How Do I Prepare for a Job Interview?

You’re about to prepare for an interview for a job you really want. You want to do everything you can to ace that interview, and so here you are. There are probably a hundred articles or blog posts talking about this. And many of them give the same advice: (Prepare answers in advance using some "top interview questions" lists, Dress appropriately for the business, Research the company you are applying to, Prepare follow-up questions.)

This post is a little different.

The tips above are great and worth following. In this post though, I want to help you prepare mentally for the interview. I want to help you create the confidence needed to walk into that interview knowing you’re putting your best foot forward.

So let’s start with the questions you really need to answer…

Interview questions to prepare for:

First and foremost, while there may be a variety of questions ranging from “Tell us about yourself” to “How would you handle this situation?” there are three questions that every interviewer will be asking you throughout the interview:

Do I like you? (Are you a good fit for our company?)

Can you do this job? (Are you qualified?)

Will you do this job? (Are you motivated?)

If you frame all your answers around these three questions, you are well on your way to mastering an interview. As you prepare responses to common questions, consider if it is a question about qualification, motivation, or fit.

Fit

Oftentimes, the fit question is more about their experience of you from the start. Fun fact, readers, most interviewers decide if they like you within the first 30-45 seconds of meeting you! That means they might have made their decision before you even make it to the interview room. What this means for you is that you want to put a great deal of attention on how you present yourself in the interview. Show up 5-10 minutes early, dress in the style of others in the company, and smile.

One way you can quickly establish a connection with your interviewer is by saying something like, “It’s so nice to meet you!” or “I’m happy to be here!”

Qualifications

Questions about qualifications are questions that focus on your resume, past experience, and behavioral questions about how you’ve handled (or would handle) example situations. A great way to answer these kind of questions is by using something called the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Tasks, Action, Result.

In the STAR method, you’ll talk to them about a situation you have experienced, talk through the tasks or steps needed to resolve the issue, share how you responded or the actions you took, and then finally highlight the result or outcome of your actions.

The STAR method allows you to answer the qualifications question with specific examples of your experience. As a bonus, you can also speak to how these experiences might parallel some of the requirements for the new position.

Motivation

Finally, when it comes to questions about your motivation or commitment to the position, you will often hear “why” questions: why you’re looking at this job in particular, why you left your previous job, etc. These questions are a great opportunity for you to highlight your passion for the position. This is a great opportunity to talk about values. Speak to the company values and how they align with your own values.

I will probably say this a thousand times: values are a key factor in determining our job satisfaction.

If you want to know more about your values, I offer some great resources for self-exploration over at my Dear Job-Hunter Post. One of my favorite part about knowing your work values and how they fit within the company or position is that it can help you stand out to your interviewers because responses about values sound more thought out and unique than responses about your skills, knowledge, or abilities.

One quick tip about that final interview question that everyone asks (Do you have any questions for us?): A great question to ask is “What does it take to be successful in this company?” This tip is courtesy of author, Chris Voss from his book, Never Split The Difference. It conveys your desire not only to invest in the company but to also succeed within the company.

Building your interviewing confidence:

In reality, preparing for a job interview is about preparing yourself to be relaxed and confident in that room with 1-20 people staring at you. (Yes, I have heard of 20 people being on the interview committee before.)

Practice

One of the best ways that you can develop your comfort and confidence in an interview room is by practicing. I know that the vast majority of people do NOT like practicing/role playing. But one of my rules for most things in life is: don't knock it til you try it.

Often, going through a mock interview with people you know, helps you feel more at ease when you're answering these same questions for people you don't know. You also have the added benefit of getting feedback over what you can improve upon. 

Visualize

Next up for building confidence: visualize a successful interview experience. You may have heard people talking more about the idea of manifesting positivity lately. And while I do not think that simply believing good things will happen magically makes them so, I do believe our brains want to create the outcomes we envision as much as possible. Countless research supports the fact that when we believe in something, we will act differently because of it. Think, "self-fulfilling prophesy."

Do you need help with this one? Follow this brief script to get you started:

Imagine you are walking into your interview. You enter the building and check in with the front desk staff. After sitting for a short amount of time, the interviewer calls your name, you rise, smile, and shake their hand as they introduce themself to you. You say, “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you!”

You follow them back to the interview room, and have a seat in the chair across from them. Your posture is relaxed but upright. You aren't slouching or rigid, but relax back into the chair . Maybe you cross your legs or have your hands resting calmly in your lap.

You take a deep breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth. You feel comfortable in this place.

The people you are talking with are pleasant and engaged in the conversation with you. You notice them smiling as they talk to you and find yourself smiling naturally back. In one moment, you find yourself saying, “I completely understand what this is like!” as you go into a confident description of your skills and abilities.

As you answer each of their questions, you feel a sense of confidence that you are a great fit for this company. You continue to find the conversation with your interviewers comfortable and engaging. Conversation feels natural with the people in this room.

When the interview is over, you smile and express your gratitude for the time with them as your rise, shake their hand, and walk out the door. 

These types of visualizations can help us feel even more prepared for an interview. When we can walk through these steps repeatedly, it’s like doing drills before gametime. Yes, more is at stake in the game, but you also can walk into it knowing that you have the skills to do your best. Believe in yourself!

Research

Next up in interview prep: make sure you know the company you want to work for. At the end of the day, an interview is about how well you connect with the interviewer(s). So research not only the company website, but the people on the team page, the information on social media, heck maybe even see if they have a linked in account you can look over.

Now, please don't go so far as to figure out their dog, Bruno, likes custom made bowties. Try to keep the research knowledge based in what is easily available on the company pages. Based on their profile, you may learn whether they're a family person or a travel guru.

Knowing these interests may give you the chance to spark up a conversation such as, “I saw on your company profile that you love hiking in your spare time. What are some of your favorite hiking spots in the area?”

Be as interested in them as they are in you.

In summary…

While each of these steps may seem a little out of the ordinary for interview preparation, remember that everyone who is walking into the room is trying to make an impact.

Your goal is to walk in, be true to who you are, and connect with your interviewer so they can recognize how you would fit within their company.

Yes, some of this comes through your answers to their questions. That is why you want to prepare answers with the questions above in mind.

But at the end of the day, we are people, making decisions about other people based on how they make us feel. Be comfortable and confident with being yourself and you will give yourself the best chance possible at making an impact in the interview.

So let’s talk logistics. If this process of interview preparation is hard for you, I want to help. My career counseling services are designed with you in mind. Whether you want to deep dive into your next career path or you simply need help practicing for an interview, I would love to help! Reach out to me to schedule your free 20-minute consultation and I will talk to you soon!