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Job interviews

A formal meeting where an applicant is asked questions to determine their suitability for a particular job.

 

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Interview preparation and support

Interviews are your opportunity to demonstrate why you’re a good fit for the role or course you’ve applied to. With the right preparation and practice, you can approach them with confidence.

Interviews are also a two-way process. Recruiters use interviews to get a sense of how your skills, knowledge and experiences meet what they’re looking for.  For you, it’s an opportunity to find out more, ask questions and see whether the organisation feels like a good fit for you.

For all interviews preparation is key to success.

Feeling nervous? Keep in mind that if the recruiter was not impressed by what they learned about you from your application, they wouldn’t have asked to meet you.  An invitation to interview is a sign to feel confident.

Types of interview
1:1 interviews

A conversation between you and one other person. These interviews could be quite formal, but some can appear more casual. For example, if you’ve made a speculative application and been invited to have a chat or show examples of your work.

Even if it feels informal it’s still important to prepare well. The interviewer will have questions for you, and you’ll benefit from thinking ahead about the skills and experiences you want to highlight.

Panel interviews

You’ll meet with two or more people from the organisation e.g. a manager, someone from the team and maybe someone from HR. Each person is there for a reason and may focus on different areas of your experience or skills.

It may feel more formal but it’s a good way for them to get a rounded picture of you. It’s also a great chance for you to see the mix of people you might be working with. Your questions can also be answered from different perspectives.

Telephone interviews

Employers who use telephone interviews typically have them as the first formal stage of recruitment after reviewing your application.  They’re usually shorter and more focused than other interviews.

They help the recruiter to quickly learn more about you and decide who is invited to the next step of the process. Even without seeing the interviewer, it’s still important to:

  • show enthusiasm
  • talk about your experience
  • ask questions about the role.
Video / online interviews

Using platforms such as Teams or Zoom can make interviews appear less formal. However, it’s crucial to prepare just as you would for meeting in person.  You’ll need your camera on, so dressing professionally helps make a strong first impression.

Make sure you’re confident accessing the platform being used, and your devices are fully charged and working. Use a location that gives you a neat background and where you won’t be disturbed.

Pre-recorded video interviews

Rather than talking directly to a person, you’ll be given a set of questions which you’ll record your answers to and submit for review. Typically used as an early step in a recruitment process.

You’ll be given a deadline to submit your answers by, giving you some flexibility as to when you complete it. Read the instructions thoroughly. Once the interview begins you may have a limited time to give your answer. While some platforms allow rerecording if you’d like to try again, others may not. 

Many systems offer optional practice questions which it’s strongly recommend you use to get comfortable before recording your real responses.

Group interviews

You may be assessed alongside other candidates rather than on your own. Typical activities include group discussions or problem‑solving tasks. These help employers see how you communicate, work with others and contribute to a team.

Group interviews often form part of a wider assessment centre which may also include an individual interview.   

You can find more information and advice on our assessment centres webpage to learn more.

Preparing for interviews

Effective preparation is the best way to reduce nerves and improve performance. Key aspects of preparation include:

Understanding what the employer is looking for and how you meet the criteria. 

  • Review the job descriptions or person specification used to advertise the role. If these aren’t available, research their website and social media for insights into skills or attributes they value.
  • Prospects contains several role profiles outlining experience and knowledge commonly required in particular jobs. 

Identifying clear evidence that demonstrates your:

  • Skills
  • Strengths
  • Experience

Researching the organisation. This includes:

  • what they do
  • their culture and values
  • who their customers or competitors are
  • the sector they operate in.

Check and confirm practical details such as:

  • location
  • travel arrangements
  • contact details for the interviewer. 
  • consider and plan what you’re going to wear
  • find a suitable location for an online interview. 

Types of interview questions

Interviewers will develop their questions specifically to explore the criteria they’re looking for. Questions may take different forms or have different purposes.

