To be prepared for your job interview, you need to do three things:

1. Research the company to understand the business and the context behind the role.

2. Predict the questions you’re most likely to be asked.

3. Prepare your answers with the most relevant examples from your experience.

If you do those three things properly, you’ll walk into the interview prepared and confident, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of getting the offer. This guide will show you how to do each step.

Company research

When you understand what the business does and what matters to them, you can give better, more specific answers to their questions, which increases your odds of getting the job offer.

Researching the company also helps you find a genuine reason you want to join, which you can use for questions like “Why do you want to work here?” and “Why should we hire you?”

What should you know?

Before the interview, make sure you understand:

• How the company makes money

• Who their customers/target market are

• Who their main competitors are

You don’t need hours for this, 10–20 minutes is plenty. Here are a few places to quickly gather the info you need:

• Company website: Read the About page, products/services, values, and (if they have it) the news/press or CSR/community section.

• Google + News tab: Check recent articles, press releases, funding or major changes.

• LinkedIn: Look at the company page and the People tab to see who’s in your department and get a sense of team size and structure.

• YouTube / podcasts: Search for interviews with leaders or your potential manager.

• Crunchbase (optional): For extra context on funding, growth and company background.

Take notes on anything that stands out. You can weave these points into your answers and questions throughout the interview. 

How to predict what questions you will be asked

Now that you understand the company, the next step is to figure out what they’re likely to ask you.

Use the job spec as a cheatsheet

Review the job description and turn the main requirements into a “Name a time when you…” question.

If a requirement says:

“Managing multiple projects simultaneously”

You can expect to be asked:

“Tell me about a time you handled multiple projects at once.”

Glassdoor

On Glassdoor.com, you can see what questions companies ask during interviews.

To gather this information, visit Glassdoor and search for the company you will be interviewing with.

• On the company page, click the Interview Tab.

• Enter your target job into the search box.

• You will see reviews from anyone who interviewed at the company for the role you're applying to.

• At the bottom of each review, you will see a section called Interview Questions.

If the company you’re interviewing with doesn’t have any interview questions listed, just look up competitors, as they'll likely be similar.

Know your CV inside and out

Compare your CV with the job description and identify overlaps. This will allow you to point out directly how you qualify for the job.

Recruiters

Make the most of recruiters – agency or in-house. Use the initial outreach, phone screen, and any emails about setting up interviews as chances to get inside info. If you’re unsure what to expect, ask them directly, for example:

• "What types of questions should I prepare for? Are they more technical or behavioural?"

• "Are there any specific topics or projects that the hiring manager is particularly interested in?"

• “What should I expect to be asked in the next round?”

• "Who will be on the panel, and what are their roles in the company?

• "Any tips on what the panel values most in a candidate?"

Industry research

What are the most common challenges currently being faced in the industry? Understanding these allows you to demonstrate your market knowledge and propose solutions in the interview.

Use AI

You can also use the likes of ChatGPT to figure out what is likely to be asked. Copy the entire job description, paste it into ChatGPT, and use this prompt: 'Act as a Hiring Manager for this role. Based on this job description, list the top 10 behavioural and technical interview questions you would ask a candidate.'

Preparing your answers

Now that you understand the company and the likely questions, it’s time to prepare your answers.

To get the job offer, you need to show two things:

• You understand the problems they’re trying to solve, and

• You have the experience and skills to solve them.

The following two-part exercise will help you pull out your most relevant stories and examples.

Part one: Managing the job responsibilities

Open the job description next to a blank document.

List every responsibility.

For each one, write an example of when you successfully handled that responsibility (or something similar).

Then use the following questions to help expand on your relevant experience and prepare your interview answers:

Context

• What was your role?

  • Were you leading, supporting, or both?

  • Was it during a critical project, under tight deadlines, managing a new client, or during an organisational change? Was the company going through a growth phase? 

  • Did you have to do more with less because of budget/resource constraints?

Action

• What exactly did you do? 

  • How did you approach the task? 

  • What strategies or tools did you use? 

  • How did you work with teams, other departments, or leadership?

Challenges

• What challenges did you face while managing the responsibility? 

  • What obstacles did you overcome? 

  • Were there any unexpected complications? How did you resolve them?

Results 

• What did you achieve? 

  • What good came out of the work you did? What did your work allow to happen? How did your role contribute to the goals of your department or company? 

