Interview Preparation

1. Think Positively

• Your CV has convinced them you can do the job so you are already off to a positive start.

2. Be Prepared

• Know your CV or application form inside out.
• Research the company - eg. find out about recent developments and press coverage.
• Practice answers to questions out loud.
• Use Big Interview (students only)

3. Anticipate the Questions

• Go over the job specification or advertisement and underline key competencies and skills and consider how you meet these.
• Be ready to answer the opening “tell us a bit about yourself “question. 
• Know why you want to work for the company and what you have to offer them.

4. Plan Ahead

• Know where you are going and who you are meeting with.
• Give yourself plenty of time to get there, ideally you should arrive 10 -15 minutes early.
• Dress appropriately for the role you are applying for - if in doubt wear a suit.

5. Build Rapport

• Make good eye contact – but don’t overdo it.
• Be polite to everyone you meet in the company!

6. Know your Skills

• Have stories of where you have demonstrated the competencies and skills they are looking for in the past, this is covered in more detail in our section on competency based interviews.
• Practice telling those stories – use the STAR framework.
• Use examples from college, placement, experience, hobbies/interests, voluntary work etc.

7. This is a professional interaction so...

• Don’t tell inappropriate stories.
• Don’t talk negatively about a previous employer or a job you disliked.
• Do have a positive outlook on negative events, if things have gone wrong in the past show how you have learned from the experience.

8. Remember – It’s a conversation!

• If you go blank – take your time.
• If you don't understand a question – try to paraphrase it to get clarity.
• If you know you are rambling – acknowledge you have gone off topic and get back to the point.

9. Questions you can ask

Your research of the company should help you come up with questions to ask in the interview the following are some examples of areas for appropriate interviewee questions:

• next steps in the process
• what typical career paths there are within the company
• development opportunities in the company

10. End on a high

• When they ask “have you anything to add?”… hit them with the three reasons why you should get the job or restate your genuine interest in the role and the company.
• Shake hands and thank them for their time – use their names.
• Remember the interview isn’t over until you have left the car park!

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This is not an exhaustive list but it will give you an idea of the type of question you can expect at interview. You should plan answers to these types of questions in advance of the interview.

Questions about the job / sector

• Why do you want to be a …. ?
• Which other careers have you considered?
• What are the most challenging issues currently affecting this sector?
• How do you keep up to date with developments in this sector? 

Questions about the organisation

• Why do you want to work for this organisation?
• What do you know about this organisation?
• What prompted your application for this organisation?

Questions about your education

• Why choose your degree/subject?
• What was the most challenging part of your degree course?
• Which parts of your degree are most relevant for this vacancy?
• How did you approach your final year project/thesis?

Questions about your work experience

• What have you gained from your previous experience?
• What has been your greatest achievement in the workplace?
• Talk us through your most relevant experience to date?

Questions about your skills

• When have you used your communication skills to influence other people’s behaviour or opinions?
• Describe a situation when you worked in a team to achieve a goal. What was your contribution to the team’s success and what would you do differently in a similar situation in the future?
• Describe how you analysed a complex issue or problem to reach a decision. How did you evaluate the decision you made?
• When have you had to deal with an unexpected or changing situation? How did you cope with this uncertainty?

The questions above are competency based questions, visit our section on competency based interviews for details on how to prepare for these interviews.

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There are always questions you would prefer to avoid. Prepare answers to a few e.g. if you repeated an academic year or do not have any relevant work experience.
Do not say anything negative about yourself, former colleagues, or any organisation.

Depending on your personal circumstances you may need to prepare answers to address the following:

• Gaps in your CV - e.g. explain the reason for a year out - maybe family required you at home, travel, personal reasons (which you don't have to elaborate on). Try to present the year out in a positive way - what you learned from the experience, maybe you refocused on your return, etc.
• Poor grades in exams - e.g. maybe a subject that didn't interest you as much as others (only use this if the subject isn't a critical one for the job!), took a while to settle in college etc. Always talk about learning from the experience, the positive aspects of the getting a poor grade.

Questions on your Weaknesses

• You may be asked straight out "what are your weaknesses?" or the question could be framed slightly differently such as "what is the one thing you would change about yourself?" or "what is the one thing you would need to focus on in order to perform effectively in this role?".
• Give a real example and focus on how what actions you have taken to address the weakness. 
• Avoid giving answers like "I have no weaknesses" or "I am a perfectionist".

Unexpected 'Random' Questions

Some recruiters ask candidates a 'random' or off the wall question to see how they respond under pressure. These questions have no right or wrong answer, they are testing your personality. It is best to take a logical approach when answering these questions. Examples of these type of questions are:

• If you were a biscuit, what type of biscuit would you be?
• What would I find in your refrigerator?
• If you were having a dinner party and could invite one famous person who would you invite?

