Graduate video interviews
Many graduate schemes include a video interview after the online tests. Prepare for questions about motivation and competencies, and practise answering against a timer.
Try a practice answerWhere it fits in the process
Graduate recruitment often follows a sequence: an application form, online tests, a video interview and then an assessment centre or final interview. The video stage is commonly a recorded, one-way interview, which lets employers review many applicants.
Processes vary between employers and from year to year, so check the employer’s careers pages and your invitation for the format, number of questions and timings.
Questions to prepare
These are common graduate interview questions, not questions from a particular employer. Prepare honest examples you can adapt.
Why have you applied for this graduate scheme?
Name specific features of the scheme, such as its rotations, training or type of work, and connect them to your experience and goals.
Practise this questionWhy do you want to work for this organisation?
Use something you have actually researched, such as its clients, products, approach or a recent project, and explain why it matters to you.
Tell me about a time you worked in a team.
A university, society, part-time job or volunteering example works. Make your own contribution clear.
Describe a challenge you overcame.
Choose a real difficulty and spend most of the answer on what you did about it.
Practise this questionTell me about a time you showed leadership.
Leadership does not need a title. Organising a group, taking responsibility for a decision or helping someone improve all count.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Talk about the skills and responsibility you want to build, and how the scheme helps you get there.
Practise this questionStrengths-based questions
Some graduate employers ask strengths-based questions, which explore what you enjoy and do naturally rather than only what you have done: “What does a good day look like for you?” or “Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them?”
Answer these honestly, with a short reason or example. They are designed to find out what energises you, so an answer you think they want to hear is often less convincing than a genuine one.
Answering “Why this scheme?”
I’ve applied because the scheme combines three rotations with professional training, and I want to try both operations and supply chain before I specialise. On my placement year I worked on stock forecasting for a regional distributor, and I enjoyed seeing how small planning changes affected what reached the shelves. This scheme would let me build on that while learning from teams that run much larger networks. I was also drawn to the mentoring programme, because advice from someone outside my immediate team would help me choose where to specialise.
The answer points to features of the scheme, links them to a real placement and ends with a reason that shows forethought. Replace each detail with something true about you and the scheme you are applying for.
Same question. Your story.Practise against a timer
- Find out the timings.
Your invitation or the platform should tell you the thinking time and answer length. If you do not know yet, practise with a short planning time and a two-minute answer.
- Plan in prompts.
Use the thinking time to choose your example and note three words: the situation, your key action and the result.
- Record and review.
Listen for whether you answered the question in your first sentence and reached the result before time ran out.
- Practise unseen questions.
Once you are comfortable, ask someone to choose questions for you, or generate questions from your CV, so you practise adapting rather than reciting.
If your invitation names HireVue, read the HireVue practice guide as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is a graduate video interview live or recorded?
Many are recorded, one-way interviews, but some employers use live video calls. Your invitation will say which. The recorded interview practice guide covers the one-way format.
Can I use examples from university?
Yes. Employers expect graduates to draw on study, societies, part-time work, volunteering and placements. Choose whichever example best answers the question.
Can I use the same example for more than one question?
Early in your career you may have only a few strong examples, and using one project twice is fine if each answer brings out something different, such as teamwork in one and leadership in the other. Three or more answers drawn from the same story will be noticeable to someone watching them all in a row.
Now say it out loud.
Use your own example. Record a first take, listen back and choose one thing to make clearer.