In the UK, you can prepare for the job interview questions and predict what is going to be asked to an extent because the questions don’t vary greatly between different interviews.
It is firstly recommended to be familiar with the general advice about interview questions and the typical interview questions to arise in job interviews no matter what country you are in. However, the UK has some differences regarding job interview questions and it is necessary to be fully prepared by reading the advice below.
The list of interview questions likely to arise in a UK job interview are divided into useful categories to help you prepare and practice them. Learn them, practice them, and know your general responses to most of them so that you can answer them well under the pressure of a job interview.
When you answer these questions, you must think about their structure. Use the acronym: S.T.A.R. – Situation, Task, Action, Result. By doing this you will clearly present well-structured answers to the interviewers questions.
List of typical UK job interview questions
Personal UK job interview questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- How did you prepare for this interview?
- What can you offer that is different from other applicants?
- How has your degree and work experience prepared you for a job with us?
- I see you’ve worked at Sainsbury’s for the last 2 years, would you say they worked well as a business? What improvements could you suggest?
- If you had to drop one element of your life which would it be?
UK commercial awareness questions
- What recent UK news event might affect the job role you are applying for?
- What do you do to keep up to date with current affairs in the UK?
- Give me an example of a UK business issue that has been of interest to you over the last 6 months?
- Tell me about a UK business struggling in the current economic climate, and suggest 5 ways that they can improve their company.
Company-focused UK job interview questions
- Why do you want to work for XXXXX?/How much do you know about our organisation?
- How could you help us build the business?
- What does staff want from their manager?
- What do you think you will be doing on a day-to-day basis at this job?
- Do you know anything about our competitors?
- Why this department and this company?
Leadership job interview questions
- How would you deal with two members of staff that would not work cooperatively together?
- Could you tell us about a challenging situation that you have faced and how you approached it?
- Can you tell me about a time when you have had to persuade someone to do something they didn’t want to do?
Communication job interview questions
- Can you tell me about a time when you have had to speak/present to a large group of people? How did it go? Did you receive any feedback?
- Tell me about a time when you have had to work as part of a team. What was your goal? Did you achieve your goal? What would you do differently next time?
- What do you see as the differences between being a team leader and a team member? Which is your preference?
Back to the UK job interview