Some tips for handling these unexpected questions:

• It is perfectly acceptable to take a moment to gather your thoughts.
• Remain calm, they are looking for someone who takes a logical or creative approach to problems so it is important to maintain eye contact and answer these types of questions confidently.

Note: – You have rights!

You should not be asked, nor are you required to answer, any questions regarding: race, religion, gender, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, membership of the traveller community or age.

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What are competency based interviews?

Competency interviews are about finding out how you performed in work/college situations in the past.  
The company will have identified a number of core competencies that are essential for the role on offer and they will have devised specific questions to examine these.

The core competencies for the role are usually outlined in the job specification or advert. Typical graduate competencies include teamwork, communication skills, initiative and problem solving. 

These interviews will usually begin with a number of familiar questions to ease the candidate into the interview such as....

“Tell me a bit about yourself” or “take me through your CV” but the interview will quickly move towards competency questions.

How do I know I’m being asked a competency based question?

These questions are easy to spot as they generally start as follows:

• Tell me about a time when you had to….
• Can you describe where you have had to….
• Give me an example of………. 

How do I answer a competency based question?

The best way to answer these questions is to use the STAR framework outlined below. This method helps to keep your answers structured, clear and to the point.

Tips to Prepare for a Competency Based Interview

1. Re-read the job advertisement and highlight the core competencies for the role. You should expect to be asked questions on where you have demonstrated these.
2. Write out examples of where you have developed each of these competencies, be creative with your approach, use examples from different areas such as college, placement, part-time work, volunteering, or your roles in clubs and societies.
3. Practice your answers out loud using the STAR technique. 

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There are a number of other interview types that have considerations that you need to take into account, examples include telephone interviews and panel interviews.

Panel Interviews

A panel of interviewers question the candidate in turn at the same interview. These may include a specialist who knows about the job, a personnel manager and up to three others. 

Panel Interview Tips

• Do shake hands firmly and smile at each panel member as you are being introduced, repeat their names during introductions to build rapport.
• Don't just direct your answer to the person who asked you the question or the chairperson of the panel, you need to engage with all of the panel members as you are answering a question.
• Don't be put off if panel members are taking notes, this is normal.
• Do thank the panel for meeting with you and shake hands with each panel member at the end of the interview repeating their names if you can.

Telephone Interviews

Usually used as a method of screening candidates prior to a face-to-face interview. Depending on the role on offer, telephone interview questions can vary from your suitability to technical knowledge.

See our page on Hints & Tips for a Telephone Interview  

Video Interviews

Two types of video interview are used

1. Short screening video, answering set questions. 
2. Full interview facing your interviewer or panel commonly using Zoom or MS Teams.

See our page on Hints & Tips for a Video Interview

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Assessment centres use a range of techniques that are designed to simulate work situations. They give the company an opportunity to learn about your behaviour in an intensive situation. The activities will usually include a first round interview, a group interview, aptitude or other tests.
The assessment can be anything from half a day to two days in duration. Usually you get an extended form of interview and are asked to participate in a series of exercises.

Tests:

Tests can be used by employers as part of the recruitment process. These can be either online in your own time in order to shortlist candidates for interview, or as part of an assessment centre. These are usually either aptitude tests or personality questionnaires or a combination of both. 

The aim of an aptitude test is to assess your capabilities in tests of reasoning. They are administered under exam conditions and strictly timed. Usually there are tests of verbal, numerical, abstract spatial, situational judgement, mechanical and perceptual reasoning. 

There are many websites with free sample tests online (and many more that charge a fee). The free ones may only have a short series of questions but the practice really does help you prepare for taking the test. Use your preferred search engine to find these or current, registered students can browse some resources on our Careers information for students sharepoint (access with your Office365 account). 

Personality Questionnaires

These are also administered in exam conditions – a large room with 30 – 40 other people. There are no ’right’ or ’wrong’ answers so be yourself.

Group Assessment / Discussion:

Employers want to test interpersonal and teamwork skills by assessing how you relate with five to eight other candidates for the job. You will be given a topic or case study to discuss or a puzzle to solve in the group. The group may be leaderless or a chairperson may be nominated.

Students are usually advised:

• To assess the traits usually associated with the job, the culture of the organisation and the people employed there already
• Do not remain silent 
• Do participate in the round-table discussions

The solution agreed is not necessarily as important as the methods used and the ways individual members become involved in the exercise. If leadership is required for the job, for example, they may look out for the ability to use the strength of others and take decisions.

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Our students can access more resources through the Careers information for students sharepoint (you must be logged into your Office365 account to access). 

 This includes a mock interview with AI feedback on Big Interview. 
- students click the link above to access
- recent graduates, log into Careers Connect to request access. 

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