To prepare for a graduate interview, find out what kind of interview it is, then match your experience to what the employer or department says it wants. A competency interview asks for past examples, a strength-based interview asks what energises you, a recorded video interview gives you a countdown and no interviewer, and a PhD interview asks you to defend a research proposal.
This guide, published by EdCitation, draws on the careers services of Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Kent and MIT, King's College London's doctoral admissions page, the National Careers Service and the Civil Service's recruitment framework, all read on 27 September 2026. Where they disagree, we say so. Example answers are ours and marked as ours. No preparation guarantees an offer.
If the invitation comes with a task, such as a presentation brief, EdCitation's free Check your paper reads it into a checklist, each rule quoted from its sentence. For researching a sector, Find sources searches published work. EdCitation never writes any part of an application, an answer or a presentation.
What type of graduate interview will I have?
The invitation usually says, and if it does not, it is acceptable to ask (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-e).
| Format | What happens | What the sources advise |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone | Often a first-round filter before a face-to-face interview or assessment centre | Tone and pace carry more weight (Oxford; Manchester) |
| Live video | Teams or Zoom, with an interviewer present | Camera at eye level, plain background, quiet room (Manchester; Cambridge) |
| Recorded (one-way) video | Set questions, timed, recorded and reviewed later by a person | About 30 seconds to a minute to prepare and a few minutes to answer, though timings vary (Manchester) |
| Face-to-face | One interviewer or a panel; at least 30 minutes (Oxford), 20 to 50 minutes for a first interview (Cambridge) | Re-read your application and the job description |
| Panel | Mainly public sector, usually three or four people (Manchester) | Answer the person who asked, but include everyone |
| Competency-based | "Tell us about a time when..." | At least two examples per competency (Kent) |
| Strength-based | What you enjoy and do well | Reflect on your strengths; do not rehearse (Civil Service) |
| Case study | A business problem to analyse, mostly consulting and finance | Practise cases in advance (Cambridge) |
| Assessment centre | Half a day to two days of group tasks, presentations, case studies, in-tray exercises, tests and interviews | Treat the group as a team, not rivals (Manchester) |
| Postgraduate or PhD | A panel that may include your potential supervisor; 45 minutes or longer at King's | Know your research proposal thoroughly |
| A written or presentation task | A brief with rules | Read into a checklist by EdCitation's Check your paper, free |
Oxford calls face-to-face interviews the most common format and pre-recorded video the least popular with students, though some large employers use it for graduate schemes (University of Oxford Careers Service, n.d.-b). Oxford and Manchester both say you can ask in advance for adjustments for a disability.
How do I answer competency-based interview questions with the STAR method?
Answer with one real example in four parts: the Situation, the Task, the Action you took and the Result. The National Careers Service (n.d.) counts what you learned as part of the result, and advises keeping examples short, sounding conversational rather than rehearsed, and expecting follow-up questions.
Competency-based interviews, which Kent also calls structured or behavioural interviews, test one skill per question and then probe your example. The University of Kent (2023) advises preparing at least two examples per competency, because a recruiter may ask for a second, especially if you used one on the application form. Oxford adds that the competencies come from the job description or person specification, and that examples can come from your degree, a part-time job, volunteering or a society role (University of Oxford Careers Service, n.d.-b).
Where the sources disagree on STAR
- Time on each part. MIT's careers office suggests roughly 20% situation, 10% task, 60% action and 10% result, as a guide rather than a rule (MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, n.d.-b).
- A fifth letter. Manchester teaches STARR, adding a Reflection on what you learned and would do differently (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-f). Cambridge teaches CAR: context, action, results.
- "I", not "we". Here they agree: Oxford, Manchester and MIT all say to describe your own actions, because the employer is not hiring the team. Oxford adds that ordinary actions, such as building a spreadsheet, are fine to describe.
An example STAR answer (ours)
This answer is EdCitation's own, written to show the shape. Yours must be your own experience.
Question: Tell me about a time you solved a problem under pressure.
Situation: Three weeks before our society's annual conference, the venue raised its price beyond our budget.
Task: As treasurer, I had to close the gap without cancelling the event.
Action: I listed every cost, found two we could cut, and asked the students' union whether a campus room was free that day. I costed both options, presented them to the committee, and after the vote rebooked and told the speakers the same afternoon.
Result: The conference ran on its original date and within budget. I learned to get written quotes earlier, and I now build a contingency line into every budget.
The last sentence is the reflection Manchester's STARR asks for.
How are strength-based interviews different?
A strength-based interview asks what you enjoy and do well, not only what you have done. The Civil Service defines a strength as something you do regularly, do well and find motivating, and its guidance tells candidates not to rehearse, because it wants a first response; reflect on your strengths and preferred ways of working instead (Cabinet Office, 2025).
