Graduate interview questions and how to answer them with student examples

What do graduate interviews ask?

Graduate interviews ask why you chose this scheme and this employer, what you learnt at university, and competency questions you answer with examples from your degree, part-time work, societies or volunteering. Expect "Why this graduate scheme?", "Tell me about a group project that went wrong", "Give an example of when you showed leadership" and a question on the firm's sector or recent news.

Below: the usual stages of a UK graduate scheme, the questions at each stage with example answers built from student life, how assessment centres work, and a two-week plan.

The stages of a graduate scheme

Motivation questions graduate schemes ask

"Why do you want to join this graduate scheme?"

Name two things specific to this scheme, such as its rotations, its training or a part of the business, and link each to something you have done.

"The rotations are the main draw. I want to try both risk and operations before I specialise, and the final-year project I did on supply chain data showed me I enjoy that mix. I also spoke to two of your current graduates at the careers fair, and both mentioned the mentoring."

"What do you know about our company?"

Have three facts: what it sells, a recent piece of news and something about the division you are applying to. The National Careers Service lists "what do you know about our company?" among the questions employers ask most.

"Why did you choose your degree?"

Be honest and link it forward: what you liked, what you are good at, how it leads here. A history graduate applying to a bank can talk about weighing up sources and writing clear arguments.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Show you have read the scheme's career path: qualified, specialised, perhaps leading a small team. There is a free five-year answer generator if you are stuck.

Competency questions, with examples from student life

You will not have years of work behind you, and nobody expects it. Use your degree, part-time jobs, societies, sport and volunteering. Answer with STAR: situation, task, action, result.

"Tell me about a group project that went wrong."

"In my second-year marketing project, one of our four members stopped replying two weeks before the deadline. I was coordinating, so I split his section between the three of us, messaged him once to check he was all right and told our tutor early. We submitted on time and got a 2:1, and I learnt to agree who does what in writing at the start."

"Give an example of when you showed leadership."

"As treasurer of the hiking society I noticed we lost money on every trip. I compared coach quotes, moved bookings two months earlier and introduced a deposit. The next year every trip broke even."

"Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer."

"Working Saturdays in a phone shop, a customer was shouting about a contract he did not understand. I took him to the quiet desk, went through the contract line by line and found the add-on he had not agreed to. I removed it and he left calm."

More questions of this type, with the Civil Service behaviours many schemes borrow from, are in competency-based interview questions.

Graduate video interviews

Many schemes use a recorded video interview early on, often through HireVue. HireVue's candidate FAQ describes its on-demand interview as "the kind you do without another person at the other end" and says "hiring decisions are made by people". Its own tips: use the practice questions, record yourself beforehand, find "a quiet place with good wifi", and keep the light in front of you.

Read the instructions for each question: the employer sets the thinking time, the answer length and whether you get a retake. Our post on one-way video interviews covers this in detail.

Assessment centres: what to expect

Prospects, the UK graduate careers site, says assessment centres are "hosted over anything from an afternoon to two days" and usually involve six to eight other candidates. Exercises include case studies, group discussions, in-tray exercises, presentations, psychometric tests, role play and an interview.

• Group exercise: speak up early, bring quieter people in, and help the group reach an answer. Assessors watch how you work with others, not who talks most.
• Case study or in-tray: show your working. Say which items you put first and why.
• Presentation: one clear recommendation, three reasons, and time for questions.
• Lunch and breaks: Prospects notes you are being assessed throughout, so stay friendly and polite.

If something goes badly, Prospects' advice is not to dwell on it and to focus on the next task.

A two-week plan for graduate interviews

1. Days 1 to 3: research the employer, the scheme and the sector. Note three facts and one question you genuinely want answered.
2. Days 4 to 6: write two STAR examples for each competency in the advert, drawn from your degree, jobs and societies.
3. Days 7 to 9: practise aloud. The free AI mock interview reads questions for your field aloud, asks follow-ups and marks your structure, pace and filler words.
4. Days 10 to 12: do practice tests and prepare a five-minute presentation on a topic in the sector.
5. Days 13 and 14: a full mock with a friend or your careers service, then rest.

For live video rounds, the ClapAssist AI interview assistant shows answers built from your CV on Teams, Zoom and Meet. Many graduate schemes set strict rules for tests and recorded interviews, so read the candidate guidance and only use AI help where it is allowed.