer with background context (e.g., “In my last job as a junior analyst, it was my role to manage the invoicing process”), then describe what you did (the action) and what you achieved (the result): “In one month, I streamlined the process, which saved my group 10 person-hours each month and reduced errors on invoices by 25%.”

Possible answer to “What is your greatest professional achievement?”

You’re probably not eager to talk about conflicts you’ve had at work during a job interview. But if you’re asked directly, don’t pretend you’ve never had one. Be honest about a difficult situation you’ve faced (but without going into the kind of detail you’d share venting to a friend). “Most people who ask are only looking for evidence that you’re willing to face these kinds of issues head-on and make a sincere attempt at coming to a resolution,” former recruiter Richard Moy says. Stay calm and professional as you tell the story (and answer any follow-up questions), spend more time talking about the resolution than the conflict, and mention what you’d do differently next time to show “you’re open to learning from tough experiences.”

Possible answer to “Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced at work, and how you dealt with it.”

“Funnily enough, last year I was part of a committee that put together a training on conflict intervention in the workplace and the amount of pushback we got for requiring attendance really put our training to the test. There was one senior staff member in particular who seemed adamant. It took some careful listening to understand he felt like it wasn’t the best use of his time given the workload he was juggling. I made sure to acknowledge his concern. And then I focused on his direct objection and explained how the training was meant to improve not just the culture of the company, but also the efficiency at which we operated—and that the goal was for the training to make everyone’s workload feel lighter. He did eventually attend and was there when I talked to the whole staff about identifying the root issue of a conflict and addressing that directly without bringing in other issues, which is how I aim to handle any disagreement in the workplace.”

You don’t have to have a fancy title to act like a leader or demonstrate leadership skills. Think about a time when you headed up a project, took the initiative to propose an alternate process, or helped motivate your team to get something done. Then use the STAR method to tell your interviewer a story, giving enough detail to paint a picture (but not so much that you start rambling) and making sure you spell out the result. In other words, be clear about why you’re telling this particular story and connect all the dots for the interviewer.

Possible answer to “Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills.”

“I think that a good leader is someone who can make decisions while also listening to others and being willing to admit when you’re wrong and course correct. In my last role, my team and I were responsible for giving a big presentation to a prospective client. I quickly assigned different tasks to members of my team, but the project never really got moving. I gave everyone an opportunity to share their input and concerns, and it turned out that they were struggling in the roles I’d given them. I ended up switching a few people around. Meanwhile, the employee I’d assigned to give the presentation was nervous, but still wanted to give it a try. I worked with them to make sure they were ready and even held a practice session so that they could rehearse in a more comfortable environment. When the time came for the real thing, they nailed it! We landed the client and the company still has the account to this day. And that employee became a go-to person for important client presentations. I’m really glad I took the time to listen to everyone’s concerns so that I could re-evaluate my approach and help my team be the best it could be.”

The ideal anecdote here is one where you handled a disagreement professionally and learned something from the experience. Zhang recommends paying particular attention to how you start and end your response. To open, make a short statement to frame the rest of your answer, one that nods at the ultimate takeaway or the reason you’re telling this story. For example: “I learned early on in my professional career that it’s fine to disagree if you can back up your hunches with data.” And to close strong, you can either give a one-sentence summary of your answer (“In short…”) or talk briefly about how what you learned or gained from this experience would help you in the role you’re interviewing for.

Possible answer to “What’s a time you disagreed with a decision that was made at work?”

“In my job as a finance assistant, I was in charge of putting together reports for potential company investments. It was important to get the details and numbers right so that leaders had the best information to make a decision. One time, my boss asked me to generate a new report on a Wednesday morning and wanted it done by Thursday at 5 PM. Because I’m committed to high-quality work and I wasn’t sure my boss fully understood what goes into each report, I knew I needed to speak up. At her next available opening, I sat down with my boss and explained my concerns. She was firm that the report would be completed by Thursday at 5 PM. So I decided to ask if there was anyone who could help out. After thinking about it, my boss found another assistant who could put in a few hours. While it was a tight timeline, we got the report done, and the committee was really pleased to review it at the meeting. My boss appreciated my extra efforts to make it happen and I felt good that I hadn’t let the quality of the report slip. It was a good experience of being a team player but also knowing when and how to ask for help. And once I explained how much time and work goes into each report, my boss was careful to assign them further in advance.”

You’re probably not too eager to dig into past blunders when you’re trying to impress an interviewer and land a job. But talking about a mistake and winning someone over aren’t mutually exclusive, Moy says. In fact, if you do it right, it can help you. The key is to be honest without placing blame on other people, then explain what you learned from your mistake and what actions you took to ensure it didn’t happen again. At the end of the day, employers are looking for folks who are self-aware, can take feedback, and care about doing better.

