Whether this is your first job application or if it's been a while since your last application, taking the time to prepare for your job interview by reviewing common interview questions and response strategies is extremely beneficial. Note that recruiters often create their own interview questions, so it's best to prepare for certain types of questions instead of memorising specific answers. Below you’ll find a couple of common job interview questions and some example answers to inspire you.
The main point of an in-person job interview is for the recruiter to get an impression of who you are as a person. Even when responding to technical questions about your qualifications, the way you answer is every bit as important as the answer itself. Recruiters want to see applicants who display confidence in their abilities, are aware of their weaknesses, and have the social aptitude to work in a team.
That's why it's so important to do a mock job interview with friends and family to get an impression of how you present yourself when answering tough questions in particular. Keep the following in mind when preparing for a job interview:
Before going into the job interview, it’s important to review the job advertisement and any information you have about the company. This will give you insight into the qualities your prospective employer values, helping you tailor your answers accordingly.
So-called behavioural interview questions and situational interview questions are almost always aimed at gauging your responses rather than just gathering information. The main difference here is that behavioural interview questions are usually broader ("Give me an example of you being assertive towards your subordinates") and aimed at gauging your typical behaviour, while situational interview questions often pose a specific challenge to see how you would solve it ("Imagine there was someone on your team who didn't carry their weight. How would you handle that situation?")
In both cases, it's best to use an actual example from your work experience to illustrate what you'd do. These drive home the point that you're not just claiming certain qualities for yourself but can prove you've demonstrated these qualities in the past as well. For behavioural interview questions, you can think of any example that fits the question, but for situational ones, you should come up with an example that fits the hypothetical situation most closely. If you’re unable to recall a specific instance, it's fine to answer hypothetically or to use a more far-fetched example; just be sure to note that you're aware that's what you're doing.
The STAR method is designed to help you keep your answers concise while still providing enough information to give your recruiter a clear understanding of your qualities as a potential employee. This method is best used when asked behavioural or situational interview questions, as it uses real-life examples to support your answers to hypothetical questions.
When using the STAR method, ensure your answer is structured around the following four points:
Ideally, you should limit your response to only one or two sentences for each of these points, which makes your answer easy to understand and prevents you from going off-topic.
Let's imagine your recruiter asks: "What would you do if you realized you're running late on a deadline?" Using the STAR method, you might answer: "When I worked at XYZ PLC, I was late sending out all the month's invoices to our customers. To keep XYZ's cash flow running, these had to get out on time, so there was no option for a delay. I discussed this with my colleagues, and we decided to split up the remaining work among us. In turn, I took over some of their non time-critical tasks to balance out our respective workloads. We successfully managed to send out all invoices on time, and I had enough time to finish my colleagues' remaining tasks the following month."
While a standard job interview will likely feel like a conversation between you and your recruiter, many UK companies employ assessment centres to perform competency-based job interviews. These are job interviews that aim at determining whether a candidate can offer a set of pre-determined qualities and professional qualifications. This means that these interviews consist mainly of a sequence of situational questions specifically designed to find out whether you have these qualities.
Imagine your recruiter has a check list of required qualities, such as "organisational talent, social skills, problem-solving ...". They might then ask a series of questions that allow them to tick these specific boxes, such as: "How do you manage tight deadlines?", "Provide an example of how you would deal with a difficult co-worker" and "Imagine you're running late on a deadline, what would you do?".
To succeed in a competency-based job interview, review the job application closely beforehand to highlight what qualities applicants are expected to demonstrate. This allows you to anticipate questions that demonstrate these traits. Ideally, once you have identified these qualities in the job description, consider specific examples that would align with your recruiter's expectations, this will help you prepare relevant responses. Remember to use the STAR method to phrase your answers.
As the term implies, technical job interviews are frequently used in the tech sector or for positions that require extensive technical expertise, such as when applying to the IT department of a large company. Technical job interviews are often conducted by someone who has considerable knowledge of the subject matter (the head of IT, lead engineer etc.), and they will focus on technical questions to assess your professional qualifications.
