Recruiters will use a wide range of selection methods to assess your skills, experience, motivation, and general suitability for the role you have applied for. In preparation, there is a lot of support available to help you.
If you are worried about how you come across in an interview or are not sure what questions you might be asked, then the Careers Service can help.
Book a mock interview
St Mary's students and graduates can book a mock interview with one of our Careers Consultants to discuss interview techniques and have a practice interview.
To book a mock interview, contact careers@stmarys.ac.uk or book online on our CareerConnect system.
'Interview Success' eLearning course
St Mary’s Careers has partnered with eCareersGrad to provide access to this modular, video-based, interactive Interviews tool. The course includes:
- 30+ high quality candidate-led video answers highlighting what good looks like (and doesn’t) for popular sectors such as Consulting, Banking, Finance, Law, Policy and the Public Sector
- videos include accompanying recruiter commentary and written answer transcripts
- 10+ recruiter answer scoring guides and illustrated answer structures for dealing with introductory, motivation, competency, strength-based (and weakness), scenario, and other common questions
- spotlight on mastering 1-way video interviews, candidate testimonies, interactive exercises, multiple choice ‘knowledge-checkers’, and more.
Register for an Interview Success account using your St Mary's email address. St Mary's graduates should contact careers@stmarys.ac.uk for more information.
Interview practice
InterviewStream is an online facility that allows students to practice for asynchronous video interviews. Asynchronous interviews are those where the student is presented with questions in text or video and is then given a set period of time to answer a question, recorded by their webcam. The recruiter then reviews the recorded videos at their leisure.
InterviewStream can also be used to allow you to practice for face-to-face interviews, though it is arguably a poor emulation of a face to face interview.
Please note: This resource is only available to St Mary's students and graduates.
Register for an InterviewStream account. Ensure you select St Mary's University as your Institution.
Psychometric testing
Psychometric tests are a method used by some recruiters to assess your suitability for the role. They involve answering a series of questions online within a certain time limit and are generally used by larger employers who receive large numbers of applications. They could also be one of the tasks at an assessment centre. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare is a useful way to improve your test performance.
St Mary's Students and graduates can access a number of practice tests on Graduates First, an online resource that offers free Psychometric and Aptitude tests, as well as helpful tips, solutions and advice.
Register for your Graduates First account using your St Mary's email address. St Mary's graduates should contact careers@stmarys.ac.uk for more information.
Personality testing
Personality tests are used to identify who you are and why you do things the way you do. The most well known type of personality testing is Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). If you complete an online personality test, we would encourage you to come into the Careers Service and talk over your results with a Careers Consultant. The next stage will be to consider what you like doing and which particular career paths you may want to take.
In addition to MBTI, there are lots of free online personality tests which you can access, such as 16personalities. If you need any further information on completing a personality test, please contact the Careers Service (see link above).
Other useful resources
- Interviews practical tips and advice on the type of questions you might be asked at interview.
- Interview and assessment centre tips - useful advice on everything from different types of interview and typical interview questions, to psychometric tests and assessment centres.
- Challenging interview questions - some examples of challenging interview questions.
- How to ace a video/Skype interview - advice on preparing for and performing well during a virtual interview.
- Assessment Centres - information on what an assessment centre is, the type of activities that may be involved and advice on how to prepare.
- Demonstrating Your Skills - advice on matching your applications to the employers requirements and examples of how you might demonstrate your skills.
- Psychometric tests - information on the different types of tests you may encounter and how to prepare.
- Skills list - and overview of some of the skills employers typically look for and what they mean.
- STAR model - a structure for answering competency-based questions at interviews and on application forms.
St Mary's students can access more resources and information on our Careers and Employability Moodle pages. St Mary's graduates can also access more information by contacting us at careers@stmarys.ac.uk.