  • Recall any measurable outcomes or improvements you contributed to such as cost savings, revenue generation, or performance improvements.

  • Did your actions lead to any long-term changes? Did you introduce any new processes or improvements? 

Part two: Showcasing your skills

Now it’s time to focus on your relevant skills. You may not have experience managing every responsibility listed in the job description, but you can demonstrate you’re qualified through your transferable skills.

Once again, run through the job description and write down each specific skill required for the position. Look for specific skills mentioned, such as project management, time management, analytical abilities, customer service, leadership, communication, problem solving, technical expertise, etc.

For each skill listed, recall and note down a specific instance from your work experience where you utilised that skill. Pick out examples that had a meaningful impact or demonstrate your proficiency in that area.

Use the questions below to describe how you applied each skill in a professional setting.

There may be some overlap here with what you’ve written in your answers for managing the responsibilities, which is great, as it will allow you to create a clearer, more complete story of your relevant skills and experiences.

Context 

• Recall specific instances when you used this skill in your work.

  • Was it during a routine task, a critical project, a high-pressure situation within a team, to help or train a team member, or while managing an important client?

  • Describe the importance of this skill in your role and its relevance to the business or project outcomes.

Action 

• Detail how you applied the skill in the workplace.

  • What specific actions did you take that utilised this skill?

  • Describe how you used this skill to address or solve a problem.

  • Explain how you developed this skill over time. Did you undertake training, self-study, or on-the-job learning?

Challenges 

• Discuss any challenges you faced while applying this skill and how you overcame them. This could include technical problems, interpersonal issues, or project constraints.

Results 

• What has the skill helped your team or company achieve? 

  • Describe what the skill has allowed you to accomplish. What good has come out of the work that you do due to the skill?

By completing this two-part exercise, you’ll have a clear list of your most relevant stories and examples to answer the most important questions.

Using AI to predict questions and prepare your answers

Now that you’ve done the work of pulling out your most relevant experience, AI can help you turn those notes into structured, polished answers.

Now that you’ve done the work of pulling out your most relevant experience, AI can help you turn those notes into structured, polished answers.

Below are the prompts to use in ChatGPT (one at a time as it handles smaller chunks much better).

Give ChatGPT the job description

Prompt 1:

I am applying for this job: [Paste job description]. Please review the job description carefully as I will be asking you further questions.

Get ChatGPT to design your interview prep

You’ve already given ChatGPT the job description. Now you want it to tell you what you should ask it so it can help you prepare properly.

Prompt 2:

Based on the [Job Title] job description I sent you previously, what prompts can I ask you to help gather my most relevant experience for this job?

ChatGPT will now provide you with a series of questions that are going to be the focus of your upcoming job interview.

Now this is where the magic happens. Tell ChatGPT you want it to answer each question (prompt) using the information from the two-part exercise you’ve completed earlier. Alternatively, if you have not completed the exercise, you can provide ChatGPT with your CV instead, although the answers will be of lower quality.

Ask ChatGPT to answer these questions

Prompt 3:

You have supplied me with [Number] prompts. I now want you to answer each of those prompts using my most relevant experience and skills. I will now supply that experience. Do you understand?

Feed ChatGPT the notes from your two-part exercise

Prompt 4:

Below you will find my relevant experience. Use it to answer the [Number] prompts you gave me earlier. Answer each question using the CARL framework (Context, Action, Result, Learning). Here is my most relevant experience: [Paste your notes from the two-part exercise]

ChatGPT will then identify your strongest examples and turn them into interview-ready answers.

They won’t be perfect, but they give you an excellent starting script to refine and rehearse.

Behavioural/competency-based interview questions

Behavioural-based questions are asked by the employer to identify if you have the skills and experience for the role you’re applying for. The questions will be based on the types of situations you will face if you’re hired for the role. 

Behavioural-based questions are typically asked in one of the following ways:

• Tell me about a time when …

• Give an example of when …

• Describe a time when …

• Have you ever been in a situation where …

How to answer behavioural / competency-based questions

To prepare for behavioural interview questions, consider having a few go-to work stories that can be adapted to fit a variety of scenarios. These stories should span different experiences, such as achievements, failures, challenges, and moments that required grit.

With a handful of stories prepared, you can apply them to an array of different interview questions. 

Wins

• For stories of success, focus on instances where you demonstrated leadership and initiative, tackled difficult issues, and made a significant impact. Think back to your biggest career achievements. If you can attach numbers or metrics to these experiences, it will validate your accomplishments. 

