Interview questions by job title

The questions every interviewer asks

1. Tell me about yourself. Two minutes, about work: what you do now, what you are good at, and why this job is the next step. Not your life story.
2. Why do you want this job, here? That you looked at the employer: what they do, where, and one thing that appeals to you about them.
3. Why are you leaving your current job, or why did you leave the last one? A reason that looks forward (more hours, a shorter journey, a step up), never a complaint about the old boss.
4. Tell me about a time something went wrong at work and what you did. A real example: what happened, what you did yourself, how it ended, and what you do differently now.
5. What would your last manager say about you? Something they would actually say, with proof: "reliable, I covered the late shift for six months".
6. When could you start? A straight answer. If you have notice to give, say how long; employers respect somebody who works their notice.
7. Is there anything that would stop you working the hours or shifts we need? Honesty now saves both sides a bad start. Say what you can do, not only what you cannot.
8. Where do you see yourself in a couple of years? Ambition that fits the job: getting better at it, a ticket or qualification, perhaps leading a team.
9. What is the hardest part of this kind of work, in your view? That you know the job as it really is, and how you handle its bad days.
10. Do you have any questions for us? Always have two ready. See the list further down this page.

For employers: what you must not ask

• Age, date of birth or when somebody left school. Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Ask whether they meet any legal minimum age, nothing more.
• Marriage, children, pregnancy or plans for a family. Protected characteristics. Ask everybody the same question about whether they can work the hours.
• Health or sickness absence before a job offer. Section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 bans it, except to make adjustments for the interview, to check they can do a task that is intrinsic to the job, or for monitoring.
• Religion, nationality or where somebody is "really" from. Protected characteristics. Check the right to work for every candidate in the same way, after the interview, not by guessing from a name or an accent.
• Spent convictions. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 a spent conviction need not be disclosed, except for roles exempt from the Act, where a standard or enhanced DBS check applies.
• Trade union membership. Refusing work because somebody is or is not in a union is unlawful (Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, section 137).