Interview questions the ones Irish employers ask, with answers

Which interview questions come up in Ireland?

Most job interviews in Ireland mix three kinds of question: a walk through your CV, "tell me about a time" questions about your skills, and practical ones about salary, notice and start date. Prepare one clear answer for each of the questions below, say them out loud a few times, and you have covered most first and second rounds.

The JobsIreland.ie tips page lists the questions jobseekers should expect, among them "Can you talk us through your CV?", "Why did you leave your last job?", "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?", "Can you describe a difficult situation at work and how you overcame it?" and "What is your biggest accomplishment?". We start from those, then add the questions Irish employers ask that general lists miss.

Common interview questions, with answers

These are the interview questions and answers to get right first, because they turn up in nearly every interview, from a call centre in Cork to a pharma plant in Limerick.

1. "Can you talk us through your CV?"

This is the Irish cousin of "tell me about yourself". Do not read the CV out. Pick the two or three parts that match the job, in order, and finish with why you applied. Aim for about a minute. There is a full guide with Irish examples in our post on tell me about yourself.

Example (illustration): "I studied business in TU Dublin, then spent two years in customer service with an energy supplier, where I moved into a team lead role last year. That is where I found I liked the reporting side most: I built the weekly complaints report the managers now use. This role is mostly reporting and analysis, which is why I applied."

2. "Why did you leave your last job?" or "Why are you looking to move?"

Stay positive and short. JobsIreland's advice is to be honest about your reasons and keep it positive. Talk about what you are moving towards, not what you are escaping.

Example (illustration): "I have learned a lot in a small firm, but there is no room to grow into a finance role there. Your team is bigger and has a clear path from assistant to accountant, and that is the step I am ready for."

3. "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

Give one strength with a short proof. For the weakness, pick something real that does not stop you doing this job, and say what you are doing about it. JobsIreland puts it as presenting weaknesses "as strengths or opportunities to develop".

Example (illustration): "My strength is staying calm with upset customers: I handled our escalations for most of last year. A weakness is that I used to say yes to every request and then work late. I now agree priorities with my manager each Monday, and it has helped."

4. "Describe a difficult situation at work and how you overcame it."

This is a skills question in disguise. Use a short story: what was happening, what you had to do, what you did, how it ended. Keep "I" in the middle of it, not "we".

Example (illustration): "A supplier missed a delivery the week before a big order went out. I rang three other suppliers, found one who could deliver half, and agreed with the customer to split the shipment. They got the first half on time and stayed with us."

5. "What is your biggest accomplishment?"

Choose something linked to the job, with a result you can describe. A number helps if it is true; a clear before-and-after works too.

Example (illustration): "Setting up our online booking system. Before, all bookings came by phone and we lost calls at lunchtime. I compared three tools, ran a trial and trained the staff. Now most bookings come in online and the phones are quieter."

The practical questions most lists forget

• "What are your salary expectations?" In Ireland this is usually discussed as a yearly figure in euro. Look at similar roles on IrishJobs.ie, Jobs.ie and LinkedIn, decide a range, and say it calmly: "Based on similar roles, I am looking for something in the range of X to Y a year, depending on the full package."
• "What is your notice period?" Check your contract before the interview and give the exact answer.
• "Can you give us two referees?" Have names, roles and contact details ready, and ask your referees first. Many CVs simply say "References available on request", which JobsIreland says is fine, but have the list ready for when they do ask.
• "Do you need an employment permit?" If you are not an Irish or EEA citizen, expect this. Answer plainly with your current status.
• "How do you feel about the commute, or about hybrid work?" Know the journey, and know how many office days you can do.
• "Is there a gap on your CV?" JobsIreland advises giving good reasons for gaps rather than leaving questions unanswered. One sentence is enough: travel, caring, study, illness, a job search.

Job interview questions about your skills

Many Irish employers, public and private, ask competency-based questions. JobsIreland notes that these focus on the skills the job needs, usually listed in the job description. So read the job spec and expect a question for each skill on it:

• "Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to meet a deadline."
• "Give an example of a time you dealt with a difficult customer or colleague."
• "Describe a time you had to learn something new quickly."
• "Tell me about a mistake you made and what you did next."
• "Give an example of when you used your initiative."

Answer each one with a single real example, told in order: the situation, your task, what you did, and the result. Our guide to competency-based interview questions covers this method in depth, with Irish examples and the public service frameworks.

Graduate interview questions

Graduate programmes in banks, the Big Four, tech firms and the public sector ask fewer "what did you do in your last job" questions and more about motivation and potential. Expect:

• "Why did you choose your course, and what did you enjoy most?"
• "Why this programme, and why this company over the others you applied to?"
• "Tell me about a group project. What was your role?"
• "Describe a time you balanced college with work or other commitments."
• "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Your examples can come from anywhere: a final year project, a work placement, a summer job, a J1 summer, a society, a GAA or soccer club, volunteering. What matters is that the example is yours and has a clear result.

Example (illustration), "Why this programme?": "I did my placement in a small audit firm and liked the client side most. Your programme rotates through audit and advisory in the first two years, so I can find where I fit best, and your graduates I met at the careers fair said the study support for exams is strong."

Public service interviews

For Civil Service and many public service jobs, the publicjobs.ie interview advice says some roles use the Civil Service Competency Model and others the newer Capability Framework, and candidates are told in advance which one applies. Interviews can be automated video, live video or in person. The questions follow the framework for the grade, so read the candidate information booklet and prepare examples for each area it names.

Questions an employer should not ask

Ireland's Employment Equality Acts protect you from discrimination at work, and that includes access to employment. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) lists the nine protected grounds:

IHREC's guidance on family status at work says plainly that "certain questions asked at interview or during the selection process can also be discriminatory". The examples above are illustrations, not legal advice. If a question like this comes up, you can say politely: "I'm not sure how that relates to the role. Could you tell me more about what you need?" If you think you were treated unfairly, IHREC explains that complaints under the Employment Equality Acts go to the Workplace Relations Commission, and that the time limits are strict.

Questions to ask at the end

"Have you any questions for us?" is not a formality. Two good questions show you were listening:

• "What would a good first three months look like in this role?"
• "How is the team split between the office and home?"
• "What do the people who do well here have in common?"
• "What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?"

Leave salary and holidays for later unless they raise it, and avoid anything you could have found on their website.

How to practise these interview questions

Write a short answer to each question above, then say it out loud until you can do it without notes. Record yourself once and listen back: you will hear where you ramble. For the closing pitch, our guide to why should we hire you has Irish examples.

On the day, if the interview is a Teams, Zoom or Meet call on your laptop, the ClapAssist AI interview assistant can show a short prompt from your own CV as each question is asked. It understands English and many other languages. Some employers do not allow AI help in interviews, so check first: is ClapAssist safe?