Interviews
Interviews can be a challenging part of the application process, and it’s natural to feel some uncertainty as you prepare. Whether you’re applying for part-time work, internships, graduate schemes, or graduate roles, being well-prepared can make a difference.
This page provides a range of resources designed to help you approach interviews with confidence. You’ll find advice on common interview formats, what types of questions you might be presented with, how to prepare and how to ask for, and make use of, reasonable adjustments when they apply.
Revisit your application. Don’t be afraid in an interview to refer back to examples that you may have mentioned in your application – the person interviewing you may not remember what you wrote and you have the opportunity to expand and provide more context or detail than you could in an application, CV or personal statement.
It’s important to understand the role you’re applying for and reflect on how your skills and experiences align with their needs. Gain wider knowledge of the skills and competencies needed for the job role generally. Look at the competencies listed in the person specification section of the job description; they are often what the employer will base the majority of questions on (e.g. Communication, teamwork) and ensure you have some sound STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples.
Make sure to read the interview information provided by the employer and are clear about the format/timings etc. You will often be told who will be interviewing you. Researching the panel beforehand can help demystify the experience and make it less daunting.
One of the first questions you are commonly asked in an interview is some variation of "Why do you want to work for us?" or "Why are you interested in this role?" To answer effectively, it's essential that you’ve researched the employer, understanding their values, goals, and position within the sector. For guidance on how to research employers, visit our Researching employers page.
If you have a disability, you can ask for reasonable adjustments to be made at any point during the recruitment process. For example, you might request the following: a British Sign Language interpreter, extra time to complete assessments as part of the interview, or the interview questions to be sent in advance.
Information about disclosing a disability, including a webinar recording Disclosing a Disability about talking to future employers on our Equality and Diversity page.
Types of Interview
There are many different types of interviews employers will use. Typically, interviews are panel interviews, with 2 – 4 people on the panel, where you will be asked a combination of strength and competency-based questions, for around 30 – 60 minutes.
For graduate schemes, and some placement and summer internship programmes, you will likely face multiple rounds of interviews. First round interviews tend to be either phone or via pre-recorded video interview software where you will record short videos, typically between one and three minutes each, answering questions that appear on screen and then upload your response videos to a platform. Later-stage interviews are typically after an assessment centre either online or in-person. These will typically be a panel interview.
Case Study interviews are often used for jobs that involve consultancy work. Graduates First has some useful guides for how to prepare for, and succeed at, Case interviews, including some opportunities to practice.
The following are useful links to further information about case study interviews:
The following links provide information from specific employers:
Types of Interview questions
While first-round interviews tend to focus on your motivations for applying and later-stage interviews on your practical/technical skills, you could get a mix of questions from any interview. So, unless you are told the type of questions you will be asked beforehand, it’s a good idea to take them all into consideration when carrying out practice interviews.
Strength based or motivational questions are more about finding out about you and what drives you. Although they don’t need as much preparation as competency-based interviews, these types of questions still need some preparation and careful thought. While you can't change the fundamentals of who you are or what you enjoy, for an employer, thinking about how your preferences fit with the organisation and the job requirements is still important. Try to relax and be yourself!
For example, in response to the question “How would your friends describe you?” – if the role you were applying to was a people-focused role, working within a team and building relationships/working with clients or customers, you could answer “My friends would describe me as a “people person” who is great at supporting and being around others. I'm always the person who my friends go to for support and I'm always good at listening and supporting them when they need me.”
Doing your commercial awareness and knowing the scope of the role and the culture of the organisation is key here to prepare for these types of questions and responding appropriately.
Examples of strength-based questions:
Interviewers will be testing competencies related to the job and from the person specification. The STAR format is really helpful when it comes to answering interview questions, particularly competency-based questions. It allows you to describe and evidence that you have the skills required.
It’s also important to remember that not all questions testing a competency will be asked in a way that asks for an example. It could be that they test the same competency by asking “In this role, you will be working as part of a small team. What do you think makes effective teamwork?” The question asks you what makes “effective teamwork”. So often candidates answer the question literally e.g. – communicating clearly, active listening, clear objectives and goals. But what they really want you to go on and say is where you put those things into practice, by backing it up further with an example. Always try to give an example, even when the question is not obviously seeking one.
Interview Techniques workshops can be booked in events section of Handshake.
Interview Techniques Sway Interview Techniques
Employer Mock Interviews - A great opportunity to practice your interview skills with employers.
Please note you can only book 1 employer mock interview per year. Please follow the on- screen instructions through the process. You will need to upload a CV before you are able to book an interview appointment. Please note that mock interviews are mostly available in the Autumn term.
The Exeter Award - The Exeter Award is an employability achievement award for current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. The final stage of the Award, The Interview Experience, is a supportive mock job interview with a member of staff from the Career Zone.
Graduates First includes video interview practice and you can choose
- by type such as strength based, competency based, business acumen
- by sector, such as non-profit, finance, law, marketing, technology, public sector, sustainability, consulting, banking
- by specific employer, from a wide range of sectors.
It also includes assessments centres exercises and a wide range of psychometric tests. The site allows you to select an industry package such as consulting, finance, law, healthcare, technology and you can access relevant tests, assessments and video interviews.
Interviews and Assessment Centres advice | targetjobs
The Career Zone podcast has lots of tips and advice about all things interviews. Take a listen. Episodes include:
- Navigating the networking jungle or Tell us about yourself (how to answer common interview question)
- Asking Questions at interviews – what they say about you/ what not to ask
- How I can beat interview nerves
- What to wear to an interview
- Tell us about yourself? Answering interview questions.
Next steps
- Curate some STAR examples ready to go for future interviews – you might revisit your Create Your Future Skills Analysis for some ideas.
- Practice, practice, practice. Have a go at some of the interview simulations on Graduates First.
Need more help? Contact the Career Zone.