The Top Graduate Interview Questions
The key to a successful graduate interview is preparation – through the process of interview preparation you will start to become familiar with the business and their goals. Helping you to feel relaxed and confident for the big day. Ensure that you practice and prepare some answers to impress the interviewer with, this will give you the confidence you may need when being interviewed. We have compiled the most common questions and answers, providing you with the chance to prepare some impressive responses.
Tell me about yourself
A common opening question for all interviews. This allows your interviewers to gather a wider understanding of what you like to do in your spare time, what your education has been like, and any part-time jobs or work experience you’ve done. Some employers ask this question to put you on this spot, assessing how you react, you’re given full control here so make the most of it. Your answer should be fairly brief and covers the topics mentioned above. It’s not necessary to tell them your life story, just a short overview of yourself and your experience.
What was your biggest achievement at university?
Before answering the question, it’s important to provide yourself with a brief moment to gather your thoughts. Selecting your achievement is just as important as how you explain it. Ask yourself two questions; what are they looking for and what achievement demonstrates that?
You may have several accomplishments to choose from, however, not all of them are going to be what the interviewer is looking for. Using the acronym STAR will help you to pick a suitable achievement, focusing on situation, task, action, and result. What you learnt from it is often more important than the achievement itself.
What are your strengths?
Discussing your strengths in an interview can be difficult for, especially if you’re not a fan of blowing your own trumpet. You need to identify that line situated between pride and arrogance. One way in which you can ace this question is by aiming your strengths around the business’s needs and the job’s requirements.
If this job requires an “organised individual”, use this as one of your strengths, however, it’s important not to lie. Use the job requirements that best suit your abilities and strengths. Providing examples of your strengths allows the interviewer to understand further, explain the context in which your strength was used, and describe the impact it had.
What was the worst part of your course?
Negativity is a no-go area in an interview. Use this as an opportunity to discuss roadblocks you have been able to overcome. You should discuss the struggles and difficulties that you encountered at university, as long as you demonstrate ways in which you overcame this problem and what you learnt from the situation that you can apply to your career.
Why do you want this job?
This question can be tricky. It’s important to assess what the interviewer is actually asking. What is it about our company and the position that excites you? What can you bring to the business? They want to know what they will be getting back in the business by hiring you, assessing how much you really want this position. There are two simple steps to acing this question – research, and enthusiasm.
We hope that these graduate job interview tips have helped you prepare for your next interview. Here at The Graduate, we provide expert and dedicated graduate recruitment service to clients and candidates. We have a wide range of networks and consultants working across the UK. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you find your dream job, get in touch today on 0300 303 2069. Do you have any questions or queries? No problem, our helpful and friendly team are here to help.
