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- How to Prepare for an Interview in 8 Steps
- Interview Preparation Timeline: A Week Before, the Day Before, the Day Of
- Company Research Checklist
- Common Interview Questions to Prepare
- How to Practise for an Interview: Four Ways Compared
- How to Practise Interview Questions So It Actually Helps
- What to Bring to an Interview
- How to Prepare for a Video or One-Way Interview
- Common Interview Preparation Mistakes
- After the Interview
- FAQ
To prepare for an interview, study the job description, research the company, prepare five or six real stories that prove the skills the role needs, practise answering common questions out loud, prepare two or three questions to ask, and sort out the logistics the day before. Practising out loud is the step most people skip, and the one that makes the biggest difference.
How to Prepare for an Interview in 8 Steps
Read the job description line by line
Highlight the five or six requirements that appear first or most often. Those are what the interviewer has been asked to check, so they are what your answers need to prove.
Research the company and the team
Know what they sell, who to, how they make money, and what has happened recently: a launch, a funding round, a new leader. Use the checklist below so you know when to stop.
Match your experience to their needs
For each key requirement, write down one example from your work, studies or volunteering that shows it. Where you have a gap, decide in advance how you will talk about it honestly.
Prepare five or six stories in STAR format
Most behavioral questions can be answered from a small bank of good stories. Write each as four short lines using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Prepare answers to the common questions
Tell me about yourself, why this role, why this company, your strengths, a weakness, and why you are leaving. These come up in almost every interview, so they are worth getting right.
Practise out loud, at least three times
Say your answers to a person, a recording or an AI interviewer. Spoken answers come out longer and vaguer than written ones, and practice is what fixes that.
Prepare your questions for the interviewer
Two or three genuine questions about the work, the team and how success is measured. Asking nothing at the end reads as a lack of interest.
Sort the logistics the day before
Confirm the time, the format, the names of your interviewers and how to get there or log in. Lay out what you will wear and what you will bring.
Interview Preparation Timeline: A Week Before, the Day Before, the Day Of
Good preparation is spread out. Cramming the night before leaves no time to practise, which is the part that matters most.
A week before (or as soon as you are invited)
- Reply to confirm, and ask who you will meet, how long it will take and what format it is (video, phone, in person, panel, technical test).
- Study the job description and pick the key requirements.
- Research the company using the checklist below.
- Draft your story bank and your answers to the common questions.
- Do your first full practice run. Expect it to be rough.
Two to four days before
- Practise again, this time with follow-up questions. Tighten any answer that runs over two minutes.
- Look up your interviewers' public profiles so you know their roles.
- Write your questions for the interviewer.
- For a technical role, do a timed practice problem in the format you will face. See our guide to technical interview preparation.
The day before
- One last, short practice run of your opening answer and your two strongest stories. Then stop.
- Plan your route and leave time for delays, or test your camera, microphone, internet and the video link.
- Prepare your outfit and the things to bring.
- Get a proper night's sleep. It does more for your answers than another hour of reading.
The day of
- Eat, and arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, or log in 5 minutes early for a video call.
- Read your notes once: the key requirements, your stories, your questions.
- In the interview, take a breath before longer answers. A short pause sounds more confident than rushing in.
- Write down what you were asked as soon as it ends, while you still remember.
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Company Research Checklist
You do not need to know everything about the company. You need enough to explain why you want to work there and to connect your experience to what they are doing. Aim for 45 to 60 minutes.
- What they do: their main products or services, and who their customers are.
- How they talk about themselves: the mission or values on their careers page. Many interviews test against these directly.
- Recent news: launches, results, partnerships or changes in leadership in the last six months.
- The team and the role: why the role exists, who it reports to, and what problems the team works on.
- Their market: two or three companies they compete with, and what makes them different.
- The hiring process: how many rounds to expect, and anything public about the format. For example, see our guides to Amazon interviews and Google interviews.
- Your interviewers: their role and how long they have been there, from public profiles. Use it to pitch your answers at the right level, not to make small talk about their personal life.
Turn your research into one sentence you can say naturally: "I want to work here because you are doing X, and my experience with Y would help with Z." That sentence answers "why this company?" and gives the rest of the interview a thread.
Common Interview Questions to Prepare
These come up so often that every one deserves a prepared, practised answer:
- Tell me about yourself. A 60 to 90 second pitch: who you are now, the relevant experience that got you here, and why this role is the next step. See how to answer "tell me about yourself".
- Why do you want this job? Connect what the role involves to what you want to do and are good at.
- Why do you want to work here? Use your one-sentence research summary.
