From “Tell me about yourself” to “Why should we hire you?”, this guide breaks down the most common interview questions and what employers want to hear.
1. Tell me about yourself
This is perhaps the most common interview question out there, and while it might seem like a bit of a softball question, it can be fiendishly difficult to answer if you aren’t prepared.
Firstly, it’s essential to understand why this question is so popular. It serves several purposes, namely to break the ice comfortably, put you at ease, and to get a flavour of your communication style.
What they’re really asking: This is your opening pitch. They want a quick and clear overview of who you are and why you’re there.
How to answer: Use the present-past-future formula:
- Present: Your current status (e.g., recent graduate studying journalism).
- Past: Key experiences that shaped you (degree subject, school subjects, projects, work experience and/or part-time jobs).
- Future: Why you're excited about this role. Pro tip: Practice this as your elevator pitch. Keep it to 1-2 minutes.
2. How would you describe yourself?
While this question seems very similar to the first, it requires a greater depth of introspection and self-reflection.
What they’re really asking: They’re testing your self-awareness and soft skills.
How to answer: Pick a few traits relevant to the job (e.g., "curious, collaborative, determined"). Support each with a quick story or example. Avoid: Generic labels like "perfectionist" or "hardworking" without evidence.
Think about any feedback you have received from a manager, teacher, colleague, or close friend. How would they describe you using adjectives (i.e., Efficient, thorough, productive, committed)?
3. Why do you want to work here?
This is the most common company-specific interview question and is asked of almost everyone, from graduates to experienced hires.
What they’re really asking: Are you genuinely interested in this company or just any job?
How to answer: Research! Mention specific values, projects, or goals of the company and how they align with your own. Cite stories of the company in the news, case studies, and examples of the positive effect they have on the wider community.
Pro tip: Research the company’s values and cite them to the best of your ability, and mention how you wish to support their organisational strategy and goals.
Crucially, think of an answer that couldn’t be applied to just any company. Avoid being vague and generic in your response.
Admittedly, there are some problems with this line of questioning, as most companies rely heavily on a broad set of company values that tend to be incredibly vague and non-descript. For example, Integrity is the most common company value, which can be quite hard to define, and even harder to showcase to a prospective employer.
4. Why should we hire you?
You must first remember the fundamental question that any hiring manager is looking to answer by interviewing you: “Can this person do this job effectively?”
This question is one of the most common techniques for gaining the necessary proof, as it encompasses your understanding of the role, as well as what you can bring to it.
What they’re really asking: Can you do the job and bring something unique?
How to answer: Focus on three things:
- What you can do (draw on previous experiences, areas of study, things you enjoy doing, things you are passionate about).
- How you'll fit in (emphasise curiosity, passion for the subject/company, self-guided learning and initiative-taking).
- What makes you different (enthusiasm, fresh ideas, unique experience).
5. What are your greatest strengths?
This question can be either very hard or very easy to answer, but don’t be fooled. A quality answer will always relate to the job and a careful understanding of the job requirements.
What they’re really asking: Are your strengths aligned with the role?
How to answer: Pick a few strengths. Share a short story to demonstrate each (e.g., leading a uni group project, learning a new tool on your own), and how these experiences align with the specific requirements found in the job description.
The VIA Institute on Character identifies 24 character strengths that you may wish to use to inform your answers. Strengths include Creativity, Curiosity, Gratititude, Fairness, Humility, Leadership, and Perseverance.
You can take a free test here to discover your character strengths, here.
6. What are your weaknesses?
This can be a tricky question to answer, as you don’t want to talk yourself out of a job by listing all the things you think you are really bad at. At the same time, pretending that you are flawless and perfect in every single conceivable way isn’t going to get you very far either. And no, saying “I’m just such a perfectionist” isn’t going to cut it either, sorry!
What they’re really asking: Can you be honest and reflective?
How to answer: Pick a real (but non-critical) weakness, and explain what you're doing, or have done, to improve it.
Avoid: Clichés like "I work too hard" or “I care too much.”
Pro Tip: Consider the tradeoffs and differences in your personality and character, and how they can be applied to the question. For example, psychologists discuss being open versus closed to new experiences, spontaneous versus conscientious, introverted versus extroverted, agreeable versus independently minded, and emotional versus balanced. All of these have both advantages and disadvantages, which you can use to help shape your answer.
For example, you may wish to mention that you were once highly introverted and shy, which affected your public speaking ability. To improve on this, you volunteered for a college project that would require you to speak publicly more frequently and present information to your fellow students.
Alternatively, you may wish to say that you used to be far too consensus-driven. Now, you have made sure that you carefully articulate what you really think, so you don’t just go along with the crowd.
7. What is your greatest professional achievement?
Far from an opportunity for a humble brag, this question can be incredibly nuanced. It gives you the opportunity to showcase your work ethic, your values, your definition of success, as well as your potential fit for the role and “unique selling point” or USP.
What they’re really asking: In short, have you delivered results, and how do you evaluate your success?
How to answer: Use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Choose an achievement from uni, internships, or part-time work.
S - What was the situation?
T - The task that you were required to do (remember, a task that you identified and carried out by taking the initiative, rather than being told to do it, will likely be received more favourably).
A - What specific action did you take? (We tend to be really modest when it comes to this sort of thing and instinctively use the “Royal We” a lot, as in “we did this” or “we did that”, when we really mean “I did that.” Be specific about what you did.
R - What was the result or outcome? Remember to include self-reflections on what you learned from the experience and what you would do differently in the future in a similar situation.
