Interview preparation
The questions interviewers ask most, and how to build an honest answer. Start with the general ones, then open your field.
Questions almost everyone is asked
Tell us about yourself.
How to answer
- Keep it to about a minute: who you are, what you study or did, and why you are here.
- Start with your course and school, add one or two things you are proud of (a project, a placement), then say what you want next.
- Do not read out your whole CV. Pick the parts that fit this role.
What are your strengths?
How to answer
- Choose two or three strengths that matter for this job, not a long list.
- Back each one with a short real example: a time you showed it.
- Say it plainly, for example: “I am organised. In my final-year project I kept a team of four on schedule.”
What is your weakness?
How to answer
- Pick a real weakness that does not stop you doing the job, such as speaking up in big groups.
- Say what you are doing about it and a small sign of progress.
- Avoid fake weaknesses like “I work too hard”. Interviewers hear them every day.
Why should we choose you?
How to answer
- Match what they asked for in the advert with something you have actually done.
- Mention your attitude too: you learn fast, you turn up, you take feedback well, if it is true.
- End with what you would bring in your first few months.
Tell us about a time you worked in a team.
How to answer
- Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result (explained below).
- Say what YOU did, not only what the group did, and what the outcome was.
- A group assignment, a club or a placement is a perfectly good example.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
How to answer
- Show you want to grow in this field and are not just passing through.
- Keep it realistic: gaining skills, taking on more responsibility, maybe further study.
- Do not name the interviewer's own job.
Do you have any questions for us?
How to answer
- Always have two or three ready. Having none can look like low interest.
- Good ones: What does a good first three months look like? What would you want me to learn first? Who would I work with day to day?
- Do not start with salary or leave. Ask about the work first.
The STAR method for “tell us about a time…”
- SSituationSet the scene in one or two sentences.
- TTaskWhat was your job or the problem to solve?
- AActionWhat did YOU do, step by step? This is the longest part.
- RResultWhat changed? Add a number if you can, and what you learned.
Questions for your field
Health and medical sciences
Employers in health want safe, calm and honest people. Show how you treat patients, handle pressure and own your mistakes.
4 questions →Engineering and built environment
Engineering interviews test how you think and how you stay safe. Explain your reasoning, not just your answers.
4 questions →Computing and data
Be ready to talk about what you built, how you solve problems and how you learn. Real projects beat long lists of tools.
4 questions →Business and finance
Banks and firms look for accuracy, honesty with money and good manners with customers. Show all three with real examples.
4 questions →Sciences and agriculture
Reliable results and clear explanations win interviews in science. Be ready to explain your work simply.
4 questions →Law, social sciences and humanities
These interviews test how you argue, write and think. Give reasons for your views and show you can listen.
4 questions →Education
Schools look for patience, clear explanations and a good way with children and parents. Show what you did in the classroom.
4 questions →Creative and media
Bring your work. Creative interviews are mostly about your portfolio, your process and how you take feedback.
4 questions →National service
Organisations want someone reliable who is ready to learn and to be posted somewhere new. Show attitude as much as skill.
4 questions →