A hallway in the morning: the door ajar, a coat on the hook, a leather bag with keys and a linen towel with red embroidery on the bench, polished shoes beneath it

Interview preparation · TEEI Mentorship

Interview preparation for Ukrainians

A mentor asks questions the way a real interview would, you answer out loud, and then you go through your answers together. Bring a vacancy or an interview invitation.

Sessions last 30, 45 or 60 minutes, online and free. Many mentors speak Ukrainian.

Find a mentor The questions they ask ↓

Interview questions

What you will be asked and how to answer.

Your short story

How they ask

  • “Tell me about yourself.”
  • “What should we know about you that is not on your CV?”
  • “How would your colleagues describe you?”
  • “What are your strengths?”

What the employer wants to hear

A short story about who you are professionally and why you are applying for this role in particular. There is no need to retell your CV: the employer already has it.

How to answer

Two to three minutes: your field and experience, one result you are proud of, and why this vacancy is your next step.

In a session with a mentor

You tell it out loud, the mentor listens as an interviewer would and says what stayed with them and what got lost.

Answer shape2–3 minutes
  1. Your field and experience
  2. One result you are proud of
  3. Why this role is your next step
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Why this company and why you

How they ask

  • “Why do you want to work for this company?”
  • “What do you know about our company?”
  • “What attracts you to this role?”
  • “Why should we hire you?”
  • “Where do you see yourself in a few years?”

What the employer wants to hear

That you have read the vacancy carefully and understand what drives this industry and who its customers are.

How to answer

Speak the language of the vacancy: take two or three requirements from the advert and show where you have already done exactly that.

In a session with a mentor

You bring the vacancy, the mentor asks questions about it, and then you look together for what in it matches your experience.

Answer shape
  1. What drives the industry and who its customers are
  2. A requirement from the vacancy and your example
  3. Another requirement and your example
Speaking the language of your industry, in your CV and in the interviewSanam E. · 97 seconds
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Behavioural questions

How they ask

  • “Tell me about a time you faced a difficult challenge at work.”
  • “Tell me about a conflict in your team and how you resolved it.”
  • “Describe a situation where you made a mistake. What did you do next?”
  • “Describe a situation where you had to meet a tight deadline.”

What the employer wants to hear

A specific case from your work. General words about being responsible and careful do not help here.

How to answer

The STAR method: situation, task, action, result. Briefly and in that order, so the interviewer follows straight away.

In a session with a mentor

Together you choose two or three cases from your experience, in Ukraine or in your new country, and talk each one through with STAR.

Answer shapeSTAR method
  1. SituationWhere and when it happened.
  2. TaskWhat you had to do.
  3. ActionWhat you did, step by step.
  4. ResultHow it ended. A number, if there is one.
Heidi B. on the STAR method, film belowHeidi B. · 84 seconds
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Questions about your situation

How they ask

  • “How has your experience in Ukraine prepared you for this role?”
  • “What have you been doing for the past year?”
  • “Why is there a gap in your CV?”
  • “Why did you decide to change careers?”
  • “How well do you speak the language the team works in?”

What the employer wants to hear

A calm answer in one or two sentences, and what you are doing for your profession now.

How to answer

State the fact in one sentence, say what you have learned in that time or what you are doing now, and come back to the vacancy.

In a session with a mentor

Together you shape this answer until it sounds short and calm, in your own words.

Answer shape
  1. The fact, in one sentence
  2. What you are doing for your profession now
  3. Back to the vacancy
What to say when you lack experienceSanam E. · 82 seconds
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Technical questions and test tasks

How they ask

  • “Tell me about a project you’re proud of.”
  • “How would you approach this problem?”
  • “Which tools do you use in your work every day?”
  • “What would you do differently if you started again?”

What the employer wants to hear

How you think: where you start, what you clarify and how you check the result.

How to answer

Think out loud while you solve it. Draw on a real project you can show or describe.

