Interview Preparation Checklist: What to Do Before Any Interview

Interview Preparation Checklist: What to Do Before Any Interview

The best interview preparation checklist covers six things: the role, your stories, your questions, your logistics, your setup (for online interviews), and the final 15 minutes. Do them in that order and you walk in knowing what the employer needs, with examples ready and nothing left to chance. Below is the full list, with a 15-minute and a 60-minute version for when the interview is tomorrow, or in an hour.

TL;DR

• Research the role and the employer first, then match your experience to what the job description asks for.
• Prepare 5 to 7 STAR stories and practice them out loud, not just in your head.
• Bring or prepare questions for the interviewer. Asking none can read as lack of interest.
• For online interviews, test your camera, microphone, and connection, and log in 5 to 10 minutes early.
• Short on time? Use the 15-minute or 60-minute plans further down.

The checklist at a glance

Print this, or copy it into your notes app. Each item is explained in the sections that follow.

Step 1: Understand the role and the employer

Every strong answer starts with knowing what the employer actually needs. The U.S. Department of Labor recommends researching the position and organization, including its mission and goals, and reviewing the job announcement before you go in.

Turn that into concrete tasks:

1. Reread the job description and highlight keywords. Virginia Tech’s career office suggests highlighting the keywords in the position description and then preparing stories around them. Pick the top five requirements. Those are what the interviewer will probe.
2. Match each requirement to something you have done. Write a one-line example next to each. If a requirement has no match, note the closest transferable experience. This is especially useful for career changers.
3. Learn what the organization does. Cover its products or services, recent news, and its mission. The Department of Labor’s TEAMS guide lists the company website, LinkedIn, recent articles, and industry trends as places to look.
4. Look up your interviewers. If you know their names, check their LinkedIn profiles for their role and background. It helps you tailor examples and gives you natural questions to ask.
5. Know the type of interview. Screening call, behavioral, technical, panel, or a mix? UW-Madison’s SuccessWorks groups questions into screening or general, behavioral, and technical, and each needs a different kind of preparation.

The goal is not to memorize facts about the company. It is to be able to say, in one or two sentences, why this role at this employer makes sense for you.

Step 2: Build your answer bank with STAR stories

Most interview questions, whether they open with “Tell me about a time” or not, are asked to find out how you behave in real situations. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) gives each story a clear shape. The Department of Labor’s TEAMS guide describes rehearsing with STAR, adding specific examples, data, and numbers to quantify accomplishments.

How many stories do you need? Virginia Tech suggests 5 to 7 STAR stories based on common interview questions. A workable set:

• A hard problem you solved
• A conflict or disagreement you worked through
• A failure and what you changed afterward
• A time you led or influenced others
• A time you learned something quickly
• A result you are proud of, with numbers

Write each as four short bullets, one per STAR letter. Keep the Action part the longest, since it shows what you personally did. End with a measurable result when you have one: time saved, revenue, error rate, customer score.

If you want worked examples and a deeper method, our guides on the STAR method for interviews and how to answer behavioral questions walk through the structure step by step. For more sample material, see these STAR method examples.

Prepare your 30 to 60 second introduction

“Tell me about yourself” opens a large share of interviews. The Department of Labor advises preparing to summarize your experience in about 30 to 60 seconds. A simple formula: present (what you do now), past (one or two relevant highlights), future (why this role). Cut anything that does not connect to the job.

If the role is technical

Technical interviews add coding, system design, or domain problems on top of behavioral questions. Give those their own preparation block. Our guide on how to prepare for a technical interview covers a study plan, and the software engineer interview guide covers coding, system design, and behavioral rounds together.

Step 3: Practice out loud

Reading your notes is not practice. Saying answers aloud exposes the places where you ramble, stall, or sound scripted. Do it at least a few times before the interview, and record yourself if you can. Listen for filler words, answers that run past two minutes, and results you forgot to mention.