All questions give you an opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for the job or course. Be prepared to provide specific examples to support your answers.

Interview questions
Warm-up questions

Designed to ease you into the interview.

Examples include:

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Talk me through your CV.
  • Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know from your application.
Motivation questions

Explore your reasons for applying and interest in the job, course or organisation.

Examples include:

  • Why did you apply for this job/course?
  • What is your understanding of our work, and why is this something you want to be involved in?
  • If you got this job, what would you most be looking forward to?
  • How does this placement/course fit in with your longer-term goals?
Competency questions

Assess whether you have the skills required by asking for specific examples of when you’ve previously used those skills.

Examples include:

  • Tell me about a time you contributed effectively to the work of a team
  • Describe a situation where you had to meet multiple deadlines. How did you manage this?
  • Give me an example of a recent complex problem you had to solve
Behavioural questions

Focused on how you behave and respond in specific situations.

Examples include:

  • Give an example of when you’ve worked under pressure. How did you handle this?
  • What would be your approach to managing conflict at work?
  • How do you quickly build good working relationships with people you don’t know?
Strengths-based questions

Explore what you enjoy doing and where you naturally perform well.

Examples include:

  • What achievement are you most proud of?
  • Do you prefer to start tasks or complete them?
  • Describe a successful day you’ve had
  • What do people often come to you for help with?
Technical questions

Assess role-specific or industry-specific knowledge.

Examples include:

  • How would you explain an algorithm to someone with no technical background?
  • How would you analyse a large dataset to find useful insights?
  • If (software/equipment) wasn’t working, what steps would you take to troubleshoot it?
Situational questions

Assess how you might handle a situation you may face in the workplace

Examples include:

  • A customer approaches you and is very upset about the service they’ve received, what do you do?
  • You spot that you’ve made a mistake in important data you’ve just shared with your manager. What’s the first thing you do?
  • A student calls you with an urgent query that you don’t know the answer to.  The person they need to speak to isn’t there right now. What do you say to them?
The question you hope they don’t ask

Some questions may feel more difficult to answer or be unclear as to what the recruiter is looking for.

Examples include:

  • What’s your biggest weakness?
  • What one item would you take to a desert island with you?

If there’s a question that particularly worries you, use our resources or get advice from a Careers Adviser. This will help you develop an approach to how you might answer.

Hopefully it doesn’t come up but if it did, you can be confident that you have a strategy to handle it.

Probing/follow-up questions

After you give an answer, an interviewer may ask more questions to understand it better, such as “What happened next?” or “Were you happy with the outcome?”

Don’t worry if they do this. It doesn’t mean your answer was wrong. It usually means you’ve said something interesting, and they want to learn more.

Our Careers Essentials ‘Preparing for Interviews’ e-learning module has further advice and insights to help you consider how you would approach answering different styles of interview questions you may face.

Using the STAR technique

When using an example as part of your answer, the STAR technique:

  • gives structure
  • makes it easier for the interviewer to understand
  • helps you feel confident that you’ve included everything you wanted to say.

SITUATION – Set the scene

  • When and where did it happen
  • Who was involved (if relevant)

TASK – What you needed to do

  • The objective or goal you needed to achieve
  • Your role or responsibility in relation to this
  • Any challenges you were facing

ACTION – What you did

  • Decisions you made and steps you took
  • Why you chose that approach
  • Your specific contribution if working in a team
  • Focus on your actions, be detailed and specific 

RESULT – What happened

  • The outcome, with evidence if possible (data, feedback, impact)
  • How your actions helped achieve the goal
  • Whether the result was successful

 

STARR? For some answers, you may want to add an extra R for Reflection as a part of assessing the impact or outcomes of what you did.

REFLECTION – What you learned.

What you took away from the experience

  • How it might influence your approach next time
  • Whether you’d repeat or adapt your strategy in future
Example of using the STAR technique
A basic response

Question: Describe a time when you contributed effectively to the success of a team

Answer:

I was in a group project as part of my course. We had to work together, meeting regularly to create a presentation about our project. I attended all of our meetings. We delivered the presentation and got a good mark.

