u/Unfair-Lemon3980

There’s being nervous in an interview, and then there’s getting asked a question and genuinely having absolutely no idea what to say.

I had always assumed that if this happened, you somehow needed to come up with an answer anyway. But I actually think trying to waffle your way through something you don’t know can make the situation even more awkward.

This happened to me recently in my grad-job search, I was asked a maths-related question for a role that does not require maths skills, and it absolutely stumped me. 😭

I’m interested in how other people have dealt with this. Have you ever been asked something in an interview where your mind just went completely blank, and what did you do?

Assessment centres feel like one of those stages where there’s loads to think about at once, so I’ve been putting together a checklist of the things worth sorting beforehand.

A few days before:

• Research the company beyond just reading the homepage
• Go back over the job description and what they’re looking for
• Prepare a few examples of your experience that you can draw on
• Check what exercises or assessments are included, if they’ve told you
• Re-read anything you submitted earlier in the application

The night before:

• Sort out what you’re wearing
• Double-check the location, journey and start time
• Pack anything you’ve been asked to bring
• Get an early night rather than trying to cram in more preparation

On the day:

• Arrive with plenty of time
• Remember you’re probably being assessed throughout the day, not just during the formal exercises
• Contribute to group tasks without trying to dominate them
• Actually listen to what other candidates are saying
• Ask questions when you get the chance
• Try not to let one exercise you think went badly affect the rest of your day

I think the last one is probably the easiest to forget. An assessment centre is made up of several different exercises for a reason, so there’s no point writing off the whole day because one part didn’t go how you wanted.

Anything you’d add to the checklist?

I’ve always found this a slightly awkward question when applying for graduate jobs.

When you’re at the start of your career, you don’t necessarily know what someone with your experience should be earning. You also don’t want to give a number that’s too high and potentially rule yourself out, but equally you don’t want to undersell yourself by going too low.

I’ve started looking at similar grad roles beforehand to get a rough idea of what companies are paying, especially for the same type of role and location. If the salary is already advertised, it obviously makes the conversation a lot easier.

But when a company hasn’t given any indication of salary and then asks what you expect, it can feel like you’re being asked to name your price without knowing their budget.

How do you normally answer this question?

We all hear a lot of stories on Reddit about terrible interviews, awkward questions and interviewers who clearly haven't read your CV, so I thought I'd flip it around. Has an interviewer ever said something genuinely nice to you that caught you off guard? I think comments like that can be quite memorable, particularly when you've been job hunting for a while and have had your fair share of rejections. I once had an interviewer tell me my attitude and confidence were inspiring and uplifting. Boosted that confidence so much more! Interested to hear if anyone has had an interviewer say something that's stuck with them - whether you ended up getting the job or not.

Every career seems to come with a stereotype - that recruiters never stop talking, or marketers are always thinking outside the box - what's a stereotype you expected going into a role that either hit the nail on the head, or didn't?

What's the most accurate graduate job (or any job really) stereotype you've come across?

- and if you're working in one of those industries, is the stereotype actually true or way off the mark?

I always find the best answers aren’t necessarily the most polished. For me, it's when you start talking about an experience you never thought would be relevant in an interview - until it is!

What’s an interview answer you’ve heard or given that you still remember?

Employers aren't looking for you to tell your life story about your love for insurance or engineering. If you can:

1. Research - learn the commercial space, what projects the company has been involved in recently, what affects the industry, and what doesn't.

AND

2. Link your research to the role - xyz actions is something I follow, and I believe that there is an opportunity for me to apply my skill set here because of this. I saw you were involved in xyz, which highlights your company's commitment to...

Then you can answer the question! And you'll be more prepared for an interview after conducting your research, too.

When I was at university, I assumed technical knowledge would be the most important thing.

But since starting work, I've used working under pressure - a skill gained from bar-work - far more than a lot of technical knowledge. Thinking fast on my feet to think of a solution has been invaluable. It's made me realise that some of the skills you develop through part-time jobs, societies, sport, or volunteering can be just as valuable as what you learn in lectures.

What's a skill you've ended up using all the time that you didn't expect to be so important?

If you could give one piece of advice to your first-year university self, what would it be?

I'd tell myself to worry less about looking silly and be more willing to put myself out there, whether that's applying for opportunities, meeting new people, or joining societies.

What about you?

For me, it was sticking to just my field when looking for jobs - Business - I wasn't advised about the fact that I could join different graduate schemes open to any degree!

Looking back, what's one thing you'd have done differently at university to improve your career prospects?

For me, I think I'd have been less worried about what other people thought and shared more of my work/projects on LinkedIn with no shame! I probably underestimated how useful LinkedIn can be for building a professional profile and showing genuine interest in a field.

It's easy to look back with hindsight... What's the one thing you'd change if you could go back?

It's a tough time at the moment for students and grads looking for jobs - so big or small, what's one thing that's gone well for you this week?

I think most of us can look back and think of something we nearly talked ourselves out of because we thought:

• "I'm not qualified enough."
• "I probably won't get it."
• "Someone else will be better."

Sometimes those are the opportunities that end up making the biggest difference.

For me, looking back, there are definitely a few things I wish I'd been more confident applying for! Particularly, a committee role// a course rep position.

What's an opportunity you nearly skipped, but are glad you went for?

I can't be the only one to panic when I'm told to prep an answer for my biggest achievement for the icebreaker activity 😅

I'd love to know other people's icebreaker activities/questions, and responses!

I can't be the only one to panic when I'm told to prep an answer for my biggest achievement for the icebreaker activity 😅

I'd love to know other people's icebreaker activities/questions, and responses!

I'd definitely make application feedback more common. Spending hours on applications and interviews only to get a generic rejection email was awful.

I've also heard people say they'd change the experience requirements (some of which are a bit mad!) or the length of some application processes (Why does anyone need a 6-step application process??).

So if you had the power to change one thing about graduate recruitment, what would it be?

For me, doing a placement year made getting a job much easier. It gave me experience to talk about in applications and interviews, and I felt a lot more confident when applying for graduate roles.

But I know that won't be everyone's answer! What's one thing you did that made getting a job easier?

For me, doing a placement year made getting a job much easier. It gave me experience to talk about in applications and interviews, and I felt a lot more confident when applying for graduate roles.

But I know that won't be everyone's answer.

Maybe it was setting up job alerts so you didn't miss opportunities, dedicating a specific time each week to applications, networking, tailoring your CV, or something completely different.

What's one thing you did that made getting a job easier?

When working in hospitality, I had a job that would stop scheduling you shifts if you had to call in sick - I went in once just to get sent home as I had the flu and wasn't safe to work, but was too scared to call in sick!! Zero-hour contract.

Once, I didn't correct the interviewer when they got my name wrong - it was really awkward when their colleague came in and got it right and my interviewer tried to correct them to the wrong name. It's a mistake I should have corrected.