Interview Prep

Interviewing is a key part of the hiring process. It can take more than dozens of applications to get a single interview, so it's important to make a good impression with every opportunity that you get. Luckily, there's a lot that you can do to prepare for your next interview, even before it's scheduled.

Making a good impression at an interview starts with preparing for the interview before it happens. Some things you should do well in advance, and other things you should do on the day of the interview.

Before the Interview

Before the interview, get prepared by conducting some research, rehearsing your answers to common interview questions, and making a list of questions that you want to ask the interviewers.

Research the Company

Employers appreciate candidates who are familiar with their company and work. Take some time to review the company's website and blog, as well as any recent articles about the company that you can find online. You should be able to explain the work that they do and why you're interested in working for them.

Research your Interviewers

Try to find out who's interviewing you and then check them out on LinkedIn.

Look at their backgrounds and figure out how long they've been at the company and in their job. Look for things that you have in common or that you find interesting about them. Knowing a little about your interviewers can give you clues about the types of questions that you can expect them to ask, and help you know what questions you should ask them. It can even provide some conversation topics to bond over during the informal, in-between moments of an interview.

Review the Job Listing

It might be a while between the time that you apply for a job and the time that you interview for that job. Always review the job listing so that you know exactly what the job is and what skills the employer is interested in. This will help you determine which relevant skills and projects you should highlight during the interview.

Prepare Questions to Ask During the Interview

Interviews should be two-sided! In most interviews, you are asked if you have any questions for your interviewers at the end of the interview. Your answer should always be YES.

Asking thoughtful questions is a good way for you to learn more about the company, and it's also a way for you to show your interest in the company and connect with your interviewers.

Remember that you're also trying to decide if the company and employers are a good fit for your life. Write your questions down ahead of time and bringing them to the interview makes you look prepared.

In general, it's good to ask a couple of questions about the job, a couple of questions about the team that you'd be working with, and a couple of questions about the company's work culture.

Around 3-5 questions is a good amount - don't be inconsiderate and take up too much of the interviewers time!

Common Questions to Ask

And here are some more of our favorites! Pick questions based off of who your interviewer is. For example, if you know they're an HR recruiter, they're probably not going to know much about the role itself, so focus your questions more about the organization or workplace culture.

• How would you describe a typical day?
• What are some examples of projects that I would be involved with?
• Is this an existing role, or is this a recently created position?
• What are the top qualities needed to have success in this role?
• Do you expect the primary responsibilities of this role to shift significantly in the next six to 12 months?
• What are the major challenges that this position might present?
• What are the most important goals to reach during the first 30, 60, and 90 days in this role?
• Can you describe this company’s performance review process?
• What goals and metrics do you use to evaluate my performance in this role?
• What can you tell me about the company’s growth and expansion plans?
• What do you expect of this company in the next three to five years?
• What are the team’s greatest strengths? What are the team’s greatest challenges?
• Do you anticipate adding more personnel to this department in the next six months to a year?
• Do you have any questions or concerns about my background concerning me being a good fit for this position?
• Can you describe the next steps in our interview process?
• Is there anything else you would like from me that would help this process?

NOTE: At the end of an interview or in your follow-up thank-you email, you should always ask "What are next steps of the interview process and when should I expect to hear back from you?". That way, if you don't hear from the employer by the date and time that they stated, you can follow up accordingly.

Prepare Answers to Common Interview Questions

Although it's impossible to know the specific questions that you're going to be asked during an interview, there are common types of questions that arise in most interviews.

For example, you're going to be asked about your past work experience, your projects, and your salary expectations. Think about how you want to answer these questions before the interview so that you're ready to provide effective answers during the interview.

For my favorite, most comprehensive guide to answering the most common interview questions, read through this advice here.

Tell me about yourself. / Walk me through your background. / Is there anything you'd like to share first?

This is often the logical first question that you're asked during an interview. It helps the interviewer get to know you and establishes what follow-up questions they should ask you during the rest of the interview.

Your response should always include these components:

• What's relevant about your Present: What are you currently doing now? (e.g. I currently work as a [Current Job], but I recently just completed a coding certificate about...)
• What's relevant in your Past: How does your background connects to your desired profession? Most employers want to know why you're changing careers, so it helps to briefly explain how your background led you to where you are today. Highlight all of your relevant education and experience and transferrable skills. Make it clear that you have the skills that are on the job listing.
• What's relevant in the Future: Mention your desired profession and how you're qualified for it (e.g. Because of how much I enjoyed coding in my online classes and how quickly I picked up React, I became really interested in frontend development, which is what brought me to apply for this job!)

