How to Prepare for a Job Interview

This guide is for anyone with an interview coming up, whether it is your first ever or your first in many years. You will learn how to research the employer, work out which questions you are likely to face, prepare strong answers using real examples, and handle the practical details of in-person, phone and video interviews. By the end you will have a preparation plan you can follow day by day and a set of notes ready to review the night before.

What Interviewers Are Really Checking

Behind almost every interview question sit three simple questions: Can you do the job? Will you do it well and reliably? Will you fit in with the team and the way they work? Your preparation should give the interviewer clear, confident evidence on all three.

Interviewers are also people under pressure. They often have several candidates to see, a role to fill quickly, and a manager who wants a good hire. Anything you can do to make their decision easier, such as giving short, specific answers and showing you understand the role, works in your favour. You do not need to be the most impressive person in the world. You need to be the clearest and most convincing match for this particular job.

• Skills and experience: have you done this kind of work, or something close to it?
• Behaviour: how do you handle pressure, mistakes, conflict and change?
• Motivation: why this job and this employer, and are you likely to stay?
• Communication: can you explain things clearly and listen well?

It helps to remember that being invited to interview already means something. The employer has read your application and believes you could do the job. The interview is their chance to confirm that belief and to compare you with other people who also look capable on paper. Preparation is what turns "could do the job" into "clearly the best fit".

Research the Role and the Employer

Good research lets you tailor your answers and ask sharp questions. Plan to spend one to three hours on it, depending on the seniority of the role. Make notes as you go so you can review them quickly later.

1. Dissect the job advert Print or copy the advert and highlight every skill, duty and quality it mentions. These are the things you will be assessed on. Group them into four to six main themes.
2. Study the employer's own words Read their website, especially the about, news and careers pages. Note what they say about their customers, values, recent projects and plans.
3. Look at the wider picture Search for recent news about the organisation and its industry. Know roughly who their competitors are and any big changes affecting their sector.
4. Find out who you will meet If you are given interviewer names, look at their public professional profiles to understand their roles. Keep it professional; you are preparing, not investigating their personal lives.
5. Learn the format Ask the recruiter or contact politely how long the interview lasts, who will be there, and whether there is a test, presentation or task. Most are happy to tell you.

Once you have your notes, write two or three sentences that answer the question "Why this employer?" in your own words. Mention something specific, such as a product you use, a project they have announced or the kind of customers they serve. Interviewers can usually tell the difference between a candidate who has done this thinking and one who would take any job going, and specific reasons are far more convincing than general praise.