Preparing for an interview

Boost your chances of interview success with our comprehensive job interview preparation guide. With advice on how to answer tricky questions such as ‘why do you want this job?‘ or similarly tough career goal questions – you’ll find out everything you need to know about preparing for a job interview.

And, because things don’t always run smoothly, we’ve even outlined five good reasons to cancel a job interview, as well as tips on how to cancel it.

Team leader interview questions

Looking to take the next step in your career? Here are five frequently asked team leader interview questions (and how to answer them).  

Retail interview questions

Looking for a role in retail? Here’s how to put yourself in the shop window and nail the interview process.

Manager interview questions and answers

Want to step up in your career? Here are ten of our favourite manager interview questions, and our advice on how to answer them.

Receptionist interview questions

Want to make a great first impression? Here are five interview questions you may be asked as a receptionist, and tips on how to answer them.

How to deal with job interview stress

Here are some of the best ways to battle job interview nerves and make sure you stay confident, calm and collected on the big day.

How to answer: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned during the last year?

It’s safe to say that we’ve all learned a lot over the last year. But how do you cover it all during an interview? Here’s our advice.

Team leader interview questions

Looking to take the next step in your career? Here are five frequently asked team leader interview questions (and how to answer them).  

Retail interview questions

Looking for a role in retail? Here’s how to put yourself in the shop window and nail the interview process.

Manager interview questions and answers

Want to step up in your career? Here are ten of our favourite manager interview questions, and our advice on how to answer them.

Receptionist interview questions

Want to make a great first impression? Here are five interview questions you may be asked as a receptionist, and tips on how to answer them.

How to deal with job interview stress

Here are some of the best ways to battle job interview nerves and make sure you stay confident, calm and collected on the big day.

How to answer: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned during the last year?

It’s safe to say that we’ve all learned a lot over the last year. But how do you cover it all during an interview? Here’s our advice.

How to answer: Why do you want to work here?

We’ve already covered some of the most common interview questions, but here’s our advice on the best way to answer: ‘why do you want this job?’

Three questions interviewers are asking in 2021 (and how to answer them)

Three emerging interview questions for 2021, courtesy of James Reed’s bestselling book, ‘Why You: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again’.

How to answer: What are your weaknesses?

Not sure how to talk about your weaknesses in an interview? Here’s what you should cover in your answer (and some examples of what to avoid).

Five common job interview mistakes 

A successful job interview means selling yourself just the right amount. To make sure you’re not accidentally putting your interviewer off, here are five job interview weaknesses, and how you can avoid them:

How to answer: Tell me about yourself…

Find talking about yourself a bit of a challenge? Here’s our advice for how to answer: ‘Tell me about yourself…’ at your next interview.

Nursing Interview Questions

Looking for a career helping others? Nursing could be for you. Here are a few of the most popular nursing interview questions, along with our advice on how to answer them.

Common interview questions and answers

The inclusion of certain interview questions is inevitable. But, with a bit of practice, they needn’t be anything to worry about…

Competency-based interviews: What you need to know

You might be familiar with certain interview types, for example telephone interviews or group interviews, but have you ever heard of competency-based interviews?

Psychometric testing: What you need to know

Not sure you’re up-to-speed when it comes to psychometric testing? Find out the facts now.

Customer service interview questions

Important customer service interview coming up? We’ve got this. To help you practice, here are five commonly asked customer service interview questions, and how to answer them:

Types of interview questions

Interview questions come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve already covered the types of interviews you might have, but here are five of the most common types of interview questions (and our top tips on how to answer them):

Four things to take to a job interview

Outfit? Check. Answers? Check. Checklist? Check. We’ve already covered how to prepare for an interview, but here are four things you should always take with you on the big day:

How to answer: What are your strengths?

Not big on self-promotion? Here’s our advice for how to answer: ‘What are your strengths?’ at your next interview.

What’s the worst thing you can do at an interview?

We spoke to students to find out what they thought were the worst things you can do at an interview – and gave our top tips on how to avoid them.

How to: Cancel an interview

There’s only one thing scarier than an interview: cancelling one. To make sure you’re doing it in the right way, here are a few tips on how to cancel an interview:

Five good reasons to cancel an interview

Cancelling an interview can be a pretty awkward experience. To make sure you don’t burn any bridges, here are five good reasons to cancel an interview:

Tech interview questions

To help inspire you, here are five of our favourite tech interview questions courtesy of the latest edition of James Reed’s bestselling book, ‘Why You: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again’, and our advice on how to answer them:

Interview types: What you need to know

We’ve already covered how to prepare for an interview, but here’s everything you need to know about the five most common types of interviews.

FAQs

How can we help you prepare for an interview?

We’ll help you learn how to prepare for an interview – from knowing how to research a company, through to picking the right outfit. We also have advice on how to answer the most common interview questions, so you won’t be caught off guard if any curveballs come up. 

What should you wear to an interview?

When picking what to wear for an interview, always aim for an outfit that matches the company you’re interviewing with. If you’re still not sure, stick to something professional – but comfortable. We also have interview outfit tips from some of the UK’s top fashion bloggers, which might help inspire you.  

What are the most common interview questions?

Some of the most common interview questions include: ‘why do you want this job?’, ‘what are your strengths?’, and ‘what salary are you looking for?’ However, there are many different types of interview question, so we recommend doing as much research as you can before the big day.   

How many types of interview are there?

There are many different types of interview you could attend – from the classic face-to-face interview, through to telephone, video and group interviews. On reed.co.uk we’ve got lots of helpful advice on how to prepare for each type, including our top tips and guidance on what not to do.