You got the interview. After the excitement comes the panic: what will they ask, what should you wear, what if your mind goes blank? Preparation is the best cure for nerves, and you do not need weeks of it. Two focused days are enough to walk in ready.
Here is a 48-hour plan that works for in-person, phone and video interviews.
48 hours before: research and stories
Re-read the job posting (20 minutes)
Print or save the posting and highlight the top three responsibilities and the skills mentioned most often. These are the areas the interviewer will probe. Our guide to reading a job description explains how to find them.
Research the employer (40 minutes)
Look for:
- What they do, who their customers are and how they make money.
- Recent news, product launches, openings or community projects.
- Their stated values or mission, and examples of them in action.
- The interviewer’s role, if you know who it is, via the company site or LinkedIn.
Write down three specific facts you can mention naturally. They will also feed your answer to “Why do you want to work here?”
Prepare five stories (60 minutes)
Most interview questions can be answered with a small set of well-prepared stories. Pick five from school, work, volunteering or life:
- A time you solved a problem.
- A time you worked with a team, ideally including a disagreement.
- A time you learned something quickly.
- A time you handled pressure or a deadline.
- A time you made a mistake and fixed it.
Structure each one with the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Our guide to the STAR method with entry-level examples shows how.
24 hours before: practice and logistics
Practice the core questions out loud (45 minutes)
Say your answers aloud, ideally to a friend or into your phone’s recorder. Practice:
- “Tell me about yourself” (60–90 seconds).
- “Why are you interested in this role?”
- “What are your strengths?”
- “What is your greatest weakness?”
- “Tell me about a time you…” questions, using your five stories.
- “Where do you see yourself in a few years?”
- “What are your salary expectations?”
You are not memorizing a script. You are making sure the key points come out clearly.
Prepare your questions (15 minutes)
Write three or four questions to ask at the end. Good ones focus on the work, the team and success in the role. See our list of smart questions to ask in an interview.
Sort out logistics (20 minutes)
| Interview type | Check the day before |
|---|---|
| In person | Address, travel time plus 15 minutes buffer, parking or transit, the name to ask for at reception |
| Video | Link, software installed and updated, camera, microphone, lighting, background |
| Phone | Phone charged, quiet location, good signal, the number they will call from |
For video calls, our video interview guide covers setup in detail.
Choose your outfit
Dress one level more formal than what employees typically wear. If you are unsure, business casual is a safe default: clean, pressed, comfortable clothes. Lay everything out the night before.
Pack or prepare
- Two or three printed copies of your resume (in person).
- A notebook and pen with your questions written down.
- A copy of the job posting and your notes.
- ID if the building requires it.
The day of the interview
- Eat something and drink water; low energy makes nerves worse.
- Review, do not cram. Skim your stories and the company facts once.
- Arrive 10 minutes early for in-person interviews, or log in 5 minutes early for video.
- Be polite to everyone. Receptionists and assistants are often asked for their impressions.
Managing nerves
Feeling nervous is normal and usually invisible to interviewers. A few techniques help:
- Slow your breathing: inhale for four counts, exhale for six, a few times before you go in.
- Pause before answering; it looks thoughtful, not unsure.
- If your mind goes blank, say “Let me think about that for a moment” or ask them to repeat the question.
- Remember that the interviewer wants you to do well; they need to fill the role.
During the interview
- Listen to the full question before answering.
- Keep answers to roughly one to two minutes, then stop.
- Use specific examples rather than general claims.
- Be honest when you do not know something: “I haven’t used that tool yet, but I learned a similar one in a week during my internship.”
- Show enthusiasm for the role and the team.
After the interview
Within 24 hours, send a short thank-you email to each interviewer. Our thank-you email guide has templates. Then note in your job search tracker what questions you were asked and what you would improve. That log makes your next interview easier.
Block the two days in your calendar
Block two hours in your calendar for each of the next two days and follow this plan. Start with the five stories; they are the foundation for almost every answer you will give.