How to prepare for a job interview

Your complete guide to the interview process, from prep to follow-up.

Asian male student at a job interview

Feeling nervous about an upcoming job interview? It’s completely natural to feel a mixture of excitement and apprehension, especially if you’re applying for your first role in a new field.

The guide will provide interview tips and simple steps to follow before, during and after the interview, including different interview formats and handling tricky questions. We can’t promise you won't still be nervous, but with this interview advice, you'll know what to expect.

Don’t forget, UNSW has a wide range of tools to help you interview well. We’re here to support you in building the career you want. 

Where to start with interview prep

Treat your interview like an assignment: do your research so you understand the organisation and where your role fits in, then develop your proof points about why you’re the right person for the job. 

Knowing what matters to your future employer and aligning your experience and knowledge with their values and goals will help you prepare what to say in an interview.

Katherine Pick, a career coach at UNSW, stresses the power of preparation.

“One of the biggest mistakes candidates make in interviews is a lack of preparation, resulting in generic responses to questions. Candidates can avoid this by preparing for the interview by researching the position and organisation and practicing prior to the interview.”

Here’s a quick checklist to help you prepare for your interview:
  • Read the organisation’s website, recent annual reports and social posts so you know what’s important at the moment. 
  • Use LinkedIn to research the people you will be interviewing with, reporting to, and working with to help you think about how you’ll fit into the team. 
  • Be ready to tell the interviewer why you want to work at that organisation. 
  • Prepare to talk about things you’ve done that are relevant to the role: previous work in the industry, volunteering, projects, etc. Think about what you achieved, not just what you did. 
  • Practice answering the common questions listed below in a succinct and confident way that links back to the role. 
  • Be very familiar with the job description and selection criteria. 
  • Have a list of questions about the role, team and organisation ready to show your interest. 
  • For online interviews, make sure all your devices are charged and your WiFi is stable. If the interview is in person, plan to get to the destination 15 minutes early and enter the building five minutes early. Have a pen and paper ready to take notes.
  • Expect an initial screening interview to go for 30 minutes, and a face-to-face interview to be about an hour. Some companies will also ask you to do extra testing, which might go for a few hours. 
“Students can research a company before an interview by reviewing the company website, annual reports, and publications, undertaking a web search for any information relating to the company and speaking to people who work at the company. Look for information relating to the company’s strategy, mission, values, goals, current projects and clients.”

The interview process

Different types of interview formats

Each organisation has its own approach to recruitment. Some organisations may use one type of interview, while others might use a few types of interviews to get a sense of who you are and what you can add to the team. With the introduction of AI interviews, you may not even speak to a person in the first part of the application process. 

Here are some of the more common types of interviews:

  • This is often the first you’ll hear if an organisation is interested in you. 

    Generally, you won’t get any tricky questions – it’s usually a short and straightforward call to ask about your availability and double-check your suitability. 

    If possible, take the call in a quiet place without any distractions so you come across as clear and calm and can focus on your answers. Be friendly, and sound interested. First impressions count. 

  • Video interviews are very common and could be live or one-way recordings. If it's one-way, you’ll be given a link and a deadline and will answer questions via video through an online platform.

    No matter which format you will be using, it’s important to dress professionally (on your top half at least) and set yourself up in a quiet space with a neutral or blurred background. 

    Remember to test your video and sound before the interview – this is a good time to rehearse a few of your answers to common questions. 

  • AI interviews could be based on your resume or the job description. You’ll need to make strong links between your answers and the role, because AI isn’t great at reading between the lines.

    Speak very clearly and confidently, and get to the point – it will be looking for relevant keywords and how what you are saying aligns with what the company is looking for. 

    Avoid generalisations; have specific examples using the STAR method to prove your skills.

  • Face-to-face interviews often come after you have passed the screening interviews. It will usually take place at the company, so it’s a great opportunity to check out the office and get a feel for the culture. 

    It's much easier to build rapport face-to-face, so focus on body language (look interested and don’t slouch), maintain eye contact and speak clearly. 

    Be prepared for some friendly conversation at the start of the interview, where the interviewer will gain a sense of your personality.

Interview question styles

There are three main types of questions in every type of interview: behavioural, competency-based and situational.

Employers use these formats to understand not just what you know, but how you think, communicate and respond to real challenges. Knowing what questions to expect and practising your answers will help you feel ready and confident.

Rather watch a video on how to answer common interview questions? Check out our how to ace a job interview video series.

  • As the name suggests, these are questions where you explain a past behaviour that gave a specific result. The behavioural interview is a perfect time to use your STAR answers: 

    S: What was the situation? 

    T: What was the task?

    A: What were your actions? 

    R: What was the result?

    For example:

    Question: Describe a time you have effectively demonstrated organisational skills? 

    Your answer using STAR:

    • [S] I have shown strong organisational skills as a project assistant while assisting an event team.  
    • [T] One time, I helped the team to schedule an art event.
    • [A] That involved booking facilities and lighting equipment, plus arranging for participants to attend. I developed a spreadsheet where I recorded feedback efficiently. 
    • [R] Doing this ensured the event ran smoothly, despite the tight schedule. I was invited to join the team again when they received funding for a new event.

