# How to prepare for a job interview Practical steps for before, during and after an interview — for your first job or your next one. Work through them in order, and give yourself time to practise out loud. Web page: https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/guides/prepare-for-a-job-interview Last reviewed September 29, 2026 ## On this page 1. Start with the job description 2. Research the company 3. Prepare your stories with STAR 4. Common questions and how to approach them 5. Talking about salary 6. Online and phone interviews 7. What to bring 8. On the day 9. After the interview 10. Practise out loud ## Start with the job description The job description is the interviewer's checklist. Read it twice, and mark what they must have, what would be nice to have, and the words they repeat. - List each must-have skill or duty, and one moment from your work or studies that shows it. - Note the tools and qualifications it names, and be ready to say where you used them — or how you would learn them. - Look at the level: the experience asked for tells you whether they expect you to follow a process or to run it. - Keep the job description next to you while you prepare, and bring a copy on the day. ## Research the company Interviewers notice when you know what they do. You don't need to know everything — enough to explain why this company and this role. - Read the company's own website: what it sells or makes, who its customers are, and where it works. - Look for recent news, new products or offices — and, for a listed company, its latest results or annual report. - Read its pages on professional networks and what employees say in reviews, remembering that reviews are one person's view. - If you can, find out how the team you would join fits in: who it serves and who you would report to. - Prepare two or three questions of your own from what you learnt. ## Prepare your stories with STAR Most interviews include "Tell me about a time when…" questions. STAR keeps an answer short and clear: Situation, Task, Action, Result. - Situation — where you were and what was happening, in a sentence or two. - Task — what you had to do, or the problem you had to solve. - Action — what you did yourself. Say "I", not only "we". - Result — what changed because of it, and what you learnt. **An example** "In my final-year project, our team had to finish an app early for the college festival (situation and task). I split the work into daily goals and took over the testing myself (action). We launched on time, and the organisers used the app again the next year (result)." Prepare a handful of stories — a success, a mistake you put right, a disagreement, working under pressure, learning something fast, helping or leading others — and fit them to different questions. ## Common questions and how to approach them You can't know every question, but some come up in almost every interview. Plan how you would answer these — the points to make, not a script to learn by heart. ### Tell me about yourself. A short story in three parts: what you do now, what you've done that fits this job, and why you want this role. Keep it to your work and studies. ### Why do you want to work here? Link what you learnt about the company to what you want to do next. Be specific: a product, a kind of customer, the kind of work. ### What are your strengths? Pick two that the job description asks for, and give a quick example of each. ### What is your biggest weakness? Name a real one that doesn't stop you doing this job, and say what you are doing to improve it. ### Why are you leaving your current job? Keep it positive and about what you are moving towards — more responsibility, a new skill, a better fit. Don't criticise your current employer. ### Tell me about a challenge you faced. Use a STAR story, and spend most of your answer on what you did and what changed. ### Where do you see yourself in a few years? Show that you want to grow in this kind of work. You don't need a fixed plan. ### Do you have any questions for us? Always ask one or two: what success looks like in the first months, how the team works, and what the next steps are. ## Talking about salary Know your number before the interview, and let the employer raise it first if you can. - Find out what similar jobs pay in the same city and at your level — postings that state a salary are a good start. - In India, pay is usually discussed as CTC (cost to company) a year, often in lakh. Ask how much of it is fixed and how much is variable, and what you would take home each month. - You may be asked for your current CTC and your notice period. Be honest about both — employers can check them later. - Give a range for what you expect, not a single figure, with the lower end a number you would accept. - Elsewhere the same advice holds: check whether a figure is monthly or yearly, before or after tax, and which benefits come with it. - Negotiate once you have an offer, politely and with a reason — your skills, what the market pays, or another offer. ## Online and phone interviews An online interview is still a real interview. Most things that go wrong are technical, and you can check them in advance. - Test the video link, your camera and your microphone the day before, on the device you will use. - Sit somewhere quiet with light on your face, and keep your phone or laptop charged or plugged in. - Keep your resume, the job description and your notes open — but don't read your answers from them. - Look at the camera when you speak, and pause for a moment before answering: calls can lag. - Keep a phone number to hand in case the connection drops. - On a phone interview, sit up straight and smile: it comes through in your voice. ## What to bring For an interview in person — or a walk-in interview — check the invitation for what they ask you to bring. Commonly: - Several copies of your resume. - A photo ID, and passport-size photos if they ask for them. - Your certificates and mark sheets, with copies — often asked of freshers. - If you are changing jobs: your latest payslips, your offer or relieving letter, as asked. - Your portfolio or work samples, if your field uses them. - A pen and notebook, the address, and the name of the person you are meeting. ## On the day Calm comes from being ready. Plan the day so that nothing takes you by surprise. - Plan your journey and aim to arrive a little early; for an online interview, join a few minutes before the start. - Dress one step smarter than the team's everyday clothes; if unsure, choose formal. - Be polite to everyone you meet, from the reception desk to the panel. - Listen to the whole question. It's fine to ask them to repeat it, or to take a moment to think. - Answer with examples, keep to the point, and be honest about what you don't know. - At the end, ask your own questions and what happens next. ## After the interview What you do next is part of the interview too. - Send a short thank-you message or e-mail within a day: thank them, and repeat one reason you fit the job. - Write down the questions you were asked and how you answered, while you still remember. - If they gave you a date for their decision and it has passed, follow up once, politely. - If you are not selected, ask for feedback. Not everyone gives it, but it helps when they do. - Keep applying while you wait: one interview is never your only chance. ## Practise out loud Reading your answers in your head is not the same as saying them. Practise out loud — with a friend, in front of a mirror, or by recording yourself — until your stories come easily. You can also practise with a mock interview on Autosham Jobs: a voice practice interview built from a real job's description and your resume, with a score and feedback on every answer. This is a practice (mock) interview to help you prepare. It is not a real interview, and the employer is not involved. - [How mock interviews work](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/practise-interview.md) - [See a sample result](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/sample-report.md) ## Next steps - [Find jobs that fit your resume](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/start) - [Browse open jobs](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/jobs.md) - [How mock interviews work](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/practise-interview.md) - [See a sample report](https://jobs.autosham.ai/en-gt/sample-report.md)