Interview Preparation
What types of interviews are there?
The four most common types of interviews are: face-to-face, panel, telephone, and video call. The type of interview you have will depend on the employer.
Face-to-face
This is the most common type of interview where you will be seen one-on-one with the employer.
Panel
You could be interviewed by several people at once. You may also be required to present something or bring a portfolio.
Telephone
This usually precedes a face-to-face interview. The employer might want to find out a bit about you. Remember to be professional, coherent and clear using appropriate word choices. If you leave an answerphone message, remember to give all the details necessary.
Video call
This is similar to a face-to-face interview process but some employers opt to conduct these interviews virtually, usually via Teams.
What if I have never had a job before?
Focus on any activities you’ve done in education or through hobbies – class projects, playing for sports teams. This is also a good time to mention any work experience or volunteering experience you’ve done.
What if I get asked about skills or experience I don’t have?
Don’t worry if you haven’t got one or two of the required skills. You need to be able to show that you have the potential to develop these missing skills. Describe how you would act if you were placed in this situation. For example, if you had to deal with a difficult customer you could explain how you would approach it: “stay calm, be polite and clear…”
What do I need to prepare?
Before your interview, find out as much background information as possible. Start by checking out their website and then ask yourself the following questions:–
- What is their business/product/service?
- How many employees do they have?
- Are they part of a large group?
- Do they own other companies?
- Who are their competitors?
- What is the company’s mission or philosophy?
- Familiarise yourself with the job specification, go through each bulletpoint and have something to say about every task/skill required.
- Prepare a few questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview.
What to do in an interview?
• Dress smartly, get your outfit ready the night before, speak clearly and confidently
• Find out where the interview is and plan your route the day before
• Read the job and person specification so you know what’s expected in the role
• Prepare answers with examples to demonstrate the skills required in the person specification
• Stay calm, take your time, answer truthfully and use examples
• Sell yourself and your skills to the employer, keep things positive and focused
• Prepare a few questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview
What not to do in an interview?
• Be late, swear or use slang words
• Criticise former employers or colleagues
• Slouch in your seat or do anything that makes you look uninterested
• Lie or be arrogant, the interviewer may see through you and think you are disrespectful
• Discuss controversial topics such as religion, politics, and gender relations
• Read from notes or your CV, you should know your own CV and be able to talk about it.
Example interview questions
- What are your strongest skills and qualities?
- Can you give an example of when you have overcome a challenge
- What are your goals for the future?
- Describe a time when you have worked in a team and how you found this
- What do you do in your spare time?
If you need any interview preparation support, please book an appointment in the Career Zone. We can conduct a mock interview and discuss what areas you might need to upskill in (e.g. body language, real-life examples of skills etc).