How to prepare for an interview: a step-by-step guide

The invitation tells you most of what you need. The National Careers Service advises checking that the date works for you, so you have enough time to prepare, and finding out whether the interview is in person, by phone or by video. Look for:

• The format and length: one interview, several stages, or a full assessment centre.
• Who will interview you: a single manager, HR, or a panel.
• Any task: a test, a presentation (sometimes with the topic given in advance), a written exercise.
• What to bring: some employers ask for ID or proof of your right to work. Before employing you, they must check your original documents (a British or Irish passport, for example) or your share code online.

Reasonable adjustments. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled job applicants, not only for staff (Acas). Extra time for a test, an accessible room or written copies of the questions are common examples. Ask as soon as you get the invitation: reply to the recruiter, say what you need and why it helps, and ask for confirmation.

1. Take the job description apart. Highlight every skill and requirement, and the essential and desirable criteria if there is a person specification. These are the things the questions will test.
2. Reread your CV or application form. Every date, job and gap can come up. If you wrote a supporting statement, reread it too: the panel may use it to pick its questions.
3. Research the employer. What it does, who its customers or service users are, recent news, its values, its competitors. For a public body, read its strategy or annual report.
4. Look up the panel if the invitation names them, on LinkedIn or the organisation's website.
5. Prepare four or five questions for the end. Our guide to the questions to ask at the end of an interview has examples.

Most UK interviews include questions that start with ‘Tell me about a time when…’ or ‘Give me an example of…’. The National Careers Service recommends the STAR method to answer them fully:

• Situation: the context, in one or two sentences.
• Task: what you had to do.
• Action: what you did, in the first person. This is the longest part.
• Result: what happened, with a number if you have one, and what you learned.

Prepare one example per skill in the job description, from work, study, volunteering or home. Keep each one short, and be ready for follow-up questions: the panel may ask what you would do differently.

A competency-based question asks for evidence from your past (‘Describe a time you worked under pressure’): STAR is built for it. A strengths-based question asks what you enjoy and do well (‘What kind of task gives you energy?’). There's no right answer to rehearse: answer honestly, quickly, with a short example.

Civil Service: jobs are assessed with Success Profiles, made up of five elements (ability, technical, behaviours, strengths and experience). The advert tells you which ones will be assessed and how. Prepare an example for each behaviour listed, and expect some questions about your interests and what you enjoy, which assess strengths. The interview usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes and may be face to face, by phone, by video or recorded. In July 2026, Civil Service World reported plans to scrap Success Profiles in favour of a model built on skills and expertise; at 10 November 2026 the GOV.UK guidance is unchanged, so prepare for what the advert lists. Our guide to Civil Service behaviours follows the change.

Many NHS trusts use values-based recruitment: NHS Employers describes it as finding people whose values match the organisation's, for example through role play or written responses to scenarios. The values are those of the NHS Constitution: working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives, and everyone counts.

Read the trust's own values on its website, and prepare a STAR example for two or three of them: a time you put a patient or customer first, a time you treated someone with dignity in a difficult moment, a time you raised a concern about quality.

Reading your notes is not the same as saying the answers. Practise the questions almost every interview includes, out loud and timed:

• ‘Tell me about yourself’: two minutes, about your career, ending with why this job.
• ‘Why do you want this role?’ and ‘Why do you want to work here?’
• ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’
• Two or three ‘Tell me about a time…’ questions taken from the job description.
• ‘Do you have any questions for us?’

Ask someone you trust to play the interviewer, or record yourself. Prospects suggests doing at least one mock interview before the real thing; students and recent graduates can usually book one with their university careers service.

• Test everything the day before: camera, microphone, connection, and the software the employer uses. Log in once to check your name appears correctly.
• Choose a quiet room with light in front of you, not behind. Put the camera at eye level.
• Be ready 5 to 10 minutes early, as the National Careers Service advises, and keep a phone number or email to contact the interviewer if the connection fails.
• Dress as you would in person. It changes how you sit and speak.
• For a pre-recorded interview, you may get a set time per answer. Practise with a timer so your STAR answers fit.
• On the phone, keep your CV and notes in front of you, and smile: it's audible.

Graduate schemes, the Civil Service and many large employers use assessment centres: several exercises, often over a full day and alongside other candidates. The National Careers Service says the employer is looking at how you work with other people, deal with problems, and communicate and contribute.

• Group exercise: speak early, build on others' ideas, keep the group to time. Dominating the discussion helps no more than staying silent.
• Presentation: you may get the topic in advance or on the day. Stick to the time, then expect questions on the content and on how you prepared.
• Tests: online or psychometric tests, often timed. Do the practice questions if they're offered.
• Interview: the same preparation as above, often with a competency or strengths focus.

Pack the night before. Prospects suggests taking:

• your CV and the interview invitation;
• photo ID, and any certificates or examples of work you were asked for;
• a pen and notebook with your questions;
• water, and money for transport and food.

Plan your journey and check the trains or buses. Aim to arrive early, turn your phone off, and be polite to everyone you meet, including at reception. During the interview, it's fine to ask for a question to be repeated, or to take a few seconds to choose your best example.

Write down the questions you were asked while you remember them: they're your preparation for the next interview. If you haven't heard back by the date they gave, a short email to follow up is fine. If you don't get the job, ask for feedback.

If you're offered the role, the National Careers Service suggests asking for the offer in writing, confirming your start date and telling the employer about your notice period before you accept.

The best rehearsal uses the questions you are likely to get for this job, not a generic list. A mock interview on the real advert shows you which answers run too long and which examples are missing.