For example, when applying for a position in the IT department of a company, expect detailed questions such as "Can you please explain your troubleshooting process when faced with undocumented stack overflow exceptions in the .NET framework?", in addition to more generalised questions such as "What are the most important actions you'd implement to secure our intranet safe?"
Your answers should be concise yet also detailed enough to reflect your expertise. When answering the latter question, for instance, you could highlight what you consider the three most important actions for keeping an intranet safe, but you should explain them in enough detail to demonstrate your IT knowledge.
Aside from behavioural and situational questions designed to demonstrate your potential job behaviour, as well as questions focused on your professional qualifications, here are some common interview questions that most recruiters will ask during a job interview, as well as some inspiration for how to answer such interview questions. Remember, though, that your answers should always be tailored to the question at hand and to your personality, so these example answers are meant to serve as inspiration only.
Recruiters expect you to be able to explain why you applied for a job with their company, in particular. They're not fishing for compliments, though – or rather, they're not exclusively fishing for compliments. They're trying to see if you've taken the time to research the company and if you really understand what the position entails.
When responding to this question, it's sensible to add some details that show you've done your research. This helps the company feel like they're not just one in a long list of employers where you're trying to find a job, even though that may be closer to the truth. Make them feel like you're really looking forward to working with them in particular:
I've always admired how uniquely creative your marketing campaigns are, combining effective advertising with genuine art. When I learned there was a job opening available, I knew I wanted to join the renowned team that put the iconic pink elephant in the middle of Trafalgar Square.
Recruiters will appreciate your honesty if you tell them that you’re applying to other companies as well. However, ensure they get the impression their company isn't just one of dozens of companies on your list.
Research the company to be able to give some good arguments as to why you're specifically hoping to work there, despite considering other opportunities. If you're applying for the job while still working somewhere else, it's important you convey your reasons for wanting a change without bad-mouthing your current employer.
I'm currently working sales for Smith & Partners, but I've found sales has become a bit stale after all these years. I want to shift into a position that leverages my strengths while also offering more variety, such as the opportunities at your investment firm.
Open-ended questions such as this one are meant to give you an opening to (succinctly) highlight the main advantage you bring to the table as a job applicant. You're free to choose whichever qualification you think makes you the perfect candidate for the job.
To formulate a strong response, you should thoroughly review the job description before the interview. It will help you understand the skills and qualities your prospective employer is looking for. To make sure your answer is succinct, focus on one or two compelling reasons why they should hire you:
Thanks to my previous work in China, I'm fluent in Mandarin and I have extensive experience with the culture of mainland China. Seeing as your company is planning a strong push into the Chinese market, I'd be able to help facilitate communication with native speakers.
When recruiters pose questions like these, they're almost always behavioural questions. Your recruiter wants to see whether you're able to rationally assess yourself, including acknowledging your weaknesses. That's why you should focus on one attribute at a time and be sincere about it. When talking about a weakness, avoid things like "I just work too hard", as recruiters will recognise that you're trying to dodge the question.
Being able to confront your weaknesses is just as valuable a skill as being able to correctly assess your strengths. When talking about your weaknesses, you should always frame them as opportunities for growth. Share how you're actively working on improving yourself.
My greatest weakness is that I struggle with public speaking. I'm an introverted person by nature, so speaking in front of large groups takes a lot out of me. To tackle this, I've started practising in front of a mirror at home, and joining my book club has greatly benefited me in that regard, as it allows me to practice public speaking in front of a small group of people I trust.
When asking about your previous place of employment, recruiters are looking for anything in your behaviour or performance that might've caused you to be let go. They also want to see whether you can be open about that. It's in your best interest to be candid, since a recruiter can easily call your previous place of work to verify your story.
