If I were preparing for an interview, this is exactly what I would do

Okay, imagine you have an interview coming up. You really want the job, and your brain starts doing that thing..

Have I prepared enough?

What if they ask me something I haven't thought about?

What if I forget everything?

What if someone else is more qualified?

What if I get nervous?

What if I completely mess it up?

So you prepare more.. you google interview questions, you write our answers, you read the company's website, you make notes...

but instead of feeling more confident, you feel even more overwhelmed..

If I were preparing for an interview, I wouldn't try to prepare for every possible question, I wouldn't memorise perfect answers, and I definitely wouldn't try to completely get rid of my nerves or pretend they don't exist.

Instead, I would focus on becoming the most prepared version of myself, and this is exactly how I would do it.

Step 1: I would understand exactly what they're looking for

Before I start practising interview questions, I would go back to the job description and really go through it.

Not just read it and think, "yep, I can do that", but take every requirement in every section and ask myself:

what are they actually looking for?

If they say they need someone who can manage stakeholders, I'd think about examples from my experience where I've done that.

If they want someone who can work independently, I'd think about when I've had to make decisions, solve problems or take ownership without someone telling me exactly what I should do.

If they want someone who can influence other people, I'd think about situations where I persuaded, negotiated or brought people with me.

I'd basically go through the job description and treat it as a check list.

And then I'd do the same with the company.

I'd look at their website, their values, recent news and what they're saying are their priorities. I'd look at what's happening in their industry and what seems important to them and ask myself:

what kind of person are they actually looking for?

In terms of skills, but also what kind of person. Someone collaborative? Commercially minded? Comfortable with change? Someone who can challenge things, build relationships, or work with ambiguity?

Then I would ask myself:

where is the evidence that I'm that person?

And if you read the job description and start counting the things you don't have, or wonder how you can prove you meet 100% of the job description: stop.

"I've got this, I've got this, I've not got this, I don't have this qualification, I've only done this for three years"

stop.. it's not helpful.

I speak to too many people who decide they're not qualified before the employer has even had the chance to make that decision. So if I were preparing for an interview and I didn't meet every single requirement, I wouldn't immediately think that I'm not qualified enough. Instead, I'd ask myself:

which parts of this job can I already do, and what evidence do I have?

and then:

is the gap genuinely something that prevents me from doing this job, or do I have transferable skills and/or is it something I can learn?

I wouldn't try and convince myself that I'm the perfect fit, but I'd trust myself enough to recognise that I don't need to be perfect to be a credible candidate.

And if I've got to the interview, someone has already looked at my CV and decided there's enough there to have a conversation. So, I'd keep that in mind.

Step 2: I would practise answering questions, not memorising answers

This is where I think interview prep can go wrong. You get a list of 50 common interview questions, you write an answer for each one and start memorising them.

But then you start worrying you'll forget the exact wording. Because what we need right now is another thing to worry about...

So instead, I'd practise how I answer, rather than trying to memorise exactly what I'm going to say.

I'd choose a simple structure, for example, if I'm answering a competency question, I might use:

Context (what do they need to know to understand the story)

What I needed to do.

What I actually did.

What happened as a result.

And then I would practise using that structure with lots of different questions. This isn't about having the perfect answer, but being able to answer:

can I take whatever question they give me and find a relevant example?

Soooo much more useful.

Because the interviewer could ask: tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder

or: how do you manage challenging relationships?

or: how would you handle a stakeholder who disagreed with your approach?

They're not exactly three completely different things, but they are exploring the same capability from three different angles.

So I want to be comfortable talking about my experience rather than desperately trying to remember the answer I wrote down on Tuesday at 11pm the night before the interview.

And that's where I think confidence comes in. Because ultimately you just have to trust yourself enough to talk about what you've actually done. You're someone who has actually dont the work, you know what you're talking about, you're someone who can think and explain their experience.

Shameless plug - this is where coaching can be so useful. Because sometimes the problem isn't that you don't have enough experience, but it's that you don't recognise the value of your own experience.

Even this morning, I experienced it with a client. I asked them an interview question at the start of our practice and their initial response was, "I don't know...". At the end of the session, I asked them the same question, and they were able to provide a great, confident answer. And it wasn't because they suddenly changed who they were, because confidence doesn't come from inventing a better version of yourself.

It comes from seeing the evidence that's already there.

Step 3: I would prepare for the version of me who gets nervous

Honestly, this is probably the part people skip. They prepare for the interview, but they don't prepare for themselves in the interview.

And those are two different things.

Because I might know my stuff, I might have great examples, I might understand the company and have practised my answers.

And I might still get nervous.

My heart might beat faster.

I might speak more quickly.

I might lose my train of thought.

My mouth might go completely dry.

And if I haven't thought about any of that beforehand, I might interpret it as, "oh nooo I'm nervous, this is going so badly".

And now I'm nervous about being nervous... incredibly helpful..

So instead, I create an action plan. I ask myself:

what is most likely to happen to me when I get nervous?

Maybe I talk too quickly.

okay, so what am I going to do about that?

I will deliberately pause before answering.

Maybe I get dry mouth.

fine, what am I going to do about that?

I'm going to have a glass of water next to me and I'm going to give myself permission to take a sip.

Maybe my mind goes blank.

So what am I going to do?

I'll write the question down when they ask it so that I can pause, take a breath, look at the question again, give myself a few seconds to think. (because I don't know about you but any company that doesn't allow me to pause when I'm clearly in a high pressure situation is not a company I want to work for..)

Maybe I start rambling

okay, and..?

I'll pause and remind myself that I don't need to fill every silence.

Do you see the difference? I'm not saying, "I must not get nervous".

I'm saying, "I will get nervous, because I'm human, so what am I going to do?"

If I could leave you with one message from this blog, its this: You don't need to eliminate your nerves.

Being nervous doesn't mean you're underprepared, it doesn't mean you're not confident, and it doesn't mean you're not capable.

It means your body has recognised that something important is happening and your body is going to react. You can tell it not to a million times, but it probably won't listen. So instead of using all your energy trying to stop yourself feeling nervous, prepare to perform while nervous.

I think that can actually make you feel more confident, ironically..

If interviews leave you second guessing yourself, struggling to explain your experience, or worrying that you won't come across as confidently as you'd like, coaching can help.

My Interview Success Programme combines preparation, practice and feedback to help you communicate your experience clearly, answer questions with confidence and feel more in control during interviews

Read more here.

Not ready to commit to a full programme yet?

My mini-coaching session is a great way to experience coaching and is a great place to start

We'll take a real interview challenge you're dealing with, look at what's keeping you stuck and create one practical step you can take forward.

Book your mini coaching session

About me

Hi, I'm Beverley, Confidence and Communication Coach

​I've always been a little shy. As a kid, speaking up felt scary and even when I tried to speak up, it felt like I was trying too hard and I'd end up misunderstood. That feeling of being overlooked or not heard followed me into my career. Over time, through HR and coaching, I learned how to communicate clearly, stand my ground, and make my voice count. Now, I help others do the same.