Timed interview practice: cover the key points in two minutes and avoid common mistakes
Most candidates lose marks not for lack of experience but because they ramble, forget their examples or stumble over familiar questions. The tool at the top of this page randomly draws 5, 8 or 12 questions from a bank of 60 questions in six groups, times your answers and then shows tips and common mistakes for each question. This guide explains how to practise so the real interview holds fewer surprises.
The six groups of questions employers often ask
| Group | What the employer wants to know |
|---|---|
| Self-introduction | What the employer wants to knowWhether you can sum yourself up in a few minutes in a way that is relevant to the role |
| Work experience | What the employer wants to knowWhat you have done, how far you took it and how the results were measured |
| Situational and behavioural | What the employer wants to knowHow you handle pressure, conflict and mistakes, shown through real examples |
| Expertise and skills | What the employer wants to knowWhether your professional knowledge is solid and up to date |
| Pay and benefits | What the employer wants to knowWhether your expectations fit the salary band and whether you negotiate on a sound basis |
| Closing the interview | What the employer wants to knowWhether your own questions show genuine interest in the job |
An effective practice session
- Choose groups to match your next roundPhone screening rounds tend to cover your introduction and salary; technical rounds focus on skills and situations.
- Speak out loud and record yourselfAnswers in your head always sound smoother than they do in reality. Listen back to the recording to catch hesitations and repeated words.
- Stick to the suggested timeEach question has its own time limit, mostly 60 to 120 seconds; the timer tells you whether you are speaking too briefly or for too long.
- Read the tips after answering, not beforeReading the tips first makes you learn them by heart; answer first, then compare to see what you missed.
- Repeat your weak questionsMark the questions you hesitated over most and practise them again the next day with a different example.
The STAR framework for situational questions
For questions such as “tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer”, follow four steps: the Situation, your Task, the Action you took and the Result. The action part should take up most of the time, and the result should include a figure or a concrete change.
- Situation
- 1 to 2 sentencesWhere, when, what happened
- Task
- 1 sentenceWhich part you were responsible for
- Action
- The main partEach step you took and why you chose that approach
- Result
- With figuresSales, time saved, customer feedback
Common mistakes
- Recounting your entire work history instead of picking the parts relevant to the role.
- Criticising a former company or manager when asked why you left.
- Answering the salary question with a fixed figure straight away, with no range and no reasoning.
- Memorising model answers, sounding as if you are reading them out and floundering when the interviewer probes deeper.
- Saying vague things like “I am hard-working and diligent” without an example to back them up.
Before the interview, use the gross-to-net salary calculator to see how much take-home pay your expected salary corresponds to, and read the interview guide.
Frequently asked questions
About one to two minutes for a standard question and up to three minutes for a situational one. Longer answers tend to ramble and shorter ones often lack examples; if the employer wants to hear more, they will ask.
Not word for word. Know the outline and prepare two or three real examples; that way you answer naturally and can still handle follow-up questions.
The questions are the same, but an online interview also means checking your equipment, lighting and connection; practise with your camera on so you get used to looking into the lens as you speak.