Give your honest reason for leaving without disparaging your former employer. No company wants to hire someone who bad-mouths their previous employer. If, however, there was a valid reason why your previous employer let you go, you should be open about it, acknowledge your mistakes, and explain how you're working on not letting them happen again. Most importantly, avoid placing blame on others.
I was let go from company X for failing to show up for work reliably. I recognise now that I wasn't mentally prepared for a full nine-to-five job at the time and I lost sight of what really mattered. Being let go served as a wake-up-call. I'm happy to oblige if you feel it necessary, to implement a strict time-tracking system for me.
If your recruiter asks you for your salary expectations, it's always best to give a general range instead of a specific number. You'll have the opportunity to negotiate a specific salary in a later meeting. For the initial job interview, the key is to present a number that's neither too high nor too low. Use this opportunity to reinforce your value to the recruiter.
The goal here is to show your recruiter that you have realistic expectations. You can find a wealth of information online regarding the average salary for your position and the seniority levels in your field of work.
I'm expecting a salary somewhere between £50,000 and £70,000. I'm confident we can agree on a level of compensation that's adequate to the expertise I can bring to the table.
When asked questions about your preferred work environment or whether you prefer working solo or as part of a team, recruiters generally hope you'll be content with whatever environment the company is prepared to offer its employees. Once again, review the information you have about the company to see if your preferences align. If the company prioritises teamwork, it's not advisable to mention you prefer working independently.
As remote working from home has become more widely accepted, it's reasonable to mention that you enjoy working from home. However, you shouldn't appear too eager about that prospect, as many employers are wary of new employees working from home with little oversight.
I prefer working as part of a team, as I greatly enjoy the creative brainstorming that goes on in that environment. Nevertheless, I'm still able to work on my own if required.
In the modern age, many employers want to make sure their employee's performance won't be impacted by poor work-life balance. If you find you're naturally very resilient to stress, it's fine to talk about that, but don't pretend you never experience stress. So, share with your recruiter how you manage it.
When I feel my workload is getting to me, I just put on my headphones and listen to some nice relaxing music while I work. That usually calms me down and allows me to keep going.
Employers love hearing that their employees have taken courses to increase their qualifications, whether through training programmes offered by previous employers, or independently. If you have taken part in additional training, identify which of these courses are most relevant to the job you are applying for.
However, if you haven't had any additional training, you should be honest about it and give a valid reason why you didn't have time for more training:
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take any training courses in the past couple of years. My employer didn't offer such training on the job, and most of my free time has been filled with family activities.
Many recruiters avoid the clichéd question of "where do you see yourself in five years?", but they may still ask about your career goals. Most employers prefer prospective employees who demonstrate a desire to grow and learn. So it's always good to be able to mention some goals, no matter how big or small they are.
I aspire to move on to a team leader position eventually, as I enjoy organising tasks, and my performance so far indicates that I'm very good at it.
Remember that a job interview isn't just for the recruiter to ask you things. In fact, if you pose some questions of your own, recruiters take this as a positive sign, as it shows you're really interested in the position, and you know your worth. Prepare some thoughtful questions that demonstrate your research.
It's always good to ask questions that make reference to something the company does, such as "Will I have the opportunity to collaborate with your biochemistry department as I've always been very interested that field?" You could also ask questions about the way the company is hoping to develop, which shows you've researched both the company and the industry in which they're active. And you can ask questions that show your eagerness to contribute, such as "What metrics do you us to determine success at your company?".
What you should refrain from asking about, however, are any questions that come off as self-serving. Refrain from asking about your salary if your recruiter doesn't bring it up, and avoid topics like holidays or sick leave policies. There will come a time when you're actually negotiating the employment contract when such things can be brought up without compromising your professional image.
When you're applying for a job, it's always a good idea to practice beforehand, and reviewing some common questions to formulate possible answers is vital. Whether you're preparing for aphone interview, a video interview or a traditional in-person interview, getting prepared for some common questions helps you come across as someone who's perfect for the job
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