18 Top Tips to Prepare for Job Interviews – Real Recruiter Advice

Job interview anxiety happens to the best of us. Or, maybe you don’t experience interview anxiety at all.

Regardless of whether you feel anxious or not, being prepared will give you a better chance of landing the job than winging it will.

So, here are 18 tips from our recruiters on how to nail all types of job interviews.

What to do before your job interview

1. Do your research

Knowing what the company does is crucial as this information can help guide your response to questions asked by the hiring manager. You can demonstrate how your skills and experience will be relevant within the specific role, as well as how they will be beneficial to the overall company.

You may also want to do a quick internet search of who will be involved in conducting your interview. If you can, search the company website, or have a look on LinkedIn for the person you have been corresponding with. Matching a face to a name will boost your confidence as you will know what to expect and who you are meeting, making you feel more prepared.

2. Reflect on your previous experience

If you’re anxious because you’re scared of not knowing what to say in the interview, the reflection will help you calm your nerves.

Remember the last time you went to an event and all your colleagues asked about it? The first time you tell the story is probably not as detailed as the 2nd or 3rd. This is because your memory of the event becomes more vivid every time you have to recall the memory, or you find a better way to tell the story each time.

Reflecting on your experience in previous roles will help you recall those moments that interviewers will ask you about and be interested in. This is why self-reflecting before interviews works so well.

Ask yourself what you did, how you felt about certain things, how you’d approach things differently and always ask ‘why’. ‘Why did I feel like that?’, ‘why would I choose to do that differently?’, ‘why did that not work?’

Focus on the aspects of your experience that are relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. For example, if the job ad states that you need forklift experience, think about the last time you operated a forklift and how you might have had to take safety precautions before moving a crate.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice!

No matter if this is your first job interview or your 100th, practice makes perfect, whether it be by yourself or with someone else.

Have a trusted friend or family member ask you some interview questions to practice answering on the spot. They can ask the same question in a number of ways, so you can familiarise yourself with being flexible with your responses.

Start this process by having a look at our list of common interview questions below.

4. Plan the little things the day/night before

Prevent any last-minute rushing on the day by planning how to get to the interview and checking if there may be any delays.

Figure out what you want to wear at least a day in advance. It’ll give you time to check that it’s clean and has no visible stains! You don’t want to be rushing on the day or rock up looking unpolished.

5. Do what helps you to relax and feel confident

Leading up to your interview, take time to lift your energy and mood. You could go for a walk, meditate, listen to some music, whatever works for you!

Find an activity to help clear your mind and stop anxiety-inducing thoughts from racing around your head.

6. Fuel yourself properly

Make sure you eat and get enough sleep the night before the interview. Eat something healthy to boost your energy or a bit of comfort food if that’s what will make you feel better.

You don’t want to be sitting in the interview with your stomach grumbling, do you?

7. If you’re still a bit nervous on the day…

If you happen to be running late and rushing after all this planning, try splashing some cold water over your hands and wrists, and dab some water behind your ears. This will help you cool down, ease your heartbeat, and give you a moment to stop, breathe and collect your thoughts.

At the end of the day, remind yourself that this is just a conversation. While you should be concerned about impressing the interviewer, keep in mind that they should also be making a positive impression on you; after all, you will be the one working for them.

8. Prepare for common interview questions

There’s no way to know exactly what the interviewer will ask you unless they decide to give you the list of questions. So, here are a few common questions:

• Can you tell me a little about yourself?
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What relevant experience do you have?
• Why should we hire you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Tell me about a difficult problem you had to solve in your last job.
• How do you handle stress or pressure?
• How do you prioritise and manage your workload?
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond on a project.
• How do you handle conflicts with co-workers or supervisors?
• How do you stay current with industry developments?
• Can you give an example of how you’ve used problem-solving skills in a previous job?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• What are your long-term career goals?
• Can you describe a situation where you had to think outside the box?

When preparing for these questions, it may be helpful to physically write down both the question and your answer, or reciting it to yourself may be what works best for you.

An important point to keep in mind: don’t memorise your answers word-for-word. The questions may be asked differently and, you may become flustered if the exact wording doesn’t match, or it may cause more stress if you are trying to recite your answer word-for-word and forget part of it, causing you to fumble over the wording and not answer coherently. Additionally, you may sound rehearsed and less authentic!

Reflecting on past experiences, as we mentioned earlier in the guide, will prevent you from feeling the need to memorise your answers. Check out ‘Preparing for interviews’ above to learn how it works.

If there is a question you find yourself struggling to answer, don’t ignore it in hopes it won’t be asked during your interview! Make sure you tackle these harder questions head-on to be at least somewhat prepared.

9. Have questions ready to ask in the interview

A job interview is a two-way street. The hiring manager wants to see if you’re prepared and have given the role and company proper consideration.

This is your chance to figure out whether you might enjoy the role or not. In a job-abundant market, there are many roles to choose from. Accepting a job offer without learning more about each role will leave you missing out on potentially better opportunities. Asking questions at the end of interviews is a great way to learn more.

