How to Prepare for a Job Interview (Common Question Examples)

We recently shared an article on our recruitment process here at Entrust, and a large part of that process revolves around preparing candidates for their face-to-face job interviews. While your CV may have got you in the room with your potential new employer, the interview stage(s) will be a further opportunity to impress your new colleagues and managers, so it’s important to be prepared and leave a positive impression. 

Below, we’ve shared our top tips for managing your nerves, demonstrating your strengths, and highlighting relevant previous experiences to help you stand out, even within a competitive field such as STEM / life sciences. 

Understanding Both Sides of the Job Interview Process

New 2024 statistics show that the science and technology sector has the second-highest vacancy rate of all UK industries, placing added pressure not only on potential hires but also on hiring managers. This is why it’s important to approach interviews as a two-way street and consider the hiring manager’s perspective as it will give you a better understanding of the behind-the-scenes processes that lead to a successful hire (and it’s also where our team at Entrust come in!). 

Usually, hiring managers (or the hiring panel) will look for the following throughout your job interview:

• Your ability to meet the job specification (with experience to back this up).
• Whether you have a genuine interest in the work you’ll be doing (and by extension the company you’re interviewing with).
• How well you fit within the existing team and whether you’re an overall good cultural fit within the organisation. 

This can be reflected through:

• Answers to your initial screening questions 
• Answers to face-to-face questions
• Questions you pose to the hiring managers 

Common Job Interview Questions in STEM and How to Answer Them

How to answer “Tell me about yourself?”

Think of this as an icebreaker question! It’s a great opportunity to expand on some of the information in your CV and add more personality and back story to your past experiences as well as link them to the role you’re applying for. This in turn demonstrates that you’re not just applying for any and every job, but because you have an interest in the work you’ll be doing a perhaps even a passion for the company’s mission or past projects.

For example:

“I am a recent graduate with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Dundee. During my studies, I developed a deep interest in medical imaging and completed several internships and work experience placements, including two at the medical imaging department within the local hospital. These looked at how we can use machine learning algorithms to help spot the early signs of brain damage in adolescents, similar to the programme you’re running here at X Company.”

How to answer “Why do you want to work for our company?”

This question is an opportunity for you to score against two of the interviewer’s criteria: culture fit and suitability for the role. A great answer will show that you haven’t only researched the company, but also understood the contributions you will be able to make as part of the role you are applying for.

Here is a template example for how you may wish to approach this question:

“I am impressed by your company’s commitment to innovation, specifically working with [equipment] which isn’t available anywhere else in the UK. I recently read about [your latest project] and can see the benefits of the approach for [patient comfort] but also image clarity which can help improve [treatment outcomes].”

How to answer “Can you describe a challenging project you worked on and how you handled it?”

When practising this question, it may be helpful to consider a few different examples and tailor your response on the day so it flows with previous questions or follow-up questions. Think back to some common challenges you’ve encountered as well as more niche examples that may be directly relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. The examples should demonstrate why the challenge posed a threat to the project objective, how you handled the situation, and how your contributions ultimately either resolved the issue or provided a valuable lesson for the future.

Here is an examle that may help you plan your own answer:

“During my work experience module in my final year, I worked within a lab that was conducting an environmental monitoring project focused on freshwater, however, we frequently encountered contamination of the water samples between different sites due to the outdoor conditions. Many of the researchers were young students and we were not properly trained in handling techniques and equipment disposal. Having worked on a similar project previously, I had more experience than other team members and volunteered to host a training workshop to share best practices and emphasise the importance of data reliability. Our team then managed to successfully collect the rest of the samples and we completed our sampling ahead of time, which helped the lab team back at the base to expedite their timeline.”

How to answer “What are your greatest weaknesses?”

This can be a daunting question simply because professional weaknesses are the last thing you want to highlight during a job interview. However, no one is perfect – demonstrating awareness of your weaker sides and an ability to ensure these affect your work as little as possible shows openness and confidence, two qualities that are greatly valued by any prospective employer.

Here is an example of an honest and proactive approach:

“One area I’m working on is delegating tasks more effectively. I sometimes take on too much myself to ensure everything is done right. However, I’m learning to trust my team more and delegate appropriately, which is helping us all work more efficiently and collaboratively as well as improving team dynamics by fostering trust.”

Job Interview Preparation Strategy 

As we mentioned in our last article, we use and recommend the STAR method for structuring your interview answers, which will vastly improve your preparation strategy (the article also includes some examples of the method in practice). 

The STAR method is as follows:

• Situation: Set the scene – what is happening or what is the issue that needs to be resolved? 
• Task: What is your goal and what are the overarching objectives you are working towards?
• Action: What did you actively do to resolve the issue or improve processes? 
• Result: What was the outcome of your action and did it accomplish your goal (and if not, what would you do differently)?

Using this formula when preparing for common interview questions will also help you think about your transferrable skills in context and is something you’ll get a chance to practice during your mock interview with your dedicated Entrust Recruiter. 

For more information, contact our team and see where a career in STEM may lead you.