Answering job interview questions when your current job is very straight-forward

[Interviewin]

I'm hoping to get out of retail into an accounting apprenticeship or admin role but I struggle a bit with what to say in interviews. With competency based questions, I feel like I'm repeating myself because my job is very repetitive. I always look at the essential skills and comes up with examples but they're never very long (although I've got no idea how long an answer should be?) because I never do anything particularly complicated so I end up rambling a bit. None of my hobbies develop skills that're relevant to work.

I know that I can communicate well/work in a team/cope with pressure/etc/etc but how do I convince an interviewer of that when I just don't get many opportunities to do it?

If you don't have enough job based examples explain to the interviewer why. Say your current job is repetitive and not one that naturally brings about the types of situation they are asking you to provide. However, if you can find examples from outside work they would probably accept those.

Alternatively there are books out there which deal with how to answer competency based questions. I have one out from our library - it's at home or I'd be able to tell you the title/author!

I've often wondered about this myself if I didn't have the experience I have... I suspect I might think up a range of answers of what I would do in a situation then and think them through... practice them and then give them as if they were actual examples!! Okay... so that is fibbing... so maybe not to be recommended unless you have a brass neck and the examples you give would be appropriate given your experience.

I am prone to rambling so have practised with actual examples so that I can make sure I have covered all the things they need to tick their boxes. And can be concise.