Employment and learning advice

It is normal to feel nervous when you have an interview because you want to do your best. With preparation and practice you can get the better of your nerves and give yourself the best chance of getting the job.

An interview is a discussion between you and an employer to find out if you can do the job. It is your chance to make a good impression and to find out if the job is for you.

Top tips

• Dress smartly, look bright and attentive, and speak clearly and confidently.
• Don’t forget that the first few minutes of an interview are really important. Some experts suggest that only 7% of the interviewer’s opinion of you is formed by what you say - the rest is judged on how you look, act and sound. Be aware of your own body language!
• Find out where the venue is beforehand, how to get there and how long it takes. Do a practice run if you can.
• Get your outfit ready the night before.
• Find out what kind of interview it will be so you can prepare.
• Examine the person specification and your CV or application form, and think about what type of questions they will ask you.
• Prepare answers for the main questions - for example, why do you want the job, what are your strengths and weaknesses, what are the main tasks in this job?
• Make about three or four points in each answer - use the ‘STAR’ model (see later)
• Quote real examples of when you’ve used certain skills - just saying you’ve got a skill isn’t enough.
• Take your time when answering the questions: make sure you understand the question and take your time if you need to think.
• Sell yourself: no one else is going to! Be positive about yourself and your experiences.
• Prepare some questions to ask at the end of the interview - use it as an opportunity to find out more about the role and the company.
• When discussing salary, know your market worth and start by quoting a little higher than this.
• Try to get feedback on your performance, whether you were successful or not.
• Turn off your mobile phone: treat the interviewers with respect and give them your undivided attention.
• Keep your answers focused on what you can do for the employer, not what they can do for you.

Using the STAR technique

A good way to avoid waffling at an interview and to be sure you are sticking to the question is to use a formula to structure and present your answers.

A popular type of questioning is competency style questioning. This means giving a specific example of a skill or competency you have used in the past. 

A good framework to answer this question is STAR - situation, task, action, result.

For example if you get asked: “Give me a time you have had to deal with a difficult customer.”

• S - I was working at a high street retailer selling branded menswear, on this day I was based at the till. A gentleman came to the counter and told me he had only bought the suit a month ago and it was falling apart.
• T - I listened to the gentleman and sympathised with his situation and requested to check the suit. I saw there was an issue and asked what action he would like us to take. He wanted a refund.
• A - I requested proof of purchase and explained that was company policy. He handed it over and I swiftly gave him a refund and gave a 10% discount for his next purchase in the shop.
• R - As a result the gentleman went away satisfied and came back to use his discount voucher.

Another useful framework is the 20/60/20 rule.

• The first 20% is reflecting back that you understand the question.
• The next 60% is what you did in the situation with some detailed description.
• The last 20% is the results of what happened, your analysis of why the action you took was successful.

These are good ways of answering the inevitable ‘tell us about a time when’ questions.

Remember: an interview is a two way process. Ssee it as an interesting challenge and a good opportunity to spend some time talking about how brilliant you are!

Common interview questions

• Why do you want this job?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What do you know about our company?
• What are your goals?
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Give an example of situation when faced with a challenging customer
• How do you prioritise your workload?
• What skills would you bring to this role?
• What motivates you?
• What makes a good team member?
• What support do you think you might need if the job was offered to you?
• How would you describe yourself?