Hi there.
My name is Richard McMunn from the career guidance company www.How2Become.com.
And in this this training video, I'm going to teach you how to prepare for and pass the
Army Interview.
So I'm going to give you loads of sample Army Interview questions.
I'm gonna give you a few answers as well and please watch the video from beginning to end
because I think if you're going through any kind of Army Interview, then I feel it will
be of benefit to you.
And before I get into some of the sample questions and answers, I want to quickly go over a couple
of obvious tips.
Now, a lot of people will think, "You don't need to tell me about this.
I already know about it."
But I just want to stress the importance of presentation when you go to your interview.
Make sure you turn up on time.
If you don't know where the interview location is, i.e., you've not been there before, do
a trial run the night before.
Make sure you know exactly where to go.
Get there on time.
Arrive early and make sure you're presented really smart -- suit, shirt, tie, polished
shoes as well, neutral colours.
Sit upright in the interview chair.
Don't sit down until you're invited to do so.
Shake their hand firmly.
Look them in the eye.
And when you're responding to the interview questions, look at the interview panel in
the eye.
You're not staring them out, but you need to look at them with confidence because you
need to demonstrate resilience, competence, and confidence during the interview.
Remember, this is your chance for a fantastic future career, so make sure you prepare fully
and you are representative of the standards that the army expects, okay?
Because it's a disciplined service so you have to make sure that you demonstrate you
have the potential to, like I say, be professional and obviously be the best.
So let's take a look at a few sample interview questions.
Now some of them are really easy but you can get caught out.
Some of them are much tougher.
Make sure you prepare fully for it.
So the first question you could get asked is why do you want to join the Army?
Don't forget, there are other services.
There's Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy.
And I remember, when I went for my first initial Armed Forces interview, the first question
was why do you want to join?
Why do you not want to join the other two services?
See, I have to give a reason why you've chosen this one and it also has to be your choice,
nobody else's.
You don't be going there with having your parents forced you along to the interview
or they want you to do it more than anything.
It's got to be your choice and you need to have to support your family as well.
So why do you want to join the Army?
Well, you have to demonstrate motivation when answering these questions.
You have to give really good reasons, not just, "Oh, I've wanted to join for many years
now," and that's it.
You have to give an in-depth answer as to the reasons why.
So we want to be able to get you to demonstrate that you've done plenty of research.
You know what's coming with regards to the training.
You've been preparing for it.
You know what your weaknesses are as well and you're ready to go.
So I'm gonna read a sample response and I'll tell you where you can get a copy of this
as well, but take notes as I go along.
"So I wanted to join the Army for a number of years now.
I feel like I've now reached the part of my life where I am ready to commit to the service.
Having studied the Army recruitment literature and visited the Army website, I'm impressed
by the professionalism and the standards the service sets itself.
I want a career that is fulfilling, challenging, and rewarding, and I believe that the Army
would provide all of these.
I enjoy keeping physically fit and active and believe that given the right training,
I would make a great team member.
I'm also very much attracted to the fact that the Army offers a wide range of career choices.
The fact that I would be improving my education and ending up with a trade is just another
example of why I want to join this great service.
I've seriously considered the implications that joining a service such as the Army would
have both on my personal life and my social life, and I've discussed these in detail with
my family.
They've given me their full support and commitment in helping me to achieve my goal of joining
the army."
So that demonstrates a mature response.
You're fully aware of what's going to happen, also the impact on your social life and your
family life is really important as well.
Like I say, I'll tell you we can get a copy of this sample response to use it to construct
your own as I progress through this presentation.
Another sample question, how do you think you're gonna cope with Army life in relation
to the discipline and being part of the military organization?
I remember when I first joined, I joined the Royal Navy, and it was a bit of a shock, to
be honest, when I went along there, first of all, I was told to iron my kit and polish
my shoes.
And you know, I was only, like, 16 years of age, so, you know, found it tough initially,
but I was mentally prepared for it.