Possible answer to “Tell me about a time you made a mistake.”

“Early in my career, I missed a deadline that ended up costing us a really big account. There were a lot of factors that contributed to this, but ultimately, I was the one who dropped the ball. From that experience, I went back and thought really hard about what I could’ve controlled and what I would’ve changed. It turns out that I was not nearly as organized as I thought I was. I sat down with my boss, asked for suggestions on how to improve my organizational skills, and a few months later I was able to score an even bigger account for the department.”

This question is very similar to the one about making a mistake, and you should approach your answer in much the same way. Make sure you pick a real, actual failure you can speak honestly about. Start by making it clear to the interviewer how you define failure. For instance: “As a manager, I consider it a failure whenever I’m caught by surprise. I strive to know what’s going on with my team and their work.” Then situate your story in relation to that definition and explain what happened. Finally, don’t forget to share what you learned. It’s OK to fail—everyone does sometimes—but it’s important to show that you took something from the experience.

Possible answer to “Tell me about a time you failed.”

“As a team manager, I consider it a failure if I don’t know what’s going on with my staff and their work—basically if a problem catches me by surprise then I’ve failed somewhere along the way. Even if the outcome is ultimately fine, it means I’ve left a team member unsupported at some point. A somewhat recent example would be this training we do every year for new project managers. Because it’s an event that my team has run so many times, I didn’t think to check in and had no idea a scheduling conflict was brewing into a full-on turf war with another team. The resolution actually ended up being a quick and easy conversation at the leadership team meeting, but had I just asked about it sooner it would never have been a problem to begin with. I definitely learned my lesson about setting reminders to check in about major projects or events even if they’ve been done dozens of times before.”

This is a toughie, but one you can be sure you’ll be asked. Definitely keep things positive—you have nothing to gain by being negative about your current employer. Instead, frame things in a way that shows that you’re eager to take on new opportunities and that the role you’re interviewing for is a better fit for you. For example, “I’d really love to be part of product development from beginning to end, and I know I’d have that opportunity here.” And if you were let go from your most recent job? Keep it simple: “Unfortunately, I was let go,” is a totally acceptable answer.

Possible answer to “Why are you leaving your current job?”

“I’m ready for the next challenge in my career. I loved the people I worked with and the projects I worked on, but at some point I realized I wasn’t being challenged the way I used to be. Rather than let myself get too comfortable, I decided to pursue a position where I can continue to grow.”

Of course, they may ask the follow-up question: Why were you let go? If you lost your job due to layoffs, you can simply say, “The company [reorganized/merged/was acquired] and unfortunately my [position/department] was eliminated.” But what if you were fired for performance reasons? Your best bet is to be honest (the job-seeking world is small, after all). But it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. Frame it as a learning experience: Share how you’ve grown and how you approach your job and life now as a result. And if you can portray your growth as an advantage for this next job, even better.

Possible answer to “Why were you fired?”

“After working for XYZ Inc. for four years, there were some changes made to the amount of client calls we were expected to process per hour. I used the techniques we were taught after the change took effect, but didn’t want our customer service to slip. Unfortunately, I wasn’t consistently completing the required number of calls, and, as a result, I was let go. I felt really bad about this and in retrospect I could have done better sticking to the process that would have let me meet the per hour quota. But you’ve told me about the customer service standards and the volume expectations here, and I believe it won’t be a problem.”

Maybe you were taking care of children or aging parents, dealing with health issues, or traveling the world. Maybe it just took you a long time to land the right job. Whatever the reason, you should be prepared to discuss the gap (or gaps) on your resume. Seriously, practice saying your answer out loud. The key is to be honest, though that doesn’t mean you have to share more details than you’re comfortable with. If there are skills or qualities you honed or gained in your time away from the workforce—whether through volunteer work, running a home, or responding to a personal crisis—you can also talk about how those would help you excel in this role.

Possible answer to “Why was there a gap in your employment?”

“I spent a number of years working at a company in a very demanding job, in which—as you’ll see from my references—I was very successful. But I’d reached a stage in my career where I wanted to focus on my personal growth. The time I spent traveling taught me a lot about how to get along with people of all ages and cultures. Now I feel more than ready to jump back into my career with renewed energy and focus and I feel this role is the ideal way to do that.”

Don’t be thrown off by this question—just take a deep breath and explain to the hiring manager why you’ve made the career decisions you have. More importantly, give a few examples of how your past experience is transferable to the new role. This doesn’t have to be a direct connection; in fact, it’s often more impressive when a candidate can show how seemingly irrelevant experience is very relevant to the role.

Possible answer to “Can you explain why you changed career paths?”

