You have just started your first week in higher education and you are thinking about how to get a job as a fresher.
As a fresher, there is a high number of job options. One question to ask , before starting the job searching process, is are you looking for a part-time job for extra cash or a job role that will enhance your career options post university studies?
Freshers looking for a Part-Time Job for Extra Cash
There are hundreds of part-time jobs for students which are easily gained as the recruitment process for student vacancies is simple.
Often employers require a CV, giving an overview of the applicants character, before the student candidate is offered a job interview.
Common student jobs include:
- Bartender
- Cafe worker
- Waiter
- Delivery drivers, with Uber becoming an increasing popular chose for students
- Catering staff
- Fast-food chains
- Administrational workers
- Warehouse staff – employers like Amazon recruit high number of part time staff
- Retail
- Customer service
- Telephone operators
Generically speaking, low skilled and out of normal working hour jobs are advertised as student positions.
We will discuss job interview questions later. For reference you may find commonly asked interview questions and answers a useful read.
In the main, a part-time job interview is informal. Employers look at work ethic and skills and qualities rather than focusing the job interview questions on knowledge and experience as they would for a graduate job position.
Top 10 required employability skills for a fresher
- Reliability (due to working hours and a high turnover of staff)
- Strong work ethic
- Flexibility – working evenings, weekends or on demand for jobs like an Uber delivery driver
- Teamwork
- Communication skills
- Customer service skills
- Honesty
- ITC skills
- Problem-solving
- Professionalism
In the job interview, if a fresher can come across as hard working and reliable, they are likely to be offered the job role.
The part-time job interview will be either a 1-2-1 interview or a virtual job interview.
Applicants will be asked around 6 interview questions during a forty minute recruitment process.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you apply for a job at (company name)?
- Give me an example of working within a team?
- Tell me about a time you had to solve a problem?
- Do you have any examples of being reliable?
- What questions do you have for me?
We will breakdown how to answer fresher interview questions shortly.
Fresher looking for a career advancement job
Knowing that the graduate job market is highly competitive, even for those students receiving good grades, some freshers look for work that they can complete during their time in higher education that will enhance their career options post university.
In fact, for some careers such a medicine, require graduates to have some relevant experience.
Thinking about the future, freshers can use fresher week to gain skills and experiences relevant to their future career choices.
Freshers week is a chance for new freshers to sign up to different clubs and societies. Its away to make new friends as students often attend higher education institutes outside of their local home town.
Clubs students can join include:
- Kayaking
- Rock-climbing
- Debating
- Public speaking
- Harry Potter
- Knitting
- Reading
- Language groups
- Sports; rugby, hockey, badminton, etc
- Journalism
- Media
- Hacking
A student, therefore, can gain career related skills and experiences by joining a suitable club or society.
As an example, a Law student may join the debate team to enhance their communication and persuasion skills – two skills required in the legal profession.
Or a wanna be manager may become the head of the Kayak club to improve leadership skills.
A direct example, would be a student journalist writing for the university newspaper to gain direct journalist experience.
Any skills and experiences gained from a club or society help to give more detailed job interview answers, increasing the chances of gaining a job offer.
This is because interview scores are based on the applicants perceived level of knowledge/experience and interview confidence level.
Fresher Job Interview Questions and Answers
During the degree qualification or towards a graduation date, students will ultimately start applying for sector specific job openings or graduate schemes.
In the job interview, graduates will be asked around ten questions during the course of a one hour interview.
Employers, actively recruiting graduates, don’t expect all candidates to be industry experts. Instead, the applicant needs to show a degree level worth of knowledge, their work ethic and any relevant skills or experiences. Which can be gained from part-time work, industry placements or through university societies and clubs.
Below is an explanation of how a fresher can approach the most commonly asked job interview questions:
Why have you applied for this position?
All job interviews will start with one of the following three questions – the same question formatted differently:
- ‘Why have you applied for this role?’
- ‘Tell me about your relevant experience?’
- ‘Give me an overview of why you would be a good fit for this graduate position?’
What is being asked is – do you understand the job criteria and what relevant skills and experiences do you have that will make you a suitable employee?
To answer the question discuss:
- The company – what you know about them, and how the culture appeals to you
- Any experiences, skills, qualities and unique selling you posses relevant to the job criteria
- Knowledge gained from a university course and the qualification grade you received
Example answer
‘I have been following (company) for a number of years now, and I like (add a company culture fact). I recently graduated/or am studying a (add course name) where I have learnt (add knowledge) which would useful for you when (make knowledge relevant to a job criteria). From being a (add a relevant society or work experience) I have gained (skills) which will suit (job criteria). Overall I am passionate about working for (company) and I have a range of skills and experiences that are highly suitable for this role.’
What did your course teach you?
The employer isn’t looking for a an ethical hacker student to state that they learnt ‘hacking’. Instead, the employer is looking for specifics.
What is key to remember, for the applicant, is that other freshers studying the same qualification will have learnt the same level of knowledge. In a job interview, it is the applicants goal to stand out – to be seen as different, better than the competition.
This is where extra curriculum activities help.
An art student may talk about how they had been commissioned to produce a piece of art, or a business management study could have set up a profitable business and won a young business person of the year award.
A student may talk about the managing of a university society evert which helps them stand out for an events organiser job role. Or a fresher could discuss how their debate team won the UK debate finals.
What is required then is an answer that covers industry knowledge gained from a university course and skills gained from additional activities.
Example answer
‘On my (course) I learnt 3 key industry models that I found very useful (discuss three key points). I was able to test these theories when I (give a working example) which resulted (add outcome). In addition, I (add reference to placement, experience or society) where I gained (skills) that will be highly useful in this role.’
Do your grades reflect your potential?
I love these oddball interview questions, but for many applicants the randomness of the question is off putting.
Interviewers ask this question, mainly to applicants who have gained a lower grade then the national average. Here, the employer is offering an olive branch, allowing the applicant to discuss their potential.
The goal here is to keep the answer positive. Don’t blame grades on poor teaching, external distractions or the pressure of an example.
Instead, be positive. Focus the rely on your area of growth, your knowledge level, your passion and commitment. Your work ethic, personal skills and relevant experiences.
Example answer
‘Exam grades are only one part of a persons potential. Experience, temperament, skills and qualities also reflect potential. As an example, I recently (reference an experience – this could include a society or club, or even a volunteering opportunity) which highlighted by ability to (add job criteria). A second example of my potential is my ability to (add employability skills) which will be useful when (add job duty). Overall my potential can be seen by my work ethic and (add skill)’.
What is your understanding of principle one?
In all job interviews you will be asked several technical job related questions.
For graduate job roles you may asked about sector models and theories. As an example, a engineering interviewer may ask ‘what are the sub-grades of steel?’
For a part-time job, lets say in retail the employer may ask ‘how would you deal with a customer compliant?’
For technical job related questions, answers can be either a breakdown of the underpinning sector model or theory or a real-life example.
Interview answer – theory
‘(theory author name) stats that (detail the theory outline) but (theory author name) contradicts this when they talked about (detail theory outline)’
Interview answer – example
‘When working on (project) we faced (barrier/problem) To solve this I (describe actions took) which ended with (outcome).
Job Interview Advice
