How to Prepare for a Job Interview: A Complete Checklist

TL;DR — Start about a week out. Research the company and match every requirement in the job description to something you've done. Prepare your core answers and five to seven stories, then practice them out loud — ideally in a mock interview. The day before, settle logistics: route or video setup, outfit, printed résumés, your questions. On the day, arrive 10 to 15 minutes early (or log in early), listen carefully, and ask about next steps. Within 24 hours, send a thank-you email.

Most interview nerves come from not knowing what to expect, and nearly everything about an interview is predictable: the kinds of questions, what they're testing, what to bring, what can go wrong with the video link. "Interviewing is a skill," as Tufts' career center puts it, and skills respond to preparation. This checklist is organized by when to do each step, so you can start wherever you are on the calendar.

How to prepare for a job interview: the checklist

A WEEK BEFORE
[ ] Research the company: what it does, recent news, the team
[ ] Match each requirement in the posting to your own proof
[ ] Prepare core answers + 5–7 stories
[ ] Write 3–5 questions to ask them
[ ] Practice out loud; do at least one mock interview

THE DAY BEFORE
[ ] Confirm time, format, location or link, and who you'll meet
[ ] Plan the route, or test the video platform
[ ] Lay out your outfit; print résumés
[ ] Reread the job description and your notes; sleep

THE DAY OF
[ ] Arrive 10–15 minutes early, or log in early
[ ] Listen fully; ask for clarification when you need it
[ ] Close by asking about next steps and the timeline

AFTER
[ ] Write down names and what you discussed
[ ] Send a thank-you email within 24 hours

The rest of this guide explains each line.

A week before: research the company and the role

What to research about the company

You're looking for enough to answer "why us?" with something specific, and to ask one question that shows you did the reading. UW–Madison's SuccessWorks suggests starting with the employer's website and recent news, then checking whether anyone you know — family, friends, classmates — has worked there and would talk with you. Cover:

• What they sell or do, and for whom. Say it in one sentence.
• Recent news. A launch, an expansion, a reorganization, a funding round.
• The team and the people. Look up your interviewers' professional profiles so you know their roles.
• The format. Tufts suggests asking the recruiter who you'll meet and whether to expect case questions. Recruiters will usually tell you whether it's a panel, a technical round, or a conversation.

Match yourself to the job description

This is the step most people skip, and the one that pays most. The Department of Labor's CareerOneStop says it directly: for each requirement listed in the job posting, write down your qualifications. Make two columns, the posting's requirements and your proof, and fill in every row with a project, job, class, or volunteer role.

Rows you can't fill are your likely tough questions. CareerOneStop's advice is to plan in advance how you'll address a missing skill and convince the interviewer you can learn it. One honest sentence about how you'd close the gap beats hoping it doesn't come up.

Prepare your answers

Most interviews draw from the same small set of questions. Prepare an approach to each:

• "Tell me about yourself" — a 60-to-90-second present-past-future pitch. See how to answer "tell me about yourself".
• "Why do you want to work here?" — built from your research. See why do you want to work here.
• "Why should we hire you?" — your two or three strongest matches from the requirements table. See why should we hire you.
• Strengths and weaknesses — see the greatest-weakness question.
• "Where do you see yourself in five years?" — see where do you see yourself in 5 years.
• "Tell me about a time…" — five to seven real stories in STAR shape. See behavioral interview questions.
• Salary — have a researched range ready. See the salary expectations question.

Then write three to five questions to ask them. CareerOneStop suggests questions that show interest, such as day-to-day responsibilities and how performance will be measured. More in questions to ask the interviewer.

How to practice for an interview

Reading your answers isn't practice. Saying them out loud is. Your first spoken attempt at an answer is always longer and messier than the version in your head, and you want that attempt to happen at home, not in the interview.

