Interviews

Interviews give employers the chance to explore your skills and motivation in more detail than at the application stage. They also allow employers to test for competencies which are not easily covered in an application such as interpersonal skills and to assess how you would fit into the organisation.

There are many types of interview. The most common are:

• In-person/face-to-face interviews, usually with one or two recruiters or, occasionally, a panel.
• Online/Telephone interviews - these are similar to an in-person interview without the need to travel.
• Video interviews which ask you to record your answers to pre-recorded questions.

For most small employers, this is the last step in the recruitment process; if you are successful, you will be offered the job. With large employers, you will usually have to attend an assessment centre.

Whilst it is impossible to predict exactly what you will be asked by a specific employer, on most occasions you should have access to the role requirements from the advert, the job description and person specification. Interview questions are usually designed to enable the candidate to evidence the extent to which they meet the role requirements. 

Most employers use competency-based questions to explore how well you match the job requirements. You can find more information on how to select suitable examples from your experience and how to structure your answers in the "What will they ask?" section on our Application Forms page (check this isn’t changing in the updates) and in our guide to Creating STARR Examples.

You can also expect questions about:

• The job - Why have you applied for this role? What do you know about it?
• The employer - Why have you decided to apply to this specific organisation and what do you know about them?
• The sector/wider issues - What are the current challenges and developments in this sector?
• You - Be ready to talk about any information you have provided in your application. This could include your degree and course choices, work experience, or interests and achievements.

For jobs in technical areas such as engineering or IT, you may also be asked to demonstrate your technical expertise. Sometimes, employers will simply ask for more information on your dissertation or projects but you may also be asked to comment on a technical problem or scenario.

The key to a successful and relatively stress-free interview is thorough preparation:

• Deal with practical preparations well in advance. Book travel if necessary and plan what you will be wearing.
• Remind yourself of the employer's requirements as well as your relevant skills and experience. Go back to your application. This is what got you this far!
• Identify the best examples you have of times when you have demonstrated each of the essential skills being sought (these should be listed in the job description). For each, it is helpful to check that you can describe the Situation, Task, Actions and Results. Try and draw examples from across your studies, work experience and other interests and responsibilities.
• Build on your research - Employers will expect you to have more in-depth knowledge about them and the job on offer at this stage. Follow the news and keep up-to-date with any issues which could affect your chosen employer and sector.
• Prepare some sensible questions. Focus on issues related to the job and the employer such as training and support provided, areas for expansion or specific questions on your duties and responsibilities. Avoid questions about salary and benefits or purely practical things.

Once you have done some preparation, it is a good idea to try it out at a practice interview before the real thing, to build you confidence and get an idea of where there are gaps in your preparation.  You can practise a range of interview questions tailored to what you have applied for on the Shortlist.Me platform (have a look at both the interview section AND the CV co-pilot activity where you can tailor the interview). If you have enough notice, you can also book a practice interview with a Careers Adviser. This will give you the chance to practise your answers with a professional and receive feedback.

Whilst you should do your own personal research and preparation, here are some ways GenAI can help you to prepare for interviews:

• Researching the organisation, finding out how they are performing, who their competitors are.
• Researching the sector, finding out.
• Identifying types of questions which align with the job description.
• Refining or critiquing any examples you are considering to evidence specific skills and competencies.

Important considerations:

• Make sure you check for and follow any guidelines on use of GenAI in the recruitment and selection process provided by the organisation.
• Make sure you check the sources and fact check any information you find using GenAI.
• Don’t use GenAI to answer interview questions for you. It is obvious when candidates do this and you will be rejected on this basis. As with applications, GenAI can hallucinate, will come across as formulaic and doesn’t know about you. At an interview, you are the expert on what you have to offer and are equipped to answer interview questions better than any GenAI tool.

It is natural to be nervous in an interview. Good interviewers will only be too aware of this and make sure that you are comfortable.

You can also keep stress to a minimum by following these simple steps:

• Do not be late! Leave with plenty of time to spare to allow for any delays. For online interviews, test your connection and technology works ahead of time.
• Listen carefully and think before you answer.
• If you do not understand a question, it is absolutely ok to ask for clarification.
• If you find a question tricky, or are worried you didn’t answer it as well as you could, try not to let that derail you for the rest of the interview.
• Be positive and enthusiastic.
• Act professionally throughout.

It is a good idea to make a note of any questions you found tricky immediately after your interview, so you can ask for advice on how to tackle them next time. If you are unsuccessful, you can ask the employer for feedback although not all employers will provide this.