So a lot of people aren't prepared for discipline in this kind of organization, and whilst the
Army are extremely supportive of people that go in and they will they will coach you and
they will mentor you, you have to be prepared for discipline and also being part of a military
organization with regards to looking after yourself, taking personal responsibility,
getting up when required, and preparing for the next day well in advance.
So you need to think about this carefully.
Here's my sample response to the interview question, how do you think you're gonna cope
with Army life in relation to the discipline and being part of a military organization?
"Now, having read the information that's available to me about the Army way of life, I think
I would cope very well.
I know that I will find it difficult at times but believe I have both the maturity and stability
to succeed and become a competent member of the team.
The very nature of the Army means that it requires a disciplined workforce.
Without that discipline, things can go wrong.
If I'm successful and I do not carry out my duties professionally and diligently, then
I could endanger somebody's life.
I understand why discipline is required and believe I would cope with it well.
I also understand that being an army is not a 9-to-5 job, but instead, you must take on
tasks whenever required.
In order to prepare for the training, I've already integrated routine and self-discipline
into my life.
For example, I've been getting up really early at 5:00 a.m. every weekday morning to go running
and I've started carrying out daily household tasks such as hoovering, cleaning, and ironing.
At the very start of my preparation for joining the Army, I made myself an action plan that
would focus my mind on what I needed to do in order to improve and achieve my goals."
So again, you can see that's quite a... it's a strong response, it demonstrates the level
of maturity.
You're also stating in that response that you know that if you're not disciplined as
a person and you're not organized and effective and you're working as part of a team and doing
your job, then you are endangering not just your life but other lives as well.
You could, you know, sacrifice the mission or impact on the mission that you're actually
doing with your team.
So make sure that you read that carefully, that response.
Like I said, I'll tell you where to get a copy of it, and you structure your own based
on your own beliefs as well.
So let's take a look at another interview question for the Army, how do you think you're
going to fit into a team?
Now, I could respond to that question and say, "Yeah, I think I would respond really
well.
I would work hard as part of the team."
But the best way to respond to this kind of question, fitting into a team environment,
is to actually give an example of where you've already done this.
So a great example would be if you've worked in a team environment, say, for example, as
part of work or as part of a team activity, a sports activity, maybe be hockey, rugby,
football, whatever it is, and you've worked with other people already, because that would
really help with your response.
So being an effective team member means about communicating with all the team, listening
to the initial brief, making sure you play to people's strengths but you're also aware
of everybody else's weaknesses within the team, okay, because you are only the strong
in the team as the weaknesses, okay, so you need to be aware of the witnesses and supporting
each other, motivating each other.
And also, once you've finished the task, it's about a debrief, about understanding where
you went wrong or how you could improve for next time.
So having an understanding of what it's like to work in a team environment is really strong.
If you can demonstrate you've already done this before, then that is much better.
Here's my sample response to the interview question, how'd you think you're gonna fit
into the Army team environment?
"I've experienced working in a team.
I really enjoyed it so I know I would fit in well.
I play for my local rugby team and it's important that everybody gels together in order to win
our games.
The real test for the team is when we're being beaten and I always tried to rally the team
together and get as motivated to win back the points we have lost.
I understand that the Army needs to work together effectively as a team to get the right result.
If the team doesn't perform, then people's lives can be put at risk.
Being effective part of the team also means that I would have to train hard and keep up
my competency levels, which I believe I would do well.
With my experience of team sports and having the ability to pull a team together when the
chips are down, I think I will be a great asset to the Army team."
Again, another response, but if you can give a specific example of where you've worked
as part of a team, then all the better.
Okay, another really simple question but one that can catch you out is what you do in your
spare time.
Okay, so they're trying to find out what you do in your spare time, if you're the kind
of person who sits on their backside, plays computer games all day and all night, then
perhaps Army life isn't for you.
