Interviews are not about charm or luck, they’re about evidence.

UK employers assess whether you can do the job based on specific examples, demonstrated skills, and how well you’ve prepared.

This guide covers practical interview preparation advice from screening calls through final-stage interviews, so you can perform better and feel more confident.

Interview preparation advice: The mindset shift

Interviews are evidence-gathering exercises, not personality contests. The University of Cambridge Careers Service highlights that interviewers assess competencies like problem-solving, motivation, communication skills, and fit with the organisation. Your job is to provide clear, relevant examples that prove you can do what the role requires.

Stop thinking “I hope they like me” and start thinking “I’m going to show them I can solve their problems.” This shift reduces nerves and focuses your preparation on what actually matters: demonstrating your skills through structured, specific answers.

Research that matters (and what to skip)

The National Careers Service recommends researching the company website, reading the job description carefully, and understanding what skills and experience the employer seeks. Focus your research on:

The company’s recent news, projects, or challenges (last 6–12 months)
Their values, culture, and tone (check their About page and LinkedIn)
The job description and person specification—highlight every skill or competency mentioned
The team or department you’d join (LinkedIn can help identify who might interview you)

Skip deep-diving into historical milestones, memorising revenue figures, or reading every blog post. Interviewers want to see you understand the role and organisation, not that you’ve memorised their Wikipedia page.

Building your 60-second “Tell me about yourself” answer

This question opens most interviews and sets the tone.

Structure it as: Who you are now → How you got here → Why you’re interested in this role. Keep it to 60 seconds maximum.

Fill-in template:

“I’m currently [role/situation], where I [key responsibility or achievement].”
“I developed my skills in [area] through [brief relevant background—education, previous role, or experience].”
“I’m interested in this role because [specific reason tied to the job description or company], and I’m particularly excited about [specific aspect of the role].”

Example: “I’m currently a junior software engineer at a fintech company, where I develop backend APIs and maintain our payment processing system. I built my programming skills through my degree in computer science and a placement year working on embedded systems for an automotive supplier. I’m interested in this role because I want to work on larger-scale distributed systems and contribute to infrastructure engineering, and I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to work with your microservices architecture.”

Avoid personal life details, rambling career histories, or listing every job you’ve ever had. The University of Oxford Careers Service advises keeping your opening relevant and focused on the role.

Interview preparation advice: Using the STAR method properly

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structures competency-based answers. The National Careers Service explains that this format helps you answer questions fully by providing context, explaining your role, and demonstrating outcomes.

Situation: Briefly describe the context (one or two sentences)
Task: What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
Action: What did YOU do? Focus on your actions, not the team’s
Result: What happened? Quantify if possible (e.g., “increased efficiency by 20%,” “secured three new clients”)

Warning on over-rehearsing: Memorising scripted answers makes you sound robotic. Prepare the key points of each story, but let the delivery stay conversational. Interviewers notice when candidates are reciting rather than responding.

How to build your examples bank

Prepare 6–10 stories from your work, education, volunteering, or personal projects that demonstrate different competencies.

The University of Manchester Careers Service recommends mapping examples to the skills listed in the job description.

Map each story to multiple competencies so you can adapt them.

For example, one project might demonstrate problem-solving, teamwork, and communication.

List your examples in a simple table:

Example/Story	Competencies it demonstrates	Key result
Debugged critical production bug causing system failures	Problem-solving, analytical thinking, working under pressure	Identified root cause in 4 hours, implemented fix, reduced downtime by 90%
Led migration of legacy codebase to new framework	Leadership, technical planning, stakeholder management	Completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule, improved performance by 40%
Redesigned PCB layout after manufacturing defect found	Attention to detail, initiative, technical knowledge	Reduced component failure rate from 12% to 0.8%, saved £15k in rework costs

Review the job description and person specification. Highlight every competency, skill, or behaviour mentioned, then ensure you have at least one example for each.

