You’ll first want to do some background research on:
- The organization / company (mission, vision, and values)
- The job you are applying for (skills, required and desired experiences)
- The style of interview (one on one, group, panel, case study)
- Sample questions that are common in this particular industry
Once you’ve researched the context, you can prepare in the following ways:
- Use the STAR(E) methodology to answer questions:
- Situation → Describe the situation
- Tasks → The goal you worked towards in that situation
- Action → What you or the team did
- Results → The outcome
- Experiences → Lessons learned
- Select sample questions to write out your answers and practice them vocally. Once you’re feeling more prepared, try to practice with a friend or family member
- Prepare questions for the employer to ask at the end of your interview
For some sample questions, see McGill’s “How to Interview”.