The 10 Most Common UK Interview Questions — Answered with the STAR Method

In UK interviews — especially behavioural interviews — nearly 80% of questions are designed around the STAR method.
Even strong candidates can be rejected if they fail to structure their answers effectively.

Below are the 10 most frequently asked interview questions, along with a practical framework to prepare strong answers.

The Top 10 Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. Why do you want to work for us?

3. What is your greatest strength and weakness?

4. Describe a time you faced a challenge.

5. Give an example of working in a team.

6. Describe a time you failed.

7. How do you handle pressure or tight deadlines?

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

9. Do you have any questions for us?

Example: Answering “Teamwork” Using the STAR Method

Let’s take Question 5 — “Give an example of working in a team” — and see how STAR transforms a weak answer into a strong one.

Situation

“During a university group project to develop a market analysis app, our team of four had conflicting ideas about which technology stack to use.”

Task

“My responsibility was not only to complete my own coding tasks, but also to help align the team so we could meet the eight-week deadline.”

Action

“I organised a team meeting, created a comparison matrix evaluating Python versus Java based on our project requirements, and facilitated a structured discussion and vote. I then volunteered to set up a shared GitHub repository and CI pipeline to streamline collaboration.”

Result

“We agreed on Python, delivered the project three days early, and achieved the highest grade in the class. More importantly, we maintained a positive and collaborative team dynamic throughout the project.”

Compare the Difference

Weak answer:

“I have good teamwork skills and have done group projects at university.”

STAR-based answer:
The structured response above.

The difference is immediately clear.

Final Advice

For these 10 questions, prepare 3–5 core stories using the STAR framework. Practise them until your delivery feels natural rather than rehearsed.

When the interview begins, you won’t be scrambling for answers — you’ll be the calmest and most professional person in the room.