“Ever since my brother was diagnosed with a heart condition, I’ve been training and running with him in your annual Heart Run to raise money for your organization and help support patients with expenses not covered by insurance. Each time, I’ve been struck by how truly dedicated and happy to be there your employees have been. So when I saw this posting for a fundraising role, it felt like it was meant to be. For the last 10 years of my career I’ve been an account executive for various SaaS companies, and I’ve really honed my skills when it comes to convincing organizations to make regular payments for something over the long-term. But I’ve been looking for a position in fundraising where I can use these skills to really help people and I’m highly motivated to do that with your organization.”

It’s now illegal for some or all employers to ask you about your salary history in several cities and states, including New York City; Louisville, North Carolina; California; and Massachusetts. But no matter where you live, it can be stressful to hear this question. Don’t panic—there are several possible strategies you can turn to. For example, you can deflect the question, Muse career coach Emily Liou says, with a response like: “Before discussing any salary, I’d really like to learn more about what this role entails. I’ve done a lot of research on [Company] and I am certain if it’s the right fit, we’ll be able to agree on a number that’s fair and competitive to both parties.” You can also reframe the question around your salary expectations or requirements (see question 38) or choose to share the number if you think it will work in your favor.

Possible answer to “What’s your current salary?”

“Before discussing any salary, I’d really like to learn more about what this role entails. I’ve done a lot of research on [Company] and I am certain if it’s the right fit, we’ll be able to agree on a number that’s fair and competitive to both parties.”

Tread carefully here! The last thing you want to do is let your answer devolve into a rant about how terrible your current company is or how much you hate your boss or that one coworker. The easiest way to handle this question with poise is to focus on an opportunity the role you’re interviewing for offers that your current job doesn’t. You can keep the conversation positive and emphasize why you’re so excited about the job.

Possible answer to “What do you like least about your job?”

“In my current role, I’m responsible for drafting media lists to pitch. While I’ve developed a knack for this and can do it when it is necessary, I’m looking forward to a job that allows me to have a more hands-on role in working with media partners. That’s one of the things that most excited me about your account supervisor position.”

Hint: Ideally the same things that this position has to offer. Be specific.

Possible answer to “What are you looking for in a new position?”

“I’ve been honing my data analysis skills for a few years now and, first and foremost, I’m looking for a position where I can continue to exercise those skills. Another thing that’s important to me is the chance to present my findings and suggestions directly to clients. I’m always very motivated by being able to see the impact of my work on other people. And I’m definitely looking for a position where I can grow since I hope to take on managerial responsibilities in the future. To sum it up, I’d love a position where I can use my skills to make an impact that I can see with my own eyes. Of course, the position is only part of the equation. Being at a company where I can grow and work toward something I care about matters, too. DNF’s goal of being at the intersection between data and education inspires me, and I’m really excited about this opportunity.”

Hint: Ideally one that’s similar to the environment of the company you’re applying to. Be specific.

Possible answer to “What type of work environment do you prefer?”

“I really like the environment in my current position. My manager is a great resource and always willing to help out when I run into an issue, but they trust me to get my work done so I have a lot of freedom in how I schedule and prioritize, which is very important to me. Everyone has their own cubicle, so it’s often pretty quiet to get our work done, but we all get lunch together and our team has a lot of check-in meetings and communicates frequently via Slack so we still get a lot of opportunities to bounce ideas off each other. So I like both individual and more collaborative work. How would you describe the mix here?”

When an interviewer asks you about your work style, they’re probably trying to imagine you in the role. How will you approach your work? What will it be like to work with you? Will you mesh well with the existing team? You can help them along by choosing to focus on something that’s important to you and aligns with everything you’ve learned about the role, team, and company so far. The question is broad, which means you have a lot of flexibility in how you answer: You might talk about how you communicate and collaborate on cross-functional projects, what kind of remote work setup allows you to be most productive, or how you approach leading a team and managing direct reports. Just try to keep it positive. And remember, telling a story will almost always make your answer more memorable.

Possible answer to “What’s your work style?”

“I tend to do my best work when I’m collaborating with colleagues and we’re working together toward a common goal. I was that rare student who loved group projects and now I still get a rush of excitement when I’m planning marketing campaigns with a team and bringing new and different voices into the fold. When I was working at XYZ Agency, I made it a habit to extend invitations to folks in different departments to join certain brainstorming and feedback sessions. Some of our most successful campaigns grew out of the ideas we generated together with coworkers in IT, HR, product, and customer success. That’s why I was so excited to learn that this role would have me working closely with the product and sales teams as well as with a talented marketing team. The other thing I find is crucial to making these collaborations successful is organization and documentation, so I’m also really big on creating one central home for all materials related to a project, including meeting notes, action items, drafts of campaign copy and visuals, and timelines.”

