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The interview questions you should be asking graduates

How can employers get the best out of graduates during interviews? Discover our top interview questions for graduate roles.

Two people sat having a meeting / interview and drinking coffee

When it comes to finding the best graduate talent, sometimes it’s not the answers given but the questions asked that reveals whether someone will be a good fit.  Graduates may not have a multitude of experience to draw on, so keeping questions simple gives them opportunity to open up and explain freely, what they can bring to the role.

To help companies find the right graduates, we’ve put together this list of top interview questions:

Tell me about yourself

This question may be simple but it can reveal a lot about how prepared a candidate is and whether they’ll be a good fit with a company’s culture. A well-structured answer will tie their personal story, experiences and achievements with what the company values.

Most graduates won’t have extensive experience of working within an industry, and so interviewers should look for graduates to demonstrate their transferrable skills and forward-thinking attitude. For example, a good graduate response to this question for a marketing role might be:

‘I’ve always been interested in what makes people do the things they do. While at university, I was the Head of Marketing for the student radio, where I managed social media accounts and honed my copywriting skills. I’d like to develop these skills further in a full-time marketing position.’

Why do you want to work for us?

This question gives graduates the opportunity to show that they’ve researched the company. What graduates may lack in experience, they can make up for in knowledge and enthusiasm.

Interviewers should be looking for graduates to form their answer around the company’s unique selling points and achievements.

For example, if the company is known for providing remote working opportunities, an appropriate answer might include a reference to being trusted to manage their own workload. Or, if the company has won awards, a good answer might include the desire to work for a company that’s recognised as an industry leader.

A thoughtful answer  might include an emotional element. A personal story that connects the candidate to the company can be just as revealing as one that demonstrates that a graduate has done their research.

What have you achieved in the last 12 months that you’re proud of?

The wording of this question ensures that a graduate’s response will be relevant and recent.

As part of our research into what success looks like to graduates, we asked what they believe to be the biggest indicator of progression. We found that learning new skills and taking on increased responsibility were among the top answers. As such, interviewers might expect to hear answers of this nature.

Whatever the graduate’s response, interviewers should be looking for what that particular achievement says about the candidate. For example, if a candidate is proud of the coding skills they’ve learned, it could show that they’re self-motivated and take responsibility for their future.

Or, if they give a personal example, like tutoring a family member through an exam, this could demonstrate their empathy and interpersonal skills.

What motivates you?

This question can often catch graduates off-guard. Ideally, their response will include a reference to being motivated at work but otherwise, it should be in reference to achieving goals.

Milkround’s Candidate Compass Report 2020 finds that over half of students and graduates see career progression and learning and development as key factors to attracting them to jobs. And 81% say that working with a great team is one of the biggest driving factors for boosting their productivity.

Therefore, interviewers might expect answers that relate to learning new skills and working with others.

Before asking this question, it’s important that employers have a clear idea of how they would like candidates to be motivated.

For example, a start-up might value a graduate who has learned a coding language on their own, whereas an established company might prefer someone who can demonstrate their commitment to completing a structured course.

How do you learn?

This question can reveal a lot about a graduate’s attitude and how they might get on with other team members. Of course, everyone learns differently but those who have a leaning towards a certain style might be a better fit for a company than others.

For example, a graduate interviewing for an engineering role might be well-placed if they learn through following technical instructions and putting theory into practice. Conversely, if a role requires someone to learn on the job, then a graduate who identifies as requiring structure and accountability may not be the best fit.

This question can also help employers identify what support a candidate might need during the onboarding process. Although some learning styles may be better suited to a role than others, interviewers also need to remain open-minded about who could be successful in the role. Rather than having a specific image of a suitable candidate, interviewers should broaden their criteria enough to ensure they have a diverse pool of talent.

What are your learning and development goals?

Our research shows that graduates need to see a clear progression pathway. Gen Z have said that they aim to stay in their first roles for less than two years, with the main reason being that they want to learn new skills (29%).

Learning about a graduate’s learning and development goals can help companies ensure that they retain talent. Providing upskilling opportunities in the form of online courses and secondments can satisfy a graduate’s desire to be continually learning.

Likewise, our research finds that over half of Gen Z feel their challenges could be rectified by a different employer as opposed to moving industries. This again shows how valuable it can be for an employer to learn about a graduate’s learning and development aspirations.

This question shows that a company cares about its employees’ career progression. It provides graduates with a good impression of the company from the outset and demonstrates that it’s invested in their future.

What can your hobbies tell me that your CV can’t?

This can be a good question to end an interview with as it can help tie up any loose ends or put any doubts to rest about a graduate’s suitability. A suitable answer to this question will relate the skills or qualities involved with the hobby to a working environment.

For example, someone who enjoys snowboarding might demonstrate how learning new tricks takes time and dedication, which is also how they approach new challenges at work.

A graduate’s hobbies and interests can provide interviewers with an indication as to how they might fit with the company’s culture. For example, a company that specialises in outdoor activities would likely be interested in a graduate who enjoys hillwalking and mountain biking.

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