Common job interview questions and how to answer them, with examples

Reread the job posting and your resume and note the main requirements. For each one, find a real situation where you showed it: in a job, an internship, a project or volunteering.

A useful way to tell those stories is the STAR method: Situation (the context), Task (what you had to do), Action (what you did) and Result (what happened and what you learned). You do not need to name the letters in the interview; it simply keeps you away from generalities.

• An example of teamwork.
• A problem or mistake you solved.
• A situation with a difficult customer, colleague or teacher.
• Something you learned quickly.
• An achievement you can give details about.

It is almost always the first question. They do not want your life story but a one-minute summary that links what you have done to the role. A useful structure: what you do or study now, one or two relevant experiences and why this job interests you.

I finished a retail course last year and since then I have worked weekends at a sports shop, on the shop floor and at the till. What I enjoy most is helping people find what they need, and during sales periods I have learned to keep things organised when it gets busy. I am looking for a full-time customer service role and your posting matches what I have done so far.

For strengths, choose two or three related to the role and back them with an example. For weaknesses, name a real one that is not essential for the job and explain what you are doing about it. Avoid weaknesses disguised as virtues (“I am too much of a perfectionist”) with no explanation: they sound rehearsed.

I am organised with information. During my office internship I sorted the digital invoice archive by supplier and month, and the team kept using it after I left.

Speaking in front of large groups is hard for me. I joined a presentation workshop at college and now I prepare a short outline before every talk; I still get nervous, but I no longer freeze.

For the first, show that you have read the posting and know something about the company (what it sells, who it serves, where it operates). For the second, sum up in two sentences which requirements you meet and which example proves it.

The posting asks for till experience and weekend availability. I have spent a year taking payments and cashing up at a grocery shop, and I can work Saturdays and Sundays. I also live close to the store, so I can cover shift changes easily.

This is where prepared examples help most. Answer with a specific situation (not what you would do in general), explain your action and finish with the result.

SITUATION: During the sales, a customer wanted to return an item without a receipt.
TASK: I was alone at the till and had to apply the returns policy without the queue growing.
ACTION: I calmly explained the policy, found the purchase through the card they had paid with and asked my manager to authorise the exchange.
RESULT: They exchanged the item and the queue kept moving. Since then I ask about the payment method first to find the purchase.

At the end you will usually be asked if you have any questions. Having one or two shows interest:

• What does a typical day in this role look like?
• What training or support is there at the start?
• How are shifts organised?
• What are the next steps in the process?

Saying answers out loud is different from thinking them. Practise with someone you trust or with a mock interview: Keyverta's interview coach asks up to six questions based on your resume and the job posting, rates each answer and focuses on the requirements your resume does not cover.