A stronger STAR-based response

Question: Describe a time when you contributed effectively to the success of a team

Answer:

During my final year media group project, I worked with three other students to create a short promotional video for a local charity.  We had a tight two‑week deadline to complete this. 

My role was to coordinate the filming schedule and make sure we captured all the footage we needed. It was challenging to find times when everyone, including the charity staff, were available at the same time, which risked delaying the whole project.

To overcome this, I created a shared calendar where each team member could log their availability. I also contacted the charity directly to confirm times most convenient for them. I matched this with my team’s timetable and proposed a filming plan that worked for everyone. To keep us on track, I set up a simple checklist of shots and assigned responsibilities, so each person knew exactly what they needed to do. I also checked in regularly with the team to make sure we were progressing and adjusted the plan when unexpected issues came up, like bad weather.

We completed all filming on time and produced a video the charity was really pleased with. Our tutor highlighted the project as one of the strongest in the class, and the charity used the video on their website and social media.

I learned how important clear communication and planning are when working in a team, especially under time pressure. I’d definitely use the same structured approach again, as it helped everyone stay organised and focused.

Do you have any questions for us?

Asking questions at the end of an interview isn’t just a formality, it’s an important part of that two‑way conversation. Think ahead about what you want to ask.

When researching the role or preparing for the interview, did anything stand out or feel unclear? What would be genuinely useful to know more about or gain clearer insight into?

You may wish to ask about:

  • Key responsibilities and expectations
  • Training, development and support
  • Career progression opportunities

Examples:

  • What are the current projects you’re working on which I would be involved with?
  • What would my first few weeks in this role look like?
  • How will I be given feedback / my performance be measured?
  • What are the biggest priorities for the team right now?
  • What’s your favourite thing about working in this department/team?
  • Can you tell me more about the team I will be working with?
  • On your website it mentions…. Can you tell me more about that? 

Requesting reasonable adjustments

A reasonable adjustment is a change to the recruitment process which helps make sure you aren’t unfairly disadvantaged if you're disabled or neurodivergent. Employers are legally required to provide reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.

Reasonable adjustments for interviews may include:

  • offering remote interviews
  • extra time on tasks
  • accessible venues
  • communication support such as sign language interpreters.

The goal is to remove barriers and help you showcase your strengths comfortably and confidently.

It's advisable to ask for reasonable adjustments as soon as you're invited to the interview. This gives the employer time to make arrangements and ensure your needs are met.

These two short articles contain useful insights and advice on how to ask for adjustments:

Mock interviews

Our Careers Advisers offer mock interviews to allow you to practice your answers and get feedback on how to improve your performance ahead of the real interview. 

Mock interviews can only be booked with a minimum of 48hrs notice (not including weekends) to allow advisers time to prepare questions tailored to the role you’re interviewing for. 

Please Note: You must upload a copy of the Job Description or Person Specification for the role when booking. Failure to provide these will mean the adviser may not be able to provide a mock interview or can only provide outline interview advice.

It’s helpful if you can also tell us:

  • the date of the real interview
  • whether you prefer a face-to-face or online meeting
  • times/dates you’re available to undertake the mock interview.

Appointments are available for current students and graduates of the University of Salford only.

You can book a mock interview by contacting us. 

Graduates First – practice interviews

Prepare with confidence using Graduates First, available to all University of Salford students. This resource allows you to:

  • Practise realistic, role-specific video interviews
  • Receive instant, actionable feedback
  • Access over 170 practice assessments, including numerical, verbal and situational judgement tests
  • Learn what employers expect through expert-designed guidance

Further resources

Additional support is available through:

Speak to a Careers Adviser

Get guidance from our friendly team of Advisers. 

Open to current students and Salford Alumni only.