The Job Interview Cheat Sheet

Here is a quick and helpful visual for how to answer the most common questions:

Tell me about your past projects.

Employers often ask you questions about your past work or projects. This helps them gauge how transferable your experience is and assess your ability to communicate concepts and processes.

This is an opportunity for you to bring up facts that show off your skills. Start with an overview of your practicum project (and other projects) then get into specifics. Focus on your specific contributions, how you solved problems, and your results.

What are your weaknesses?

When interviewers ask you about your weaknesses, it's probably for two reasons: They want to know what your weaknesses are in case they disqualify you from the job. And they want to know if you're self-aware and able to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

In your answer, you should provide a real weakness, but you should make sure to choose a weakness that won't disqualify you from the job. You should also say what you're doing to improve upon that weakness.

Here's an example:

Though I've never missed a deadline, in the past, I've struggled with staying organized. I recently started adding every single thing on my to-do list to a Google calendar, which has made a huge difference. I'm also teaching myself how to use Kanban boards and project management software, like Asana.

Answering Behavioral Questions

There's also a common type of interview question that you should be aware of: behavioral questions. These questions are asked to determine how you might behave in a particular situation (hence behavioral questions).

To determine how you might behave, interviewers ask you either about your past experience in a given situation or how you would respond in a hypothetical situation. Here are some examples:

• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
• What do you do when you disagree with your boss?
• What would you do if you disagreed with your boss?

Talking about your project(s)

There is an infinite number of behavioral questions that interviewers can ask, but they tend to fall within one of these categories:

• How you work in stressful situations.
• How you respond when you fail.
• How you handle conflict with other people.
• How you motivate yourself and others.
• How you make decisions.
• How your work has made a positive impact.
• How you build relationships with or manage stakeholders.

Before the interview, think of situations from your past that you can refer to for each category.

Ideally, think about the ways that you can answer these questions with your practicum experience; consider your projects, group assignments, or interactions with your mentor and fellow students. This allows you to answer the interviewer's questions and remind them of your relevant skills and experience. This is particularly important if you don't have prior experience in the field or are struggling to think of transferable examples.

When you answer these behavioral type questions, follow these guidelines:

• Use a specific example: Examples tell stories and are more unique, memorable, and evidence-based rather than a vague, general statement about how you typically approach a situation.
• Time yourself: Answers should be at least 1 minute and shorter than 3 minutes.
• Record yourself and watch the recording: It might be painful and make you cringe, but I promise you'll notice things about yourself that will help you strengthen your interviewing skills. Are you saying "um" too often? Do you sound too quiet or unsure? Are you looking away from the camera all the time? Pay attention to these patterns and correct them the next time you record yourself answering the question.
• Follow the STAR method: We've mentioned the STAR method below, but here are some examples:

You may notice that these examples are very different in terms of length! However, they both fully cover all 4 aspects of the STAR method. Some people naturally tend to speak faster in interviews while others speak slower - either way is fine, but ensure that your answers are between 1-3 minutes long.

What are your salary expectations?

You do NOT want to be the person to share a number first. If they ask this question early in the hiring process, here are some strategies:

Flip it! Ask them what the salary range is for the role instead. "I was actually hoping to learn more about the role and responsibilities before I decided on a salary. However, since you brought it up, I would love to know what is the salary range for this position?" (unless their answer is drastically lower than what you would ever work for, do NOT proceed with salary negotiations this early and just say "thank you, that sounds great" -- they don't know enough about you to want you yet, so you're at a disadvantage!)

Avoid it! If they refuse to share and press you for an answer, you can politely sidestep the question. "Right now, finding the right position for me is more important than salary. I'd love to learn more about the job, the company, and the entire benefits package before we talk about numbers."

Estimate it! If the salary range was shared in the job posting or you've found an estimate on Glassdoor already, you can always share that. "I saw in the job posting that the salary range for this role was $___ to $___. Is that still correct?"

