Getting Ready for Your Chevening Interview? Here’s How to Prepare!

Chevening Interview

The Chevening Scholarship is a prestigious opportunity that opens doors to a world-class education and a global network of leaders. If you’ve made it to the interview stage, congratulations! This is your chance to demonstrate why you are the ideal candidate for this fully funded UK government scholarship.

Understand structure

The Chevening interview is a competency-based assessment designed to evaluate your leadership potential, networking skills, career aspirations, and commitment to contributing to your home country after completing your studies. The interview focusing on your essay answers, personal stories, experiences, and clarity regarding your professional plan means that the panel want to get a deeper understanding of who you are, how your experiences align with the goals of the program, and how well you can communicate your ideas and also how you will manage yourself in the UK during your study period. Using the STAR method effectively can help you structure your responses clearly and concisely.

The STAR Method

• Situation: Describe the context or background of your example.
• Task: Explain the challenge or responsibility you faced.
• Action: Detail the specific steps you took to address the situation.
• Result: Highlight the outcomes and impact of your actions.

Practical tips

• A mock interview: Requesting a mock interview with Chevening alumni and applicants is an excellent strategy to prepare for the real interview. By simulating the interview experience, you get the opportunity to refine your answers, clarify your thoughts, and improve your communication skills. It helps you to present your ideas more clearly and respond with confidence. Engaging with Chevening alumni and fellow applicants allows you to gain valuable insights into how they framing their answers.
• Review your essay
• Be Yourself
• Be Authentic & Confident
• Prepare for Common Questions: tell us about yourself, strengths, weakness, time management, impact of collaboration, success stories.

Major areas need to cover

1. Leadership & Influence
   • Be prepared to share your examples of when you demonstrated leadership in your personal, academic, or professional life.
   • Highlight initiatives, success stories and it’s impact.
2. Networking & Inter-personal relationship-building
   • Explain how you have built and maintained professional and academic relationships, and networking-led collaborations and impact.
   • Discuss how you plan to leverage the Chevening network to achieve your long-term professional goals.
3. Career Plan
   • Clearly outline your career goals and how your chosen course in the UK aligns with it.
   • Your commitment to home country and post-graduation plan.
4. Why the UK & this course?
   • Express why studying in the UK is important for your academic aspirations.
   • Showcase your knowledge of the UK’s, courses, it’s scope, and contributions in your sector.
   • Demonstrate your familiarity with UK, UK’s priorities on social development agenda, day-to-day life, events and priorities.

Here’s all the important information from the official Chevening Scholarship portal that you need.

1. How to prepare for your Chevening interview: https://www.chevening.org/news/how-to-prepare-for-your-chevening-interview-in-2024/
2. 5 tips for standing out in your interview from real Chevening interviewers: https://www.chevening.org/news/5-tips-for-standing-out-in-your-interview-from-real-chevening-interviewers/
3. What will your contribution be? How to show interviewers your value to the Chevening network: https://www.chevening.org/news/what-will-your-contribution-be-how-to-show-interviewers-your-value-to-the-chevening-network/
4. 3 of the most common Chevening interview mistakes and how to avoid them: https://www.chevening.org/news/chevening-interview-mistakes/
5. Defining your career plan ahead of your Chevening interview: https://www.chevening.org/news/defining-your-career-plan/
6. Interview preparation tips from a current Chevening Scholar: https://www.chevening.org/news/interview-preparation-tips-from-a-current-chevening-scholar/
7. What type of leader are you? How to show leadership skills in your Chevening interview, according to current scholars: https://www.chevening.org/news/what-type-of-leader-are-you-how-to-show-leadership-skills-in-your-chevening-interview-according-to-current-scholars/
8. 3 things to think about when discussing your chosen course: https://www.chevening.org/news/3-things-to-think-about-when-discussing-your-chosen-course/
9. What does leadership mean to you?: https://www.chevening.org/news/what-is-leadership/
10. 5 questions to ponder before your Chevening interview: https://www.chevening.org/news/5-questions-to-ponder-before-your-chevening-interview/
11. 7 tips for interview success: https://www.chevening.org/news/7-tips-for-completing-a-successful-chevening-interview/
12. How could a Chevening Scholarship help you achieve your career goals?: https://www.chevening.org/news/how-could-a-chevening-scholarship-help-you-achieve-your-career-goals/

Best of luck to all aspiring scholars!

Sagun Paudel
Chevening Scholar 2024/25
Student (MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics and Political Science, London)

#Chevening #StudyinUK #Leadership #Scholarships #CheveningInterview #FutureLeaders #InterviewTips

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