Interviews

Employers don’t interview people unless they think they’re a realistic

candidate, so if you’ve been invited to one, use the opportunity to
demonstrate that you have the skills and experience required.

What will I be asked? How to structure your answers

It’s unlikely you’ll know exactly what questions will be STARR (Situation, Task, Action, Result/Reflection) is
asked, but by understanding the organisation and the a handy acronym to use to structure examples of
role you’re going for, you can get a good idea. how you have demonstrated a particular skill.

Your motivations and understanding of the job

Questions relating to these are likely to come up Briefly outline the circumstances that
Situation
regardless of the job you’re going for. “Why do you led to your action.
want this job?” or “Why do you want to work for us?”
help employers understand what motivates you, but
Explain exactly what the task, problem
also test how much you know about the role and the Task
or goal was.
organisation. They might ask “What do you foresee as
the biggest challenge in this role?” or questions about
competitors and clients, so make sure you’ve found Give a step-by-step explanation of what
out about the organisation and the sector beforehand Actions you did (to show the skills you’re giving
- the organisation’s website is a good starting point. evidence of)

Your skills Outline what happened as a result. Be

Result &
specific, this will show your
Employers tend to ask about your skills, as if you’ve Reflection
effectiveness in using that skill.
successfully used a skill in the past, it is likely you’ll do
so again in the future. The job description will
highlight exactly what the employer is looking for, so
refer back to this to make informed guesses about As a rough guideline, 10% of your answer should be
what you’ll be asked; if team work and background information (Situation and Task), 80%
communication are listed, prepare examples to explaining what you did (Actions), and 10% for the
demonstrate these. They could come from work final Result. Sometimes, for example a question about
experience, but also from your course and extra- where something went wrong, you could add
curricular activities. If there’s no job description, then Reflection to your answer, e.g. what you learned from
think about what skills might be required, and apply the situation and what you would do differently.
the same principle.
See the Demonstrating your skills and competencies
title for more information.
Strengths-based interviews Practical advice
Some large employers have switched from  Make sure you look smart and professional. If
competency based interviews to these, believing they you’re not sure what to wear, it’s safer to look
lead to responses that are less rehearsed, allowing a bit too formal.
them to get to know the candidate better.  First impressions are vital, so be polite and
What to expect professional from the start to everyone you
meet.
The aim of strengths-based interviews is to find out
what comes naturally to you, and what you do with  Pay attention to the questions! Answer the ones
ease and enthusiasm, rather than exploring merely they ask, not the ones you wish they had.
what you are able to do. As such, you’re more likely  Speak slowly and clearly, and don’t rush your
to be asked about motivations and values, rather than answer. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification
skills. if you don’t understand a question, or to ask
for a moment if you need time to think.
How to prepare
 Avoid giving unnecessary detail in your answers –
As you’ll be asked about your strengths, ensure you use the body language of the interviewer to
understand them yourself. Ask yourself the following decide whether you need to expand further.
in a professional context:
 If you have to present negative information be
 What energises me? truthful, but also positive. Say how you learned
 When do I feel most like myself? from it, or would do something differently in
the future.
 What comes easily to me?
Improving your self-awareness will aid your Telephone, Skype and video interviews
performance, so try also thinking about why you This form of interview is becoming more common, but
enjoy these activities or why you’re good at them. you need to prepare as you would for a standard
You may be asked follow-up questions. Unlike in interview – they still want to know that you have the
competency based interviews, this isn’t a sign that motivation and ability for the job. There are extra
your answer is lacking, the interviewer wants to get to considerations though:
know you better by seeing you think on your feet.  Prevent any potential disturbances – find a quiet
There will probably still be questions where you’re space and take steps to ensure you’re not
asked to display evidence of skills, and the STAR interrupted, either by others or by a phone.
approach can still be a useful model for these.  Check the technology in advance. Try a practice
conversation with a friend on Skype first, and
What they are looking for
consider using a microphone to improve the
 Employers want to choose candidates who will sound quality if needed. If you do experience
enjoy the job and feel comfortable with the key problems during the interview, be honest and
skills required, so will pick people whose strengths let the employer know, so you can sort it.
align with the role. However, don’t try to predict
 For video or Skype interviews make sure there is
what these will be and model your answers
enough lighting, and that the background behind
accordingly, as the employer will be able to tell
you is appropriate. The angle of the camera
you’re doing this.
should put you in the middle of the screen so
 They will however be looking for someone whose your eye contact is central.
values match with those of the company, so  Even if the interviewer can’t see you, good
research what these are and how they might be posture and positive body language will help your
applied in practice, both by the company and by nerves and make you sound clearer and more
you. confident. Some people even find standing up
can help.

© All information copyright The Careers Group, University of London 2019.

