Making an Impact - the graduate job interview (AGCAS dvd)
Congratulations, you've got an interview!
This means that you’ve convinced the employer that you meet the basic requirements for the position. The interview is your chance to now demonstrate to the selectors that you meet those requirements and to find out more about the position and the organisation.
Employers want to know if:
Careful and thorough preparation is the key to success!
The interview format used by an employer will vary but is likely to include one of the following:
For more information on specific types of interview see Prospects and TARGETjobs.
The structure of the interview may be:
Preparation is the key to interview success. The more preparation you do, the more confident you will feel.
Prospects has advice on preparing for interviews:
See also the TARGETjobs article Eight steps to graduate interview success.
The University of Bedfordshire's Centre for Personal and Career Development has produced a video with practical tips and advice on how to dress and behave at interview - see First Impressions Count [19m 23s]
You may be asked to prepare a presentation as part of your interview. It could be on a given topic or a topic of your choosing. For information on preparing a presentation, go to Assessment centres.
First impressions are important and non-verbal communication such as eye contact, the sound of your voice and how you act can say a lot about you. Interviewers will understand if you are nervous, but using confident body language will make you appear more relaxed and in control.
See the Prospects website for more information on making an impression at an interview.
Your knowledge of the vacancy and the organisation will be explored during the interview, along with the skills and experience you have gained and whether these mean you would be able to do the job.
Be prepared to discuss the skills, experience and achievements highlighted on your application form or CV in more detail. Expect your answers to be challenged (e.g. Why? Why not? What happened?), and be prepared to explain any gaps or changes in your career history. Admit mistakes, but be positive about what you've learnt from them and don't blame others (for instance, a teacher for poor results).
A good way to structure your answers is by using the ‘STAR’ technique:
Remember: it's not just what you did, but how you did it!
See the article How to answer competency based interviews for more advice on using STAR successfully. Further examples of answering questions using the technique can be found on the Oxford Brookes Careers Centre website [PDF: 14KB].
For a list of questions often asked at interview, plus tips on how to answer them, see common interview questions.
If you are going for an academic interview, you may be asked many of the questions listed under common interview questions, but you will also be asked questions related to an academic career. Vitae offers sample questions and the University of Surrey also has a section on interview questions for academic posts.
See also the Careers Service reference book 'Moving on in your career - a guide for academic researchers and postgraduates', for help with preparing for difficult questions.
See Applying for medicine for information and tips on medical school interviews.
See Teacher training: preparing and applying for comprehensive information on preparing for a PGCE interview.
The University of Kent’s Careers Advisory Service has a section on practice interviews, with common interview questions for specific sectors including accountancy, marketing, retail and HR.
Once the interview is over, it is a good idea to reflect on your performance. Make some notes on the questions you were asked, those you thought you answered particularly well or those you could have answered better. You may receive a job offer, initially it could be by telephone, but you will always receive a written copy which you must formally accept or reject. See Handling job offers for more information.
If you have not been successful this time, it might be a good idea to ask the employer for feedback as this will help you in your future interview preparation. TARGETjobs has useful information about requesting feedback. If you are getting first interviews but not being offered second interviews or job offers, then you may want to discuss your interview technique with a careers adviser.