Questions you should ask (and which to avoid)

The University of Oxford Careers Service notes that preparing 2–3 questions shows genuine interest and helps you assess the role. Focus on:

“What does success look like in this role after six months?”
“How would you describe the team culture?”
“What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?”
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”

Avoid questions about salary, holidays, or perks at a first interview unless the employer raises it. Also skip questions easily answered by the website (e.g., “What does your company do?”) or overly aggressive ones (e.g., “Why did the last person leave?”).

ACAS guidance reminds candidates that the interview is a two-way process—you’re assessing them too.

Handling salary expectations in interviews

If asked about salary expectations early, avoid boxing yourself in. Let the employer state the range first if possible. If pressed, use one of these approaches:

“I’m focusing on finding the right role and fit first. What’s the budgeted range for this position?”
“Based on my research and experience, I’d expect something in the range of £X to £Y, but I’m open to discussing the full package.”

Robert Walters UK advises waiting until a second interview or offer stage to negotiate seriously. At that point, you have more leverage and context about the full package, including benefits, pension, and development opportunities.

If the offer is lower than expected, consider requesting an early salary review (after 3 or 6 months) based on clear, agreed performance targets.

Video interview preparation advice

The National Careers Service recommends testing your technology, lighting, and sound at least 24 hours before the interview. Technical issues increase stress and reduce your focus.

Setup checklist:

Position your camera at eye level (stack books under your laptop if needed)
Face a window or use a ring light for even lighting on your face
Choose a plain, tidy background or use a neutral virtual background
Test your microphone—consider using headphones with a built-in mic to reduce echo
Close unnecessary tabs and apps to avoid lag or notifications

During the video interview:

Look at the camera, not the screen, to maintain “eye contact”
Dress as you would for an in-person interview (yes, including trousers)
Keep notes nearby but don’t read from them verbatim
Pause slightly after the interviewer finishes speaking to avoid talking over them due to lag
Sit up straight and use open body language

ACAS confirms that online interviews should be conducted with the same professionalism as in-person ones, and candidates should have reliable communication methods and backup plans for connectivity issues.

In-person interview preparation checklist

Plan your route and timing the day before.

The National Careers Service advises giving yourself plenty of time to arrive and aiming to be ready 5–10 minutes early.

Logistics:

Check the exact address, entrance, and parking or public transport options
Plan to arrive 10–15 minutes early (but don’t enter the building more than 5 minutes early)
Bring a notepad, pen, and printed copies of your CV (even if they already have it)
Turn off your phone completely before entering the building

Body language basics:

Maintain steady eye contact (but don’t stare)
Sit upright, lean slightly forward to show engagement
Use natural hand gestures, but avoid fidgeting or crossing your arms
Smile when appropriate and match the interviewer’s energy

The University of Cambridge Careers Service highlights that social skills, communication, and “fit with the organisation” are often assessed through in-person interactions, so how you present yourself matters.

Interview preparation advice for psychometric tests and presentations

Many UK employers use psychometric tests alongside interviews.

The National Careers Service explains that these assess verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, abstract reasoning, personality, or situational judgement.

Quick prep framework:

Find out which test provider the employer uses (e.g., SHL, Kenexa) and practise their format
Use free practice tests to familiarise yourself with question types and timing
Simulate real conditions: set a timer and work through full-length tests
Review your mistakes and understand why you got them wrong
Don’t spend too long on one question—guess and move on if stuck

Prospects.ac.uk recommends tracking your progress over multiple practice tests and sharpening core skills like percentages, ratios, and reading comprehension.

For presentations:

Read the brief carefully and stick to the time limit
Structure your presentation clearly: intro, main points, conclusion
Practise out loud at least twice
Prepare for questions by anticipating what the panel might challenge
Bring backup materials (e.g., handouts, USB drive, and email yourself a copy)

Handling gaps, job hopping, and tricky questions

Honesty and brevity work best for awkward topics. Employers understand that employment gaps and career changes happen.

