Ace your next interview

Interviews reward preparation far more than personality. If you know the role, know your stories and know what you want to ask, most of the nerves take care of themselves.

Do the research that matters

You don’t need to memorise the company history. You do need to understand what the business does, who its customers are, and why this role exists right now. That context shapes every answer you give.

• Read the job description twice and highlight the three things they care about most
• Look at recent news, product launches or projects
• Find your interviewers on LinkedIn so you know their roles
• Work out how the role connects to the team’s goals

Questions you should expect

Most interviews mix a few predictable openers with competency questions about specific situations. Prepare an answer for each of these and you’ll be ready for most variations.

• Tell me about yourself — a two-minute story that ends with why this role
• Why do you want to work here?
• Tell me about a time you solved a difficult problem
• Describe a situation where something went wrong and what you did
• Where do you want to be in a few years?

Use STAR for competency answers

Structure keeps answers focused and stops you rambling. For any “tell me about a time” question, walk through four steps:

1. Situation — set the scene in a sentence or two
2. Task — what you were responsible for
3. Action — what you did, in detail. Say “I”, not “we”
4. Result — the outcome, with a number if you have one

Ask good questions back

The questions you ask show how you think. Skip anything you could have found online and ask about the work itself — what success looks like in six months, the biggest challenge facing the team, or how decisions get made.