Various ways to practice:

• With a friend or mentor. Ask them to interrupt with follow-up questions, as a real interviewer would.
• With your university career office. Many schools offer mock interviews to students and alumni. Virginia Tech, for example, points students to a career coach or a practice tool for STAR practice.
• With an AI mock interview. If nobody is available at 10 p.m., our AI mock interview lets you rehearse questions on your own schedule.

If English is not your first language, practice the exact phrases you will use for your key stories, including names of tools, job titles, and numbers. Saying “increased retention by 12 percent” fluently three times is worth more than reading a perfect paragraph silently.

Step 4: Prepare questions to ask the interviewer

At the end of nearly every interview you will hear, “Do you have any questions for us?” Northeastern University warns that asking none may lead employers to assume you are not interested. The same page recommends preparing at least 10, which gives you a buffer because some will be answered during the conversation.

Good questions show you have done the research. Pick from these themes:

• What are the biggest challenges someone in this role will face in the first six months?
• How is performance evaluated, and what does success look like at 90 days?
• How does the team work together day to day?
• What are the next steps in the hiring process?

Avoid questions you could answer with a quick look at the website, and leave pay and benefits for when the employer raises them, unless the recruiter has said otherwise. Canada’s Job Bank also advises preparing a couple of questions that show you are informed about the company.

Step 5: Confirm logistics

Logistics mistakes are the easiest to avoid and the most embarrassing to make. Two days before, confirm:

• The date, time, and time zone
• Whether it is in person, by phone, or on video, and which platform
• The names and titles of everyone you will meet, and whether it is one interviewer or several
• Where to go, who to ask for, and a phone number for the day
• Any accommodations you need. The Department of Labor suggests requesting accommodations early if you need them

For in-person interviews, Job Bank suggests traveling the route a day or two ahead at the same time of day as your interview, so you know the real traffic and parking situation. It also recommends setting aside at least an hour.

What to bring

• Several printed copies of your resume (the Department of Labor mentions printing copies if possible)
• The job description and your notes
• Your list of questions and a pen and notebook
• A list of references, if asked
• A portfolio or work samples if relevant to your field
• A charged phone, silenced

Step 6: Set up for an online interview

Video interviews add a technical layer, and a dropped connection can cost you more than a weak answer. Montana State University’s career services advises having your resume, the job description, and a notebook nearby, testing your camera, microphone, speakers, and internet connection, and choosing a quiet, well-lit location with a professional background. It also recommends logging in 5 to 10 minutes early.

UW-Madison adds two practical steps: download the software ahead of time and run a test call.

A short setup checklist:

1. Close other apps and notifications; plug in your laptop.
2. Put light in front of you, not behind you.
3. Raise the camera to eye level. CareerOneStop advises looking at the camera rather than the screen to keep eye contact.
4. Use headphones if your room echoes.
5. Keep your resume and notes within easy reach, but off the screen you are looking at.
6. Have a backup: a phone hotspot, and the interviewer’s phone number or email.

What to wear

CareerOneStop says to dress professionally, just as you would for an in-person meeting. On camera, solid colors usually look cleaner than tight patterns. If you want ideas that photograph well, this guide to outfits that work on camera shows how to match clothing to a role and check it before the call. Do a test recording in the actual outfit, in the actual room.

For more on camera presence, lighting, and background, read our 25 virtual interview tips.

Step 7: The night before and the final 15 minutes

The evening before, organize your things, lay out your outfit, and do one light review of the job description, your company notes, and the interview details. The University of St. Thomas advises doing this last review to reduce stress and organizing your things the day before. Then stop. Sleep beats one more hour of cramming.

On the day, the same career office suggests arriving 15 to 20 minutes early for in-person interviews or about 5 minutes early for virtual ones. It also describes the 4-7-8 breathing technique: breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, and exhale through your mouth for 8. Try it once beforehand so it feels natural.

Michigan State University Extension lists eleven things to do in the final 15 minutes. The most useful ones:

• Stay calm and stop rehearsing.
• Be friendly to receptionists and security staff.
• Decide on one or two things you want the interviewer to remember.
• Skip voicemail, email, and social media.
• Glance over your notes without doing new research.
• Check your appearance in a mirror and focus on posture and breathing.
• Go inside no more than 10 minutes early, and wait outside until then.