They would much prefer to see people who are out there being active, improving their confidence
and competency levels, maybe you've got a part-time job, maybe you've been doing voluntary
work, all those things will work in your favor.
So here's my answer, suggested answer, for the interview, Army Interview question what
you do in your spare time.
"During my spare time, I like to keep active both physically and mentally.
I enjoy visiting the gym three times a week and I have a structured workout that I try
to vary every three months to keep my interest levels up.
I am also currently doing a part-time studying course in art, which is one of my hobbies.
I'm also a member of the local Army Cadets which is an evenings commitment every week
and the occasional weekend.
Of course, I know when it's time to relax and I'll usually do this by listening to music
or playing snooker with my friends, but overall, I am a very active person.
I certainly don't like sitting around to do nothing.
I understand if I'm successful at joining the Army, there will be plenty of things to
do in the evenings to keep you occupied such as gym and other various social events."
So the key thing is there, to make sure when you're responding to the interview question,
what you do in your spare time, that you demonstrate that you are active and you are looking to
continually develop and improve as a person.
Okay, next question, can you tell us about any personal achievements you have experienced
during your life so far?
So if you have a history of achieving, whether it's during education, in work, or working
as part of a team, then that will only serve you well because it demonstrates a history
of achievement.
So it might be things like Duke of Edinburgh awards, GCSEs, A levels, team or individual
sports awards, trophies, and medals, or even things like raising money for charity.
I remember when I was joining, one of the things I did while I was at school was I arranged
a charity event.
We only raised a few hundred pounds but that demonstrated, one, I'm a caring person, one,
I can be organized when needed because I took care of the whole organization of the event,
and also, that I'm prepared to do something for others, okay, not putting myself first,
putting other people first.
So let's take a look at a sample response to the interview question, can you tell us
about any personal achievements you've experienced during your life so far?
"Yes, I can.
So far in my life, I've managed to achieve a number of things that I'm proud of.
To begin with, I recently worked hard to achieve positive GCSE results, which enabled me to
go on to further education and study my choice of subject.
Without these grades, I would have not been able to do that.
About a year ago, the football team that I play in won the league trophy for the second
year running, which is another one of my more recent achievements.
However, my most memorable achievement to date is managing to raise a thousand pounds
for a local charity.
I worked hard and ran a marathon in order to raise the money.
I was particularly proud of this achievement because it meant the charity I ran for were
able to purchase some important items and equipment that could be used to treat some
of their patients."
So if you were listening to that response and you were an Army Officer, and you're listening
to that response, somebody wants to join, I'd suggest that you might be impressed by
that, that you are already doing things and you're taking responsibility, looking to improve
not just your own life and your own grades, etc., but you're looking to help other people
as well, okay, so you're selfless.
Okay, next question, can you tell me what you have learned about your chosen career?
So you will have your choices of career, you know, it's not just about looking at the website
or the glossy brochures and thinking, "Oh, this would be a great job."
You need to understand what the job is about that you're applying for, and also why you
would fit in well, where you have your strengths and also being aware of weaknesses as well.
So make sure you do lots of study for this.
So I'll give you a sample response based on the chosen career of aircraft dispatcher.
"I understand that the Army relies on air delivery from helicopters and other transport
aircraft to resupply quickly.
My job, if I'm successful as an aircraft dispatcher, would be to make sure the loads are carried
safely and delivered in one piece.
It doesn't matter whether the loads are slung underneath a Chinook helicopter or dropped
by parachute from a Hercules aircraft, it would still be my responsibility to ensure
things went smoothly.
I would be working with other services such as the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy,
and I'll be traveling with my cargo most of the time.
In addition to my main roles as dispatcher, I would also learn to drive and be trained
in survival safety and emergency drills."
So you're fully aware of what you will be going through.
Another question, what qualities do you think you need to be a good team player?
So you might have given a previous answer to the question when have you demonstrated
effective team working skills, but I'll just quickly give you some of the qualities with
of an effective team player because it's so important to know these.
