The Day Before: Research and Preparation

Company Research (30-45 Minutes)

Read the company's About page, mission statement, and recent news releases
Look up the company on Glassdoor — read 10-15 recent reviews, noting culture themes and any red flags
Find the company on LinkedIn — check recent posts, employee count growth, and any notable updates
Google "[Company Name] news [current year]" — look for recent funding, layoffs, product launches, or press coverage
Understand the company's main product or service and who their customers are
Identify the company's 2-3 biggest competitors so you can speak intelligently about market context

Role Research (20 Minutes)

Re-read the job description thoroughly — highlight the 5-6 most repeated requirements
Map your top 3-4 experiences directly to those requirements — be ready to tell the story for each
Look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn — note their background, tenure at the company, and any shared connections
Look up your interviewers if you have their names — knowing their roles helps you tailor answers

Prepare Your Questions (15 Minutes)

Write 5-7 thoughtful questions to ask your interviewers. Having prepared questions signals genuine interest and gives you information you actually need to decide whether to accept an offer. Good question categories:

Role clarity: "What does success look like in this role after 90 days?"
Team dynamics: "How does this team make decisions when there's disagreement?"
Growth: "What are the typical career paths for people in this role?"
Challenges: "What is the biggest challenge the person in this role will face in the first six months?"
Process: "What does a typical week look like for someone in this position?"

Avoid questions about salary, benefits, or vacation in a first interview — those come after an offer.

Review Your Own Resume (15 Minutes)

Read your resume out loud from top to bottom — you need to be able to speak fluently about every line
For each role listed, be ready to answer: "Tell me about what you did there" in 60-90 seconds
Prepare your "Tell me about yourself" answer — it should take 90 seconds and connect your background to this specific role
Have 3-4 STAR stories ready (a success, a failure, a challenge, a collaboration) that you can adapt to behavioral questions

Logistics Checklist

Confirm the interview format (in-person, phone, video) and the exact time zone
If in-person: map the route and do a trial run if possible — account for traffic, parking, and building access
If video: test your microphone, camera, and internet connection — use the same platform the interview will use (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet)
Choose and lay out your outfit the night before — professional but appropriate to the company's culture
Print 2-3 copies of your resume even for in-person interviews — some interviewers will not have it in front of them
Bring a pen and notepad — taking brief notes shows engagement
Charge your phone and laptop if it's a video interview

The Morning Of: Your Pre-Interview Checklist

Eat a real meal — low blood sugar affects your focus and conversational fluency
Review your 5-7 prepared questions one more time
Re-read the job description one final time
Do a 5-minute warm-up: say your "Tell me about yourself" answer out loud, answer one practice question aloud — get your voice working
For in-person: aim to arrive 10-15 minutes early, not 30 (too early can create awkwardness for the host)
For video: log in 5 minutes before start time, test audio/video one final time, close unnecessary tabs and notifications
Silence your phone completely
Have water nearby for both in-person and video interviews

During the Interview: Tactics That Make a Difference

The Opening (First 5 Minutes)

Make strong eye contact and give a confident handshake or direct greeting — first impressions form in the first 30 seconds
Mirror the energy of the room — if the interviewer is formal, match it; if they are relaxed, you can be too
When asked "Tell me about yourself," deliver your prepared 90-second answer and then connect it directly to the role

During the Questions

It is acceptable to pause for 2-3 seconds before answering — this signals thoughtfulness, not incompetence
For behavioral questions, use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) — keep answers to 90-120 seconds
Quantify results whenever possible: "increased by 30%," "managed a $2M budget," "reduced time from 5 days to 1 day"
If you do not know the answer to a question, say "I don't have direct experience with that, but here is how I would approach it" — do not bluff
Take brief notes — it helps you ask better follow-up questions and signals engagement
Listen carefully to what the interviewer emphasizes — they are often telling you what actually matters in the role

Your Questions at the End

Ask 3-4 of your prepared questions — not all 7
Adapt your questions based on what came up in the interview — if a pain point was mentioned, ask about it
Close by asking about next steps: "What does the timeline look like from here?" and "Is there anything about my background you'd like me to clarify?"

After the Interview: The Follow-Up

Within 24 Hours: Send a Thank You Email

A thank you email after an interview is not just courtesy — it is a second opportunity to reinforce your candidacy. Many hiring decisions are close calls, and a well-written follow-up can tip the balance.

What to include in your thank you email:

Genuine thanks for their time
One specific thing from the interview that resonated with you
A brief restatement of why you are excited about the role
One skill or experience point you want to reinforce or that you forgot to mention
Confirmation of your continued interest

Template:

"Hi [Name], thank you for taking the time to speak with me today about the [Role] position. I especially appreciated your insight on [specific thing discussed] — it reinforced my excitement about the direction [Company] is heading. After our conversation, I'm more confident than ever that my background in [relevant area] would be a strong fit for what your team needs. I look forward to hearing about next steps. Thanks again, [Your Name]"

Send it within 24 hours. If you interviewed with multiple people, send individual personalized emails to each — not one group message.

If You Do Not Hear Back Within Their Stated Timeline

If the interviewer said "we'll follow up in a week" and a week passes with no response, send one follow-up email. Keep it brief:

"Hi [Name], I wanted to follow up on the [Role] interview from [date]. I'm still very interested in the position and wanted to check whether there are any updates on the timeline. Happy to provide any additional information if helpful. Thanks, [Your Name]"

Send one follow-up only. After that, move on — continued chasing rarely changes outcomes and can damage the relationship.

Debrief Yourself

Write down 3 questions that went well and 2 that you struggled with — while it's still fresh
Note anything you wished you had said differently
Record your impressions of the role, company culture, and team — this matters when you receive an offer and need to decide

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Job Interview Checklist: Everything to Do Before, During & After