Four hours, the day before. One on the posting and the company. Two on your stories, out loud. Half on the questions you will ask. Half on the logistics. That is the preparation for one interview, and the checklist below is the four hours in order. Most interviews are lost in the first hour of that list, by someone who did not read the posting again and could not say why they wanted the role, and won in the second, by someone who had five stories ready and told one.
Key points
- Read the posting again, the day before. Every must-have is a question they will ask.
- Know three things about the company that are not on the home page.
- Five stories, each with a situation, what you did, and a number. Out loud, twice.
- Three questions to ask, that only this company can answer.
- Logistics: the link, the room, the name of each interviewer, the time zone.
The checklist
| When | What | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day before, hour one | The posting, the company, the interviewers | 60 min |
| Day before, hours two and three | Your five stories, out loud | 120 min |
| Day before, half an hour | Your three questions | 30 min |
| Day before, half an hour | Logistics | 30 min |
| Morning of | One story out loud, the questions, nothing new | 15 min |
Four hours the day before. Fifteen minutes the day of. Nothing new on the day.
Hour one, the posting and the company
Read the posting the way the guide on reading a posting shows: the must-haves, the nice-to-haves, the tells. Each must-have is a question, in some form. Write the must-haves as a list on the left of a page, and for each one, the story from your work that proves it, on the right. Gaps on the right are the questions you will be weakest on. Prepare an honest answer for each.
Then the company: what they sell, to whom, and three things from the last six months. A product launch, a funding round, a hire, a problem in the news. The funded page on this site has the rounds. The company page on this site has their open postings. The point is not to recite them. It is to have a reason for wanting the role that is about this company, and the guide on why you want to work here has the shape of that answer.
Then the interviewers, by name, if you have them. What they do, how long they have been there, what they have written. One fact each, so the conversation has a thread.
Hours two and three, the stories
Five stories from your work, each one a situation, what you did, and what changed with a number. Pick them so that together they cover the must-haves: a hard problem, a conflict, a failure and what you learned, a thing you led, a thing you built or improved with a measurable result. The guide on behavioural questions has the shape, and the guide on common questions has which story answers which question.
Then out loud. Not in your head. Two minutes each, timed, twice. The first time is rough. The second time is the interview. A story that has been said out loud twice comes out in the room. One that was only thought does not.
Half an hour, your questions
Three questions that only this company can answer, that show you read the posting, and that you want the answer to. "What does the first ninety days look like?" is one. "The posting mentions a migration. Where is it?" is better. The guide on questions to ask has twenty. Pick three and write them down, because at the end of an interview the mind is empty.
Half an hour, logistics
The link, tested. The time, in your time zone and theirs. The names of everyone on the call, written where you can see them. For a video call, the guide on phone and video interviews has the setup. For an in-person interview, the address, the route, the time it takes, and fifteen minutes of margin. Your resume, the one you sent for this role, printed or open. A glass of water. A notebook with the five stories' titles and the three questions.
The morning of
One story out loud, to warm up. Read the three questions. Nothing new. A fact learned at 8am is a fact you will fumble at 10am, and the fumble costs more than the fact was worth.
Prepare and Practice, on this site
Prepare reads the posting and the company and writes the briefing: the must-haves with the questions they imply, the company's recent news, and the questions worth asking. It is hour one, in ten minutes. Practice is hours two and three: the questions, your answers out loud, and a grade that says whether the story had a situation, an action and a result. The guide on mock interviews has how to use it.
Questions
How many hours for a first phone screen?
One. The posting and the company, and the two stories that fit the role best, out loud once. The guide on phone and video interviews has what a screen asks.
What if I only have one night?
Hour one and one story. The posting again, the company's three facts, the one story that proves the biggest must-have, out loud twice.
Do I prepare for a technical interview differently?
Hour one is the same. Hours two and three become practice problems in the format they use, which the posting or the recruiter will tell you. The guide on technical resumes has where to find the format.
How do I prepare for a panel?
The same, plus a name and a fact for each person, and the habit of answering to the person who asked and then looking at the others.
Is it bad to bring notes?
No. A notebook with story titles and questions is normal. Reading an answer from it is not.