The best managers are strong but flexible, and that’s exactly what you want to show off in your answer. (Think something like, “While every situation and every team member requires a bit of a different strategy, I tend to approach my employee relationships as a coach. ”) Then share a couple of your best managerial moments, like when you grew your team from five to 15 or coached an underperforming employee to become the company’s top salesperson.

Possible answer to “What’s your management style?”

“Management style is so hard to put your finger on, but I think in general a good manager gives clear directions and actually stays pretty hands-off, but is ready and available to jump in to offer guidance, expertise, and help when needed. I try my best to make that my management style. I also go out of my way to make sure I know when my team needs help. That means plenty of informal check-ins, both on the work they’re doing and on their general job satisfaction and mental well-being. I remember one project in particular at my most recent position that involved everyone working on a separate aspect of the product. This meant a lot of independent work for my team of seven people, but rather than bog everyone down with repetitive meetings to update me and everyone else on progress made, I created a project wiki that allowed us to communicate new information when necessary without disrupting another team member’s work. I then made it my job to make sure no one was ever stuck on a problem too long without a sounding board. Ultimately, despite the disparate project responsibilities, we ended up with a very cohesive product and, more importantly, a team that wasn’t burnt out.”

First, be honest (remember, if you make it to the final round, the hiring manager will be calling your former bosses and coworkers for references!). Then try to pull out strengths and traits you haven’t discussed in other aspects of the interview, such as your strong work ethic or your willingness to pitch in on other projects when needed.

Possible answer to “How would your boss and coworkers describe you?”

“Actually, in my most recent performance review in April, my direct supervisor described me as someone who takes initiative and doesn’t shy away from hard problems. My role involves a lot of on-site implementation, and when things go wrong, it’s usually up to me to fix it. Rather than punting the problem back to the team, I always try to do what I can first. I know she appreciates that about me.”

Here’s another question you may feel the urge to sidestep in an effort to prove you’re the perfect candidate who can handle anything. But it’s important not to dismiss this one (i.e. don’t say, “I just put my head down and push through it,” or, “I don’t get stressed out”). Instead, talk about your go-to strategies for dealing with stress (whether it’s meditating for 10 minutes every day or making sure you go for a run or keeping a super-detailed to-do list) and how you communicate and otherwise proactively try to mitigate pressure. If you can give a real example of a stressful situation you navigated successfully, all the better.

Possible answer to “How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?”

“I stay motivated by thinking about the end result. I’ve found that even in the midst of a challenging situation, reminding myself of my goals helps me take a step back and stay positive.”

Interviewers will sometimes ask about your hobbies or interests outside of work in order to get to know you a little better—to find out what you’re passionate about and devote time to during your off-hours. It’s another chance to let your personality shine. Be honest, but keep it professional and be mindful of answers that might make it sound like you’re going to spend all your time focusing on something other than the job you’re applying for.

Possible answer to “What do you like to do outside of work?”

“I’m a huge foodie. My friends and I love trying new restaurants in town as soon as they open—the more unusual the better! I love discovering new foods and cuisines, and it’s also a great activity to share with friends. I try to go out with the same group at least once a week and it’s a fun way to make sure we keep in touch and share experiences even when we’re busy with other things. We even took a trip to New York City and spent each day in a different neighborhood, buying something to share from a few restaurants.”

Questions about your family status, gender (“How would you handle managing a team of all men?”), nationality (“Where were you born?”), religion, or age are illegal—but they still get asked (and frequently). Of course, not always with ill intent—the interviewer might just be trying to make conversation and might not realize these are off-limits—but you should definitely tie any questions about your personal life (or anything else you think might be inappropriate) back to the job at hand.

Possible answer to “Are you planning on having children?”

“You know, I’m not quite there yet. But I am very interested in the career paths at your company. Can you tell me more about that?”

Would you want to work with a hot mess? Yeah, we didn’t think so. Neither does anyone else. A disorganized worker doesn’t just struggle in their own role, they can also create chaos for peers, managers, direct reports, clients, customers, and anyone else they interact with. So interviewers will often ask about how you keep yourself organized to make sure you’d be able to handle the workload and gauge what you’d be like to work with. In your answer, you’ll want to reassure them you’d have things under control (both in what you say and how you say it), describe a specific system or method you’ve used (bonus points if you can tie it to the role you’re interviewing for), and explain how it benefited you and your team. Just make sure your answer is succinct and, well, organized.

Possible answer to “How do you stay organized?”

“I take pride in my ability to stay organized, and it’s really come in handy in my past roles and especially the social media assistant job I’m in now. First, I keep a really meticulous calendar for each of the platforms I’m responsible for using Hootsuite—which I noticed you use here as well—and I try to block off time twice a week to get ahead on creating and slotting in posts.

