• The University of Sheffield

How to Succeed at: Interviews

This free three week course provides the tools you need to succeed at interviews and land your dream job or course place.

300,342 enrolled on this course

Two people shaking hands - interview techniques
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

This course has been designed and developed by experts from The Careers Service here at The University of Sheffield to help you to succeed at interviews, whether you are applying for jobs or planning to study. Because being offered an interview can be quite daunting, we’ve put together a set of materials to help you prepare and be successful on the day.

We’ll help you to research the organisation so you can answer that frequently asked question ‘why do you want to work for us?’ with style. We’ll provide advice on what to wear (and what not to wear) and go through some common interview questions. We’ll have tips from employers and admissions tutors on what they look for in candidates and cover the types of questions you should be asking them.

Finally, we’ll help you to prepare for different types of interview including how to make an impression via telephone or video or within a group setting. We’ll also help you prepare for tests and practical work that may be included as part of the interview process.

The course is highly participative and includes articles for you to read, videos to watch and interactive material with tips to help you better understand how to prepare for your interview. There will also be discussions where you can learn from and support each other, self-reflective exercises and quizzes. Throughout the course you’ll be encouraged to collect a portfolio of your work which will help you with future interviews.

By the end of the three weeks we hope you will have the confidence to perform at your very best at interview.

If you’re still at the stage of writing your CV and submitting applications for a job or course, join our course How to Succeed at: Writing Applications.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 15 seconds I’m Hilary, and together with colleagues here at the Careers Service at The University of Sheffield, we have many years experience of helping people enhance their chances of success in getting the job they want, or securing a place on their chosen course. This course is the second in our series of how to get that dream job or get on to that dream course, and it’s designed to help you once you’ve made it through to the all important interview. Being offered an interview for a job or course is an extremely positive but also scary prospect. So we put together a set of tools to help you prepare and perform at your very best.

Skip to 0 minutes and 49 seconds We’ll show you how to research the organisation to arm you with as much information as possible to show that you’re right for the role. We will show you what to wear and what not to wear, and we’ll go through some common interview questions and tips on how to best answer them. We’ll have insights from your employers from a range of different industries, along with admissions tutors, giving their tips on what they look for in an interview candidate, and what makes the best and the worst impression on them. We’ll also give instructions on dealing with different types of interviews, from telephone interviews, to video interviews, and show you how to give painless presentations.

Skip to 1 minute and 23 seconds So if the thought of walking into an interview fills you with dread, join us on this three-week course, and we’ll help you make the most of this fantastic opportunity and give you the best possible chance at getting on the path to your dream career.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone applying for jobs or courses. It will be of particular interest to those in the early stages of their career, or those who are out of practice and need to update their skills. No prior knowledge or expertise are needed.

Who will you learn with?

Pamela Hafekost is the Information Systems Manager and Katie Casserly is a Careers Adviser at the Careers Service

I'm a Careers & Employability Consultant at the University of Sheffield Careers Service, providing advice to help our service users become more confident when approaching applications or interviews.

Careers Adviser. Writes and edits careers guides for the University of Sheffield and is Careers Service Co-ordinator for the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Media Information Officer at the University of Sheffield Careers Service. Interested in learning technology and digital media, and Social Media. Twitter: @steveandthesea

Who developed the course?

The University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is one of the world’s top 100 universities with a reputation for teaching and research excellence.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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