Most interview-prep articles you find online were written for an American or British audience. They tell you to "research the company culture" and "ask about the bonus structure" — advice that lands a bit different when you are sitting in front of a Nigerian HR officer at 9 a.m. on a Tuesday in Victoria Island.
This guide is for the actual interview you are going to. We gathered the 50 most common questions Nigerian recruiters ask in 2026 — across banking (GTBank, Access, Zenith), oil & gas (Seplat, Total, an IOC), tech and fintech (an unnamed YC-backed Nigerian company, a Series B fintech), NGOs (a USAID-funded health programme), and our own talent team at CareerBuddy. We tagged each by intent, gave you a sample answer skeleton, and called out the Nigerian-specific traps.
Use this list to prepare without memorising. Memorised answers sound robotic; understood answers sound human. The goal is to know what they are actually asking, then answer in your own words.
The opening 10 — these are non-negotiable
1. Tell me about yourself. The most-asked question on earth. What they actually want: a 60-second pitch on who you are professionally, not your life story. Structure: "I'm a [role] with [years] of experience doing [thing]. Most recently I [result]. I'm here because [why this role/company]."
2. Why do you want to work here? Tests: have you done your homework? Don't say "because the salary is good" even though we all know. Name two specific things — a product, a recent initiative, a value — that make this company different from the next one on your list.
3. Why are you leaving your current job? Trap: never bad-mouth your current employer. Answer: growth, scope, learning, alignment. If you've been at a place too short (under 18 months), pre-empt this with a specific reason that isn't about you.
4. What are your strengths? Pick two, name them concretely, give a one-line proof for each. "Strong analytical skills" without proof is wallpaper.
5. What are your weaknesses? The tired answer ("I'm a perfectionist") is dead. Pick something real but not job-killing: "I sometimes take on more than I can finish on time. I've started solving for it by [specific thing]."
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? They want to know if you'll stay. Answer in the spirit of: "growing into [next-level role], having delivered [meaningful impact]." Avoid "I'll be running my own company" in an interview for a long-tenure role.
7. Why should we hire you? The shortest, sharpest summary of your relevant strengths + a sentence connecting them to the company's current problem.
8. Walk me through your CV. They want you to narrate your career arc. Pick 3–4 inflection points and what each taught you. 3 minutes max.
9. What's your salary expectation? The most dangerous question for Nigerians. Never quote your current salary. Quote a range based on market data for the role (see our 2026 Salary Report). For mid-level fintech engineering, that might be "₦900,000–₦1.4m monthly, depending on the full package."
10. When can you start? If you have a current job, say "Two weeks from offer signed, to honour my notice period." It signals integrity. If you're unemployed, "Immediately" is fine.
Behavioural questions (11–20) — the STAR ones
These all start with "Tell me about a time you…". They are looking for a Situation-Task-Action-Result story. Keep it to 90 seconds.
11. Tell me about a time you handled a difficult colleague. Show maturity, not blame. Lead with the action you took and the outcome.
12. Tell me about a time you failed. Real failure, real learning, real change. "I once missed a deadline because I underestimated dependencies; I now run a dependency audit at the start of every project."
13. Tell me about a time you led a team. Even if you haven't held a "manager" title — leading a project counts. Name the team size, the goal, what you did, what shipped.
14. Tell me about a time you persuaded someone. They want to see negotiation and influence skills. The best stories involve persuading someone who was initially opposed.
15. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond. Pick a story with a clear "what was expected" vs "what I did" gap, and an outcome.
16. Tell me about a time you handled tight deadlines under pressure. Show you prioritise, communicate, and don't crack.
17. Tell me about a time you worked with someone you disagreed with. Mature collaboration story. Not "I won the argument" — "we found a third option neither of us had considered."
18. Tell me about a project you're proud of. Open invitation to flex. Use it. Lead with impact.
19. Tell me about a time you took initiative. Volunteered for something, spotted a problem nobody named, drove a side project that became a real one.
20. Tell me about a time you received negative feedback. The trap is sounding defensive. Receive, act, improve — three verbs, in that order.Role-specific questions (21–35)
21. For software engineers: Walk me through how you'd design [system]. System design. Even at mid-level, expect this. Practice on Excalidraw.
22. For software engineers: What's a recent technical decision you regret? Vulnerability + learning. Pick a real one.
23. For data analysts: How would you investigate a 12% drop in conversion last week? Funnel-by-funnel thinking. Frame, hypothesise, test, conclude.
24. For product managers: Tell me about a feature you killed. Killing features well is a senior-PM skill. If you've never killed one, find a story about descoping.
25. For designers: Walk me through your design process for this case study. Don't narrate the slides — narrate the decisions.
26. For bankers: How would you grow our SME loan book by 20%? Strategic question. Frame in terms of acquisition + retention + risk.
27. For oil & gas engineers: Walk me through a near-miss you reported. HSE culture test. Always answer.
