Preparation
Remember, you will be assessed on:
- Presentation
- Knowledge of the job and company
- Motivation
- How you articulate your answer
- How you communicate your skills
- Evidence of your relevant skills
During the Interview
The Basics
- Present yourself smartly
- Re-read your application, CV and employer brief and bring them along with you
- Arrive on time
- Remain polite
- Maintain positive body language
- Have questions ready for the end
Questions
Closed: Requires a yes or no answer
Example: "Are you comfortable with the amount of travel this job involves?"
Make sure you answer the question succinctly and expand on your answer without rambling.
Open: Hypothetical
Example: "What are your strengths, weaknesses, and interests?"
Don’t be overly brief, expand and explain your answers.
Probing: Competency-based
Example: "Tell us about a time where you came up with an innovative solution to a problem."
Give specific examples that demonstrate how you did your job, not what you did. How did your personal characteristics and behaviours enable you to perform?
Answering the Questions
- Take your time to think of an answer, perhaps take a sip of water or summarise the question out loud
- Construct your competency questions around the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result
- Focus on your personal contribution in all examples (use ‘I’, not ‘we’)
- Look for the positives in every situation you describe e.g negative results could have been an excellent learning experience
Further Information
The Student Development Team offers interview workshops and a one-to-one meeting service. Remember to check the online careers resources for your programme and LinkedIn Learning.