By Abearica Online Editors · Published
Prepare a small set of real examples before your next interview. Choose situations you remember well enough to explain what happened, what you did and what followed. Write short notes rather than a script you have to recite word for word.
The University of Washington Information School recommends interview preparation through research and developing short stories about your experience.1
Choose examples against the actual role
Read the posting and mark the work you expect to discuss. Pick an example for a responsibility you understand, then another for a challenge you handled. Use an ordinary event if it is the clearest evidence available. Do not invent a crisis to make the account sound impressive.
The Information School explains that behavioral interviews ask for stories about handling a specific type of situation.1
For each example, note the setting, your responsibility, your actions and the outcome. Distinguish what the team did from what you personally contributed. If the result was mixed, describe it honestly and add what you would do differently. Leave out confidential names and business details.
Practice answering the question asked
UW Bothell's interview guidance frames a tell-me-about-yourself answer around employment qualifications, including education, work and relevant projects.2
Say an answer aloud and stop when you have explained the relevant point. Ask a practice partner what was unclear. If you need to rehearse on a video call, use Computing to plan the equipment side separately. Keep your notes available without reading a full paragraph into the camera.
Prepare your own questions
UW Bothell recommends preparing questions for the end of the interview that cannot simply be answered online.2
Ask about the work you would be expected to do and how the team handles feedback. Save compensation and job-change budgeting questions in your Personal Finance notes so you remember what remains unresolved. Do not turn a practice answer into a commitment you cannot keep.
Use Health separately if you want general health reading during your preparation. For this exercise, finish by checking the interview invitation, timing and format. Keep the example notes brief enough to review before the call, then listen for the actual questions instead of trying to deliver every story you prepared.