Top 10 Graduate Interview Questions

headway recruitment Presents University of Kent The ten most common questions asked at graduate interviews Kent University asked their graduate students what the most common interview Careers advice questions were and these were the answers along with some tips on how to answer them. (and tips!) • Q1: Why do you want this job? Tip: Demonstrate that you have researched the employer and tie your knowledge of them into the skills and interests that led you to apply. Q2: Describe a situation in which you lead a team. Tip: A competency based question. Many graduate positions involve people management, where you will be expected to plan, organise and guide the work of others as well as motivating them to complete tasks. • Q3: Have you got any questions? Tip: Ask about the work itself, training and career development. Not about holidays, pensions, and season ticket loans. Demonstrate how you have planned, organised and guided the work of others. Q4: Describe a situation where you worked in a team Tip: Another competency based question: Most jobs will involve a degree of teamwork. Q5: What do you expect to be doing in 5 years time? Outline the situation, your particular role and the task of the group overall. Describe any problems which arose and how they were tackled. Tip: Avoid vague answers such as "I would hope to grow with the responsibility I am offered and to develop my skills as far as I am able, "or "I would expect to be in a management role by then". Be specific, but flexible! Q6: What are your weaknesses? Tip: The cliched answer is to state a strength which is disguised as a weakness. A better answer is to choose a weakness that you have worked on to improve and describe what action you are taking to remedy the weakness. • Q7: Who else have you applied to/got interviews with? • Q8: Why did you choose your university and what factors influenced your choice? Tip: Demonstrate the consistency of your career in the job for which you are being intereviewed. Saying that the job in question is your first choice, or you won't be applying anywhere else until you find out about the results of this interview, willearn you extra points. Tip: Demonstrating decision-making, planning and logical reasoning skills is the goal here. Lead the question round to your choice of course, rather than the institution you happened to go to. Q10: What are your strengths? Tip: Provide three or four of your key strengths and back them up with examples of where you have used them. Q9: What has been your greatest achievement? Consider the requirements of the job and compare these with all your own attributes - your personality, skills, abilities or experience. Tip: Saying that your greatest achievement was getting to University, or getting your degree, won't distinguish you from all the other candidates. Provide an example that evidences skills relevant to the job such as communication, initiative, teamwork, organising or determination. Bonus Advice: The Three E's Rian Hoey of Headway Recruitment shares his advice on how to succeed in an interview situation with the three E's: Enthusiasm Show genuine enthusiasm and interest for the company, the role, the industry and anything else relevant to the role. The best ways to do this are to smile as much as possible, sit up in your seat, speak positively and ask open questions about the interviewer, the role and the company. Examples Make your answers more convincing by using examples to accompany them. Do this by using the below formula: Situation When I was working at. I was required to sell a number of." Action I was personally responsible for a team of 5, whol'trained to highlight the benefits of the product and who to target.' Result The results of my actions were achieving 120% of my target, giving me a promotion quicker than my colleagues and putting me top of the company league table. xpression of Interest A deciding factor amongst many employers about who they will eventually employ is who seems more interested in the position. What better way than to tell them directly? Don't leave it to chance. If you are impressed with what the company can offer you, say at the end of the meeting: "Thank you so much for your time today and I would like to say l am very interested in the position". MMMMAAA