For many job candidates, the most intimidating part of the application process is the interview. But it really shouldn’t be! The interview is not a test. It’s an opportunity to build a relationship with a potential employer, current employee, or recruiter from one of your favorite companies (and, in doing so, seal the deal for that job offer).
In this guide, we’ll show you how to prepare for job interviews confidently—whether it's your first interview or your fifteenth.
Below are some of our top job interview tips so you can dust off those interview skills and have the best possible experience.
First things first: company research. You need to understand what you’re getting into when you prepare for a specific job interview. Every company has a slightly different philosophy about the interview conversation, and your preparation should be tailored to fit the interview style and core values of the organization in question. Interview styles can vary widely—technical interviews, conversational formats, or even case-based interviews—so adapting your prep is key.
At one end of the spectrum, some tech companies may have interviews that are entirely technical. It’s a set of questions about very specific skills and problem-solving abilities that they want you to demonstrate, and it’s conducted by a professional interviewer.
At the other end of the spectrum, some creative companies might have a wide-open conversation influenced by the preferences of the interviewer. With only a few core questions in common across interviews, you can see that it’s likely to be a very different experience from the technical interview. You might even get a few quirky questions thrown in there from the hiring manager.
Here’s what some top companies have to say about their interview format:
When you finally clicked submit on your job applications, you probably swore you’d never look at them again. (We feel you!!) But it’s absolutely critical that you review your application materials when you’re preparing, before every job interview.
You don’t necessarily need to reread the entire application. Focus on your resume, your cover letter, and what you said your goals, career aspirations, and key experiences were.
One lesson I learned the hard way during my recruiting interviews was that even though I had written my resume (and therefore assumed I knew it well and could talk about everything on it), I wasn’t necessarily ready to answer any question that might come up about it. The truth is, much of what happened on the way to your greatest achievements happened a while ago, and the details are no longer top of mind.
You want to be able to tell vivid stories about the accomplishments spotlighted in your application for this job – how it all went down, what it meant for you. This requires a deeper level of reflection than skimming or rereading your materials. You’ll need to do some reminiscing if you want to speak in a concrete and compelling way about things from your more distant past.
Questions about what you put in your application may or may not come up in the interview, depending on the company’s particular style, but the interview answers that you give MUST be consistent with what you told the hiring committee in your application. Inconsistency about something as fundamental as why you want the job or your career goals is a total red flag.
Your interview answers should align with and enhance what the company already knows about you from your application. They fill in the finer details of a consistent self-portrait.
As one top company puts it, “The interview complements your written application with essential insights for our evaluation process.”
While every job interview looks different based on the company’s style, your connection with your interviewer, etc., there are some standard questions you should prepare for. Common interview questions like “Tell me about yourself,” “Why do you want this job?” and “What’s your biggest weakness?” come up often—don’t wing them.
Company research should give you a sense of the types of questions a company tends to ask, so prepare a little extra for the ones that are most likely to come up.
Before you prepare for specific question types, you need to create a short list of key stories from your personal and professional life.
Key stories are the building blocks of all great interview answers. If your whole epic life story is a constellation, a key story is an individual star point. It’s a personal or professional experience that left a lasting impression on you, and it will leave a lasting impression on your listener. Incorporating key stories into your answers will help your interviewer really get to know you.
You might think the resume question is just a throwaway, but it can actually be the most important interview question. That’s because it is often the first interview question. Interviews typically start with a broad opening question that gives you and your interviewer a chance to get comfortable and get acquainted (“Walk me through your resume”; “Tell me about yourself”).
Your goal in answering this kind of question is to set the stage for your relationship with this person. Think of it as your first interaction with someone who will ideally become a colleague or friend. You are building a relationship from this first moment, so prepare an answer that allows you to fully show them who you are and what you value.
Bottom line: your answer should be around 2-3 minutes in length and touch on your most significant academic experiences, professional accomplishments, and intended career path. Try practicing it out loud until you feel it flows confidently!
Here’s some advice on how to tackle this essential interview question:
When you answer this question, you should be connecting the dots for your interviewer. You are looking ahead to your future career, seeing what it is that you want, and showing them how this job – specifically and uniquely!! – is going to contribute to your success.
Your goal for answering this question is to inspire them with the future that you are creating.
If you’re going to prepare for any job interview question, prepare for this one. It’s one of the most meaningful questions for a company.
It’s actually three questions in one, but I think of it as a kind of juggernaut of job interview questions. Here’s the triad hidden within this single question:
It’s basically your cover letter in conversational form, and it opens a discussion of where you’re headed and why their company culture is the right fit for you. You should be able to articulate how their company’s offerings align with your career plan and specific ways you intend to contribute to the team. Your research into the particular company’s culture, mission, or recent initiatives will help make your response be specific and personal.
Pretty much every company is going to ask this question in some form, and for some companies, it’s the only interview question that really matters. Be ready to just absolutely crush it.
These kinds of questions also vary widely. Here’s a quick list of some of the behavioral examples our clients have gotten in job interviews:
If you want to find out how to sail through your behavioral questions, watch my video on some of the most common behavioral questions and how to answer them:
Point-blank questions are designed to provoke a specific and immediate response from you.
Some examples:
One of your main goals with these kinds of questions is to give a prompt, upfront response. But you also want to give your interviewer a little bit more. Tie additional details about yourself into your response, from relevant experience, so that they can draw meaningful conclusions.
Most of us worry about tough point-blank questions like, “What’s your greatest weakness?” or “What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?” You might wonder if there’s any ‘good' answer to questions like those, and the answer is yes – if you answer the question honestly while demonstrating self-awareness and treating failure as a learning opportunity.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, nailing a job interview has everything to do with relationship building, and your mindset is at the foundation of it all. While preparing for common questions is crucial interview preparation, you should also take some time to establish a winning mindset – one that will see you through to your interview goals.
Remember, the actual interview is not a test. Instead, pay attention to the emotional dynamics of the encounter, think about active listening, and treat your interviewer as a potential friend.
The interview can be on your terms if you adopt this mindset. Take your attention off the interviewer’s goal (or whatever you think their goal is) and focus instead on your goals for the experience. Go into your interview with a clear intention: sharing yourself authentically, making a new friend, or all the above.
Confident humility is by far the best quality you can display in an interview, whether it’s a job interview or any other kind of interview. It’s one of the top qualities sought by companies like Google and other leading employers. Remember, employers value candidates who are confident but also self-aware—an ideal balance that indicates you can foster collaboration and growth.
Your job in these kinds of encounters is not to show your interviewer that you are bulletproof or perfect. Your job is to share your authentic self and form a genuine connection, and humility goes a lot further than a humble brag on that front. Think about it: How much do you really like that person you know who can do no wrong?
Read our article on confident humility to find out why it’s the key to a successful interview and how to channel it in all of yours.
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