Prepare for interviews

By Justina Lydia · Reviewed 30 Oct 2026 · 4-minute read

If you have 20 minutes today: Write one interview story: the situation, what you did and the result.

Getting an interview means your materials and outreach worked. Many people I coach then stall here, especially career changers, because the questions feel like tests of whether they belong. They're easier when you've done the thinking before the day.

Build a bank of six to eight stories

Most interview questions are an invitation to tell a story: a hard project, a conflict, a mistake, a time you changed someone's mind. Write six to eight stories in advance, and you can answer most of them by picking one.

MIT's career office suggests the STAR method for these answers: the situation, the task you were responsible for, the actions you took yourself, and the result⁠^[1]. It also suggests spending most of the answer on what you did, and naming results in numbers where you can.

Take your stories from your resume bullets, so the numbers match. If your resume says you cut onboarding time from 14 days to 6, one story should be how you did it, who pushed back, and what you'd do differently. A mix works well: two results you're proud of, one conflict, one mistake and what you learned, one time you led without authority, and one from the field you're moving toward, even if it was a side project.

"Tell me about yourself"

This opens most interviews, and it's a chance to frame everything that follows. Keep it to 60 to 90 seconds. Build it on the three-sentence story from telling the story of your change: what you've done and were good at, what pulled you toward this work, and why your past makes you useful here. End on why you're in this conversation, such as "and that's why this role caught my eye."

Prepare for the career changer's questions

If you're changing fields, expect at least one of these. For each, write one honest line, then a bridge to proof.

1. When they ask why this field, say what drew you, then point to something you've already done in it.
2. When they ask why now, name the real reason in a sentence. Something you learned about yourself is a fine answer.
3. If they say you're overqualified, explain why you're choosing this level and how long you'd like to stay.
4. If they ask about a gap, use your two-line answer from the story page, and stop there.
5. If they say you lack years in their industry, agree calmly, then name a problem you've solved that this industry also has.

A sample bridge: "You're right that I haven't worked in healthcare. I have opened four sites to a fixed deadline, and your clinic openings look like the same problem with different rules. I'd expect to learn the rules fast and bring the scheduling."

Research the team's problem

Spend 30 to 45 minutes before each interview on:

1. The company's last three pieces of news, such as launches, funding or hires.
2. The problem this team is hired to solve, as the posting and your earlier conversations describe it.
3. Your interviewer's background on LinkedIn: how long they've been there and what they did before.
4. The three must-haves in the posting, and which of your stories proves each one.

Bring four or five questions of your own

An interview is also your chance to decide. These tend to tell you a lot:

1. Ask what a great first 90 days would look like.
2. Ask what's hardest about the role right now.
3. Ask what the last person in the role did well, and what they'd change.
4. Ask how they'll measure success at the end of the first year.
5. Before you leave, ask what happens next and when they expect to decide.

Know the format before you go

Ask the recruiter what to expect. Formats vary: a phone screen with a recruiter, a panel, a case study or work sample, a recorded one-way video, or an AI-led screening interview. For a recorded or AI-led round, ask what's being assessed and whether a person reviews it. Those are fair questions, and the answer tells you how to prepare.

Answer in your own words, live. In Greenhouse's 2025 survey, 65% of US hiring managers said they'd caught applicants using AI deceptively, and reading from AI-generated scripts was the most common case they named, at 32%⁠^[2]. Using AI to practise is fine. The page on using AI in your search covers where it helps.

Practise out loud, then debrief

Say your stories out loud, ideally to a friend or your coach, or record yourself on your phone. Answers that sound fine in your head often run to three minutes when spoken.

Within an hour of each interview, write five lines: the questions you were asked, which story you used, what landed, what you'd change, and the date they gave you. Those notes make the next interview easier, and they're useful to bring to a coaching session. Then send your thank-you, as described in following up after you interview.