Preparing for a job interview

Securing a job interview is an exciting and important step. Planning and preparation is crucial for success. Knowing what to expect in the interview will help you prepare.

You’ll often be told in advance what to expect, but if you don’t know, try to find out more by researching on the internet or contacting the organisation directly. There are three main types of interview that you might face.

Types of interview

Face to face interviews

Still the most common type of interview, these are often panel interviews with 2 or more interviewers. The panel might consist of the line manager, a member of the People Support team and could include a service users e.g. for education or social work. Typically face-to-face interviews could be last between 30 minutes and 2 hours long.

Telephone interviews

Telephone interviews might be used when face-to-face is not an option, or can be used for pre-screening and fact checking. The latter style of interview takes the form of set questions and scored responses to ensure parity and would typically last between 15 minutes to 1 hour long. This type of interview would usually be followed up by a more in-depth face-to-face or video interview.

Video interviews

Video Interviews have become an established recruitment and selection tool for many employers across various sectors.  There are two main types of video interview:

• Live-call video interviews which use common platforms such as MS TEAMS and Zoom.  Some employers will use their own webinar platforms.  Live online video interviews are closer to the traditional face to face interview.   

• Recorded video interviews (or asynchronous video interviews) involves candidates recording their responses to a set of pre-determined interview questions set by the employer.  They are sometimes used instead of a phone interview to screen candidates at an early stage.  Employers typically use external pre-recorded video platforms such as Shortlist.me where candidates are invited to log in to begin the interview process.  

  The Careers Service has partnered with Shortlist.me, a video interview platform to help you develop your video interviewing skills and familiarise yourself with the recorded video interview process. Practice with Shortlist.me.

Preparing before an interview

Before an interview, prepare to impress recruiters by demonstrating your enthusiasm for the job and knowledge of the organisation. Do this by:

• Researching the nature of the work
• Knowing what kinds of skills and knowledge are required
• Understanding the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the work
• Demonstrate your understanding of the organisation's products, services, customers, clients, recent successes, achievements
• Researching their working culture, values, and ethos
• Knowing about the the overall sector, the organisation’s stock price, its main competitors and recent news coverage

You'll also need to impress the recruiters with evidence that you can do the job. Do this by:

• Thinking of examples of your key achievements and strengths
• Gathering evidence of ways that you meet the key criteria and skills for the job
• Understand what your ‘Unique Selling Points’ are (knowledge, experience, attributes, or skills that are distinctive to you)
• Preparing to speak about your weaknesses. Give an honest answer about one weakness, and be ready to describe how you have (or are working towards) overcoming this or to point out the more positive sides of this drawback

Preparing for a video interview

When preparing for a video interview there are some additional things that you need to think about.

What's behind you?

Think about where you are going to do your interview recording. Ensure the background is clean, professional, and uncluttered. Ideally you want a plain wall or door behind you. If your computer is not situated where this is possible ensure you take time to look at what is directly behind you (put away the washing/dishes, angle the camera away from your bed, think about what a poster might say about you)

Camera position

Ensure the camera is at eye level and that you look at it rather than at the screen. If you look at the screen your eye contact will come across as poor and the viewer is more likely to see the top of your head! Ensure the camera is pointed straight at you (i.e. not angled upwards so that the interviewer can see more ceiling than you). Using a PC or laptop with a built in camera is more effective as it is easier to only have the video interviewing browser window open.

Lighting

Natural light is best. If this isn't possible think about the positioning of a desk light behind the camera. Ensure that you don't have a window directly behind you. It's better to have the window directly behind the camera.

Using your phone

If you can, prop your phone up in a position that shows your face clearly. Try to avoid holding it as this can cause too much movement.

What to wear

Dress like a face-to-face interview, and keep it smart and simple.

Quiet please

Turn off all notifications on your computer or phone. Tell other people that you live with that you are doing an interview so that you won't be disturbed.

Practise

Give yourself plenty of time to practice as this will help build your confidence. Watching back over your videos and checking your camera angle and lighting can also help.

Planning

Ensure you leave enough time to set up your video interview - it's not difficult and it will ensure that your answers are the most important thing the interviewer is concentrating on.

Additional advice on recorded video interviews 

• Ensure you know whether the interview is live or recorded. For recorded interviews, understand the platform and process.
• Typically, you’ll be given a set of standard questions. Familiarise yourself with common interview questions in your field.
• Schedule your recording when you feel most alert and energetic.
• Use practice questions to get comfortable with the format. Some platforms allow you to practice or re-record answers, but often you only get one chance.
• You’ll usually have a short time to prepare each answer, typically 30 second to 1 minute.  Wait for the countdown to start before you begin speaking, or your response might not be recorded. If you get cut off before finishing, stay calm and move on to the next question confidently.
• It might feel strange talking to a camera but remember that a real person will review your responses. Speak as if someone is there.
• Recruiters pay close attention to body language, tone, and personality during video interviews, so stay relaxed and comfortable. Deliver your responses clearly, confidently and with enthusiasm.     
• Practice your video interview skills using Shortlist.me 

Using AI for interview preparation 

AI can be used as a tool to help you: 

• Generate likely interview questions based on the job description and person specification you submit into your chosen AI.
• Make a start on researching an employer and sector but note that the information may be inaccurate, out of date and unable to make links to what you personally have to offer.  Remind yourself of your original application, the job role and the organisation’s online profiles i.e. website, LinkedIN and other social medial channels.
• Gain confidence in your recorded video interview skills through our new practice interview tool, Shortlist.me.  Shortlist.me provides instant AI generated feedback following an interview practice session. 