Employment gaps:

Explain briefly what you did (upskilling, caring responsibilities, health, travel) and what you learned or how you stayed productive. Eventus Recruitment Group advises framing gaps positively and highlighting transferable skills gained during that time, such as problem-solving, time management, or new certifications.

Example: “I took eight months out after redundancy to care for a family member. During that time, I completed three Udemy courses in cloud architecture and Kubernetes, contributed to two open-source projects on GitHub, and built a personal IoT home automation system using Raspberry Pi, which strengthened my Python and networking skills.”

Job hopping:

Focus on what you learned in each role and why you’re now seeking stability or a specific type of opportunity. Show progression and purpose, not randomness.

“What’s your biggest weakness?”

Choose a real but manageable weakness and explain how you’re addressing it. Avoid clichés like “I’m a perfectionist.”

Example: “I used to struggle with code reviews because I’d focus too much on minor style issues rather than architectural concerns. I’ve worked on this by using linting tools to catch formatting automatically and focusing my review comments on logic, security, and maintainability, which has made my feedback more valuable to the team.”

After the interview: Follow-up and feedback

ACAS recommends that interviewers tell candidates when and how they’ll hear back. If they don’t, ask at the end of the interview.

Send a thank-you note:

Email a brief thank-you within 24 hours. Keep it short (3–4 sentences): thank them for their time, restate your interest, and mention one specific thing you discussed or learned during the interview.

Example: “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday about the Mechanical Design Engineer role. I enjoyed learning more about your new electric vehicle platform and the challenges around thermal management in the battery pack. I’m very interested in the opportunity and look forward to hearing from you.”

If you don’t get the role:

Request feedback politely.

Not all employers provide it, but when they do, it’s valuable for improving future interviews. Keep your tone professional and grateful, even if you’re disappointed.

Question Types and What Interviewers Are Testing

Question Type	What They’re Testing	How to Answer
“Tell me about yourself”	Communication, relevance, focus	60-second structure: current role, background, why this role
Competency-based (e.g., “Tell me about a time when…”)	Specific skills, past behaviour	Use STAR method; be specific, not general
Motivational (e.g., “Why do you want this role?”)	Genuine interest, research, fit	Link your goals to the role and company; be specific
Situational (e.g., “What would you do if…”)	Problem-solving, judgement	Walk through your thought process; show logic
Technical	Job-specific knowledge	Demonstrate knowledge clearly; admit if you don’t know but explain how you’d find out
Strengths-based (e.g., “What energises you?”)	Natural aptitudes, enthusiasm	Be honest; CIPD notes you can’t “cram” for these

Interview Stage and Preparation Requirements

Stage	What to Prep	Common Mistakes
Screening call (phone or video)	Confirm your interest, availability, and salary expectations; have your CV handy	Being unprepared; not in a quiet space; giving vague answers
First interview	Research company, prepare examples, know the job description inside out	Over-rehearsing; not asking questions; arriving late
Second interview	Deeper questions on fit and technical skills; prepare questions about team, culture, growth	Repeating first interview answers; not showing progression in thinking
Assessment centre or presentation	Practise the specific task; research the employer’s challenges and priorities	Not reading the brief carefully; poor time management
Final interview	Salary discussion, terms, start date; prepare questions about onboarding and next steps	Not knowing your bottom line; accepting on the spot without considering terms

Night Before Checklist

Confirm the interview time, format (video or in-person), and who you’re meeting
Test your tech if it’s a video interview (camera, microphone, internet, lighting)
Plan your route and travel time for in-person interviews; add 15 minutes buffer
Choose and lay out your outfit (professional, comfortable, appropriate)
Print two copies of your CV, the job description, and your prepared questions
Review your examples bank and key points for each story (don’t memorise scripts)
Research or re-read the company’s recent news, values, and role requirements
Prepare 2–3 thoughtful questions to ask at the end
Charge your phone and set two alarms (use a backup alarm)
Get a good night’s sleep—tiredness kills focus and confidence

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