CVs, interviews, assessment centres, references and tests: how to get from application to offer in the UK.
The questions UK employers most often ask at an apprenticeship interview, what each one is looking for, example answers for school leavers and career changers, the tests and assessment days some employers use, and good questions to ask at the end.
How to apply for an apprenticeship in the UK: where to find vacancies in each nation, what the application involves, how to write a personal statement with an example, when to apply and what happens next.
The questions UK employers and recruiters most often ask on a telephone interview, what each one is checking, the practical questions about salary, notice and right to work, and how to prepare and come across well on a call.
How to answer "tell me about yourself" in an interview: what the interviewer is listening for, a simple present, past, future structure, and example answers for students, graduates, career changers, experienced professionals and people returning to work.
What to check before you turn down a job offer, how and when to tell the employer, what to include, and email examples for the most common reasons, plus what to do if you have already accepted and want to withdraw.
What NHS shortlisters look for in a supporting statement, how to match your evidence to the person specification and the NHS values, a structure to follow, example paragraphs for three common situations and the mistakes that most often cost an interview.
A mock interview is the best way to find out how your answers really sound. Learn how to run one alone, with a friend or with a careers adviser, use 17 practice questions grouped by type, give and take useful feedback, and get ready for video interviews.
How to write a CV for UK employers, section by section. Learn the UK conventions (no photo, no date of birth, two pages), what to put in your personal statement, skills, experience and education, how to get past applicant tracking systems, and how to tailor your CV to each advert.
"Why do you want this job?" sounds easy but is easy to get wrong. Here is what the interviewer is really checking, a simple three-part structure, eight example answers for graduates, career changers, retail, NHS, care, office jobs and after redundancy, and the mistakes to avoid.
Any job with children or adults at risk will include safeguarding interview questions. Here are 20 likely questions for schools, care, the NHS and youth work, grouped by theme, with model answers, the frameworks to know by name and how to prepare.
Civil Service interviews follow Success Profiles: behaviour questions answered with STAR, quick-fire strengths questions and sometimes technical questions or a presentation. Here is how each works, example questions for all nine behaviours, how you're scored and how to prepare.
A simple job application tracker stops you losing track of who you've applied to, when to follow up and what's working. Here are the columns to keep, how to set one up in a spreadsheet, when to follow up, how to read the results and how to keep your details private.
Asked to give a presentation at interview? Here are the briefs UK employers set, a simple three-part structure, how to time it, whether to use slides, how to practise and handle questions, and an example outline for a first 90 days brief.
The personal statement on a teaching job application and the one for teacher training are different documents. Here is what heads and training providers look for in each, a structure that works, and example paragraphs for primary and secondary.
Nursing personal statement examples for the three UCAS questions, with sample answers for adult, children's, mental health and learning disability nursing, how to use caring experience and what admissions tutors look for.
A short follow-up email after an interview can leave a good last impression and get you an answer when an employer goes quiet. Here is when to send each kind, who to send it to, subject lines, four examples to adapt and the mistakes to avoid.
A second interview goes deeper than the first: more senior interviewers, tasks and presentations, culture, salary and start dates. Here are 20 likely second interview questions, how to answer them, what to ask and how to prepare.
Your CV personal statement is the first thing a recruiter reads. Here is a simple four-sentence structure, what to leave out, and ten examples for school leavers, graduates, career changers, returners and experienced professionals.
Strength-based questions ask what you enjoy and what comes naturally, not what you have done. Here is how they work in the Civil Service, NHS and graduate schemes, 20 example questions and how to answer honestly and well.
A step-by-step plan for preparing for a job interview in the UK, from researching the employer and decoding the job description to STAR examples, video interviews, the day itself and following up.
What a UK teacher interview day involves, from the observed lesson and student panel to the formal interview, with the common questions on safeguarding, behaviour, SEND and assessment and how to answer them.
NHS interviews test your values as well as your skills. This guide explains the six NHS Constitution values, what your Agenda for Change band means for the interview, and how to answer the most common questions.
How to write a Civil Service personal statement that gets through the sift: reading the advert's essential criteria, structuring your evidence, how it differs from behaviour statements, and the mistakes to avoid.
What numerical reasoning tests are for, the question types you will meet, how they are timed and scored, and six worked examples with full working to help you prepare.
How verbal reasoning tests work, why Cannot Say catches so many people out, and worked example passages with explained answers to help you practise.
A practical guide to UK assessment centres: what a typical day looks like, each exercise explained, how assessors score you and how to prepare so you can perform at your best.
The full guide to Civil Service Success Profiles: the five elements, how each is assessed, the nine behaviours with what good looks like at each grade, and how to prepare behaviour examples, strengths answers and your personal statement.
The competency-based interview questions UK employers ask most, grouped by skill, with what each one is really testing, how they are scored and a simple way to prepare.
A practical guide to situational judgement tests in the UK: who uses them, the main question formats, a worked example, how they are scored and how to prepare well.
A plain guide to the STAR interview technique: what each part means, a template you can fill in, worked UK examples including a weak answer rewritten, and the mistakes that cost marks.
The questions UK nursing interview panels ask most, from values and the 6Cs to deteriorating patients, drug errors, safeguarding and prioritisation, with what interviewers look for and how to structure your answers.
The questions UK employers ask project manager candidates, from Agile versus PRINCE2 to stakeholder conflict, risk, budgets, failing projects and scope creep, with STAR example answers and the qualifications that come up.
The questions UK interviewers ask most often, what each one is really checking, a short example answer you can adapt, and the mistake to avoid with each one.
Twenty-four questions to ask the interviewer, grouped by what you want to find out, with a one-line reason each works, plus how to raise pay and flexible working without hurting your chances.
The questions UK schools ask teaching assistant candidates, with model answers for safeguarding scenarios, behaviour, SEND, phonics and maths, plus what to expect from the pupil task and checks.