Step 8: During and after the interview

During the conversation, Job Bank recommends a firm handshake, a smile, eye contact, and a clear, confident voice, and asking for clarification if you do not understand a question. Pausing for a few seconds to structure an answer is fine. It reads as thoughtful, not unprepared.

After the interview:

1. Write down every question you were asked and how you answered, while it is fresh.
2. Send a short thank-you email within 24 hours. Mention one specific topic from the conversation.
3. Note what to improve before the next round.

Last-minute interview prep: 15-minute and 60-minute plans

Sometimes the invitation arrives with a day or an hour to spare. You cannot do everything, so do the highest-value items. The timings below are our own suggested split, not a fixed rule.

If you have 60 minutes

If you have 15 minutes

If you only have five minutes, the U.S. Department of Labor’s basics still apply: know what the employer does, know your top example, and arrive early.

Our perspective

We built Interview Pilot because we kept seeing the same pattern: people who had done the work, had the right experience, and still lost the moment. The pressure of a live interview makes even strong candidates blank on a story they know well, and it hits hardest for those answering in a second or third language.

A checklist is the foundation, and everything above should be done. But preparation only helps if you can bring it to bear on the exact question you are asked, in real time. That is the gap we designed for. Interview Pilot uses speech recognition to support you during live online interviews, generating tailored response suggestions as questions come in. It supports over 99 languages and accents, and it runs on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Our view is simple: prepare thoroughly, practice out loud, and use the best support available when the real conversation starts. More than 450,000 job seekers use Interview Pilot to do exactly that.

Kingsley

Put your checklist to work with Interview Pilot

Once your research and stories are ready, Interview Pilot helps you use them under pressure. Our AI interview assistant listens to the question in a live online interview and helps you respond in a tailored way. If you want to see how the tool behaves alongside your preparation, the Interview Copilot page explains the experience.

You can start on the Free plan at $0 per month. The Unlimited plan is $49.99 per month. See Interview Pilot pricing for what each plan includes.

FAQ

What are five things you should do to prepare for an interview?

Research the employer and the role, match your experience to the job description, prepare and practice STAR stories out loud, write questions to ask, and confirm logistics such as time, place or link, and who you are meeting. The Department of Labor’s interview tips cover the same core steps. Add a tech test for online interviews.

What should I bring to a job interview?

Bring printed copies of your resume, the job description, a notebook and pen, your prepared questions, and a reference list if requested. If your field uses work samples, add a portfolio. For an online interview, keep the same items within reach of your desk instead.

How early should I arrive or log in?

For in-person interviews, the University of St. Thomas suggests arriving 15 to 20 minutes early, while Michigan State University Extension says to go inside no more than 10 minutes early. For online interviews, log in 5 to 10 minutes early, as Montana State University advises.

How do I prepare for an interview in one hour?

Spend about 15 minutes on the job description, 20 on three STAR stories, 15 on company research, and 10 on questions and logistics. Practice your first story aloud once if you can. The 60-minute table above gives the full plan.

Sources

• Interview Tips, U.S. Department of Labor
• Preparing for an interview, Job Bank (Canada)
• Preparing for Your Interview, SuccessWorks, UW-Madison
• TEAMS Interview Skills Participant Guide, U.S. Department of Labor
• Interview Preparation, Northeastern University
• Before the Interview, Virginia Tech Career and Professional Development
• Interview, Montana State University Career Services
• Virtual interviews, CareerOneStop
• The Day of Your Interview, University of St. Thomas
• Eleven things to do 15 minutes before an interview, MSU Extension

Recommended

• Interview Preparation: A Complete, Practical System
• How to Prepare for a Phone Interview: Checklist and Answers (2026)
• How to Prepare for a Video Interview: Checklist and Tips
• Company Interview Guides: How to Prepare Without Guessing