How to prepare for a job interview
7 min readUpdated By the CareerAI team
Preparation matters more than talent at interviews. Most questions are predictable, and a structured answer is easier to give when you have practised it aloud.
Research the role and the company
Read the job description line by line and note which of your experiences match each requirement. Then look at the company's website, recent news and products so you can explain why you want this job in particular.
Answer behavioural questions with STAR
For questions such as “Tell me about a time you solved a problem”, use the STAR structure:
- Situation: the context, in one or two sentences.
- Task: what you needed to achieve.
- Action: what you did, using “I” rather than “we”.
- Result: the outcome, and what you learned.
Prepare five stories you can reuse
Pick five experiences from study, projects, work or volunteering that show teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, handling a mistake and learning something quickly. Most behavioural questions can be answered with one of them.
Have questions of your own
- What would success look like in the first three months?
- How does the team share feedback?
- What are the next steps in the hiring process?
For online interviews
- Test your camera, microphone and connection the day before.
- Sit facing a light source, with a plain background.
- Keep your CV and the job description open, but don't read from them.
- Confirm the time zone of the interview in writing.
Common questions
- What should I say for “Tell me about yourself”?
- A 60–90 second summary: who you are professionally, two relevant achievements, and why this role is your next step.
- Should I send a thank-you message?
- Yes. A short email within a day that thanks the interviewer and repeats your interest is polite and keeps you memorable.