“Second, I’m a big fan of Trello, where I have one personal board I use as a to-do list color-coded by type of task and marked with priority level and one shared marketing team board that we use to coordinate campaigns launching across social, email, and other channels. We pay very close attention to the news in case we need to pause a campaign. If needed, I’d tag all the relevant stakeholders on Trello, immediately suspend all scheduled content in Hootsuite, and start a discussion on Slack or suggest a meeting to reassess strategy.

“Finally, I created a shared folder on Google Drive with subfolders by campaign that I update with one-pagers on goals and strategies, assets, a record of the actual posts deployed, performance analyses, and retros. That way, there’s a go-to place for anyone on the team to refer back to past projects, which I’ve found really helps us learn from every campaign and incorporate those learnings into what we’re working on next.”

Your interviewers want to know that you can manage your time, exercise judgement, communicate, and shift gears when needed. Start by talking about whatever system you’ve found works for you to plan your day or week, whether it’s a to-do list app you swear by or a color-coded spreadsheet. This is one where you’ll definitely want to lean on a real-life example. So go on to describe how you’ve reacted to a last-minute request or another unexpected shift in priorities in the past, incorporating how you evaluated and decided what to do and how you communicated with your manager and/or teammates about it.

Possible answer to “How do you prioritize your work?”

“I’d be lost without my daily to-do list! At the beginning of each workday, I write out tasks to complete, and list them from highest to lowest priority to help keep me on track. But I also realize priorities change unexpectedly. On one particular day recently, I had planned to spend most of my time making phone calls to advertising agencies to get price quotes for an upcoming campaign. Then I did a quick check-in with my manager. She mentioned she needed help putting together a presentation ASAP for a major potential client. I moved the more flexible task to the end of the week and spent the next few hours updating the time-sensitive presentation. I make it a point to keep lines of communication open with my manager and coworkers. If I’m working on a task that will take a while to complete, I try to give a heads-up to my team as soon as possible. If my workload gets to be unmanageable, I check in with my boss about which items can drop to the bottom of the priority list, and then I try to reset expectations about different deadlines.”

You’re not a robot programmed to do your work and then power down. You’re a human, and if someone asks you this question in an interview, it’s probably because they want to get to know you better. The answer can align directly with the type of work you’d be doing in that role—like if, for example, you’re applying to be a graphic designer and spend all of your free time creating illustrations and data visualizations to post on Instagram.

But don’t be afraid to talk about a hobby that’s different from your day-to-day work. Bonus points if you can “take it one step further and connect how your passion would make you an excellent candidate for the role you are applying for,” says Muse career coach Al Dea. Like if you’re a software developer who loves to bake, you might talk about how the ability to be both creative and precise informs your approach to code.

Possible answer to “What are you passionate about?”

“One of my favorite pastimes is knitting—I love being able to create something beautiful from nothing. Of course, knitting also requires a keen attention to detail and a lot of patience. Luckily, as an accountant I have cultivated both of those qualities!”

Before you panic about answering what feels like a probing existential question, consider that the interviewer wants to make sure you’re excited about this role at this company, and that you’ll be motivated to succeed if they pick you. So think back to what has energized you in previous roles and pinpoint what made your eyes light up when you read this job description. Pick one thing, make sure it’s relevant to the role and company you’re interviewing for, and try to weave in a story to help illustrate your point. If you’re honest, which you should be, your enthusiasm will be palpable.

Possible answer to “What motivates you?”

“I’m driven primarily by my desire to learn new things—big or small—and take on new responsibilities so that I’m constantly growing as an employee and contributing more to my team and organization. I spent several summers working as a camp counselor and felt most fulfilled when I volunteered to lead planning for a talent show, jumped in to help with scheduling logistics, and learned how to run pickups efficiently. All of that experience helped immensely when I took a step up to become the lead counselor last year focused on operations, and that’s what excites me so much about the opportunity to take on this managerial role for the after-school program.”

Here’s another one that feels like a minefield. But it’ll be easier to navigate if you know why an interviewer is asking it. Most likely, they want to make sure you’ll thrive at their company—and get a glimpse of how you deal with conflict. So be certain you pick something that doesn’t contradict the culture and environment at this organization while still being honest. Then explain why and what you’ve done to address it in the past, doing your best to stay calm and composed. Since there’s no need to dwell on something that annoys you, you can keep this response short and sweet.

Possible answer to “What are your pet peeves?”

“It bothers me when an office’s schedule is really disorganized, because in my experience, disorganization can cause confusion, which can hurt the motivation of the team. As a person who likes things to be orderly, I try to help keep my team on task while also allowing for flexibility.”

