It’s a well-known idea that in order to master a skill, you must dedicate approximately 10,000 hours to it. While we don’t expect you to sit in 10,000 job interviews, dedicating just a few hours to mock interviews and the questions that might come up in them will aid you in your mission to land the job of your dreams.
Understanding the questions you might be asked, why you might be asked them, and how to answer them is an invaluable skill to possess, and there’s no better time to practice them than before an important interview, as opposed to before it.
Mock interviews
A mock interview is just like a mock exam, it’s a practice before the real thing. A mock interview will attempt to replicate the conditions of an interview which will help you to feel relaxed and prepared when it comes time for you to do the real thing.
Anyone can conduct a mock interview for you as long as they can remain professional, ask you appropriate questions and provide valued feedback.
A good mock interviewer might be a career counsellor, a former colleague, a friend, or a family member.
What are the advantages of a mock interview?
There are two main advantages to a mock interview.
A mock interview gives you the chance to test out different answers to the same question. You can use trial and error to find the answers that sound the best but also feel natural to you. Having prepared answers can lead to very professional answers, but interviewers can tell if you’re not being genuine.
Secondly, nerves are normal during a job interview, but practicing them using mock interviews can help to relax you during the real thing. The more you practice, the more relaxed you’ll be when it really counts, so don’t be afraid of planning multiple mock interviews over several weeks or months.
How to prepare for a mock interview
Even though it’s a mock interview, proper preparation will make it as valuable as possible. Here are a few tips you should consider to get the most out of your mock interviews.
Familiarise yourself with the STARR method
The STAR method is a structure designed to help you answer questions effectively. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and Reflection. Our dedicated blog details exactly how you can use it to answer situation questions such as “Tell me a time when you overcame a last-minute problem”.
Prepare for the job you’re interviewing for
To maximise the impact of your mock interview, pretend you’re interviewing for a specific job. This will allow you to focus your research efforts and come up with specific answers the same way you would for a real interview.
Record the interview
Recording the interview allows you to go back and analyse how you answered questions as well as what your body language looks like. Feedback from your interviewer is important but seeing it with your own eyes can help to correct issues before the real interview.
Interview questions for a mock interview
Now that you’ve prepped for the interview, you can begin to think about the questions that might come up during the interview process. We’re going to give some tips on questions that are likely to come up in a job interview, but we think you should also research questions that are likely to come up in an interview for a specific job that you’re looking for.
Remember, with every answer, you should remain professional.
Tell me about yourself
This question is deliberately simple to ease you into the interview. You should give a personal answer that demonstrates your skills in your current role, past roles, and what skills you’d like to develop if you were to be successful in this interview.
What are your strengths?
For this question, focus on your professional strengths that are relevant to the job. For example, if you’re applying for a managerial role, draw on your experiences managing a team. Remember to use the STARR structure for your answer.
What are your weaknesses?
This question can be tricky to answer, but as long as you give a short, professional answer, the interviewer should respect your honesty. You can either pick a personality trait such as being too critical of yourself or a professional gap such as being unfamiliar with the latest version of a software. Touch on how you’re aiming to fix these weaknesses.
What motivates you?
This answer should focus on a positive trait that is relevant to the job you’re interviewing for, such as leadership, time-keeping, or problem-solving. Give an example of when one of these traits has given you a sense of accomplishment in the past.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Remember to pick an achievement that is relevant to your career. It could be a professional accomplishment, academic achievement or a milestone in your life.
How do you deal with difficult or stressful situations, with examples
For this question, you should rely on a story in which you handled a difficult situation with a successful outcome. This answer doesn’t need to be from a professional setting, but you should make sure that the answer is relevant to the job you’re applying for.
How do you prioritise your work?
If you’re asked how you prioritise your work, take time to explain your methodology and an example where your ability to prioritise your workload leads to positive business outcomes.
Do you work well in a team and explain why
This is a great time to demonstrate a time you acted as a team player using the STARR method. A group project is a good example to use for this question.
How would you describe your work ethic?
When you’re asked this question, the interviewer is looking for words such as dependable, accountable, communicative, etc. Being goal-focused is important and as always, use the STARR method to ensure a great answer.
Tell me a time when you’ve taken initiative
Thinking on your feet is a valued skill in most professions, so this question is likely to come up. Make sure to have one example that led to a positive example, but even if there wasn’t a positive outcome, it still shows that you tried and that you learnt from the experience.
Explain a time you have failed at something and what you did next
If you’re human, you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to fail. Use this question as an opportunity to show your ability to recognise mistakes, grow and improve. Avoid giving catastrophic examples, keep it light-hearted and professional.
Do you have any questions?
It’s always a good idea to have questions prepared to ask at the end of an interview and while you might get a couple of ideas beforehand, coming to the interview prepared will ensure that you definitely have one to ask. You could choose to a question about the company or ask if they’d like you to expand on any of the answers you gave.
After reading through this blog, you should be able to prepare for a mock interview so that you can feel ready and confident when the time comes for a real job interview. Remember, there may be more or different questions in your interview, including any industry-specific ones, so be sure to continue your preparation as best you can!
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