How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Landing an interview is a big step in the job-seeking process. You likely stood out on a job board like ZipRecruiter, made a great first impression on a screening call, and the hiring manager thinks your background aligns well with the job description. Now you'll meet with your future team and manager, so use this opportunity to demonstrate why you're the best candidate for the position.

Preparation is essential when going into an interview. By learning about the organization and preparing for the interview, you'll feel confident in your answers, and the interviewers will know you're serious about the opportunity. You have a limited time to sell yourself, so preparing your answers ahead of time can ensure you make the most of it.

Follow these tips to prepare for your next big interview.

Research the company.

Not only will researching the company give you more information you can use in your interview, but your knowledge of the company's operations shows the hiring team that you're genuinely interested in working there.

Look at their company website or articles written about them. You'll want to understand their product or service offerings, history, and values.

Understand your skills.

It's important to highlight your strengths when interviewing. After understanding the job description and learning more about the company, think about how your experience and skills can transfer to the job description, and rehearse bringing those points up in your conversation.

You offer a company a unique skillset, and the interview is the time to let them know how you will add value to the team.

Prepare for common interview questions.

Not every interview is the same, but they certainly have similarities. Do a quick internet search for common interview questions and rehearse your answers.

Your responses should follow a "STAR Method" format of explaining the situation, your task or role, the action you took and the results of your solution. Provide quantifiable results where possible to help your interviewers visualize your contributions.

Practice your responses.

You can never be too prepared for an interview. Make sure you can speak to your experience and have the questions you're going to ask prepared. Consider rehearsing with a friend or filming yourself answering questions. Successful interviews feel more like a conversation but preparing your talking points can help you feel more relaxed.

If you've been looking for a new role but haven't found one that speaks to you, ZipRecruiter can help you step up your job search. This popular choice among job seekers and hiring managers makes getting found by quality employers simple. Its AI matching technology serves your profile to relevant employers and invites you to apply for open roles. Jobs where employers use ZipRecruiter's Invite to Apply feature receive 6x more great matches.¹

^{1 ZipRecruiter Internal Data, average Jan. 1 – Dec. 31 2021. Great matches are scored by a machine learning model using the applicant's skills, job titles, years of experience, recency of titles, location, resume length, and application rate. Includes only ZipApply jobs on standard distribution subscription plans.}