You're enthusiastic.
You want to achieve the end goals for the team.
You're a good communicator, both written and orally.
You're a motivated person.
You are supportive of other team members.
You provide other team members with encouragement, so you're shouting positive things to them
to get them going, especially when the chips are down.
You're determined to complete the tasks.
You are a complete to finisher, so that's a great quality for somebody to have is they
complete things and they get them finished even when they don't want to do them sometimes.
You're professional and competent and you can follow standards in your training, in
your operational procedures and you're always focused on the wider team objective.
Okay, another question, what are the values of the British Army?
Okay, what are the values?
You should know these before you go along to the interview.
So here's my response to what are the values of the British Army?
"The values of the British Army are a selfless commitment, courage, discipline, integrity,
loyalty, and respect for others.
As a soldier, you have to be prepared to carry out tasks others don't want to do.
It is important to be strong and aggressive in battle but to also behave properly and
demonstrate self-control at all times.
Army soldiers and officers have to be aggressive and strong in battle, yet behave properly
and show self-control all the time.
Being courageous means facing up to danger and doing what is right at all times.
Discipline means having the ability to maintain constant high standards so that others can
rely on you.
Integrity means earning the respect and trust of your work colleagues.
Loyalty is being faithful to your work colleagues and to your duty.
And having respect for others means treating everybody with respect and dignity at all
times."
So those are just a few sample interview questions that you could get asked that I recommend
you prepare for.
I'm gonna give you a list of a few more.
Also in the description below this video, I'm gonna list these for you so you can copy
and paste them into your own document.
What does your family think of you joining the Army?
It's ideal if they support you, obviously, but it needs to be your decision that you're
joining.
How do you think you'll cope with losing your personal freedom?
Okay, so you're gonna lose your personal freedom.
You're gonna be part of a different team.
Yeah, of course, you'll still have your friends when you go home on leave, but you're gonna
lose your personal freedom.
So at the moment, you know, you have loads of time in the evenings to do what you want
to do, you can spend time at the weekends going down to the pub doing whatever it is
you do, but you're gonna lose that personal freedom.
Things are gonna really change for you when you join and you need to be prepared for that.
What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?
And those people who say, "I don't have a weakness," in my opinion, are not being truthful.
We all have weaknesses but the key thing is to say what they are but that you are trying
to improve on those weaknesses.
But a quick tip, if you say, "I struggle to get out of bed in the morning," that's not
a great weakness to have, okay?
You need to have overcome those kind of things and you need to have structure in your life.
Now, what contact have you had with the Army during your preparations?
Have you spoke to other people who served in the Army, going along to the Careers Office,
maybe visiting some establishments with their permission?
We've already mentioned this, what are the values of the British Army?
What are you currently doing to prepare for initial training?
Like can you do the bleep test?
Have you downloaded a copy of the bleep test or you're practicing it in your local park?
Tell me what training you're going to undergo for your chosen career branch or trade?
What do you think of your exam results?
What do you think of the results?
Are you happy with them or could have they been improved?
And what did you think of your teachers - now, that's a good question.
What do you think of your teachers?
And I don't believe they want to hear anything derogatory about your teachers because your
teacher is somebody in a position of authority that you should respect whether you like them
or not.
Okay?
So that's assessing what you like with regards to discipline, how you react to that.
Yeah, have a look in the description below the video for a link that will take you through
to my website.
You can get more sample interview questions and also, if you're going through the new
Army Cognitive Test and we've got a guide that will help you with that as well.
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the video.
Please, I'd really appreciate if you gave it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel.
And then you'll be the first person to be notified whenever I create other training
videos that will help you pass the Army selection process.
Final thing, if you're going for Army Officer selection, and then I've put another link
below the video to it another YouTube video where I cover Army Officer Interview questions.
Thank you very much for watching and I wish you all the best in your pursuit to joining
the Army.