This is another one of those questions that’s about finding the right fit—both from the company’s perspective and your own. Think back on what worked well for you in the past and what didn’t. What did previous bosses do that motivated you and helped you succeed and grow? Pick one or two things to focus on and always articulate them with a positive framing (even if your preference comes from an experience where your manager behaved in the opposite way, phrase it as what you would want a manager to do). If you can give a positive example from a great boss, it’ll make your answer even stronger.

Possible answer to “How do you like to be managed?”

“I enjoy having my hands in a lot of different projects, so I like working with managers who allow their employees to experiment, be independent, and work cross-functionally with other teams. At the same time, I really welcome it when a boss provides me with support, guidance, and coaching. No one can do anything alone, and I believe when managers and employees collaborate together and learn from one another everyone comes out on top.”

This question might make you uncomfortable. But you can think of it as an opportunity to allow the interviewer to get to know you better and to position yourself as an excellent choice for this job. First off, make sure you say yes! Then pick one specific professional achievement you’re proud of that can be tied back to the role you’re interviewing for—one that demonstrates a quality, skill, or experience that would help you excel in this position. You’ll want to explain why you consider it a success, talk about the process in addition to the outcome, and highlight your own accomplishment without forgetting your team. Zooming in on one story will help if you feel awkward tooting your own horn!

Possible answer to “Do you consider yourself successful?”

“I do consider myself successful, even though I’m early in my professional career. I took a full load of classes in my junior year of college because I wanted to take that summer to volunteer for a human rights organization overseas. I knew that I needed to make sure I was on track with my major, minor, and graduation requirements. It was difficult to juggle it all with my part-time job, which I kept to help account for the fact that I wouldn’t be earning money over the summer, and there were a few sleepless nights. But it was worth the hard work: I ended the year with a 3.9 GPA and the opportunity to volunteer for the agency in Ghana without falling behind my graduation timeline. For me success is about setting a goal and sticking with it, no matter how hard it is, and this experience was proof that I could be successful even when there’s a lot to balance, which I know there always is at a nonprofit like this one.”

If asked this question, be honest and specific about your future goals, but consider this: A hiring manager wants to know a) if you’ve set realistic expectations for your career, b) if you have ambition (a.k.a., this interview isn’t the first time you’re considering the question), and c) if the position aligns with your goals and growth. Your best bet is to think realistically about where this position could take you and answer along those lines. And if the position isn’t necessarily a one-way ticket to your aspirations? It’s OK to say that you’re not quite sure what the future holds, but that you see this experience playing an important role in helping you make that decision.

Possible answer to “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“In five years, I’d like to be in a position where I know more about my longer-term career aspirations as a designer. I will have gotten experience working for a design agency and know more about the industry overall. I’ll have grown my technical skills and learned how to take feedback from clients and incorporate it. And the way your agency is set up, I’ll also have gotten the opportunity to design different kinds of deliverables—including websites, branding, and ad campaigns—for different kinds of clients to see where I really feel at home before settling on a focus.”

Having goals shows interviewers you care, are ambitious, and can think ahead. Having a plan for how you’ll achieve your goals demonstrates your self-motivation as well as organizational and time management skills. Finally, the fact that you’ve accomplished past goals you’ve set for yourself is proof of your ability to follow through. All together, these are indications that you can not only set and achieve goals of your own, but also help your prospective boss, team, and company do the same. To craft your answer, make sure you focus on one or two goals in detail, explain why the goals are meaningful, communicate what milestones are coming up, highlight past successes, and connect back to this job.

Possible answer to “How do you plan to achieve your career goals?”

“My current goal is to earn the CPA license so that I’m fully certified and prepared to contribute in a junior staff accounting job. My undergraduate degree is in finance and I completed an accounting internship with XYZ Company last summer. While I was there, I decided that each week I’d ask one person from a different team to coffee to learn about their job and career path. Not only did those conversations impress upon me the importance of getting my CPA as soon as possible, they also helped me realize I was eager to pursue forensic accounting, which is why I’m so excited about the opportunity to join this team. In order to ensure I earn my CPA this year, I enrolled in NASBA workshops, created a study schedule to keep myself on track, and will be taking my first trial test in three weeks. I plan on taking the actual test within the next three to six months.”

Career aspirations are bigger and loftier than career goals. With this question, interviewers are asking: What kind of career would make you happiest (while also being realistic)? Your aspirations might revolve around what kind of company you’d like to work for, what tasks you’d like to do, who you’d like to help, or how you’d like to be seen by your colleagues. So to answer this question, talk about what would energize and fulfill you and connect it to the position you’re interviewing for. Be specific about how this job will help you achieve your career aspirations.

Possible answer to “What are your career aspirations?”

