Teen Job Interview: Questions and How to Answer

What the manager is really looking for

Nobody expects work experience from a teenager. The person interviewing you is checking three things: will you turn up on time, will you stick around, and are you easy to work with. Every question below is a version of one of those three. Once you see that, the questions stop feeling like a test and start feeling like a chance to show you're reliable.

So don't start by memorising answers. Write down three specific moments from school, sport, a club or home where you finished something or helped someone out. Most of the questions below can be answered with one of them.

The eight questions you'll almost always get

1. Tell me about yourself

They don't want your life story. Three sentences are plenty: where you go to school or college, what you're into, and why you're looking for a job. Whatever you do, don't open with "I don't really know what to say." Managers hear that line more than any other.

2. Why do you want to work here?

Look at the company's website or pop into the shop before the interview. "I need money" is honest, but everyone already knows that. Add one specific reason: you're a regular customer, you like working with people, you want to learn a particular skill.

3. What experience do you have?

If this is your first job, say so without apologising and move straight to what you can do: looking after younger siblings is responsibility, organising a school event is planning, playing for a team is teamwork. The same trick works on paper, so before you send anything out, check the CV mistakes that could cost you the role.

4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Back up a strength with an example or it's just a word. For the weakness, pick a real but minor one and add what you're doing about it. "I sometimes take on too much at once, so now I put everything in my phone calendar" works. "I'm a perfectionist" has been heard a thousand times.

5. How do you handle stress or conflict?

This one is about staying calm during a rush. Describe one specific situation, what you did and how it turned out. It doesn't need to be from a job; a tense moment in a group project or on a team is enough.

6. When can you work, and how often?

The most practical question, and often the one that decides it. Know exactly which days and hours you can realistically manage alongside school, and say so up front. Promising more and then cancelling shifts is the fastest way to lose a job. Remember that if you're still of school age, the law caps your hours and no manager can go past those limits.

7. What pay are you expecting?

For most teen jobs the rate is set, and the manager mostly wants to know you're aware of it. Check what similar jobs pay locally before you go. If you're 16 or 17 and past school leaving age, you're entitled to the National Minimum Wage for under-18s, which is £8.00 an hour from 1 April 2026. Under 16, there's no legal minimum, so ask for the rate before you start.

8. Do you have any questions for us?

Never say no. Questions show you're taking it seriously, and they help you find out what you're signing up for.

Before you say yes

From 16, your employer will usually put you on payroll, so you'll need your National Insurance number, which arrives shortly before your 16th birthday. You're entitled to a payslip, and with the tax-free personal allowance at £12,570 a year, most part-time teen jobs pay no income tax at all. Get your pay rate, hours and start date in writing, even if it's just an email.

The day before the interview

Confirm where you're going and when, and plan to arrive ten minutes early. Bring a printed CV, ID and your list of questions. Dress clean and tidy in a way that fits the place; the article on what to wear to an interview goes into detail. If you're being interviewed alongside other candidates, read up first on how to excel in group interviews.

One last thing: if a question catches you off guard, it's fine to pause and think. A few seconds of silence looks better than a fast, made-up answer.