conversation
Job Interview: Preparation, Sequence, and Typical Questions
- Preparation
- Typical Questions
- Follow-up Questions
- Dress Code
A job interview usually lasts 45 to 90 minutes and almost always follows the same sequence: Company introduction, your career, questions about suitability, your follow-up questions, organizational points. The best preparation is not memorizing answers but having five to six specific examples from your work ready to adapt to various questions.
How do I prepare effectively?
Most preparation time is typically spent memorizing answers to standard questions. This is the least effective method because you end up sounding rehearsed instead of genuine, and you stumble over any deviations.
Collect six examples
Note six situations from your work: a success, a solved problem, a conflict, a mistake, a collaboration, and a change. These six cover a large portion of all questions.
Condense each example into three sentences
Situation, your contribution, outcome. Taking four minutes per example loses the room's attention.
Research the company in detail
Business model, current developments, department structure. Not to recite, but to ask better follow-up questions.
Review the job posting again
Which requirement is the most challenging for you? You will be asked about it. Prepare an honest answer.
How does the conversation typically proceed?
- Arrival and small talk – brief but meaningful: The first impression is made here.
- The company presents itself and the position.
- Your career path: usually a request to walk through your resume in a few minutes.
- In-depth questions about professional and personal suitability.
- Your questions.
- Organizational details: availability, next steps, often including salary expectations.
The walk through your resume is the most important passage
This answer should ideally take three to four minutes and not tell everything, but create a narrative: Why each stage led to the next and why this position is the logical continuation. This passage is the only one truly worth practicing – out loud, not in your head.
Which questions almost always come up – and what do they target?
Behind every standard question lies a specific concern of the company. Recognizing the concern allows you to answer better than any template.
“Tell us about yourself.”
What is asked for is not your biography, but the consistent thread of your career with regard to this position.
“Why do you want to change jobs?”
The concern behind it: Are you running away from something, and will it repeat? State a goal you are moving towards, not just a situation you are leaving. Badmouthing your current employer always harms you.
“What is your greatest weakness?”
Self-assessment is being tested. Mention a genuine, non-critical professional weakness and what you are doing about it. Disguised strengths like “too perfectionist” are seen as evasions.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
The concern: Will you stay long enough? Answer in terms of professional development rather than titles.
“Tell us about a mistake.”
Learning ability is being tested. The mistake must be real, the consequence concrete. Claiming to have made no mistakes makes you seem unreflective.
What follow-up questions should I ask?
“Do you have any questions?” is not a courtesy, but part of the evaluation. Having no questions makes you seem uninterested. Good follow-up questions show that you can already envision the job in daily life.
- What does a typical workweek look like in this role?
- What needs to happen in the first six months for you to say: The appointment was the right one?
- Why is the position open – is it newly created or a replacement?
- How is the team structured, and who do I report to?
- What is the biggest challenge currently facing the department?
- What are the next steps in the selection process, and when can I expect feedback?
Not in the first round: vacation entitlement, details on flex-time, home office days as your first question. These points are legitimate and important – but they belong in the conversation where conditions are discussed concretely.
How do I respond to the salary question?
In Austria, you have an advantage over many other countries: The collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag) minimum salary must already be stated in the job ad. You know the lower limit before entering discussions.
State a range, not a fixed amount
A range about 10 percent wide, with the lower limit being your target salary, allows negotiation room without seeming arbitrary. Add that you're happy to refine the number once the scope of duties is clearer.
For detailed preparation, the right timing, and specific phrasing: see our article on salary negotiation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A notch more formal than the company’s usual style. In industry, crafts, and IT, smart casual is usually appropriate; in banking, law firms, and premium sales, a suit or dress suit is still advisable. When in doubt, ask when scheduling the appointment—it’s seen as forward-thinking, not unsure.
Five to ten minutes before the appointment. Arriving much earlier pressures your interviewers, as they may feel interrupted or forced to let you wait.
Yes, and it appears prepared. A notebook for your questions and space for notes is entirely customary. Reading from your smartphone, however, seems inattentive.
A short email the day after is not mandatory in Austria, but positively received—provided it contains more than a cliché, like a thought on a point discussed in the conversation.
Follow up politely about a week after the mentioned timeline, either by phone or email. Following up is considered interest, not intrusion.
This article provides an overview to the best of our knowledge (as of July 2026) and does not replace legal advice. Binding information on labor law and collective agreements is provided by the Chamber of Labor and the relevant union.
Passend zum Thema
Salary
Salary Negotiation in Austria: Collective Agreement, Room for Negotiation, and Phrasing
In Austria, the collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag) sets the lower limit: The collective agreement minimum salary must already be included in the job ad according to the Equal Treatment Act. Therefore, negotiations are not about the salary itself, but about the amount above this minimum and additional points like training budgets, working hours, or company cars, which are often more easily granted than a higher base salary.
Read moreApplication
Writing an Application: Structure, Content, and Examples for Austria
A complete application in Austria consists of a cover letter, a tabular resume, and certificates — an application photo is common but not mandatory. The key is not the length but the clear relevance to the advertised position: Responding to the three most important requirements of the ad with specific evidence puts you ahead of most other applicants.
Read more
Ready for the next step?
In our job search, you’ll find current positions across Austria – including the minimum salary according to the collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag), as it should be.