“After growing up in a food desert, my biggest professional aspiration is to help make healthy food more widely available and accessible regardless of where you live. I also love solving complex problems. Currently, as a project manager, I specialize in strategic planning and combine it with a natural ability to engage critical stakeholders—resulting in on-time and under-budget delivery. This role would help me use those skills to work on a mission I’m passionate about. I am determined to use these skills to help your organization guarantee our community has access to affordable, nutritious food and information to make healthy decisions. In the next five or so years, I would love to take on additional responsibility and be in a decision-making role to drive the mission beyond our community and support even more families in gaining access to nutritious food options.”

Along similar lines, the interviewer wants to uncover whether this position is really in line with your ultimate career goals. While “an NBA star” might get you a few laughs, a better bet is to talk about your goals and ambitions—and why this job will get you closer to them.

Companies might ask you who else you’re interviewing with for a few reasons. Maybe they want to see how serious you are about this role and team (or even this field) or they’re trying to find out who they’re competing with to hire you. On one hand, you want to express your enthusiasm for this job, but at the same time, you don’t want to give the company any more leverage than it already has by telling them there’s no one else in the running. Depending on where you are in your search, you can talk about applying to or interviewing for a few roles that have XYZ in common—then mention how and why this role seems like a particularly good fit.

Possible answer to “What other companies are you interviewing with?”

“I’m interviewing with a few companies for a range of positions, but they all come down to delivering an excellent customer experience. I wanted to keep an open mind about how to best achieve that goal, but so far it seems that this role will really allow me to focus all of my energy on customer experience and retention, which I find very appealing.”

“They genuinely want to know the answer,” Dea promises. Give them a reason to pick you over other similar candidates. The key is to keep your answer relevant to the role you’re applying to. So the fact that you can run a six-minute mile or crush a trivia challenge might not help you get the job (but hey, it depends on the job!). Use this opportunity to tell them something that would give you an edge over your competition for this position. To figure out what that is, you can ask some former colleagues, think back to patterns you’ve seen in feedback you get, or try to distill why people tend to turn to you. Focus on one or two things and don’t forget to back up whatever you say with evidence.

Possible answer to “What makes you unique?”

“I basically taught myself animation from scratch. I was immediately drawn to it in college, and with the limited resources available to me, I decided to take matters into my own hands—and that’s the approach I take in all aspects of my work as a video editor. I don’t just wait around for things to happen, and when I can, I’m always eager to step in and take on new projects, pick up new skills, or brainstorm new ideas.”

It’s a good sign if a recruiter or hiring manager is interested in more than just what’s on your resume. It probably means they looked at your resume, think you might be a good fit for the role, and want to know more about you. To make this wide-open question a little more manageable, try talking about a positive trait, a story or detail that reveals a little more about you and your experience, or a mission or goal that makes you excited about this role or company.

Possible answer to “What should I know that’s not on your resume?”

“Well, one thing you won’t find on my resume: the time I had to administer emergency CPR. Last year, I was at the lake when I saw a young girl who looked like she was drowning. I was a lifeguard in high school, so I swam out, brought her to shore, and gave her CPR. Although this was—hopefully—a one-time event, I’ve always been able to stay calm during stressful situations, figure out a solution, and then act. As your account manager, I’d use this trait to quickly and effectively resolve issues both within the team and externally. After all, obstacles are inevitable, especially in a startup environment. And if anyone needs CPR at the office beach party, well, I’m your woman.”

Your potential future boss (or whoever else has asked you this question) wants to know that you’ve done your research, given some thought to how you’d get started, and would be able to take initiative if hired. (In some interviews, you might even get the more specific, “What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days look like in this role?”) So think about what information and aspects of the company and team you’d need to familiarize yourself with and which colleagues you’d want to sit down and talk to. You can also suggest one possible starter project to show you’d be ready to hit the ground running and contribute early on. This won’t necessarily be the thing you do first if you do get the job, but a good answer shows that you’re thoughtful and that you care.

Possible answer to “What would your first few months look like in this role?”

“It’s been exciting to hear about some of the new initiatives the company has started in our previous conversations—like the database project and the company-wide sync, but I know there’s still a lot for me to learn. The first thing I’d do is line up meetings with the stakeholders involved in the projects I’d be tackling to help me figure out what I don’t know and then go from there. Hopping into a database project halfway through can be tricky, but I’m confident that once I know what all the stakeholders are looking for, I’ll be able to efficiently plot out our next steps and set appropriate deadlines. From there, I’ll be focused on hitting the milestones that I’ve set for the team.”

The number one rule of answering this question is: Figure out your salary requirements ahead of time. Do your research on what similar roles pay by using sites like PayScale and reaching out to your network. Be sure to take your experience, education, skills, and personal needs into account, too! From there, Muse career coach Jennifer Fink suggests choosing from one of three strategies:

(Need help responding to a question about your salary requirements on an application form? Read this.)

