How to prepare for an interview in seven steps
Most interview preparation goes wrong in one of two ways: reading about the company for hours without ever saying an answer out loud, or memorizing answers to questions this company won’t ask. The steps below avoid both. They work for any role, whether you’re an engineer, a designer, an analyst, a marketer, a student, or switching careers.
- 1. Research
- Learn what the company does and, more importantly, how it interviews: which rounds, in what order, testing what.
- 2. Stories
- Match five or six real experiences to the requirements in the job description.
- 3. Answers
- Prepare notes, not scripts, for the questions almost every interview includes.
- 4. Practice
- Say your answers out loud and get asked follow-up questions.
- 5–6. Logistics
- Settle the details the day before so the day itself is only about the conversation.
- 7. Your questions
- Prepare a few good questions to ask them at the end.
How long does it take? For most people, a few focused sittings across the week before the interview works far better than one long session the night before. If you’re a student or changing careers, give yourself a little more time for step 2, because your stories probably aren’t written down yet.
“Walk me through your background and why you applied for this role.”
By step 4 you’ll be able to answer that in about ninety seconds, without notes.
1. Research the company and its interview rounds
Two questions drive this step. How does this company make money, and how does it interview for this role? Most candidates spend all their time on the first and almost none on the second, which is backwards: knowing the rounds tells you what to practice.
For the company itself, read the careers page, the last couple of product or earnings updates, and one recent news story, and look up your interviewers’ public profiles if you know their names. You’re looking for one or two details you can mention naturally, not a history lesson. Anonymous review sites are useful for logistics and format, but take their opinions on culture with a pinch of salt.
Then work out the rounds. Many interview processes include some version of these, though the order and format vary a lot by company and role:
- Recruiter screen
Usually a short call about your background, motivation, timeline, and expectations. Be able to describe your own background cleanly.
- Hiring manager
Your experience, your judgment, and why this role now. Expect follow-ups on the projects on your résumé.
- Skills round
The craft itself: live coding, a portfolio review, a case, a writing sample, an analysis exercise, or a take-home.
- Behavioral round
How you work with people: conflict, feedback, failure, and ambiguity. This is where the STAR method helps.
Some companies publish their process, and candidates often describe it in detail. We’ve researched the rounds for well-known employers in our company guides, including Amazon, Google, Stripe, Bloomberg, and Capital One. For any other job, paste the posting into RoundHound and we’ll find out how that company interviews for that role.
2. Map the job description to your stories
Think of the job posting as the interviewer’s scoring sheet. Your job is to answer it with examples, not enthusiasm.
Pull out every requirement
Copy the posting into a document and highlight the phrases that describe the work, such as “own the roadmap,” “manage stakeholders,” or “analyze campaign performance.” Those are what you’ll be asked about.
Pick five or six stories
You need range, not volume. Try to cover a disagreement, a setback, a time you led without being asked, an unclear brief, a deadline under pressure, and one result you’re proud of.
Add what changed
For each story, note the result: time saved, money moved, people helped, or what happened next. If you don’t have a number, describe what you observed. Don’t invent one.
Separate “I” from “we”
Interviewers want to know your part. Use “we” for what the team did and “I” for your own decisions.
If you’re a student, class projects, research, clubs, and part-time jobs all count; our internship interview guide has an exercise for finding them. If you’re switching careers, pick stories that show judgment that carries over, rather than the vocabulary of your old industry.
3. Prepare answers to the common interview questions
These questions come up across roles, industries, and levels. Write a page of notes for them, then put the page away. You want to know what you’ll say, not recite it.
- Tell me about yourself
- Where you are now, the relevant part of your past, and why this job. About ninety seconds, then stop and let them ask.
- Why this company?
- One specific reason they could check, not the mission statement.
- Why are you leaving?
- Keep it about what you’re moving toward. No blame.
- Tell me about a failure
- A real one that you owned, with what you changed afterward.
- Describe a conflict at work
- Spend most of the answer on how it got resolved and your part in that.
