Here are some typical interview questions and strategies for answering them:

Tell me about yourself.

• Research the company before hand to determine what their needs are.
  
• Talk about the skills, experience, and other personal characteristics that are relevant to the job in question.
  
• Don't dwell on personal or irrelevant facts, such as where you grew up, your marital status, how many kids you have, your cat.
  
• Emphasize how well you and your skills fit with the job.
  

What is your most memorable accomplishment?

• Bring up something comparatively recent -- you don't want to sound like your glory days are long past.
  
• Try to use something that is quantifiable: You saved this much money, generated that much in sales, won that award.
  
• Make sure the accomplishment highlights skills you would need on the job you're applying for -- time management, grace under pressure, technical prowess, etc.
  

Where do you see yourself in five years?

• Use something related to the job you're applying for.
  
• Don't say "In your job"-- you'll sound arrogant.

What are your greatest weaknesses?

• Present both the weakness -- for example, I get stressed around deadlines – and your method of dealing with it -- for example, I make sure everything is completed ahead of time.
  
• Be honest. No one buys, "My one weakness is my overriding perfection, which makes lesser mortals fear me."

What is your impression of the job/company/industry?

• Show off your research! Talk about the challenges the industry is facing, and how you can help the company overcome them.
  
• Don't show off too much. No one likes a know-it-all.

How did you deal with a difficult problem?

• Don't badmouth your co-workers or boss -- don't blame a crisis on them.
  
• Give a brief step-by-step picture of how you tackled a particular challenge.
  
• Lay out how the problem arose, what steps you took, and what the outcome was.

Why did you leave your last job?

• If you were fired or laid off, be honest.
  
• If you were fired, talk about what you have done to remedy the situation that got you fired -- for example, you took a time management class to make sure you would meet deadlines, or you bought three loud alarm clocks to ensure that you got to work on time.
  
• If you were laid off, talk about the problems your company faced, and present glowing recommendations from your former company.
  
• If you haven't worked for a while, talk about what work-relevant things you've done in the interim -- for example, taken tech classes, got certified, donated your skills to a charity, etc.
  
• No matter why you left -- your boss was psycho, your co-workers drove you nuts -- don't place the blame on anyone else. Even if it's true, it will reflect badly on you.
  
• "I'm looking for a new challenge" is always a safe bet.

How does your current job/career path prepare you for this job/career path?

• Emphasize the skills that cross over from job to job -- people skills, time management, organization, etc.
  
• Talk about experience you have outside your job -- education, volunteer work, etc.