Do the homework
Spend an hour on the company before any conversation. Read the posting line by line and assume every requirement will become a question. Read the company's site, its recent news and the profiles of the people you are scheduled to meet. You should be able to say in two sentences what the company sells, to whom, and why this role exists.
Build the story bank
STAR stands for situation, task, action and result, and two or three stories is the floor. Aim for six: a success, a failure, a conflict with a colleague, a tight deadline, a time you led something, and a time you learned something fast. One good story answers several questions. Keep each under two minutes, spend most of that time on the action, say "I" instead of hiding in "we," and end on a result with a number in it. The failure story must be a real failure, followed by what you do differently now.
The predictable questions
The request to tell them about yourself is an invitation to a ninety-second summary: what you do now, how you got there, and why this role is the next step. It is not a biography. When asked about a weakness, name a real one and the system you use to manage it. When asked about salary expectations early, give a researched range or ask what range is budgeted for the role. Several states and cities require employers to disclose pay ranges, and many bar questions about your salary history, so look up the rule where the job is located.
Your questions for them
Always arrive with three. Strong ones ask what success looks like six months in, why the position is open, how the team handles disagreement, and what the interviewer would change about the place. Hold questions about vacation and benefits until there is an offer.
Logistics that cost people jobs
- Arrive ten minutes early in person, not thirty, and bring printed copies of your resume.
- Test the camera, microphone and meeting link the day before a video interview, and put the light in front of you.
- Ask before you leave what the timeline for a decision is.
- Send each interviewer a thank-you email within 24 hours that mentions one specific thing from the conversation.
- Follow up once if the stated date passes by a few business days.
Tip Rehearse your stories aloud with a timer. An answer that feels like ninety seconds in your head routinely runs four minutes out loud.
