Interviews can feel daunting when you are fresh out of university or applying for your first internship, and even more so if you are neurodivergent and open-ended questions make your mind go blank or race off in five directions. A clear structure for your answers helps. You may already know the STAR method. This guide covers another option, the CIRCLE method, which works well when you don’t have much professional experience to draw on.
What the CIRCLE method is
CIRCLE is a way of structuring answers to behavioural or competency-based questions, the “tell us about a time when…” kind. Each letter is one part of your answer:
- Context: set the scene and describe the situation you were in.
- Issue: explain the problem or task that needed attention.
- Resolution: describe the steps you took to deal with it.
- Contribution: make clear what your own part was.
- Learning: say what you learned and how it changed your approach.
- Evaluation: reflect on the outcome and how well your actions worked.
Having a fixed order to follow takes some of the pressure off in the moment. You don’t have to decide how to shape the answer while also remembering the example.
Why it suits graduates and interns
You can use any kind of experience
CIRCLE works just as well with university projects, volunteering, societies, part-time jobs or caring responsibilities as it does with formal work experience. If you are worried about a thin CV, our guide to standing out with no experience has more ideas.
It shows you can learn
For entry-level roles, employers are often more interested in how you learn and adapt than in how much you have done. The Learning and Evaluation steps let you show that you reflect on what happened and improve.
It makes your contribution clear
Plenty of candidates talk about “we” all the way through a group example. The Contribution step makes sure the interviewer hears what you personally did.
A worked example
Say you are asked: “Tell us about a time when you worked on a challenging project.”
Context. “In my final year at university, I worked on a group project designing a marketing strategy for a local charity.”
Issue. “The team couldn’t agree on the key message, and our deadline was getting close.”
Resolution. “I set up a meeting where everyone could put forward their ideas, then ran a session to narrow them down to one message.”
Contribution. “I summarised everyone’s input and drafted the first version of the proposal, which we then refined together.”
Learning. “I learned how much clear direction helps a group get aligned, and that writing ideas down early saves a lot of circular discussion.”
Evaluation. “We delivered a strategy the whole team was happy with, and the charity used it to increase their social media engagement by 15%.”
When to use CIRCLE
Use it for behavioural questions, where the interviewer wants to know how you handled something in the past. For example: “Describe a challenge you faced in a group”, “Tell us about a time you had to meet a tight deadline” or “How have you dealt with conflict in a team?” It is less useful for straightforward factual questions, where a short direct answer is better.
Tips for neurodivergent candidates
Prepare a bank of examples
Write out four or five examples in CIRCLE format before the interview and practise saying them aloud. Many questions can be answered with the same handful of stories, adapted slightly.
Ask for the adjustments you need
Employers can, and should, adjust their interview process for disabled candidates, and many neurodivergent people are covered. Under the Equality Act, interview arrangements are one of the areas where you are protected. Useful adjustments include getting the questions in advance, having them in writing during the interview, extra time, or bringing notes. Whether and how you mention your neurodivergence is your choice; our disclosure templates can help you word the request.
Be honest and tailor your examples
You don’t need to pretend to have years of experience. Pick examples that match the skills in the job description, and say what you learned. Employers hiring for entry-level roles expect exactly that.
How Enna can help with your job search
Getting the interview comes first. If your applications aren’t turning into interviews, read our advice on tailoring your CV as a neurodivergent job seeker or get help with your CV. When you are ready to apply, the Enna jobs board lists roles with employers who want neurodivergent talent, and you can register for job alerts so new graduate and entry-level roles reach you first.
