If you’re looking to get your first job after getting your degree, you’ll need to persevere to find the right opportunity. We all know that the market is competitive, whether you’re looking at retail or construction jobs. That’s why you should spend plenty of time doing research, fine tuning your CV, and preparing for your upcoming interviews.
Whilst you can never know exactly what you’ll be asked, you can create a list of common questions as well as writing down an answer for each one. Think about this as your interview cheat sheet, and you’ll be able to use this tool for confidence when you come face-to-face with your interviewer. If you’ve said the answers out loud before, you are more likely to come up with a well-considered reply when asked a question. You’ll avoid panic-mode and coming up with answers on the spot! So what types of questions will you be asked?
“What did you do at university?”
As a graduate, you can expect a lot of your interview time to be focussed on what you did at university. The best way to answer this is to give a brief overview on the types of modules you did and what your results were. By answering in this manner you will give yourself time to regroup before being asked more specific questions about what you enjoyed, the most useful things you learned, and what skills you came away from your course with. If you answer in one big block, you’re likely to lose the interest of the interviewer as well as confusing yourself!
“What relevant experience do you have?”
Even with a degree, a prospective employer will still want to know whether you have the skills needed to do the job properly. You don’t have to be a pro in every area, but you can demonstrate your knowledge and let them know your particular areas of strength. If the job requires experience of communication skills, think about any part time jobs, voluntary positions or work experience you’ve had. Talk about what you did there and it should help to make you a good candidate. If you don’t think you have enough experience, now is the time to do a few unpaid hours with local companies so you have something of note to put on your CV.
“What do you want to be doing in five years’ time?”
Another area of interest to future employers will be your plans for the future. They want to make sure they aren’t wasting time and money by employing someone who will leave in a couple of months’ time. Some industries have a higher than average staff turnover rate, but you should try and think about your answer for this question to put their mind at rest. Remember, what you say and what you end up doing don’t have to be exactly the same – it’s merely a guide to see just how committed you are to the organisation.
