Research past the homepage
Knowing what the company does is the minimum, not the preparation. Go further: what have they launched or announced in the last six months, who are their main competitors, how do they make money, and what is publicly known about their challenges.
Look up your interviewers as well. How long have they been there, what did they do before, did they come up through the team or arrive from outside. This is not for flattery; it tells you what they are likely to care about and what language will land.
One highly effective preparation exercise: write down the three reasons they might not hire you. Then prepare how you would answer each. Those objections are almost always what the difficult questions are probing.
Prepare stories, not answers
Memorised answers sound memorised. What actually transfers across dozens of possible questions is a small set of real stories you know well.
Choose three or four: something you led, something that went badly and what you did about it, a conflict or difficult relationship you handled, and a result you are genuinely proud of. Know the specifics — numbers, timeline, who else was involved, what you personally decided.
Most behavioural questions can be answered by selecting from that set and angling it to the question. That is far more robust than trying to anticipate exact wording.
Answer with a structure
Rambling is the most common self-inflicted damage in interviews, and the fix is mechanical. Use situation, action, result — briefly on the first, most of your time on the second, and never skip the third.
The action is where interviewers learn about you, so use "I" rather than "we" when describing what you decided. Teams deliver things; interviews are about your contribution to them.
Aim for around two minutes per answer. If you genuinely need longer, signpost it: "There are two parts to that — the technical side and the stakeholder side." That gives the interviewer a map and permission to redirect you.
Handle the practical details
Boring logistics account for a surprising number of bad starts.
For in-person interviews, know the route and arrive in the area early, but present yourself no more than ten minutes before the time. For video, test your camera, microphone and internet in advance, sit with light in front of you rather than behind, and use a plain background. Have a phone number for your contact in case the link fails.
Dress slightly more formally than the company's daily norm unless told otherwise. Bring copies of your resume, a notebook, and the questions you plan to ask. Silence your phone rather than leaving it face-down and buzzing.
Ask questions that reveal something
Having no questions reads as disinterest. Asking questions answered on the homepage reads as laziness. Ask things only this person can tell you.
What would success look like six months in, specifically. What is the hardest part of the role that is not in the description. Why is the position open. What has happened to the last two people who held it. How does the team handle disagreement about priorities.
Save salary, holiday and flexible working for offer stage unless no range was published and you are several rounds deep.
Close deliberately
The last two minutes are the part people remember, and most candidates waste them on thanks and goodbyes.
Do two things instead. First, state plainly that you want the job and why — enthusiasm is a real differentiator and interviewers routinely report choosing between similar candidates on it. Second, ask the uncomfortable question: "Is there anything about my background that gives you hesitation?"
That question is your only chance to correct a misunderstanding before it costs you the role. It is worth the discomfort.
Follow up properly
Send a short note within 24 hours. Not a template — reference something specific from the conversation, ideally something you have thought about since.
"Thank you for your time yesterday. I have been thinking about what you said regarding the reporting backlog, and the approach I mentioned would apply directly — happy to sketch it out if useful."
If you promised to send something, send it. If you fumbled a question, this is a legitimate place to add one clarifying line, briefly and without over-explaining. If you hear nothing by the date they gave you, one polite follow-up after that date has passed is appropriate.