After improving your resume, scouring the best job search websites, and submitting dozens of applications, you finally get the email. A recruiter would like to talk to you about the position you applied for. Great news! Now it’s time to get to work. Read on for all your need to know about how to prepare for an interview.

Six job interview preparation tips

My guess is that you didn’t look at every word of the job listing when you applied for the role. I usually skim and look at the main points and then incorporate the most important keywords into my resume. But now that you’ve made the cut, it’s time to really focus on the responsibilities of the position. Here are six tips to prepare for your first interaction with the company, whether it’s a phone screen or video interview.

Print out the job description

The first thing I do is print out the job description. It’s much easier to go through the listing line by line when it’s sitting on your desk instead of just on the screen. I may be a little old school but this system works for me. If you don’t have a printer you should get one! It can be very helpful to have job listings and other job search info printed out on paper, especially if you only have one computer monitor.

Go through the job listing line by line

Start at the beginning and read the job description line by line. Get out a pen and underline the key terms. I know this sounds kind of weird, but it will really help you comprehend the role and will give you focused time to think about how your experiences relates to the job requirements. Seeing things on paper makes a big difference. It’s important to not skip over any part of the description. Every sentence and bullet point is important.

Start taking interview prep notes

I used to take interview prep notes on a notepad. I would write pages of notes and insights on the position. That extra step of putting pen to paper did help me focus my thoughts, but I gave it up after a while because it was so much extra work. Now I use Microsoft OneNote to organize all my job search notes. It’s a great tool that is part of Microsoft Office 365. If you don’t like Microsoft, you can just use Google Docs or even the Apple Notes app included in your Macbook. The point is to keep all your job search notes in one spot so you can quickly find your old notes. Use one doc for each interview prep to stay organized.

Put all your thoughts down in a doc

This part of how to prepare for an interview is tough. It requires a lot of focused concentration, so you’re going to need to put the phone down. I even put my phone in the other room so I am not tempted to check Instagram or Reddit. Now take a look at the job description that you scratched up with your underlines and type out all the main job responsibilities in your doc.

Yes, this is redundant because you could just cut and paste from the online job listing. But trust me, writing stuff down and typing stuff out helps with comprehension. The point here is to get your brain thinking about why you’re qualified for the position and what specific work experience you can refer to during the interview.

I start by creating an outline. I list the main headers, like the headers in this blog post, then add subsections, then fill the sections in with my thoughts. The sections vary by position, but the headers look something like this

• Personal intro/About me
• Why I applied for the position
• Job responsibilities and how I’m qualified for each one
• Additional qualifications
• Five things I would do first if selected for the role
• Questions for the interviewer
• Notes about the company
• Additional notes

Adding in the details

Once you have your main headers listed, you can fill in the rest like you would for a writing assignment. I start with writing out my personal intro/about me, usually cutting and pasting it from a previous interview prep doc. Then I refine it for the position I’m preparing for. After that I write down all the reasons why I applied for the position. This is more of a brainstorming session to get all my thoughts down on the page. After that is done I write out each major job responsibility and then bullet point exactly what I have done to be qualified for it. Here is what that looks like:

• Must ensure accuracy while addressing structure, punctuation, grammar, and syntax
  • Editing was a huge part of my job. I edited the work of freelancers and team members to ensure error-free work. Can self-edit as well. Always trying to be 100% error-free
• Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve recurring issues and refine drafts
  • Working as a team always leads to the best possible final product. I collaborated online with team members across the country and world using Slack and other online tools. We always edited each other’s work. Very important to collaborate and define project roles and responsibilities
• Proofread content to guarantee it’s polished, error-free, and well-structured across marketing deliverables
  • Again, this was a huge part of my job. Worked directly with freelancers and edited their work. Provided feedback and ensure their voice and tone remained in the finished copy

This step takes the longest but it’s important to take your time and be thorough because you will be referring to your notes a lot as you prepare for your interview.

Set up your space

This applies mostly to a video interview, but it is also necessary for a phone screen. If you have a home office, you probably have a setup kind of like this.

Everything is in order and the camera and light are set up, ready to go. But what about the background? Sure, you could use one of the virtual backgrounds available on Zoom or Google Meet, but having a distraction-free background looks better and comes across as more professional. Before, I had a messy, distracting background, but one day I straightened everything up and even bought a lamp to get the lighting just right. Here is what the interviewer sees during a video call.

It’s not perfect, but it works pretty well. And yes I wear a nicer shirt during interviews. I might still choose to blur my background sometimes, but at least I know the background is in decent shape and my lighting looks good. This part of interview prep is often overlooked, but think about how often you look at the background of someone you’re chatting with on video. You notice right away if it is distracting. First impressions matter, and a good background gives the interviewer the impression that you are prepared and professional.

Practice, practice, practice

The last step in how to prepare for an interview is to practice. Over and over. Once your background and desk are set up and your camera is working, turn on the video so you can see yourself. Every employer uses a different online tool, so you should try out a few different ones.

Zoom has a way to test out their video function so you can make sure your audio and video are set up correctly. Google Meet also has an Instant Meeting function that you can use to make sure everything looks good and works properly. Microsoft Teams even has a free version you can sign up for. Try out all three! They are all different so your equipment might work with Google but not on Teams.

You can even use Photo Booth or FaceTime on your Macbook. Leave it on and just start talking. Pretend you’re being interviewed and start by introducing yourself and briefly going over your personal biography. Yes, it can feel awkward to talk to yourself, but it is important to feel comfortable in front of the camera, so the more you practice the better prepared you will be.

After practicing by yourself, enlist a friend or relative to interview you. Send him/her a list of practice questions that they can ask you. Set up the video interview and send them a link so you can practice logging on and beginning the interview. After you’re done your friend can give you some feedback. Ask them how you looked and sounded. Hopefully the background looked good!

This type of preparation is also helpful for a phone screen, because you’re going to be giving the same introduction and answering some questions on the phone, and hopefully you will be doing it on camera during the next round, so you’ll be even more prepared when that rolls around.

Final thoughts

Interviewing for a job is stressful. There’s no way around it. But if you have an interview scheduled that means you made the first cut, so the employer already thinks you’re a better fit than most of the competition. Be proud of your accomplishment and get to work! By using these six steps to prepare for your interview, you’ll be prepared and ready to make a great first impression. Good luck!