Interview skills

• Competency-based interviews

  Competency-based interviews are the most common type of interview. The interviewer has a set list of questions, and the interview follows a fixed structure. The interviewer is trying to find out whether you have the skills and experience to do the job. Each question, or set of questions, is linked to a specific skill or experience that the job requires, as described in the job description.

  In a competency-based interview, you might be asked things like:

  • Describe a time you worked in a team to achieve a shared goal. How did you resolve any issues or challenges?
  • Provide an example of a time where you used effective time-management to meet a strict deadline.
  • Describe an occasion on which you used initiative or creativity to meet a target. What would you do differently now?
  • Tell us about a time when you had to motivate another member of a team. What did you find most challenging about this?

  To succeed at competency-based interviews, try to prepare answers to specific questions the interviewer is likely to ask. Because the questions will relate directly to the skills and experience the job description asks for, this will make it easier for you to anticipate the questions you will encounter.

  The STAR technique

  It may be helpful to structure your answers following the STAR technique. This stands for Situation (S), Task (T), Action (A), Result (R). For example:

  Situation (S) and Task (T): What was the situation you were in, and what was the task you needed to solve? Pick a specific occasion when you demonstrated the desired skill and give enough information to allow someone to understand the context of your example.

  Action (A): What was the action you took to complete the task? What specifically did you do? How did you handle the situation? What were the challenges you encountered when completing it? Remember that if you are discussing working in a team, don’t overuse 'we': the interviewer wants to know what you did.

  Result (R): What was the result of completing the task, and overcoming the challenges? Try to make this as specific and positive as you can: can you quantify it? Regardless of the outcome, what did you learn? How would you handle it differently next time, to improve upon your performance?

  Example STAR answer

  Situation
  “In my second year at university, when I founded the Teach Society…

  Task
  …I worked as part of the committee to increase the number of paying members to enable affiliation with the Students’ Association, so that we could access their resources and financial grants. While we had 200 members already, to become affiliated we needed a minimum of 24 members who paid the membership fee of £3. We aimed to achieve this by the end of the first semester, but then the Society’s Secretary became very ill. This put myself and my fellow committee members under extra pressure to complete this task by the end of the semester…

  Action
  …. As President, I took on the additional duties of the Secretary while he was ill. I got up to speed with the paperwork and I was able to draw on the organisational leadership skills which I acquired from captaining the University rowing team. I motivated the team by arranging incentives, including competition prizes and two Thai food evenings to enable us to work effectively and attract more paying members…

  Result
  …Under my leadership, we successfully acquired 24 paying members and achieved affiliation by the deadline. This ensured that we were able to benefit from the funding and training provided by the Students’ Association in time for our first Careers Talk event in the second semester. Looking back, I would have recruited more committee members as early as possible to ensure all tasks were covered in case of absence”.

  You should try, as much as possible, to relate your answers to the job description and refer closely to the person specification, as well as the essential and desirable criteria lists. You can demonstrate your skills using examples from your recent life, whether your academic studies, voluntary work, work experience, sports activities, societies, clubs or even hobbies or interests. Portray your skills in a positive manner and provide specific examples of how and when you used the skill that you are being asked about.

• Strengths-based interview

  Strengths-based interviews are becoming increasingly common. The interviewer takes a broader approach, assessing your personal attributes. While competency-based interviews focus on what you can do, strengths-based interviews focus on what you like doing and what you are naturally good at.

  Interviewers look closely at your body language and tone of voice to work out whether you’re genuinely interested, or have really taken pride, in what you’re describing. The questions may invite less in-depth answers and be asked at a faster pace.

  In a strengths-based interview, you might be asked things like:

  • What do you like to do for fun?  
  • What are your biggest weaknesses?  
  • In this role, what strengths of yours would be most useful? 
  • Would you prefer to work as part of a team or on your own?
  • How would the people you know best describe you? 

  Unlike in competency-based interviews, it’s difficult to predict what will be asked in a strengths-based interview. To succeed, ensure that your answers to the interviewer’s questions are sincere and genuine, and keep the job description in mind as you answer.

• Values-based interview

  • In values-based interviews, the interviewer is trying to see whether you are a match for the organisation’s values. They may involve competency-based or strengths-based questions.
  • Sometimes, an employer may ask a very direct interview question designed to explore the values of the applicant – for example, “Can you tell us how your values align with our own here at EY?” This is designed to test whether the candidate has conducted the necessary research into the organisation they have applied to, what values they regard as important, and (hopefully) how the candidate’s own values match up.
  • On other occasions, the interviewer(s) may instead be assessing a candidate’s values over the course of an entire interview, e.g. when answering a competency-based question, the interviewer(s) might hope to hear certain values mentioned when it comes to choosing a course of action. Even though it hasn’t been asked as a direct interview question, it may still be something that is scored on and therefore can be important to keep in mind as you answer the questions.
  • For many employers, therefore, it is often important that you have done some research into the values that are most critical to them, whether it is asked explicitly in the interview or not.
  • For more information, see TARGETjobs’ guide on values-based interviews.

• Technical interviews

  Technical interviews assess whether you have the specialist skills needed to do the job you are applying for. These interviews are more common for certain roles in the engineering, technology and scientific sectors.

  For more information, see TARGETjobs’ guide on technical interviews.

• Video interviews

  Video interviews are becoming increasingly common, especially among large graduate employers. Employers often conduct video interviews early in the recruitment process, sometimes before inviting you for a face-to-face interview.

  Video interviews can either be live, in which you and the employer join the interview over platforms like Teams or Zoom, or pre-recorded.

  Pre-recorded interviews are taken by yourself. You will be presented with a question to answer, either by text on the screen or by a pre-recorded video of the interviewer. You will usually have a few moments to think about your answer, and then have a set amount of time, displayed on screen, to deliver your answer to your camera.

  Regardless of which kind of video interview you have, there are several things to bear in mind:

  • Before the interview, make sure all your computer equipment, especially your camera, is working correctly. Employers will not show leeway for any technical problems you experience with your equipment.
  • Position the camera at the same height as the top of your head: you look better when the camera looks down on you.
  • Ensure you take the interview in a quiet environment, and that your background is as neutral and free from distraction as possible.
  • Dress professionally, in the same way you would for an in-person interview.
  • Be as open and expressive with your body language as you would be in person.

  Graduates First can offer useful, AI-powered feedback, especially on video interviews.

  For more guidance, see what employers look for in a video interview (Bright Network).