Job interview prep

The list adapts to you

When you add it, the checklist asks a couple of questions and keeps only the items that fit your situation.

• What's the format? In personOnline

What's inside

1. Research the company

   Check out their product, recent news and what they're proud of — 'what do you know about us' comes up almost every time, and a vague answer shows you didn't prepare.

2. Reread the job post and map your experience

   Go through each requirement and line up a real example from your experience for it — you won't be improvising an answer on the spot.

3. Prepare 3–5 STAR success stories

   The 'situation → action → result' structure covers most behavioral questions ('tell me about a conflict', 'a failure', 'an initiative') — prepare them ahead instead of making them up live.

4. Reread your own resume

   Questions will be based on it — dates, responsibilities, numbers. It looks bad if you can't explain your own resume line.

5. Prepare your 'tell me about yourself' answer

   Keep it to 1–2 minutes, not a life story: a quick path through your experience to this role and why it interests you.

6. Prepare questions for the interviewer

   Have 3–5 ready — not asking anything reads as disinterest. Ask about the team, what success looks like, and next steps.

7. Work out your salary expectations

   Decide on a range in advance, with a floor you won't go below — there shouldn't be an awkward pause when they ask.

8. Ask the recruiter about format and stages

   Who's attending, how long it runs, how many stages remain — this cuts anxiety and lets you prepare for exactly what's coming.

9. Gather your portfolio and work samples

   Keep links or files ready to hand — not something to hunt for mid-call, but a link you can share in seconds.

10. Get a good night's sleep

    Sounds obvious, but it matters: a tired brain formulates worse answers and misreads questions.

11. Plan your route with a 15–20 minute buffer In person

    Being late to an interview is hard to explain away. Budget extra time for traffic and finding the entrance.

12. Find out who meets you and who to call at the entrance In person

    Office building reception often doesn't know about visitors. Having the recruiter's number saves you nerves at the door.

13. Plan an outfit that fits the company culture In person

    Asking the recruiter about dress code is normal, not a sign of insecurity — it saves everyone time.

14. Print two copies of your resume In person

    There may be more than one interviewer in the room, and fumbling for a file on your phone is awkward.

15. Bring a notepad and pen In person

    Jotting down details as you go — questions, names, next steps — is easier on paper than fumbling with your phone.

16. Test your camera, mic and platform an hour ahead Online

    Not five minutes before the call — so you have time to fix it if the app won't launch or the mic isn't detected.

17. Set up your background and lighting Online

    Face a window or light source — a dark video feed reads worse than you'd think.

18. Find a quiet room and give your household a heads-up Online

    A doorbell or a barking dog mid-answer throws you off — ask people around you not to interrupt.

19. Use headphones Online

    Headphone audio is cleaner than laptop speakers, and it avoids echo and feedback.

20. Exchange phone numbers with the recruiter as a backup Online

    If the video call drops, you can call to reconnect instead of scrambling through email for a contact.

21. Close extra tabs and turn off notifications Online

    A pop-up notification with a personal message during screen share is a bad surprise to have.