The Interview Prep Checklist That Actually Works

Most candidates over-prep on questions and under-prep on everything else. A real interview prep checklist covers four stages.

Stage 1 — Research (5–7 days out)

• Re-read the JD; circle the 5 most-mentioned skills/tools.
• 3-line note on the company: what they do, last launch, last leadership change.
• Find your interviewer + their boss on LinkedIn; skim 6 months of activity.
• Identify the 3 stated company values; map a STAR story to each.
• Generate 15 likely questions with the AI Interview Prep tool.

Stage 2 — Drills (2–3 days out)

• Pick 6 STAR stories: leadership, conflict, failure, deadline, impact, ambiguity.
• Record yourself answering 8 of the 15 questions.
• Listen back at 1.5x — kill filler words and vague results.
• Prepare 4 thoughtful questions to ask back.
• Re-write your 60-second "tell me about yourself" answer.

Stage 3 — Logistics (day before)

• Confirm time zone, link/address, dress code, who you'll meet.
• Lay out clothes; charge laptop + phone; run a Zoom audio test.
• Print 3 copies of your resume + 1 page of notes.
• Plan the route or Zoom backup. Sleep 8 hours.

Stage 4 — Day of

• Re-read your 6 STAR keywords + 4 questions to ask.
• Smile in the first 10 seconds.
• Use the 90-second answer rule — no answer over 2 minutes.
• End with: "What are the next steps and timeline?"
• Within 4 hours: send a 4-line thank-you email.

Pair with the interview prep tips guide and the STAR method examples.