- What are your strengths? Two strengths with proof. See what are your strengths.
- What is your greatest weakness? A real weakness, plus what you are doing about it.
- Tell me about a time you... Behavioral questions about conflict, failure, leadership, pressure and teamwork. See our behavioral interview questions.
- Why are you leaving your current job? Keep it forward-looking and never criticise your employer.
- Where do you see yourself in five years? Show ambition that fits the role.
- Do you have any questions for us? Always yes. See questions to ask the interviewer.
For a full set of practice interview questions with answer outlines, grouped by type, see our 50 mock interview questions.
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How to Practise for an Interview: Four Ways Compared
| Method | How it works | Best for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alone, out loud | Say your answers to a mirror or record them on your phone and play them back | First drafts, timing, spotting filler words | No follow-up questions, and it is easy to go easy on yourself |
| With a friend or family member | They read questions from a list and tell you what was unclear | Getting used to a listener, early nerves | Feedback is often too kind, and they may not know your field |
| A mock interview | A full rehearsal with a careers adviser, mentor, peer or coach playing the interviewer | Realistic pressure and expert feedback | Needs scheduling, and coaching can be expensive |
| An AI mock interview | An AI interviewer asks questions based on the role, follows up and scores your answers | Practising as often as you need, at any time | Not a substitute for a human view of your industry |
How to Practise Interview Questions So It Actually Helps
The aim of practice is not to memorise a script. It is to have said your key stories often enough that you can tell them clearly in different words, under pressure, and handle the follow-up.
- Practise out loud, not in your head. Thinking an answer through feels complete; saying it shows where it falls apart.
- Time every answer. Most should take one to two minutes. Long answers usually spend too much time on background.
- Practise the follow-ups. "What would you do differently?", "What was your part, specifically?", "What happened next?" Real interviewers dig.
- Practise in the real format. If the interview is on video, practise on camera. If it is a panel, ask two people to take turns.
- Do a full run-through at least once. Opening, five or six questions and your questions at the end, in one sitting, so the length and the nerves feel familiar.
A mock interview is the closest you can get to the real thing: a full rehearsal, start to finish, with someone playing the interviewer. If you can't find someone, or want to practise more often, an AI mock interview on MockIF builds the interview from your CV and the job description, asks questions in voice or avatar mode, follows up when an answer is vague, and gives you scored feedback on each response. It is free to start with 5 credits, then monthly or 3-monthly plans, or one-off credit packs (see pricing).
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What to Bring to an Interview
- Two or three printed copies of your CV, the same version you applied with.
- A notebook and pen, with your questions for the interviewer written down.
- The interview details: address, time, the name of the person to ask for, and a phone number in case you are delayed.
- Photo ID and anything the invitation asks for, such as proof of right to work or certificates.
- A portfolio or work samples, if your field uses them (design, writing, architecture).
- Water, and a charged phone, switched to silent before you walk in.
How to Prepare for a Video or One-Way Interview
Video interviews need everything above, plus a little technical preparation:
- Test the setup the day before: the link, camera, microphone and internet, on the device you will use.
- Frame yourself well: camera at eye level, light in front of you rather than behind, and a plain background.
- Look at the camera when you speak, not at your own image.
- Remove distractions: close other apps, turn off notifications, and tell anyone at home when you will be busy.
- Keep short notes nearby, but do not read from them. It shows on camera.
One-way video interviews, where you record answers to questions with no one on the other side, need their own practice: you usually get a short time to think and a time limit to answer. See our guides to the one-way video interview and HireVue interview practice.
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Common Interview Preparation Mistakes
Researching for hours and never practising
Reading feels productive, but interviews test how you speak. Split your time roughly half research and half spoken practice.
Memorising scripts word for word
A memorised answer breaks when the question is worded differently. Learn the points of each story, not the sentences.
Preparing generic answers
An answer that would work for any job convinces no one. Tie each story to a requirement in this job description.
Leaving logistics to the morning
A broken video link or a late train can undo a week of preparation. Check everything the day before.
Having no questions at the end
It suggests you are not that interested. Prepare at least three, because some will be answered during the interview.
After the Interview
Preparation for the next round starts as soon as this one ends.
- Write down the questions you were asked and how you think each answer went.
- Send a short thank-you email within a day: thank them, mention one thing you discussed, and restate your interest.
- Follow up if you hear nothing by the date they gave you. See how long it takes to hear back for typical timelines.
- Practise the answers that felt weak, because later rounds often go deeper into the same themes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I practise for an interview at home?
What are the most common interview questions?
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How do I calm my nerves before an interview?
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