• Rehearse out loud, alone. Time your answers. Most should land in one to two minutes.
• Do a mock interview. Tufts recommends rehearsing alone, with a friend, or with a career advisor, and starting early enough to act on the feedback. CareerOneStop suggests asking a friend to mock interview you, and recording yourself so you can review your performance.
• Use your career center. Most college career centers run mock interviews, and some extend them to alumni.
• Practice the format you'll face. If it's a video interview, practice on video. If it's a panel, practice with two people.
• Practice on demand. An AI mock interview lets you rehearse at 11 p.m. without asking anyone for a favor. Olive's interview practice runs voice mock interviews built from a real job description or any role you name; AI mock interview practice covers how to get the most from one.

Don't memorize scripts. Know your beats and say them a little differently each time, so a follow-up question doesn't knock you off a script.

The day before the interview

• Confirm the details: time (and time zone), address or link, who you're meeting, and a phone number in case something goes wrong.
• Plan the route. Tufts recommends a trial run to the location and allowing for transit delays, parking, and weather.
• Pick your outfit. Dress for the role. UW–Madison advises erring toward overdressed rather than underdressed, and Tufts suggests modeling the outfit for a friend at least two days ahead.
• Reread the job description, your requirements table, and your story notes. Then stop. Cramming at midnight doesn't help; sleep does.

What to bring to a job interview

• Printed copies of your résumé, enough for each interviewer plus one.
• Your list of questions for them.
• A notepad and pen, or a padfolio.
• A portfolio or work samples, if relevant to the role.
• References, printed, in case they ask.
• ID and directions, plus the contact name for the front desk.

UW–Madison's list matches this, and adds bringing transcripts only if requested. CareerOneStop suggests leaving your coffee, water bottle, or backpack at home or in your car.

How to prepare for a virtual interview

CareerOneStop's virtual interview guide is the most practical checklist available:

• Test the tech on the employer's platform. Check your computer, camera, and microphone, and do a test call on Zoom, Teams, or whatever they use. UW–Madison suggests installing any software early.
• Choose a quiet, well-lit space with an uncluttered background. Mute notifications and close extra tabs.
• Look at the camera, not the screen, when you want to make eye contact.
• Keep brief notes nearby — your résumé and a few bullet points are fine — but look at the interviewer, not the notes.
• Charge everything and sign in a few minutes early.
• Get a backup number. CareerOneStop suggests asking for the interviewer's phone number once you connect, so you can continue if the video drops.

Some employers send one-way recorded interviews instead: you record answers to preset questions. Bring the same energy you would to a live conversation. CareerOneStop notes you may be able to re-record answers before submitting.

The day of the interview

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. That's the window CareerOneStop, Tufts, and UW–Madison all give. Much earlier than that, wait nearby; you don't want to make the interviewer feel rushed. For video, log in a few minutes early; for a phone interview, UW–Madison suggests being ready in a quiet spot 10 to 15 minutes before the call.
• Be courteous to everyone. Tufts points out that the interview starts when you walk into the employer's space.
• Listen to the whole question. If you don't understand it, CareerOneStop says to ask for it to be repeated or clarified. A short pause to think is fine.
• Close well. CareerOneStop suggests restating a strength you haven't emphasized, asking when the employer plans to decide, and finding out whether there will be more interviews.

After the interview

Write down names and what you discussed while it's fresh, then send a thank-you email within 24 hours to each interviewer. How to write a thank-you email after an interview has templates for every round. If the timeline they gave you passes with no word, one polite status check is reasonable; see follow-up emails. Then note which questions were hard, because those are what to practice before the next round.

Interview prep mistakes to avoid

• Researching the company but not the job. The requirements table matters more than the founding date.
• Practicing silently. Rehearsing in your head hides how long and loose your answers really are.
• Memorizing scripts. They break at the first follow-up.
• Skipping the tech test. A broken microphone costs you the first five minutes of a video interview.
• No questions for them. "No, I think you covered everything" reads as low interest.
• Treating the phone screen casually. It's a real interview with a real cut. See phone screen questions.

Preparation is what turns an interview from an ambush into a conversation you've already rehearsed. If you're still lining up interviews, how to find a job covers the search itself.

Sources

• CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor — Interview Tips
• CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor — Virtual interviews
• Tufts University Career Center — Preparing for Interviews
• University of Wisconsin–Madison SuccessWorks — Preparing for Your Interview