Have at least a few questions in mind in case one gets answered throughout the interview. Be careful about what you ask. You don’t want to ask about something that was already mentioned and appear as though you weren’t paying attention!

To give you a starting point, we’ve listed some handy questions below.

• What are the day-to-day responsibilities and expectations of someone in this role?
• What are training and development opportunities there to support employees?
• How would my performance be measured in this role?
• Describe the culture of the company.
• What are some of the biggest challenges within this role?
• What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 days/90 days/year?
• Why has this position become available?
• How does this position contribute to the company overall?
• What are the skills you’re looking for in an ideal candidate?
• What do you enjoy most about working in this organisation?
• Could you please explain what you meant when you said ________?

How to prepare for zoom or video job interviews

So, you’re asked to do a one-way video interview… This may feel a little unnatural, but just relax and be yourself – we’ve got tips to help you!

There are two types of video interviews: standard video call interviews and one-way video interviews

Preparing for standard job interviews over zoom or video calls

10. Prepare for this interview like a normal interview

Check out our advice above in ‘Preparing for interviews and dealing with job interview anxiety’. Video interviews are the same as normal interviews, only online. You’ll be asked the same questions as you would in a face-to-face interview.

11. Ensure you’re connected to stable and reliable internet

You don’t want the internet to cut out during an interview momentarily. It’s time-consuming to find the link, log back in and reconnect, then remember the question at hand and refocus to provide an answer.

12. Minimise distractions

Before jumping into the interview, close any unnecessary tabs and turn off notifications on all your devices. Remove any items around you that you might fidget with.

Tidy up and adjust the space around you so there’s no mess or inappropriate items in sight; that would be embarrassing… You don’t want the hiring manager to pay attention to the pile of washing behind you rather than listening to your answer.

If you live with other people, tell them you’ll be in an interview, so they don’t accidentally walk in on you or make too much noise in the background.

13. Adjust your camera settings

During your test call, check that your camera is working and how you look depending on how far or close you are sitting to it. Make sure your face and shoulders can be seen in the frame. This will ensure you’re not sitting too far or close to the camera. You want people to see your face, so make sure you have a source of light shining on you from the front, not from behind your head.

Face the camera front on – not on your side. It’s a bit awkward to talk to someone if they’re not facing you and are looking in a different direction.

14. Test your audio

Plug in your headphones and practice having a video call with a friend. Try to use the same platform where possible, for example, zoom or skype.

Test your headphones, microphone, and camera/webcam.

Headphones will help you record the clearest sound, but if you don’t have headphones handy, put yourself in a room with as little echo as possible.

15. Get comfortable

You could be sitting in your seat for up to an hour! Sit in a comfortable chair that is adjusted appropriately to the height of your desk or table, so you’re not hunching over, hurting yourself, or showing only the tip of your head.

Preparing for one-way video interviews

A one-way video interview is essentially a recording of your answers to a set of given questions.

They can be a bit awkward – we know! But one-way interviews can have their benefits! You can complete them at a time that suits you and, in some cases, you could have unlimited takes. So, embrace it! Don’t let this part of the recruitment process turn you away from a potentially rewarding opportunity. The least that can happen is that this interview is practice for future interviews.

To ensure you put your best foot forward, we’ve put together our best tips to prepare you for your one-way video interview!

First, follow the tips provided above. All standard video call preparation is relevant to one-way video interviews.

16. Read the instructions

All one-way video interviews we conduct at Fuse include a one-minute waiting time to think about your answer before your recording starts. Other one-way video interviewing platforms may operate differently. Some will give you a minute to answer the question, and some may give you three. Others will allow you to save your progress, and some won’t. Read the instructions, so you know what you’re doing rather than fluffing about while being recorded!

17. Read the questions carefully

In a typical interview, if you’ve misunderstood the question, the interviewer can simply change the way they ask or ask you for clarification. In a one-way interview, no one will know you’ve misunderstood the question until you’ve already submitted the video. Read the question carefully and ensure you understand what is being asked before filming your answer.

18. Complete your interview in a timely manner

Like we said earlier, the benefit of having a one-way video interview is that you can complete the interview at a time that suits you. However, don’t wait until the last day to complete it. The faster you complete the interview, the faster the hiring process will be. Completing the interview swiftly will also show that you have a sense of urgency which is a favourable trait in many roles.

What to expect from second or third interviews

Not all second and third interviews will be the same for every company. Although, you won’t experience the same type of interview twice from the same company.

The way to know what type of interview to expect is to take clues from the interviewer. If the interview is at a café, it will most likely be a simple ‘getting-to-know-you’ conversation. The interviewer might not ask you questions that are too formal and are simply trying to learn more about you as a person.

If the interviewer or hiring manager provides an assignment for you to complete before you meet them, you may be asked to explain how you worked out the answer or completed the tasks.

Hopefully now you feel a lot more confident and ready to smash your next job interview!

If you’re looking for more job hunting advice in 2023, take a look at our job hunting guide below.