How to Build an Interview Questions Bank During Your Job Search
Each interview you attend is a source of intelligence about what interviewers in your target role and sector actually ask. Collecting this intelligence systematically creates a preparation resource that improves with every interview — making you better prepared for each subsequent one.
What a Questions Bank Looks Like
A questions bank is simply a running record of interview questions you have encountered, organised in a way that makes them useful for preparation. Structure it by:
Question type: Competency/behavioural ("Tell me about a time when..."), technical ("How would you approach..."), situational ("What would you do if..."), motivation ("Why are you applying?"), cultural ("How would your colleagues describe you?")
Frequency: Mark which questions come up repeatedly across different employers — these are the most worth having a polished answer for.
Your answer quality: Note after each interview where you felt your answer was strong and where it fell flat. The questions where you struggled are your preparation priorities.
How to Record After an Interview
In the 30-60 minutes after an interview, before the details fade:
- Write down every question you can remember being asked
- Note the order and flow of the conversation if possible
- Reflect on which questions you answered well and which you would answer differently
- Add to your tracker notes and to your central questions bank
This post-interview reflection is one of the highest-value activities in a job search. Most candidates skip it.
Using the Bank for Preparation
Before each new interview:
- Review the bank for questions that are likely based on the role type and sector
- Check your previous answers for similar roles — what worked, what did not
- Prepare one or two new answers for questions you have not faced yet
- Identify the questions you still find hardest and practise them specifically
The bank compounds in value with each interview. After ten interviews, your preparation for the eleventh is dramatically better than it was for the first.
Build your CV free at CVCircuit and use the notes fields in your tracker to build your questions bank alongside your application records.