  Be prepared! First impressions still count, so Tell me about yourself
warm your voice before the interview, to allow Don’t overdo it! Give a brief summary including
you to start the call in a professional manner. recent experiences, major achievements and a bit
 Memory aids such as written notes can make your about your passions, making sure it’s all relevant; the
answers sound seamless and informed if used recruiter is looking for what you can bring to the
well. Used poorly, your answers will sound company.
unnatural and result in long pauses or rustling
sounds. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing
 If you’re on the phone, you’ll have no visual clues. our organisation at the moment?
To decide whether you’ve said enough or too Here, you can demonstrate your knowledge of the
little, pause periodically and allow the interviewer organisation and the sector they operate within. You
to interject if they want to. might for example talk about how recent
developments will affect the company. Prepare for
Good answers to common questions these commercial awareness questions by reading
Why do you want this job? industry news and networking with people already
working in this area.
Your opportunity to talk about your motivation and
enthusiasm for the role, industry and Can you tell me about a time you’ve worked
company…basically things other than the salary! It’s effectively as part of a team?
also testing that you have a realistic understanding of
the job and organisation – the best answers will show This is another competency based question. You could
how your skills and goals line up with these. Be as use examples from work, volunteering or academic
enthusiastic as you can, without going over the top. work, but make sure your answer is about what YOU
did, rather than WE did. Even if it was a team effort,
Tell me about a situation where you had to manage the recruiter will want to know what you contributed.
multiple demanding deadlines. What was your
approach? How many pizzas are delivered in London each
week?
This is one example of a competency based question.
Preparation is key to answering these questions well, Don’t panic, you’re not expected to get the answer
so plan ahead and identify examples you can use for right. Instead, this is testing how you approach and
the skills you may be asked about. Use the STARR solve problems. You might start by estimating the
(Situation, Task, Action, Result & Reflection) model population and how often the average person would
outlined earlier to answer. order pizza, and go from there. Show that you can
keep your cool, and talk them through a logical
What is your biggest weakness? thought process.

You need to demonstrate self-awareness, although When where you most engaged at university?
don’t confess something that would majorly impact
your performance in the role. Equally, avoid clichéd A strengths-based question. Pick something you
answers like “I’m a perfectionist.” A minor weakness enjoyed because it allowed you to use your strengths,
like being impatient or not being assertive enough is and then let your enthusiasm show. Use the STAR
the right level, but it’s also important to turn this into method to structure your answer, but make sure you
a positive by talking about how you’d overcome or explain why you found the task so engaging. For
manage this. example, if it was during your dissertation, explain
how you enjoyed researching and drawing
conclusions from this.

© All information copyright The Careers Group, University of London 2019.

Sample interview questions Decision making and judgement
General  Give me an example of a time you had to make an
 Tell me about yourself. important decision on your own. How did you
 What are your key strengths? make it? How does it affect you today?
 What are your weaknesses?  Can you think of a situation where something you
 Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t were convinced about was shown to be wrong?
know from reading your application. What did you do? What had convinced you?

Motivation and values Drive and determination

 Why do you want this job?  Describe a task that you completed that you
 How does this job fit in with your longer term didn’t enjoy. How did you motivate
career plans? yourself?
 What would be the main challenge you’d face if  Tell me about a situation in which you have had to
you got this job? cope with various setbacks.
 Tell me about something you gave up on. What
 What does success mean to you?
else could you have done to succeed?
Teamwork and interpersonal skills
Adaptability and initiative
 Describe a situation where you had to deal with
someone who didn’t like you. How did you handle  Describe a situation when you have taught
it? yourself a new skill in order to complete a
task.
 What qualities do you have that make you an
effective team member? Can you give me  Can you tell me about a time when you had to
examples? adapt to an unexpected change?
 Please describe a situation in which you had to  Can you give me an example of any tasks or
demonstrate sensitivity and tact. projects you started on your own?

Prioritising and organising Communication and negotiation

 Describe a situation in which a number of things  What is the most difficult thing you have had to
had to be done at the same time. How did you explain to someone? How did you do it?
 Tell me about when you have persuaded someone
handle it? What was the result?
to change their mind about something.
 Tell me about a situation in which you have had to
make compromises in order to get something  Describe a time when you achieved a win-win
done by the deadline. result with someone who had competing
needs.
 Tell me about a situation in which your plans for
something went wrong. Why did it happen? What
Commercial awareness and customer focus
did you do? What could you have done to prevent
 Can you give me an example of when you have
it?
gone above and beyond in order to provide a
good service to someone?
Problem solving, analysis and creativity
 Can you tell me about a time when you have had  Are there things that our competitors are doing
that we should be worried about?
to make a decision with incomplete information?
 What are the most important issues facing this
 Can you give me an example of a time when you
sector in the next five years?
found it hard to make a decision about
something? Why was it difficult? What did you
Leadership
do?
 Describe a situation in which you took
 Describe a time when you thought outside the
responsibility for achieving
box.
something.
 How do you get the best out of people?
 How would you describe your leadership style?
Can you give me an example of it in practice?

© All information copyright The Careers Group, University of London 2019.