During the Interview

Monitor your Nonverbal Behavior

In addition to your verbal answers, interviews are also paying attention to your nonverbal behavior during interviews. Here are a few things to keep in mind during your interview:

• Maintain an upright posture. Sit up straight and roll your shoulders back. This communicates confidence and competence.
• Face the interviewer with your body. This communicates that you're interested in the interviewer and invested in the conversation.
• Uncross your arms. Open posture communicates that you're friendly and trustworthy.
• Be still. Try not to fidget, swivel, or tap your fingers or feet. This communicates nervousness and can distract the interviewer.
• Maintain eye contact. It's okay to blink (obviously), but you should look at your interviewers when you're answering questions, especially when they're talking. This communicates that you're listening and engaged.

Keep Calm

Interviewing can be stressful. It's important to know some techniques that can help you stay calm in a stressful environment. For example, you could try striking a power pose, listening to a fun playlist, or practicing breathing exercises before your interview. And, ultimately, remember that some interviews are meant to test your knowledge — so it's okay if you don't know the answer to every question.

Stay Positive and Avoid Negativity in Your Answers

As a general rule, avoid criticizing past employers or colleagues and avoid criticizing yourself! Focus on the lessons learned from challenges with a positive tone. For example:

Bad: "My current work is really stressful, which is why I'm wanting to leave."

Good: "I've discovered my passion for coding, and I'm excited to find a job where I get to use those skills every day."

After the Interview

Follow Up After Interviews

You might assume that the interview is over once you hang up or leave, but that's incorrect. After every interview, you should follow up — both to thank the interviewer and to stay updated about next steps.

Send a Thank You Email

Send a follow-up thank-you email within 24 hours of your interview.

Your thank-you message should include the following:

• Gratitude
• Excitement about the job
• Something specific about the conversation that you had that pertains to the job and your experience
• An invitation to contact you if the interviewer has additional questions
• Enthusiasm about the next step in the interview process

Example Template 1

Dear [Name],

I wanted to thank you for chatting with me about the [Job Title] role at [Company Name]. 
It was great to get a better understanding of the team as a whole and your emphasis on
[Insert].

After learning more about the work you’re doing on [Insert based on the company/role], I’m
even more excited about the opportunity to work for [Company] and believe my skills in 
[Insert] make me an excellent fit. 

Thanks again for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. In the meantime, 
if you have any questions, please let me know. 

Example Template 2

Hi, [Interviewer Name],

It was such a pleasure talking to you today and learning more about the [Role name] role at 
[Company Name]. I am even more interested in this role after learning about [the high level 
of innovation (or whatever you learned about the role during the interview)] this role 
provides. I believe my background would be a great fit within your team and organization.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Please reach out if you need anything in the 
meantime. 

Kind regards,

[Your Name]

Example Template 3

Dear [Mr./Ms. Name],

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about the [Job Title] opportunity. I was 
excited to learn more about this position [or name the product you'd be working on] and 
appreciated meeting with [“you” or “all of you”].

As we discussed, [tailor this section to the conversation]. I am eager to leverage my 
skills to help [Company Name] reach its goals.

I look forward to taking the next step in this process. Thank you again for your time and 
consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Follow Up When You Don't Get A Response

Sometimes employers get busy and forget to follow up with you.

Don't take it personally.

Instead, be proactive and follow up with them.

Allow yourself two check-ins for every step of the interview process. And leave about 5-10 business days between each of those check-ins. If the employer doesn't respond after the second check-in, move on to the next opportunity.

It's generally best practice to follow up via email with your recruiting contact or the last person you interviewed with.

Keep your follow-up short and professional. Don't make assumptions and don't indicate any anger or frustration; there's probably a good reason why they haven't gotten back to you that's entirely out of anyone's control.

Mock Interview Resources

• PracticeInterview.online: FREE interview prep tool (one-way interviews)
• Peerfect: FREE interview prep tool (two-way interviews)
• Pramp by Exponent: paired tech interviews (free trial, two-way interviews)
• HackerRank: Online Coding Challenges (free version)
• LeetCode: Coding Challenges (free version)
• Final Round AI: fake AI interviewer to practice interviewing with (free trial)
• Interview Warmup by Google: FREE AI that analyzes your interview answers
• ChatGPT: ask ChatGPT what questions they think the interviewer will ask based on the job description and provide example answers that a strong candidate would have