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Interview tomorrow

Interview tomorrow? How to prepare tonight

You have one evening, so spend it saying your answers out loud instead of rereading them. Pick the three stories this job will ask about, say each one, fix the weakest, and stop at a set time.

A person at a kitchen table in the evening, answering an interview question out loud to a laptop

Tonight, in five steps

CareerOneStop, the Labor Department's career site, says to practice your answers to common interview questions on paper and out loud. With one evening, out loud is the part to keep.

  1. 1

    Read the posting for three things

    Find the three requirements the posting lists first or repeats. Those are what the interviewer is most likely to ask about.

  2. 2

    Pick one story for each

    One specific time for each requirement: what happened, what you did, and how it ended, with a number if you have one.

  3. 3

    Say each story out loud

    Start to finish, the way you'd say it to the interviewer. In memory experiments, people remembered words they said aloud better than words they only read.

  4. 4

    Fix the weakest one, then say it again

    The story that came out worst is the one to work on. Cut it to what you did and how it ended, then say it once more.

  5. 5

    Write two questions to ask them

    CareerOneStop suggests questions like “Can you tell me what a typical day is like in this job?” and “How are responsibilities and performance measured in this role?”

How to tell a story in an interview answer →

What to skip tonight

  1. Rereading your notes

    Saying an answer from memory does more than reading it again. In a 2006 study, students who tested themselves on a passage remembered more of it two days and a week later than students who reread it, even though rereading made them feel more confident.

  2. Memorizing scripts word for word

    Learn the shape of each story, not the exact sentences, so a follow-up question doesn't knock you off your lines.

  3. Long lists of questions

    You won't get through a hundred questions tonight. Three good stories can be adapted to many of them.

Before bed

  1. 1

    Settle how you'll get there

    CareerOneStop's advice: plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early if it's in person, and if it's online, set up your space and equipment so you can sign on 10 to 15 minutes early.

  2. 2

    Lay out what you'll wear and bring

    Dress for the workplace and the job. CareerOneStop suggests bringing a notebook and pen.

  3. 3

    Pick a time to stop

    Set a cutoff for prep, then do something unrelated until bed.

Nervous? How to calm nerves before an interview →

Practice tonight's interview out loud

Paste the job posting. An AI interviewer asks questions written for it, follows up on thin answers, and scores you on five skills. Your scorecard shows the answer that cost you the most points, rewritten, and turns into a plan for tonight.

Your free mocks show the score. The Interview-Ready plan shows you how to raise it.

  • As many scored mocks as you want, in every round
  • Why you lost points on each skill
  • Your weakest answers rewritten, with why the new version scores higher

$29 a month if you join by October 31, and you keep it while you stay (regular $49). 14-day refund from your account. See the plan

Start tonight's practice

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