Possible answer to “What are your salary expectations?”

This question can really do a number on you. How do you give a meaty answer without insulting the company or, worse, the person you’re speaking with? Well first, take a deep breath. Then start your response with something positive about the company or specific product you’ve been asked to discuss. When you’re ready to give your constructive feedback, give some background on the perspective you’re bringing to the table and explain why you’d make the change you’re suggesting (ideally based on some past experience or other evidence). And if you end with a question, you can show them you’re curious about the company or product and open to other points of view. Try: “Did you consider that approach here? I’d love to know more about your process.”

Your goal here should be to set realistic expectations that will work for both you and the company. What exactly that sounds like will depend on your specific situation. If you’re ready to start immediately—if you’re unemployed, for example—you could offer to start within the week. But if you need to give notice to your current employer, don’t be afraid to say so; people will understand and respect that you plan to wrap things up right. It’s also legitimate to want to take a break between jobs, though you might want to say you have “previously scheduled commitments to attend to” and try to be flexible if they really need someone to start a bit sooner.

Possible answer to “When can you start?”

“I am excited for the opportunity to join your team. I have several projects to wrap up in my current role at [Company]. I plan to give them two weeks’ notice to make a smooth transition for my coworkers and will be happy to come onboard with the team here after that time.”

While this may sound like a simple yes-or-no question, it’s often a little bit more complicated than that. The simplest scenario is one where you’re totally open to moving and would be willing to do so for this opportunity. But if the answer is no, or at least not right now, you can reiterate your enthusiasm for the role, briefly explain why you can’t move at this time, and offer an alternative, like working remotely or out of a local office. Sometimes it’s not as clear-cut, and that’s OK. You can say you prefer to stay put for xyz reasons, but would be willing to consider relocating for the right opportunity.

Possible answer to “Are you willing to relocate?”

“I do love living in Raleigh and would prefer to stay here. However, for the right opportunity I’d be willing to consider relocating if necessary.”

1,000? 10,000? 100,000? Seriously? Well, seriously, you might get asked brain-teaser questions like these, especially in quantitative jobs. But remember that the interviewer doesn’t necessarily want an exact number—they want to make sure that you understand what’s being asked of you, and that you can set into motion a systematic and logical way to respond. So take a deep breath and start thinking through the math. (Yes, it’s OK to ask for a pen and paper!)

Seemingly random personality-test type questions like these come up in interviews because hiring managers want to see how you can think on your feet. There’s no wrong answer here, but you’ll immediately gain bonus points if your answer helps you share your strengths or personality or connect with the hiring manager. Pro tip: Come up with a stalling tactic to buy yourself some thinking time, such as saying, “Now, that is a great question. I think I would have to say…”

If you’re interviewing for a sales job, your interviewer might put you on the spot to sell them a pen sitting on the table, or a legal pad, or a water bottle, or just something. The main thing they’re testing you for? How you handle a high-pressure situation. So try to stay calm and confident and use your body language—making eye contact, sitting up straight, and more—to convey that you can handle this. Make sure you listen, understand your “customer’s” needs, get specific about the item’s features and benefits, and end strong—as though you were truly closing a deal.

Just when you thought you were done, your interviewer asks you this open-ended doozy. Don’t panic—it’s not a trick question! You can use this as an opportunity to close out the meeting on a high note in one of two ways, Zhang says. First, if there really is something relevant that you haven’t had a chance to mention, do it now. Otherwise, you can briefly summarize your qualifications. For example, Zhang says, you could say: “I think we’ve covered most of it, but just to summarize, it sounds like you’re looking for someone who can really hit the ground running. And with my previous experience [enumerate experience here], I think I’d be a great fit.”

You probably already know that an interview isn’t just a chance for a hiring manager to grill you—it’s an opportunity to sniff out whether a job is the right fit from your perspective. What do you want to know about the position? The company? The department? The team? You’ll cover a lot of this in the actual interview, so have a few less-common questions ready to go. We especially like questions targeted to the interviewer (“What’s your favorite part about working here?”) or the company’s growth (“What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?”) If you’re interviewing for a remote role, there are some specific questions you might want to ask related to that.

Looking for more interview questions? Check out these lists of questions (and example answers!) for different types of interviews.

Click through for more tips and examples!

The Muse is a values-based careers site that helps people navigate every aspect of their careers and search for jobs at companies whose people, benefits, and values align with their unique professional needs. The Muse offers expert advice, job opportunities, a peek behind the scenes at companies hiring now, and career coaching services. The current team of writers and editors behind The Muse’s advice section includes Regina Borsellino, Brooke Katz, Rebeca Piccardo, Devin Tomb, and Stav Ziv—and over the years has included many other talented staffers! You can also find The Muse on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Flipboard.