• Also discuss what the experience taught you. Lessons don’t just occur from losses. Maybe a specific achievement helped you realise there are better approaches to take going forward.

• Prepare stories that relate to the work you are most passionate about. Detail what occurred, how it influenced you professionally, and why you’re keen to continue such work in the future. Be sure to connect this back to the challenges or opportunities that the company is currently facing.

Losses

• You may be asked questions that focus on challenges you’ve faced, like missing deadlines. Prepare a story of a project or situation at work that went sideways. 

• Explain what went wrong, how you exercised self-awareness to recognise the issues, the steps you took to mitigate the situation, and the lessons you've taken away for future application. As with any outcome that didn't go as planned, always discuss the lessons you learned. Reflect on what you learned and state “If I were to do it again, I would do X differently” or “Going forward, I learned to do X instead of Y”.

Relationships

• It’s also very helpful to prepare stories around work relationships – whether it’s dealing with challenging customers, managers, or coworkers – focusing on how you navigated disagreements to meet common objectives. 

• How do you handle conflict? Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma? If so, explain how your values guided your actions. The aim is to showcase your problem-solving abilities to come to a resolution, rather than trying to prove who’s right or wrong. 

• With a handful of stories prepared, you can apply them to an array of different interview questions. 

Additional tips

• To help you decide the most appropriate stories, scrutinise the job description and make a list of the skills the employer is likely to focus on. 

• Use “I” instead of “we” throughout your answers.

• Never blame anyone for mistakes or missed deadlines. Take full responsibility and own it.

• Use the CARL method to prepare your answers:

• C - Context: Start your answer by detailing what job role you were in at the time and what the task or situation was.

• A - Action: How did you execute the task? / How did you handle the situation?

• R - Result: What was the outcome of your actions?

• L - Learn: What did you learn from the situation? 

• If you failed at something, the interviewer wants to confirm that you are someone who learns from their mistakes.

• You could also discuss the habits you developed as a result of what you learned, and detail how those habits have enabled you to deliver exceptional work. 

• Tie the lessons you learned to the main requirements of the job description. 

• Carefully listen to the question that’s being asked so you can correctly address it with the correct competency. If you are unsure, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. 

• Go into the struggle and get dramatic. 

• This will help keep the interviewer engaged.

• If the interviewer asks about a specific skill, like leadership, sprinkle that word throughout your answer.

• This reiterates to them that you possess the skill. 

• Within each answer, focus heavily on the action you took. 

• The action is what can be replicated within the hiring company. Results will always vary, but the action stays the same. We tend to gloss over this in our interview answers.

• Bonus points: mix up the start of your answers by including a defining principle for a specific competency that is related to the question.

• For example, if the question relates to leading a team, you could start your answer by stating: “When I'm leading a team, my top priority is to establish an atmosphere rooted in transparency. The most successful teams I've managed have thrived on open, candid communication." Then jump into your story using the CARL method.

• If you sense your answer didn't land or was confusing, ask the interviewer: 

• “Did that give you everything you need, or do you require more information?”

Remembering your best stories

To help you recall your stories from work, run through the following questions:

• Have you ever identified a process that was inefficient? What did you do to improve it?

• Was there a time when a project was off-track and you had to intervene? What steps did you take?

• Have you dealt with a difficult coworker or manager? How did you manage the relationship to complete a project or task?

• Were you ever under a particularly tight deadline? What strategies did you use to meet it?

• Have you ever been faced with a resource constraint (like budget cuts, limited manpower, etc.)? How did you work around it?

• Did you ever have to adapt quickly to a sudden change in company strategy or priorities? How did you handle it?

• Have you had to resolve a disagreement within your team? What was your approach?

• Was there a time when you had to handle a customer complaint that seemed impossible to solve? What did you do?

• Have you ever been in a situation where multiple projects were failing? How did you prioritise?

• Did you ever find an error that no one else noticed? What action did you take?

• Was there a time when you had to learn a new tool or technology to solve a problem?

• Have you ever had to convince your team to try a new approach to solve an existing issue?

• Have you implemented a risk management strategy to avoid future problems?

• Were you ever involved in a failed project? What did you learn, and how did you apply this learning later?

• Did you ever have to change your action plan midway through a project due to unforeseen challenges?

Next steps: forming your interview answers

To help you flesh out your interview answers, check out our answer templates for the most common interview questions here.