First jobs · 5 min read
How do I prepare for my first job interview?
What a first interview for a shop, café or weekend job asks: the six usual questions, how to answer with no work history, what to wear and what to bring.
The short answer
A first job interview is usually 15 to 30 minutes with a manager who wants to know three things: will you turn up, can you be trusted with customers and money, and are you easy to work with. Prepare one example for each from school, sport, volunteering or home. Arrive ten minutes early, dress one notch smarter than the staff, bring your availability written down, and ask one question at the end.
Key takeaways
- Expect: tell me about yourself, why here, why should we hire you, a time you dealt with a difficult person, your availability, and any questions.
- Answer with a short real example and what happened, not with adjectives about yourself.
- Know your availability to the hour before you walk in. It decides more first-job interviews than anything you say.
- Have one question ready: what does a good first month look like here?
On this pageWhat a first interview is really testing
What a first interview is really testing
Nobody interviewing a 16 year old for a Saturday job is testing your knowledge of retail. They're checking reliability, honesty and whether you'll get on with the team and the customers. Every question, however it's worded, is one of those three in disguise. Once you see that, you can prepare three stories and use them for almost anything.
The six questions and how to answer them
| Question | What they're checking | Answer in one breath |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about yourself | Can you talk clearly | School year, what you're doing, why you want a job, your availability |
| Why do you want to work here? | Did you look, or is this one of fifty | One true thing you noticed about this place, plus what you'd learn |
| Why should we hire you? | Reliability | An example of turning up for something for a long time |
| Tell me about a difficult person | Customers | A real moment, what you did, how it ended |
| When can you work? | Rota | Exact days and hours, and exam dates you already know |
| Any questions? | Interest | One practical question about the first month |
Three stories cover almost everything
- A reliability story: something you've turned up to for a long time. A team, a club, a paper round, looking after a sibling.
- A people story: a moment you dealt with someone who was upset, confused or difficult, and how it ended.
- A learning story: something you were bad at and got better at, with how you did it.
Say each one out loud twice before the day, so the shape is familiar. Keep each under a minute.
The practical details that decide it
- Arrive ten minutes early, not thirty. Find the entrance the day before if you can.
- Bring your availability written down, your National Insurance number if you have it, and a copy of your CV.
- Phone on silent and out of sight for the whole time, including the wait.
- Say hello to whoever greets you. In small businesses, that person often has a say.
Illustrative example: the question about a difficult customer
Asked about a difficult person, a 16 year old talks about refereeing under-9s football when a parent shouted at him over a throw-in. He says he let the parent finish, explained the rule once, and carried on with the game, and that the coach thanked him afterwards. Twenty seconds, one real moment, a clear end. He got the job at the leisure centre, where parents also shout about throw-ins.
After the interview
If they said Friday and it's the Tuesday after, one polite message is fine. If it's a no, ask what you could do differently; many managers will tell a young applicant. Then book the next one. First interviews get easier fast, and the three stories come with you.
Questions people ask
- What should I wear to a first interview at a shop or café?
- One step smarter than the people working there. For a café or supermarket that means clean plain trousers or a skirt, a shirt or plain top, and clean shoes. No suit. Avoid strong perfume and anything with a slogan. If you can see the uniform on the shop floor, aim a little above it.
- What do I say when they ask about my experience and I haven't got any?
- Say you haven't had a paid job yet, then go straight to what you have done: 'I've volunteered at the charity shop on Saturdays for a year, so I've used a till and dealt with customers.' Managers hiring 16 year olds expect no work history. They want evidence you'll show up and learn.
- What questions should I ask at the end of a first interview?
- Ask one or two practical ones: what the first week's training covers, what a typical Saturday shift involves, or when they expect to decide. Asking about pay is fine if it wasn't in the advert; ask it plainly. Don't ask about holidays or discounts before you've been offered the job.
- Is it normal to do a trial shift after the interview?
- Common in hospitality. A short trial of an hour or two to see how you move around the space can be unpaid if it's a genuine test. If you're doing a full shift of real work, you should be paid at least the minimum wage for it. Ask before you agree how long it is and whether it's paid.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Interview advice · National Careers Service
- Young workers, apprentices and work experience · Acas
- Employment rights and pay for interns · GOV.UK
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.