Sample answers for interview questions
1. Draw attention to your education and qualifications, or any formal training you may
have received:
• I attend Budapest Business School, the Faculty of International Management and
Business.
• My major is /was …..
• I specialized in / My specialization was ….
• I have a degree in …….
• I graduated from (university/college etc) in (the year)… / I will graduate from ….
• I studied at (university/college)…
• I got a diploma in…. and then went on to study...
• I did a Management course in 2018 and this helped me to...
• I am a qualified...
2. Focus on your work experience and your career so far:
• I had a summer job as ……………
• I spent my internship at (company name) …..
• I worked for (company name) as a (job title)… / I intend to work for ….
• I worked in (sector) for (period of time)…
• I was promoted to (job title)…
• I was responsible for...
• I have worked for several companies including….
• I have …….years’ experience in…
• I have a proven track record in…
3. Describe your best features / strengths and what motivates you:
• I am hardworking/ organised/ decisive/ patient/ easy-going/ a team player/ committed/
focused/ proactive and methodical.
• I am good at multi-tasking/working under pressure/working to a deadline…
• My strengths are/my strength is communicating well/my ability to solve problems…
• I am proud of...
• I perform well under pressure.
• I am self-motivated.
• I take pride in my work.
• I’m good at problem-solving.
4. Use intensifiers to make stronger statements:
• I am very organised and extremely focused.
• I am really good at showing initiative/ presenting information/ problem-solving/
controlling budgets/ achieving objectives/ motivating colleagues/ meeting deadlines/ creating
ideas.
• I have very good people skills/ management skills/ organisational skills.
5. Make sure you highlight your language skills:
• I have effective communication skills in English, both verbally and in writing.
• I’ve been using English in my professional life for the past ……years.
• I’ve got a good grasp of the specialised English needed in this post/industry.
• I’ve been working in an English-speaking environment for the past……years.
• I’m a confident speaker of English/I feel comfortable speaking English.
6. Include any technical expertise or projects that might be relevant to the role:
• I am very proud of (the last project I was involved in) because...
• I have (say how many years) experience working in (the sector)...
• I have worked in (sector) for...
• I developed some important skills when I (what role or function did you do)...
7. Demonstrate you can solve a problem:
• A good example that comes to mind is...
• In my role as…. I was responsible for...
• Due to (the situation e.g. COVID-19) our company was under a lot of pressure to
implement new health and safety measures.
• Our team was under pressure to meet new deadlines.
• I was asked to...
• I was able to turn the situation around.
• I organised/arranged/implemented...
• Even though it wasn’t possible there was still a positive outcome.
• Fortunately...
• Finally...
• I was able to turn the situation around.
• By motivating/creating/implementing/showing initiative...
• I was able to get the team back on track.
• However, it was difficult/ it was a challenge because (we had limited resources).
8. It is always a good idea to give examples of how you use your skills in a work setting:
• I was involved in several projects…
• I have managed a large number of projects over the years….
• I set up several new systems.
• I was responsible for implementing the new safety measures…
• This involved……
• I was asked to….
• It was challenging/difficult, however the end result was …. (something positive)…
• I am very/really proud of how well it turned out…
• I am very proud of the end result.
• We achieved the desired result/we achieved the result we wanted.
• We achieved our aim.
9. You may be asked to talk about how you’d like to develop and where you see yourself
in the future:
• I would like to take on more responsibility.
• I’m looking to further my career.
• I would like to further my career, so opportunities for professional development would
be important to me.
• I would like to add to my skill set, so training would be important to me…
• Training is very important to me because….
10. Some interviewers may want to know what other interests you have outside of work.
Here are a few suggestions:
• I like/love going to art galleries/museums…
• I like/love playing football/tennis…
• I watch a lot of...
• I like to keep fit and active so I…
• I am a volunteer for (organisation)...This organisation is responsible for…
• The reason why I love/like...is because...
• I play the piano/the guitar/the trumpet and my favourite musician/composer is…
• Every weekend/summer/winter I go to…
11. Finally, ask the interviewer questions to find out if the job and the company is the
right one for you. You could ask:
• Where do you see the company in 5 years?
• Can you describe the working culture of the organisation?
• Can you tell me more about the team I would be working in?
• What training programmes are available to your employees?
• What do you enjoy most about working here?
• When are you hoping for someone to fill this position?
• What are the next steps in the interview process?
If you are asked questions about your skills, the STAR approach will help keep you
focused on your answer.
STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Here are some expressions you can use.
Situation:
• When I worked for...I sold/set up/ created/implemented/controlled/managed/
designed...
• A good example that comes to mind is...
• I worked in the...department for (period of time) and had to
manage/oversee/control/create/ liaise with/prepare/provide/organise/support/lead/review...
• I have several years’ experience in...
• I have worked in (sector) for (period of time)...
• As I mentioned earlier, I have a diploma in... and I am a qualified...
• I perform well under pressure which was one of the main reasons why I was asked to...
Task:
• As part of my role as a (job) I also had to (what)…
• I was asked to...
Action:
• I held a meeting with...
• I created a...
• I liaised with...
• I designed...
Result:
• I successfully managed/controlled/ created…
• We won the contract/the tender/the award…
• I was able to resolve the situation/find solutions/negotiate a better…/move from …….
to……
• We won a new contract/the pitch…
• We achieved our sales targets/the desired result…
