The best way to prep for an interview: Part 2

In part one of our Interview Prep series, you learned about how to use the job description as your key for identifying potential interview questions. Now that you have taken notes on your relatable experience for each of the bullet points of the job description, we are going to move into practicing! 

I am someone who gets nervous in an interview. When I’m feeling nervous, my body language gives me away. My voice becomes uneasy and I sound out of breath. My face flushes and becomes red. My hands shake and I cannot make them stop. 

For me, the only way that I can overcome my body’s signs of nervousness, is to practice my interview answers as if I am studying for a test. 

After I take my notes on every experience I have that relates to a line in the job description, I read every answer. I read it word for word, helping myself memorize the story I want to tell to highlight the experience I have that makes me qualified for the role. As I read the answers out loud, I edit them for tone, clarity, and conciseness. 

I will read each answer multiple times until I feel like I have a strong memorization of the story I want to tell. Then, I cover my answers and say from memory what stories I have to relate to each section of the job description. I do this until I feel confident in my own experience and how I want to tell my career journey. 

In using this method, I have developed the confidence to get through many interviews. I’ve noticed when I do not practice in this way, my nerves get the better of me.

You might be worried about sounding rehearsed when using this method. I think there is a balance between sounding rehearsed and sounding confident in your experiences. For me, my nerves make me forget what experience I have and how it relates to the job I’m interviewing for. This can lead to me rambling through an answer and not highlighting my skills. 

Interviewing is all about how you tell your story. In my experience, I cannot tell my story effectively if I have not practiced it out-loud. 

Now that you know you need to use the job description as your interview key and practice your answers out loud, let’s talk about using the STAR Method to develop strong stories that highlight your experience. You can check out that blog post next week!