12 last-minute interview preparation tips

Congrats!  All the job applications and customized resumes have paid off. You’ve landed the critical interview, and you want to impress. Have no fear; here are 12 last-minute interview preparation tips to ace your job interview!

Don’t wing it.  

The single biggest mistake you can make is not preparing.  By virtual of you reading this article, you’re taking interview prep very seriously.   And you should! 

For most people, interviewing for a job is something they only do every few years.  It’s not something most people are naturally good at.  After all, talking about yourself is awkward at best and nerve-wracking at worst.   

But no matter how good you were at your job, thinking you don’t need to prepare is a recipe for disaster.   Sure, you may have landed a job in the past that way.   But it’s not worth testing your luck when interviewing for your ideal job.   Unless, of course, you like getting rejection emails.   

I know you’re a great interviewer, but you still need to prepare if you want to land a job offer.  

Get your logistics down.

Before the day of the interview, there are some critical logistics you’ll want to review.  

First, make sure you know where your interview is taking place.  If it’s in a physical location, ensure you are familiar with the building, where to park, and other travel-related details. Contact the recruiter or HR professional who scheduled the interview if unsure.  

Give yourself plenty of time in case you get lost.  Expect that there will be delays due to a traffic accident. I usually view Google’s traffic maps to see the patterns during the time of day you’ll need to interview.  

While you’re at it, triple-check what time the interview is. The interviewer may be in a different time zone if you’re on a virtual interview.   You’d hate to be late because of a simple oversight (attention to detail, anyone?).

Test your internet connection and Zoom login.  

If your interview is virtual, become familiar with the software before the interview.  Don’t wait until 5 mins before logging in for the first time.  I’ve seen this happen too many times to count.   Something goes wrong, or your software needs to update as you log in to the call.  Then you show up late, frazzled, and bomb the interview.  It’s a best practice to test everything before the call so there are no surprises on the job interview day. 

Get familiar with your interviewers.

Next, you’ll want to get familiar with who you’ll be talking with during the interview. Look each interviewer up on LinkedIn to understand why they may be interviewing you.   

Are they in the same department?  The hiring manager?  Are they people you’ll support?   Knowing who’ll be interviewing you will make it easier to cater to their interests.  

Learning a bit of their history may also alleviate some pre-interview nerves.  Be on the lookout for potential icebreakers, and you’ll build that critical rapport.  

Know what the company does.

It sounds obvious, but I’m continually shocked that some people don’t do the most basic research.  I’ve had executive-level candidates who couldn’t bother spending 5 mins checking out the company’s website. And, of course, they didn’t get the job.  

Check LinkedIn to see if there’s anything newsworthy you can comment on during your interview.  Please pay attention to any employee-related news, as it’s a good indicator of company culture.  

Discover an exciting press release?  Be sure to familiarize yourself with it, especially if it’s relevant to your role.   Trust me – you will not get the job if you do not know what the company does. 

Read the job description carefully. 

Look for clues about the role requirements and take careful notes. While the recruiter will explain the job to you, it should add color to the role. We expect you’ll have a basic understanding of the description.   

The job description is one of the most important things to study before your interview.  Not only to help you prepare but also to determine if it fits with your career goals.  You’ll want to note the role responsibilities and see if it aligns with your strengths.  There’s no sense wasting your time interviewing for a job in which you likely won’t excel.  

Study your resume

Take some time to study your resume.  This advice may sound obvious, but sometimes we forget all the great things we’ve accomplished in the middle of an interview.  You don’t want to be kicking yourself later that you forgot to elaborate on that big project.  

Remember that anything you include on your resume is fair game for the interviewer.  Be prepared to speak at length on those details.

You should be familiar with your resume and have stories to support your accomplishments.  And feel free to use your resume as a reference during the interview, which can help you stay organized.   

Go to Glassdoor and search for interview questions.    

Glassdoor is an excellent resource for the job seeker and one you should often reference.  Get in the habit of checking Glassdoor reviews before your interview.  Frequently, previous candidates will share interview questions they encountered during their process.  This feedback can be invaluable as you prepare yourself.  Bonus points if you can find someone who previously interviewed for the same role as you!   

Know how to answer common interview questions

Seek out common interview questions and learn how to answer them.  Remember when we said not to “wing it”?   Well, this is one area for your focus.  Have a good understanding of how you would approach these questions, so you’re not caught off guard.  It’s always better to link how your background is related to the target job.  

LEARN: How To Answer What’s Your Greatest Weakness?

If you need more strategies on how to answer common interview questions, be sure to check out my Youtube channel!   

Practice, practice, practice!  (but don’t rehearse)

Once you know how to approach common interview questions, next you need to practice.   Then practice some more.   I’d get in the habit of writing down your answers.  Committing your answers to paper helps reinforce the flush out the ideas. 

Some interview advice is going around: you should have a cheat sheet of interview answers.   I’d strongly recommend against doing this.   Here’s why.  

When you rely on a cheat sheet, you’ll spend your time scanning it for an answer that may not even be relevant.   And when you don’t find it quickly, you’ll panic and lose composure.   As that happens, you’ll likely perform poorly on that question and overthink it for the remainder of the interview.  

Therefore, it’s better to be well-practiced but not overly rehearsed.  If you feel unsure, keep practicing until you do.      

Focus on the confidence of your delivery.  

All successful interviews, without exception, convey a strong sense of confidence. Think about it from a hiring manager’s perspective.   What message would you send if you come across as timid, nervous, and unsure in the interview?  Hiring managers want people who believe they can excel in the job, not someone who flounders while explaining what they’ve accomplished.  

So as you prepare, ask yourself if you sound like you belong there.  If you don’t, you must practice until it comes off as effortless. 

Know why you’re the best fit for the role.  

Have your elevator speech down. Or another way to look at this – why are you interested in this particular job?  If you can’t answer that clearly, then you may need to evaluate what you’re looking for in your career.

Have interview questions ready for the interviewer.   

LEARN: 10 Questions To Ask The Employer During Your Job Interview

I’m sure you’ve heard this advice, but asking good questions in your interview is necessary.  It will show you are engaged and interested.  Plus, you should be interviewing the company too, to make sure it’s a good career fit.   If you need ideas for interview questions, you can ask; here’s a helpful resource.   

Conclusion – Tips Prepare For Your Job Interview

So I hope these 12 last-minute interview preparation tips were helpful. If you implement these job interview preparation tips, you should be able to head into the interview confident that you’ll do great.  And use the interview as calibration.  

Did you feel like some of your answers were weak?  Analyze how you performed and spend more time preparing for the next interview.  There’s always something to improve on.   

But if you’re getting the interview, you’re doing something right.   With preparation and bit of luck, you’ll land the job offer soon!    If you need more help with your interviews, I offer a course that teaches you how to navigate each step to land your dream offer ultimately.   Check it out!   

Good luck with those interviews, and I’ll see you next time!  

-Bryan