Interview advice for students and graduates

So, you’ve applied for a job and the company want to interview you. That’s great news. Your application impressed the people hiring. Now it’s time to show them why they were right to speak to you. But do you know what to do in an interview? If you don’t, you will once you’ve read these articles.

Whether you’re preparing for your first graduate job interview or need a refresher to boost your skills, we’ve rounded up our best advice.

We’ve got you covered, whatever industry you’re applying for. Whether you’re interviewing for an entry-level creative role or a finance grad scheme, read our guides to avoid common mistakes and beat the competition.

You can practise responses for common questions, such as “why do you want this job?” or the “sell me this pen” test.

Interviews don’t always happen in person. Many job interviews take place remotely, even though most employers will still want to meet you before making their final decision.

Sometimes you need specific advice for each interview format. To help, we’ve broken down our tips based on the three main interview types: phone, video and face-to-face.

Phone interviews are usually the first contact you’ll have with a potential employer. A phone interview is normally an informal chat to get to know you.

You don’t need to dress up, but you’ll still want to brush up on what to say before the call.

Learn about what to do and what not to do over the phone:

• Seven top tips for your telephone interview

Sometimes a prospective employer will ask you to record video responses as part of a job application. Other times, hiring managers will interview you via a video call (particularly if the job will be hybrid or remote).

It’s the biggie: the face-to-face interview. If a hiring process has multiple stages, an in-person interview is usually the final step.