Most interview failures happen before the interview starts. The candidate who winged it sounds vague. The candidate who prepared sounds specific, confident, and like someone you'd want on the team.
This is the full checklist we recommend running through before any interview. It works for first rounds and finals alike.
1. Research the company (1-2 hours)
Don't just skim the website. Read the company's most recent blog posts, press releases, and LinkedIn activity. Look up the team on LinkedIn. Find their competitors. Understand the business model — how do they make money?
- What does the company sell, and to whom?
- What's their funding stage (if startup) or recent financial news (if public)?
- Who are their main competitors, and how does this company differentiate?
- What's the team like — who would you be working with?
- What problem is this role solving?
2. Prepare STAR-method answers
Behavioral questions ("tell me about a time when…") are best answered with the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Prepare 5-7 stories you can flex to different questions.
A good STAR story:
- Situation: 1-2 sentences of context
- Task: what you specifically needed to do
- Action: what you did (focus on your role, not the team's)
- Result: the outcome, with numbers if possible
Example: "Situation: Our support team was drowning in tickets after a pricing change. Task: I needed to reduce ticket volume without hiring. Action: I built a self-serve FAQ from the top 20 ticket topics and embedded it in the billing flow. Result: Ticket volume dropped 35% in two months, and CSAT went up 6 points."
Questions to prepare stories for
- Tell me about a time you led a project.
- Describe a conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it.
- Tell me about a failure. What did you learn?
- Describe a time you had to influence someone without authority.
- Tell me about a time you shipped something under a tight deadline.
3. Prepare for the most common questions
Some questions show up in almost every interview. Have a clear, honest answer ready.
- Tell me about yourself. (90-second version: present → past → future)
- Why this company? (Specific reasons, not 'it seems like a great opportunity')
- Why this role? (Tie it to your career trajectory)
- What are your strengths? (Pick 2-3 with evidence)
- What's your biggest weakness? (Pick a real one and what you're doing about it)
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (Honest but aligned with the role)
- Why are you leaving your current job? (Never badmouth — focus on what you're moving toward)
4. Prepare questions to ask them
"Do you have any questions for us?" is not a formality. It's a test. Have 5-7 ready; you'll usually get to ask 2-3.
- What does success look like in this role at 30 / 90 / 180 days?
- What's the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?
- How does the team make decisions — consensus, lead, or top-down?
- What's the trajectory of the person who previously held this role?
- What's something that would surprise a new hire about the culture?
- How is performance measured, and how often?
5. Day-of logistics
Eliminate every variable you can. The night before, lay out what you'll wear, test your tech (if video), print copies of your resume (if in person), and confirm the time, format, and who you're meeting.
- Video interview: test your camera, mic, and lighting 30 minutes before. Sit somewhere quiet with a neutral background.
- In-person: arrive 10-15 minutes early. Bring 2-3 printed copies of your resume.
- Phone interview: stand up and pace — it changes your vocal energy.
- Hybrid: assume it's video unless told otherwise.
6. During the interview
Listen fully before answering. It's okay to pause for 2-3 seconds before responding. If you don't know an answer, say so — then explain how you'd figure it out. Bluffing is louder than you think.
At the end, ask your best question. Thank them for their time. That's it.
Common interview formats
Different formats reward different prep. Know which one you're walking into.
- Phone screen (15-30 min): recruiter checks basics. Have your summary, salary expectations, and 'why this company' answer ready.
- Video interview (45-60 min): the most common first-round format. Test your tech, sit somewhere quiet, look at the camera not the screen.
- Panel interview: multiple interviewers, often 3-5. Note each person's name and role; address answers to whoever asked, but make eye contact with everyone.
- Case or technical interview: structured problem-solving. Talk through your thinking out loud — the process matters more than the final answer.
- Take-home assignment: budget 2-4 hours, not 12. A clean, well-documented submission beats an over-engineered one.
7. The thank-you note
Send a short, specific thank-you email within 24 hours. Reference one thing you talked about. Keep it to three sentences.
Example: "Hi Sarah — thanks for the time today. The conversation about how your team is restructuring the onboarding flow got me thinking, and I'd love to dig in further. Looking forward to next steps."
Preparation is the unfair advantage most candidates skip. Do the work, and you'll sound like the candidate who actually wants the job. 🚀