Pro Tip: Many students will inevitably rely on their dissertation or final-year project to answer questions relating to achieving success or persevering through difficulty. While understandable, consider how you can stand out from the crowd with a more unique example.
8. Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced
Whatever you do, do not indulge your storytelling capabilities and rewrite a minor inconvenience into a Kafkaesque tale of misery and woe. Remember what is being asked here in the subtext of the question:
- Can you adapt?
- Can you persevere?
- Can you overcome?
- And most importantly, can you do so with professionalism, diplomacy, calmness, consideration of others, and confidence in yourself?
How to answer: Describe the conflict clearly and calmly, focusing on the resolution and lessons learned.
Pro Tip: If the example you give relates to an interpersonal conflict with other people, emphasise your ability to empathise and understand their point of view. How do you build consensus and identify a ‘win-win’ outcome for all involved?
9. How do you prioritise your work?
Business Psychologists identify Conscientiousness as one of the greatest predictors of success in the workplace, making it a vital quality for interviewers to explore.
Conscientiousness is broken down into two broad subfacets:
- Industriousness (characterised by hard work, determination, and diligence), and;
- Orderliness (characterised as neat, logical, organised, and careful).
These qualities are especially important in an age of automation, where we can rely/become dependent on apps, tools, and GPTs to do all the hard work for us.
What they’re really asking: Are you organised and reliable?
How to answer: Describe how you plan your time (to-do lists, calendars, breaking down tasks). Give an example of how you juggled deadlines.
Pro Tip: Generally speaking, our conscientiousness tends to improve over time, with age, and as we assume more responsibility. Consider reflecting on how you wish to learn from others in the company on how they successfully prioritise and share your thoughts as part of your answer.
10. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Don’t worry, there isn’t one correct answer per se. Interviewers are particularly interested in understanding more about your overarching ambition, personal growth, and desire to learn and develop your skills.
What they’re really asking: Are you goal-oriented, and does this job align with your ambitions?
How to answer: Talk about growth, learning, and a desire to build a career in the company or industry.
While changing roles and moving companies is more common these days, employers will want to hear about your commitment to the organisation, so speak about your understanding of development within the company. While most people will change jobs and companies throughout their careers, this truth is best left unspoken in response to this interview question.
11. How did you hear about this position?
Admittedly, this question doesn’t tell an interviewer all that much about you. It is often an informal question asked out of curiosity more than anything. However, this can be a great opportunity to make a good impression.
What they’re really asking: Are you proactive in job hunting?
How to answer: Be honest, whether it was a job board like Mereo Talent, networking, or a uni careers page.
Pro Tip: Remember, where you found the role isn’t the important part. Rather, use it as an opportunity to talk about your proactivity in your job search and the specific parts of the role that stood out to you. This allows you to showcase your initiative, as well as your positive attitude and enthusiasm for the opportunity. No prospective employer wants to hear that their job opportunity was a chance find and a one-click apply in a list of 1,000 other jobs you don’t know that much about.
12. What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days in the job look like?
Don’t worry if you don’t know precisely the activities you will be completing during the early months of your employment. Work requirements almost certainly shift unexpectedly. This is especially true for early careers, where the very purpose of an early career opportunity is to learn on the job and gain practical experience.
A strong understanding of the job description is your best friend here, but don’t worry, you aren’t expected to divine the future perfectly.
What they’re really asking: Are you ready to hit the ground running?
How to answer: Focus on learning in the first 30 days, collaborating and contributing in the next 60, and taking initiative by day 90.
13. What are your salary expectations?
Glassdoor’s salary checker and similar free tools on the market are your best friend here. Your interviewer is not looking for you to guess the exact amount they are willing to offer, down to the pound and penny. This isn’t a maths test.
What they’re really asking: Do your expectations match reality?
How to answer: Research average salaries for the role and give a reasonable range. Show flexibility and interest in the total package.
In a recent blog post, we demonstrated how job ads that include specific salary information tend to gain far more applications than those that do not. While a lot of companies still opt for the classic “competitive salary” approach, there is far less wiggle room in early-career salaries, so use this to your advantage.
According to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), the average starting salary of a graduate in 2024 was £32,000. For School Leavers, the salary was £23,000, with intern and placement earnings averaging around £24,000.
Other than asking for the CEO’s salary, the worst thing you can do at this stage is to low-ball yourself unnecessarily. Generally speaking, employers have a typical salary range for which they have approval to offer you. If you inadvertently negotiate down, it is likely that the employer will look to save money for the company rather than encourage you to aim a bit higher.
That said, with many graduate schemes and public sector jobs, salaries are far more likely to be predetermined and fixed, offering less room for negotiation but greater pay transparency and consistency among employees of a similar level.
14. Do you have any questions for us?
A tried-and-tested closing question. Don’t stumble at the last hurdle!
What they’re really asking: Are you actually interested in this role?
How to answer: Always ask something! Effective options include:
- What does success look like in this role?
- What are some of the main challenges associated with this role?
- What do you enjoy about working here?
- What are the next steps?
Link back to what the interviewer described throughout the interview. Draw questions from what they told you about the role, to show that you have been paying attention and have a sincere interest in the opportunity, beyond picking up a paycheck!
Final Thoughts: It may sound clichéd, but effective interviewers are trying to understand the real you. Practice and rehearsal are vitally important, but nobody wants an hour-long conversation with someone who comes across as completely wooden, with rigid, pre-planned answers, and is telling you only what they think you want to hear.
Remember, an effective interview is a two-way exchange of information. Am I the right fit for this job, but is this job a good opportunity for me?