There are AI tools that let you input live interview questions and generate instant responses. This may be appealing but it can negatively impact your interview performance:

• You may appear distracted and less able to engage with the interviewer
• Your responses may seem generic or impersonal
• The live AI prompt answers may not be correct and you will not have time to check these in an interview .
• Some employers have reported that they can tell that a candidate is using AI during an interview.

The key message is that AI is most useful as tool to aid with interview preparation.  Further advice is given in our guide on AI in recruitment and job hunting.

First impressions

• Be polite and friendly to everyone you meet from the moment you arrive until you leave.
• First impressions are crucial - smile as you greet people, look like you're pleased to be there and reasonably relaxed, even if you're not. Give a firm handshake if one is offered (but don't break any bones).
• Be aware of body language - avoid crossed arms or legs; don't slouch or lean back too far. Lean forward to show you're attending to them but don't invade their personal space.
• It's OK to use hand gestures but in moderation. A rule of thumb is keep them above your waist and below your shoulders.
• Speak up, talk clearly and at a moderate pace.
• Give the interviewer good eye contact but don't eyeball them. If there is more than one of them speak mainly to the person who asked the question but don't ignore the others.
• It's usually OK to bring material in with you such as your CV or a list of questions, but ask first and don't constantly refer to it.

Types of question

Competency-based questions

Competency-based questions are questions that ask you about your skills and require you to give evidence of what you can do. The interviewer is looking for examples of your past behaviour that will provide evidence that you have the necessary competencies to succeed in the job.

Competency-based interview questions will typically start with:

• 'Tell me about a time when…'
• 'Describe a situation where…'
• 'Give me an example of when…'

To answer these questions effectively you will need to provide real-life examples that will convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job. It is not enough to say what you can do or even what you would do in a particular situation.

To help you answer competency-based questions, review the skills required for the job by re-visiting the job description and researching the company online.

You'll then need to gather examples of these skills to use as examples. Examples of your skills can come from your studies, paid employment, internships and work experience, volunteering, extra-curricular activities, interests, caring roles, and more.

A great way to assess and record the skills you’re developing while at university is to get involved with Dundee Plus

Strength-based questions

Many large companies are now using strength-based questions which aim to find out what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

Strength-based questions will ask about your personal attributes and what motivate you. Strength-based interviews will involve lots of questions delivered at a fast past, which helps the recruiter to find out more about the real you. There will be a focus on your body language and tone of voice.

Knowing about yourself and your personality traits can help you prepare include. You can spend some time identifying your main strengths and weaknesses, think about the things you enjoy doing at university, for fun and in current/previous jobs or voluntary roles. You could try a free personality test.

STAR Technique

A useful technique for answering competency-based questions is the STAR Technique.

Situation - set the scene

This is where you describe the background to your STAR story, tell the employer where you were, what you were doing, and when it took place.

Task

Explain your role in the situation and what your task was. What were you trying to accomplish?

Action

Explain what you did in detail - how did you do it? What skills did you use?

If this is a group task don't just talk about 'we', tell them what you did yourself.

Result

What happened? Was it a positive result? If not, what did you learn, and what would you do differently next time? Always have an outcome and leave it positive.

An example of STAR in practice

"In my second year at university I was a member of the film society. There were fourteen members and I had only joined that year. I noticed that communication between members was really poor and that we weren’t that active as a society. We rarely met and when we did, not everyone could attend.

I decided to set up a Facebook page as all of the members used Facebook on a regular basis. I initiated discussions and used it to communicate about upcoming meetings and to share ideas. The members of the society became really involved in the Facebook group and as a result we met more often and got involved in regular discussions around film. The group is still actively used and is the main way the society communicates."

This answer shows the employer that the student can use their initiative. It uses the STAR technique successfully by telling the employer the background to the situation, what the student actually did, and what effect it had.

Ask questions

You’ll likely be asked if you have any questions for the interviewer at the end of your interview. Think of some relevant questions to ask in advance.

This is a chance to get clarification on anything that is unclear, find out more about the role or the company, and decide whether or not the job is the right fit for you. It’s also your chance to show a genuine interest in the organisation to which you have applied.

Here are some ideas of questions you may wish to ask. This is not an exhaustive list, but just some potential questions to get you thinking!

If you’d like further advice about preparing for interviews, including what questions to ask please ask a careers adviser.

Advice for Disabled Students on Interviews

You may have concerns on whether to disclose a disability, how to ask for adjustments and how best to navigate interviews. The Careers Service has a range of comprehensive guides to support individuals with disabilities or long term health conditions.   The Careers Service also offers personalised one-to-one careers support, online or in person.  We have also partnered with EmployAbility who can help advise you on adjustments in advance of a job interview and talk to any employers on your behalf ensuring you get the adjustments you need, whilst protecting your privacy. 

Applying overseas

Around the world, interview formats, practices, and requirements can vary greatly. For example, in some countries it is normal to face a minimum of two interviews for most graduate jobs – one with the manager or technical specialist connected with the job role and a second one with a Human Resources professional.

GoinGlobal provides detailed information on interview practice in many countries around the world.

Ask your family and friends as you may already know someone working in the country to which you are applying. Asking them questions about their interviewed and seeking out tips on how you can prepare can really help your preparation.

You can also check out the Country Profiles on Prospects and TARGETjobs.

Other ways to practice

• Practice interview questions using our online tool
• Book a practice interview with a careers adviser