  • Competency-based interviews are similar to behavioural interviews, but their focus is different. While behavioural questions look at the type of person you are, competency questions are your chance to show what skills you have. You can use the STAR method but really draw out what you’re good at. 

    For example:

    Question: Can you describe a task when you have analysed a set of complex data?

    Your answer using STAR:

    • [S] For one of my assignments, I needed to use data to support my hypothesis.  
    • [T] This involved assessing hundreds of survey responses
    • [A] I used a combination of AI queries and built formulas in Excel to help me filter the data and identify trends.
    • [R] The assessment tools I built and used saved me a lot of time and provided strong insights that supported my assignment and I received a High Distinction. 

  • Situational interview questions give you a hypothetical situation to assess how you would respond and how you would apply your skills and knowledge. 

    They usually start with ‘What would you do if…’. There are no right or wrong answers – it’s more about assessing your approach, so describe your thought process in your answer. 

    For example:

    Question: What would you do if you thought your supervisor gave you incorrect information in a staff meeting? 

    Answer: It depends. In this situation, I would consider the magnitude of the error, and I would be very careful not to damage my working relationship with my supervisor. If it was a trivial mistake, such as stating slightly inaccurate sales figures, then I think it would be best not to correct him/her in front of other staff. 

    If it was a more serious mistake that would affect the team’s next course of action, I would try to tactfully point out the error to save the team from wasting time working from the wrong information.

    This shows that you have a considered approach to problem-solving and are open to different solutions. 

What are some common interview questions?

It can be hard to answer job interview questions when you’re not used to talking about yourself. However, taking the time to think about your strengths and what matters to you can be helpful in answering job interview questions with strong, authentic answers. 

It also helps to have done your research about the company so you can match your skills and experience to the job description. That way, you’ll be able to explain why you’re a good fit without it sounding rehearsed.

Here are some common job interview questions you can prepare for ahead of time.

  • Talk about how you meet the job criteria and be specific: give examples of where you have done the tasks before, the knowledge you have about the subject and the personal strengths you have that make you a good employee and team member.

  • Be familiar with the company’s values and objectives so you can talk about how they align with yours and depending on the size or nature of the company, you could also mention that you see opportunities to grow your career within the company. 

  • Link your answer to the role and the company to show your commitment. For example, you might talk about how in five years you have become an expert in that particular role and will be looking to take on more responsibility, such as leadership.

  • Be honest here but pick something that doesn’t affect the job directly and explain how you are working to improve the situation. For example, you could say that you get nervous when you need to present in front of lots of people (as long as that’s not a main part of the role), but you are actively looking for opportunities to practice it - maybe in a community group – to help you improve.

  • Keep this short and professional and follow three stages: present, past and future. For example: “I am about to graduate with [insert your qualification] and I am interested in this role because [why it aligns with your career aspirations].  During my studies, I became very interested in [the main aspect of the job] and gained experience when I [talk about internships/work experience]. I have applied for this role because I have strong skills in [insert job requirements] and I believe I will be an asset to your team. 

Answering questions when you have limited experience

Katherine says students should focus on being able to provide examples of where they have demonstrated their employability skills. 

“If you haven’t had much formal work experience, this can be drawn from coursework and co-curricular projects, UNSW Employability programs, such as mentoring or leadership, volunteer work or other extracurricular activities, such as involvement in sport, music, student societies or community activities.”

And when it comes to answering curly questions, Katherine gives this advice: “Take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, and let the interviewer know that you need a moment to think about the best response or example.”

What are some questions to ask in a job interview?

Although it may not feel like it, interviews are an opportunity for you to figure out if you want to work for the company, too – not just whether they want to hire you.

Make sure you have a few questions prepared for when the interviewer asks if there’s anything you’d like to know. Here are a few you might like to ask:
    • Is it a new role? 
    • Where does it fit into the organisation? 
    • How did this vacancy come about?

     
    • What are the backgrounds of the people I will be working with? 
    • How long have they been with the company?
    • Can you tell me about any recent successes or challenges the team has faced?
    • What opportunities will I have to develop? 
    • What is the culture like?
    • What are the next steps in the recruitment process? 

    Tip: Don’t ask about salary in your first interview. That will be discussed down the track.

How to follow up on an application or interview

Within a couple of days of your interview, send an email thanking the person who interviewed you for their time and reiterating your interest in the role. 

You could highlight what especially appealed to you now that you know more about the job, and why you’re a good fit. Sign off by saying you are available for any further questions and look forward to an update. 

If you’re connected with the interviewer on LinkedIn, you could message them to say thank you there.

How UNSW can help you prepare for your interview

If you’d like more information or support when preparing for interviews, UNSW is here to help. We’ll do everything we can to help you nail that interview.

Katherine offers one great tip for students preparing to enter the workforce: “Undertake a mock interview with a UNSW Career Coach, to reflect and gain feedback on the content and the delivery of your responses. UNSW students can also access a practice video interview through UNSW Employability Resource Hub on Moodle (Student Self Enrolment Key: EmployResources).

We also offer career workshops, information about the STAR method, interview response videos, and the Interview Skills Guide PDF.

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