That is the sharpest disagreement in the advice. Manchester notes that employers turned to strengths partly because competency answers can sound over-rehearsed (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-f), yet its strengths page still recommends STAR or CAR to give your examples detail (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-c). Kent names FDM, Morgan Stanley, Aviva and Barclays as users and says interviewers read your tone and energy as well as your words.
Typical questions, from Oxford's, Manchester's and Kent's lists: When are you at your best? What do you do when a task bores you? Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them? What energises you, and what drains you? Oxford notes there is no real right or wrong answer, so answer honestly.
Video interview tips: live and recorded
Treat a live video interview like any other and add a technical check. Manchester advises a bright, quiet, uncluttered spot, the webcam at eye level showing your head and shoulders, formal dress, and notes only as prompts, never read out (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-d). Cambridge suggests looking at the screen while the interviewer speaks and at the webcam when you reply.
A recorded interview has no interviewer. Manchester's guidance:
- Record when you feel fresh, since you choose the time.
- Do not start answering before the countdown, or the answer may not count.
- If you are cut off, move on calmly.
- Speak as if someone is there: a person reviews the recording.
- A practice question or re-record may be allowed, but usually you get one attempt.
Manchester also advises using AI only to practise, never during a live interview.
How do I research the employer and the sector?
Know what the organisation does, who its competitors are, and what is changing in its sector. Oxford's questions to ask yourself include what issues are affecting the sector, how AI is affecting it, and how the market is changing (University of Oxford Careers Service, n.d.-a). Manchester adds clients, legislation and risks, and says employers report that commercial awareness is where candidates fall short (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-f). The careers services point to the employer's website and annual report, a quality newspaper read daily, and people working in the field.
Using published research on the sector
For a sector question, EdCitation's Find sources searches about 300 million published works. We searched "UK construction industry skills shortage" with the default sort and no filters. The first three results were:
- Powell and Shibeika (2025), "Brexit and beyond: addressing skills shortage in the UK construction industry", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law.
- MacKenzie, Kilpatrick and Akintoye (2000), "UK construction skills shortage response strategies and an analysis of industry perceptions", Construction Management and Economics.
- Maqbool, Rashid, Altuwaim and Shafiq (2024), "Coping with skill shortage within the UK construction industry: Scaling up training and development systems", Ain Shams Engineering Journal.
The fourth was about the life sciences industry, so read the titles, and check the years: a 2000 paper describes a different market. If you cite research on a slide, Cite a source builds the reference from its DOI in Harvard or five other styles.
What happens at an assessment centre?
An assessment centre puts you through several exercises alongside other candidates, from half a day to two days: group tasks, case studies, in-tray exercises, presentations, interviews and tests (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-a).
- Group exercise: how you contribute matters as much as what you contribute. Introduce yourselves, watch the time, and let one person take notes.
- Presentation: set in advance or on the day, about yourself or a business theme.
- Breaks and meals: usually not formally assessed, but you are observed.
Oxford's reassurance is worth keeping: several exercises give you several chances, so do not dwell on one that went badly.
How do I prepare for a postgraduate or PhD interview?
Know your research proposal inside out, read the work of the staff who may interview you, and be ready to explain why this programme. At Oxford many courses do not interview; each course page says whether shortlisted applicants are interviewed and how, by video, phone or in person (University of Oxford, n.d.).
King's College London (n.d.) lists what its interviewers look for, including your grasp of the field and its literature, your capacity for independent research, your fit with the department and supervisor, and whether the project is feasible in the time. It advises preparing to justify your research choices, researching your panel's interests (a methods specialist may ask about your methodology), and remembering that interviewers want your reasoning more than a "right answer". Manchester adds formats such as an informal chat with a supervisor or a full interview day (University of Manchester Careers Service, n.d.-b).
An example opening for "Why this PhD?" (ours)
"My master's dissertation measured X in one region, and it left me asking whether the pattern holds nationally. Dr A's group has the data and methods to test that, which is why I applied here."
Replace every letter with your real project and a supervisor whose work you have read. Our guides to writing a research proposal and writing a personal statement cover the documents the panel will have in front of them.
What questions should I ask at the end of an interview?
Prepare two or three questions you genuinely want answered, and skip anything the website already answers (University of Oxford Careers Service, n.d.-a). Good ones, from Oxford, Manchester, MIT and King's:
- What distinguishes the people who do well in this role?
- What would the first six months involve?
- What is the typical career path from this position?
- For a PhD: how often would supervision meetings be, and could I teach or present?
