Interview Questions & Answers

The following list of "interview questions and answers" should help you prepare fully to answer difficult interview questions. Each interview question below links through to an example answer, that you can add to by editing yourself or by commenting on. You can also add to the interview questions on this page by editing the page, or suggest an interview question to be answered at the bottom of the page in a comment, which may be useful if there is a particular interview question or questions you are struggling with.

Please note that not all answers have been written at this time but do feel free to construct your own answer to help others in their interviews. This page is a work in progress!

General Interview Questions

Personal Interview Questions

• Interview question: Tell me about yourself
• Interview question: Tell me about your previous employment
• Interview question: What achievements in your life are you most proud of?
• Interview question: What are your strengths?
• Interview question: What is your greatest weakness?
• Interview question: How would your friends describe you?
• Interview question: How would your friends describe you?

Interview Questions about Employers

• Why do you want to work for our organisation?
• Why do you want to work in this industry?
• Why do you want to work in this area? (e.g. London, Manchester, France)
• How is this firm different from its competitors?

Smaller Employers Interview Questions

• Interview question: Why do you want to work for a small firm?

Interview Questions about Careers

• Why do you work as a .....?
• Why do you think you would be a good .....?
• Where do see yourself in 5/10 years time?
• What experiences most influenced your career choice?
• What do you really want to do in life?
• Would your social life or interests outside of work infringe on your work commitment?
• Have you applied to anyone else?
• What are you looking for in the firms you have applied to?
• Are you hoping for specialisation in a particular field, if so why?
• What motivates you?

Interview Questions about Education

• Why did you select your A level subjects?
• Why did you choose your university?
• Why did you choose your course?
• What have you gained from your course?
• Did the course live up to your expectations?
• What aspects of your course did you find the most challenging?
• Have you been required to re-sit any examinations?
  • Why do you think this was?
• Are you satisfied with your academic achievements to date?
• What do you see as the principal benefits of university life apart from obtaining a degree?

Commercial Awareness Interview Questions

Commercial awareness interview questions:

• Describe a company you think is doing well/badly and explain why you think this is so.
• What do you think are key qualities for a company to have to be successful?
• What significant factors have affected this industry in recent years?
• What do you understand of the role this firm plays in this industry?

Technical Interview Questions

Accountancy

• Interview question: Why do you want to be an accountant?
• Interview question: What do you think you will be doing in your first year as an accountant?
• Interview question: What do you think you will be doing in your first year as an auditor?

Investment Banking

• How is a merger/acquisition structured?
• Give an example of a recent commercial deal that captured your attention: which party/side in this deal would you like to work for if you were a lawyer and why?

Legal

• How would you sell on services to a client? - for solicitors in commercial practice only
• You are alone in the office and a client phones demanding instant advice, what do you do?
• You are alone in the office and a very important client phones demanding you shred various documents of theirs. What do you do?
• What would you do if three partners all came to you with work they wanted you to do by 5pm that day?
• If you had a completely free choice, which law would you like to change and why?
• Why would you want to do legal aid work?

Competency Based Interview Questions

• Give an example of when and how you have worked in a team.
• Describe a time when you had a number of conflicting demands on your time and how you dealt with this
• Give an example of a time when you were not in agreement with the rest of the team.
• Can you give me evidence that you set yourself high personal
• How do you go about motivating yourself when the pressure is off?
• How do you go about organising your time and assessing priorities?
• Why, among all the candidates, should we choose you?
• Describe a situation where you acted on your own initiative?
• What is the worst mistake you have ever made and what did you learn from it
• How do you react to pressure?
• How do you react to failure?
• How do you respond to change?
• How do you go about handling difficult people?
• If a decision goes against you how do you take it?
• Would you say that you usually achieve what you set out to do?
• Tell me about a situation when you have had to meet a tight deadline?
• Give me an example of a time when you had to negotiate to achieve a desired outcome?

For general information on interview questions, see common interview questions.