In a session with a mentor

You can solve a practice task out loud and go through your reasoning with the mentor.

Answer shape
  1. What to clarify at the start
  2. Thinking out loud
  3. How to check the result
Projects instead of theoryDana A. · 70 seconds
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Mentors

Before you book, you can see who you will talk to.

Approved

A profile appears in search only after the application is approved.

A mentor profile on the TEEI Mentorship platform: the Approved label, name, city, confirmed LinkedIn account, rating and number of sessions held

LinkedIn account

Shows whether the mentor has confirmed their LinkedIn account.

Rating

Mentees give ratings after their sessions.

Sessions

The platform counts the sessions held.

The profile section on what the mentor can help with, listing the topics they chose

What they can help with

The mentor chooses the topics.

The Professional background section of a profile: field, seniority and markets

Professional background

The field, seniority and markets the mentor has worked in. A mentor from your field asks questions closer to the real ones.

A mentor profile on the TEEI Mentorship platform: photo and the Approved label

Approved

A profile appears in search only after the application is approved.

The mentor’s name, a short tagline and city
The profile field LinkedIn account

LinkedIn account

Shows whether the mentor has confirmed their LinkedIn account.

The profile field Rating

Rating

Mentees give ratings after their sessions.

The profile field Sessions

Sessions

The platform counts the sessions held.

The profile section on what the mentor can help with

What they can help with

The mentor chooses the topics.

The Professional background section of a profile

Professional background

The field, seniority and markets the mentor has worked in. A mentor from your field asks questions closer to the real ones.

Example profile from the platform tour

Platform tour

See the platform without signing up

Mentor search, profiles and booking, as a mentee sees them.

Open the tour

Mentor stories

An answer the interviewer understands straight away.

Mentor Heidi B. is preparing a Ukrainian woman for interviews: she ran a bank branch and is now moving into project management. They build every example from her experience with the STAR method.

84 seconds

Heidi B. · The STAR method in interviews

Booking

Choose a time. The platform takes you from there.

The booking panel on a mentor profile: the days of this week, the next open times and the Book button
Example from the platform tour

TEEI Mentorship

Open times are on the mentor’s profile.

Choose 30, 45 or 60 minutes and write briefly which interview you are preparing for. Some times are confirmed by the platform straight away, others by the mentor.

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A session request on the platform: the Waiting status and the time until which the mentor can reply
Example from the platform tour

If the mentor does not reply

A request never hangs.

The request shows until when the mentor can reply. Without a reply it closes by itself, and you choose another mentor or another time.

At first you can have one open request and two scheduled sessions. After your first completed session the platform allows more.

Certificate · TEEI Mentorship

Add your certificate to LinkedIn.

After two completed TEEI Mentorship sessions you receive your first certificate. From there its level rises with the number of sessions you complete. There is no exam. The certificate is issued by The Educational Equality Institute.

Sample TEEI Mentorship certificate: Your name, Career Fellow, 5 verified mentoring sessions, issued by The Educational Equality Institute, with a verification code Sample of the card others see when you share a TEEI Mentorship certificate on LinkedIn: 5 verified mentoring sessions, Career Fellow
Samples: the certificate, and the card others see when you share it

  1. LinkedIn profile

    The Add to LinkedIn button fills in the certificate’s name, the issuing organisation, the date and the link.

  2. Post

    Share the certificate on LinkedIn. People who see the post can open the certificate card.

  3. CV

    Download the certificate and add it to your CV or an application.

  4. Verification

    A public link lets a school or an employer check that the certificate is real.

New levels open at 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 150 sessions. All levels

Also at TEEI

What else you can start right away.

Career supportCV, cover letter, LinkedIn and job search, with a mentor. TEEI LanguageConversation practice for work and interviews, one to one.

TEEI Mentorship

First a rehearsal with a mentor. Then the interview.

Find a mentor About TEEI Mentorship →