The sources differ on pay: Oxford says to avoid asking about benefits at this stage, while Manchester says salary can reasonably be raised at the end, as the "employment package", if nobody has mentioned it. If your questions were answered during the interview, Oxford says to say so; Kent suggests "I think you've covered everything". MIT's list includes a bolder one: whether anything discussed would concern the interviewer about your candidacy (MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, n.d.-a).
A seven-day plan to prepare for a graduate interview
This plan is ours, built from the advice above.
- Day 1: find the format, length and panel. If there is a task brief, paste it into EdCitation's Check your paper for a checklist of its rules.
- Day 2: list the competencies from the job description, person specification or course page.
- Day 3: write two STAR examples for each, as notes rather than scripts.
- Day 4: research the employer and sector, using its site, its annual report, the news and Find sources.
- Day 5: write three questions to ask, and your answer to "Why this role and this organisation?"
- Day 6: practise aloud, at your careers service's mock interview if possible, and to a timer if the interview is recorded.
- Day 7: test the technology or plan the route, and re-read your application.
Afterwards, note the questions you were asked, and ask for feedback if you are unsuccessful, as Oxford and Kent both advise.
How can EdCitation help with interview preparation?
EdCitation helps with the reading, never the answers. Its Check your paper is the best first step for a presentation or written task, because it shows each rule beside the sentence it came from, so nothing in the brief is paraphrased away. It is free, with no account. Checking a finished paper against the checklist is Theoretics QA, part of Max at $24 a month; for an interview task, the free checklist is what you need.
What our test brief returned
We wrote a seven-line assessment-centre presentation brief of our own (not any employer's) and pasted it in. The checklist returned eight rules, each quoted with its source sentence: Font, "Arial"; Font size, "11 pt"; Line spacing, "1 ×"; Margins, "0.79 in" (from "2 cm margins"); a page count of one; a word count of at most 300; at least three sources; and Citation style, "Harvard". The first six came from the handout sentence, so they describe the handout, not the slides.
It set aside, as things it could not check, "You have 40 minutes to prepare.", the 10-minute presentation, the task itself, "Use no more than six slides." and "Bring your slides as a PowerPoint file." Nothing was dropped, but none of those five is checked for you, so copy the timings and delivery instructions into your own notes.
Quick questions
What is the STAR method?
The STAR method structures an interview answer as Situation, Task, Action and Result, with most of the time on your own actions. Manchester adds a Reflection (STARR); Cambridge uses CAR.
How many examples should I prepare for a competency based interview?
Kent advises at least two for each competency, because a recruiter may ask for a second, particularly if you used one on your application form.
How do I prepare for a strength based interview?
Reflect on what you do well, often and with enjoyment, and read the employer's values. The Civil Service tells candidates not to rehearse, because it wants a first response.
What are the best video interview tips?
Put the webcam at eye level in a quiet, bright room with a plain background. For a recorded interview, wait for the countdown and speak as if someone is listening.
Can EdCitation help me prepare for a graduate interview?
Yes, with the reading. EdCitation's free Check your paper turns a task brief into a checklist, and Find sources finds published research on a sector. It never writes answers.
References
- Cabinet Office. (2025, January 29). Success Profiles: Strengths. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-strengths
- King's College London. (n.d.). Interviewing for a doctoral position. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/how-to-apply/interviewing-for-a-doctoral-position
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development. (n.d.-a). Questions to ask an interviewer. https://capd.mit.edu/resources/questions-to-ask-interviewer/
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development. (n.d.-b). Using the STAR method for your next behavioral interview. https://capd.mit.edu/resources/the-star-method-for-behavioral-interviews
- National Careers Service. (n.d.). The STAR method. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method
- University of Cambridge Careers Service. (n.d.). Interviews. https://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/interviews
- University of Kent Careers and Employability Service. (2023, March 10). Sharpen your interview skills. https://student.kent.ac.uk/careers/making-applications/sharpen-your-interview-skills
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-a). Assessment centres. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/assessmentcentres/
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-b). Interviews for postgraduate study. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/study/pg-interviews/
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-c). Strengths recruitment and interviews. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/interviews/types/strengthsrecruit/
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-d). Telephone, online and video interviews. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/interviews/types/onlineinterviews/
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-e). Types of interview. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/interviews/types/
- University of Manchester Careers Service. (n.d.-f). Types of interview questions. https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/interviews/interviewquestions/
- University of Oxford. (n.d.). Assessing your application. Graduate admissions. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/after-you-apply/assessing-your-application
- University of Oxford Careers Service. (n.d.-a). Interview technique. https://www.ox.ac.uk/careers/careers-guidance/job-search-and-applications/interviewing/interview-technique
- University of Oxford Careers Service. (n.d.-b). Types of interview. https://www.ox.ac.uk/careers/careers-guidance/job-search-and-applications/interviewing/types-of-interview