How to Prepare for an Interview

To prepare for an interview, work out what the role needs, choose real examples that show you can do it, practice saying them aloud and check the practical details. The checklist at the end of this guide puts those steps in order.

You can use everything here without signing up for anything. All example answers and worked rows are fictional teaching examples. They are not YAGO customer results or the experiences of a real candidate.

Start with the role, not a memorized script

An interview is a conversation that helps an employer decide whether you are the right fit for a role, and helps you decide the same. The National Careers Service (opens in a new tab) says an employer may not expect you to have done the job before, but will look for relevant experience or strengths.

You also cannot know exactly which questions will come. UCAS (opens in a new tab) makes the same point: you can prepare, but you cannot guarantee the questions you will be asked. A memorized script prepares you for questions that may never arrive, and it is hard to adapt when the interviewer asks a follow-up. Evidence is more flexible. If you know which real examples support the role's requirements, you can adapt them to whatever you are asked.

Start by choosing three requirements from the job description. For each, write one real example you could explain aloud. That gives your preparation a purpose before you start rehearsing.

Save the text of the job description, not only the link. MIT's Career Advising & Professional Development team (opens in a new tab) notes that a posting may be removed after applications close, which can leave you without the requirements you need.

Turn the job description into an evidence sheet

Read the job description for what the employer needs, not only the job title. Look for tasks that appear first, words that repeat and anything described as essential. Then build a sheet with four columns: the requirement, your evidence, a question it might lead to and your next practice action.

Here is one original worked row for a fictional project coordinator. It shows the method. It is not a template that employers use, and no employer necessarily scores answers this way.

Swipe sideways to see every column.

The evidence column decides whether the sheet is useful. Write what you personally did, who else was involved and what changed. If you cannot give a measured result, describe the change you observed: a late approval arrived, two teams stopped duplicating work, a customer received a clear answer. Do not invent a figure to make a row look stronger.

If you have little paid experience, use what you do have. Study projects, volunteering, caring responsibilities and personal projects can all show the skills a role asks for, as long as you describe them accurately and say where they happened.

Copy this blank sheet and fill in three to five rows for your own role:

Swipe sideways to see every column.

Research the company and prepare questions

Company research gives you material for the question "why do you want to work here?" and for questions of your own. UCAS suggests understanding what the organization does and any key developments or news about it or its sector. MIT suggests looking at the company website and recent news, and talking with current or former employees if you can.

Keep your notes short and useful:

• What the organization does and who it serves, so you can say why the role interests you in specific terms.
• Recent news or projects connected to the team, which can give you something concrete to mention.
• How the role fits into the team, which helps you choose which examples matter most.
• Who you will meet, if you were told, so you can pitch your detail at the right level.

Mention only what you actually find interesting. Copied praise is easy for an interviewer to recognize.

The National Careers Service advises writing your own questions down before the interview. UCAS suggests preparing more than one, in case an answer comes up before you get the chance to ask. Questions that show you have thought about the work are usually better than general ones:

• What would a good first few months look like in this role?
• Who would I work with most closely?
• What part of this job do people find harder than they expect?

Prepare your introduction and six useful examples

Many interviews begin with an invitation to introduce yourself. MIT describes a good answer as an overview of your background that is relevant to the position, not a summary of everything you have done. For a method and three worked examples, read Tell Me About Yourself: Answer Examples. If you are applying for service work, there is also a customer service version.

Then prepare a small bank of examples you can adapt. Six is a practical starting point, not a rule:

Swipe sideways to see every column.

For questions about something you did, both the National Careers Service and UCAS recommend the STAR method: situation, task, action and result. You do not need to announce the four parts. Use them to check that nothing is missing. Our STAR method guide explains it with a worked example.

Some questions ask what you would do in a situation you have not faced. UCAS calls these situational questions. For those, explain what you would check, what options you see and how you would decide, rather than inventing an experience you did not have.

Practice aloud and review one answer

Thinking through an answer is different from saying it. MIT describes the most common form of practice as a mock interview, where someone asks you questions and gives feedback. It also suggests recording yourself on a phone or webcam and listening back with an outside perspective. The National Careers Service suggests asking someone you trust to help you practice.

Choose one row from your evidence sheet and answer it aloud. Then review it with these prompts:

• Did I answer the question I was asked?
• Is it clear what I personally did?
• Is the result something I can support if asked?
• What is the one change that would help most?

Change that one thing and say the answer again. For a ready-made session of eight questions, use Mock Interview Questions: A Practice Set. For a routine you can build from any job description, see How to Practice for an Interview by Yourself.

Check interview format, timing and logistics

Once you are invited, check that the date works for you and find out whether the interview is in person, by phone or on video. The National Careers Service also notes that you might need adjustments to make an interview accessible if you have a disability. Ask for them before the day, not during the interview.

UCAS says an average interview usually lasts between 40 minutes and an hour, though it can be shorter or longer. Some employers hold a phone or video interview before meeting in person. Some interviews include a task or presentation, and UCAS says you should be told about that beforehand.

Swipe sideways to see every column.

For any format, the National Careers Service suggests being ready to start 5 to 10 minutes early, turning off your phone and knowing how to contact the interviewer if you are running late or have technical problems. UCAS also suggests checking your spam folder and voicemail, in case the employer's message is there.

If you have a week, spread the work out: read the job description and build your evidence sheet first, research the company and write your questions next, then practice your examples aloud over several sessions and check logistics the day before.

If you have only a day, narrow it down. Choose three requirements, prepare one real example for each, say each aloud once, write two questions of your own and check the practical details.

Your final preparation checklist

Copy this list into your notes and tick items off:

• I have saved the text of the job description and marked the requirements that appear most.
• My evidence sheet has at least three rows with real examples.
• I can introduce myself in a few sentences that are relevant to this role.
• I have said at least one answer aloud and reviewed it.
• I have two or three questions of my own written down.
• I know the format, date, time, place or link, and who to contact.
• I have checked my equipment, my route or my connection.
• I have asked for any adjustments I need.
• I plan to be ready 5 to 10 minutes early.
• I know that I can ask when I will hear back at the end of the interview.

Frequently asked questions

How early should I start preparing?

As early as the invitation allows. Even a short amount of focused work on evidence is more useful than reading a long list of questions. If you have only a day, use the short path above.

What if I do not have much experience?

Use experience from study, volunteering, personal projects or unpaid work, and describe it accurately. An interviewer can ask follow-up questions, so choose examples you can explain in detail.

Should I memorize my answers?

Know the points you want to make and practice saying them in different ways. A word-for-word script is harder to adapt if the interviewer changes the question or asks a follow-up.

Do I need to research the company if I am short of time?

Do the minimum that lets you answer "why do you want to work here?" honestly: what the organization does, who it serves and one thing about the role that interests you. Do not claim knowledge you have not checked.