The essentials in 30 seconds
- 01Six STAR stories, not a word-for-word script.
- 02A figure and a story behind every CV achievement.
- 03Three questions prepared for the end.
01
Research for 30 minutes, no more
What the company sells and to whom, how many people work there, one recent piece of news, and who is interviewing you. That's enough to connect your answers to their reality, which is all they're looking for.
02
Re-read your own CV
They will ask about what you wrote. Know your dates, the figures in your achievements and a 60-second story behind each one. If you can't explain an achievement, take it off the CV.
03
Answer with the STAR method
Situation, Task, Action, Result. “In peak season the warehouse kept falling behind (S). I had to dispatch 250 orders a day (T). I reorganised picking routes by zone (A). Picking time dropped 25% and we handled the peak without extra staff (R).”
04
Prepare six stories, not thirty answers
An achievement, a conflict you resolved, a mistake of your own, a piece of teamwork, a high-pressure situation and something you learned recently. Those six cover 80% of behavioural questions once you angle them.
05
The awkward questions
Why you left your last job: stay positive, criticise nobody. Your weakness: a real one, plus what you do about it. Salary expectations: give an informed market range, not an exact figure on the first ask.
06
Ask three questions of your own
How success in the role is measured at six months, what the team is like, and why the position is open. Don't ask only about holiday — it shows, and it sets the closing tone.
07
Video call: test it first
Camera at eye level, light in front of you, neutral background, headphones. Join five minutes early with your CV open off-camera. A technical fault eats the time meant for your best answers.
08
The two hours of prep that change the outcome
Half an hour on the company: what it sells and to whom, rough size, one recent piece of news, and who is interviewing you. Half an hour on the advert: the requirements in order and which of your achievements answers each. One hour on your own stories. More time doesn't improve the interview; less shows on the first fit question.
Re-read your whole CV before you go in. They will ask about what you wrote, so every figure needs a sixty-second story behind it. If there's an achievement you can't explain in detail, the problem isn't the interview: it's that the achievement shouldn't be on the document.
- What the company sells, to whom, and against which competitors.
- One recent story or post, for the third turn of the conversation.
- The advert's requirements in order, each matched to an achievement.
- Every figure on your CV, with its context and date.
09
STAR and the six stories that cover almost everything
STAR is the natural order of a useful answer: Situation, Task, Action, Result. The part always dropped is the last one, and it's the only one remembered. “I reorganised picking routes by zone” is an action; “picking time fell 25% and we handled the peak without extra staff” is what makes you a candidate.
Don't prepare thirty answers: prepare six stories and angle them to the question. One strong achievement, a conflict you resolved, a mistake of your own with its lesson, a piece of teamwork, a high-pressure situation and something you learned this year cover virtually every behavioural question.
- A measurable achievement — the one that opens your CV experience.
- A conflict with a colleague or customer, and how it closed.
- A mistake of your own: what it cost and what you changed.
- A piece of teamwork where your own part is clear.
- A high-pressure situation with a concrete result.
- A recent lesson: a course, tool or new process.
10
Hard questions, salary and your three closing questions
Why you left your last job: positive, aimed at what you want next, criticising nobody — anyone who criticises a former manager leaves the question of what they'll say about the next one. Your weakness: a real one, plus what you do about it. Salary: an informed range for your market and city, not an exact figure at the first ask.
At the end they'll hand you the floor, and having no questions reads as indifference. Three is enough: how success in the role is measured at six months, how the team is made up, and why the position is open. They also give you real information for deciding whether to accept.
Check this before you send it
- Six STAR stories, with the result memorised.
- One achievement matched to each main requirement.
- An informed salary range, with its justification.
- Three questions prepared for the end.
- Every CV figure explainable in detail.
- On video: camera, light, headphones and connection tested beforehand.
Mistakes that cost you the interview
Telling the situation and forgetting the result
Without the R in STAR the answer is a task description, which is exactly what fails to differentiate a candidate.
Criticising your former manager or employer
Even when you're right, the interviewer only retains that you speak badly of an employer.
Giving an exact salary figure straight away
You close your margin before knowing the full package: an informed range keeps the conversation open.
Bringing no questions
The commonest signal of indifference, and it lands at the most memorable moment of the interview.
Frequently asked
Questions we get asked most
- What is the STAR method and how do I use it?
- Situation, Task, Action, Result: four sentences that answer any behavioural question and always end on a fact. Prepare six stories in that shape and you cover most of an interview.
- What do I say when asked my salary expectations?
- An informed market range of around £4,000 spread, with your target in the middle. On a first call you can hand the question back and ask what range is budgeted.
- What should I ask at the end?
- How success in the role is measured at six months, how the team is made up, and why the position is open. Asking only about holiday and hours makes for a weak close.