- What are your salary expectations?
- A researched range, said calmly, with a reason. Expectations vary a lot by location and employer, so treat any figure you find online as a starting point.
- Do you have questions for us?
- Always yes. See step 7.
The most useful habit for every answer is to lead with the outcome, then explain how you got there, and stop when you’ve answered the question. For behavioral questions specifically, see our behavioral interview questions and answers, with example answers you can adapt.
4. Practice out loud, including the follow-ups
Reading your notes feels like preparation, but written answers hide the gaps. Say each answer out loud, record one, and listen back. You’ll hear the hedging (“kind of,” “I guess,” “we sort of”) and notice when the result goes missing.
Then practice the follow-up questions, because interviewers rarely stop at your first reply:
- What did you personally decide?
- How did you know it worked?
- Who disagreed with you, and why?
- What would you do differently today?
Practice with another person if you can: a friend, a mentor, or your career center. If you can’t get someone in the room, an AI interviewer that asks follow-ups does much of the same job, and free AI interview practice is a good place to start. RoundHound researches how the company interviews for the role from the job link, then runs each round with you out loud, by voice or by typing, and tells you plainly what to work on. Our comparison of AI practice, partners, and coaches can help you decide which suits you.
Before you polish any single answer again, run one complete round out loud, follow-ups included. It will show you what actually needs work.
Practice the rounds for your job
Paste the job link and we’ll find out how that company interviews for the role, then you practice each round out loud with follow-up questions. Your first 60 minutes are free.
5. The day before the interview
- Confirm the logistics: address, floor, interviewer names, or the video link. Plan your route or test the call software.
- Test your setup for a video interview: camera, microphone, lighting, and a phone number as backup in case the connection drops.
- Reread your stories once, and reread the posting. Note the three requirements you most want to show.
- Get your outfit ready, so nothing needs fixing in the morning.
- Review, but don’t try to learn new material. Then get a normal night’s sleep.
6. The day of the interview
Bring a few printed copies of your résumé if they’re requested, a notebook and pen, the interview details, ID if the building needs it, and your questions. Check the recruiter’s instructions first: some interviews have specific rules about notes or devices.
Arrive about ten to fifteen minutes early, or join a video call a couple of minutes before it starts. Say your ninety-second introduction out loud once before you go in, so the first thing you say in the room isn’t the first time you’ve said it today. At the end, ask about next steps and timing, and thank each interviewer by name.
7. Questions to ask at the end of the interview
The interview is your chance to evaluate them too. Ask about the work, the team, and how they measure success, and write down what you hear.
- What does success look like in the first ninety days?
- How does the team decide what to prioritize?
- What’s the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?
- How do people get feedback here?
- Is there anything about my background you’d like me to clarify?
Skip anything the careers page answers in the first ten seconds. A question about the work you’d actually do in your first week shows you’re already picturing the job.
Common questions about preparing for an interview
How long should I prepare for an interview?
Two or three sittings across the week before work well for most people: one for research, one for your stories, and one for practicing out loud. A single session the night before is the least effective way to spend the same time.
How many hours of preparation do I need?
It depends on the role and on how many rounds there are. A few hours often covers a single conversation; a full interview loop with a skills round, a career change, or a first interview in a new field needs more. The order matters more than the total: research first, then stories, then practice out loud.
What should I bring to an interview?
A few printed résumés if requested, a notebook and pen, the interview details, ID if needed, and your questions. Bring a portfolio or work samples only if the role calls for them. For a video interview, keep the same things open beside your camera.
How do I calm my nerves before an interview?
Practice your first answer out loud so your opening isn’t improvised, take a few slow breaths, and arrive early enough to settle but not so early that you’re waiting for half an hour. Feeling nervous is normal; it usually just means the job matters to you.
How do I prepare for a behavioral interview?
Pick five or six stories, structure each with the STAR method, and practice them out loud with follow-up questions. Software engineers can use our behavioral questions for software engineers.