Walk In Prepared. Walk Out Remembered.
Most candidates are not rejected because they lack the skills. They are rejected because they could not explain their value clearly in twenty minutes. Get Wendie's free Interview Pack and learn exactly what to say.
- Interview Excellence summary
- STAR answer worksheet
- Tough questions with model answers
- Questions to ask the employer
Get Your Free Interview Pack
Four resources from the Interview Excellence workshop, sent straight to your inbox:
- The Interview Excellence summary — Prepare, Present, Perform
- The STAR answer worksheet
- Tough questions with model answers
- Questions to ask the employer
Three parts of every interview
An interview is a structured conversation in which an employer gathers evidence to decide whether you meet the needs of the role. Everything you do falls into one of three parts.
Prepare
Understand the opportunity and know what you bring, before you walk in.
- Know the company — what they do and who they serve
- Know the role — read the advert as the interviewer does
- Know yourself — strengths, examples, motivation
Present
You are communicating long before you answer the first question.
- Appearance — clean, neat and appropriate beats expensive
- Punctuality — early enough to settle, not to rush
- Presence — posture, eye contact, listening to the full question
Perform
Answer clearly and support what you say with evidence.
- Answer with purpose — what does this question let me show?
- Use STAR — situation, task, action, result
- Close well — thank, interest, next step, exit
A claim is not evidence
Read the job advert and ask a different question. Not "can I apply?" but "what evidence will I need to provide?"
"I'm reliable."
The interviewer has nothing to judge. Every other candidate says the same sentence."I was responsible for keeping attendance records for my school club and made sure they were updated after every meeting."
Same quality, but now it is demonstrated. Evidence can come from work, school, sport, church, volunteering, community activities or responsibilities at home.The interviewer needs evidence on which to base a judgement.
A framework for every moment that matters
You cannot predict every question. You can prepare a shape for every kind of question.
"Tell me about yourself."
Not your autobiography. Establish relevance in three moves.
NOW → BEFORE → NEXT
"Why should we hire you?"
The real question is what value you would bring. Needing the job is not the employer's reason.
SKILLS → STRENGTHS → EVIDENCE
"Tell me about a time when…"
They want evidence of past behaviour, not a theory of how you would behave.
SITUATION → TASK → ACTION → RESULT
When the question gets tough
A brief pause before answering is acceptable. Defensiveness is not.
PAUSE → UNDERSTAND → RESPOND
Answering the tough ones well
Weakness, why you left, a mistake you made — all four principles apply to each.
HONEST → POSITIVE → RELEVANT → GROWTH
Closing the interview
The interview does not end when they ask the last question.
THANK → INTEREST → NEXT → EXIT
The STAR method, in four moves
The tool behind almost every behavioural question. The worksheet in the pack walks you through building three of your own.
Situation
Set the scene briefly. Enough context to understand what was happening.
Task
What needed to be done? What responsibility or challenge existed?
Action
What did you do? Usually the most important part. Move from "we" to "I".
Result
What happened? Completed on time, problem solved, target reached, lesson learned.
A worked example
This one did not happen at work — and it is still legitimate interview evidence.
- S
- A group science presentation at school.
- T
- Four students had to research different areas and deliver one presentation together.
- A
- I created a WhatsApp group, helped divide the research and combined everyone's information into the final slides.
- R
- We completed it on time and received a strong grade.
The Recruit784 Interview Quick Check
Before you walk into the room, ask:
- Do I know what this organisation actually does?
- Can I say why I want this role in one sentence?
- Do I have three STAR examples ready?
- Can I explain every gap and every move on my CV?
- Do I have three or four questions ready to ask them?
“You don't need to be perfect. You need to be prepared.”
You do not have to wait until someone gives you your first job before you have something valuable to talk about. You already have experiences. The skill is recognising what they taught you and learning how to communicate them.
Get the interview pack
Wendie Edwards (née Wilson)
Wendie is an HR professional with more than 15 years of experience in Human Resources, workforce development and organizational growth. She is Founder & CEO of Recruit784, supporting recruitment and HR consultancy across hospitality, corporate and construction industries in the Caribbean. The Interview Excellence workshop is built from what she sees on the hiring side of the table — the candidates who get remembered, and the ones who do not.
Global HR Management - University of Liverpool
HR Management - University of Leicester
HRM - Cave Hill School of Business
Recruitment, workforce development & organizational growth
To simplify HR and recruitment for small and mid-sized businesses by providing accessible, efficient and personalized services tailored to each client's industry and goals.
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