When you find out you’ve got an interview for a job, what do you do next? After the obligatory running around the yard with your jumper over your face, it’s time to get to work on your interview techniques.

Depending on how soon it is, and the type of interview you’ll be having – over the phone or face-to-face – it’s a good idea to devote as much time as possible to your preparation.

Nerves are hard to avoid and a normal part of the interview process. Knowing you’ve done as much prep work as possible, will help you feel more confident and offset some of your apprehension.

Use the web to help you draw up a list of some common interview questions. Draw on your industry and company knowledge to write some questions around topics relevant to the role. Then you can prepare answers using STAR.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others. Curtin Careers, Employment and Leadership offer a range of options to help you prepare for interviews, including opportunities to get feedback on your performance.

If time’s tight, ask a friend or family member to run through some of the questions with you. Practice your responses and reduce your use of fillers such as ‘er’ and ‘um’, so that your words roll off your tongue with ease.

Another way to practice is to answer the questions out loud and record your responses using an app on your phone. You’ll get an idea of your tone, your choice of words, and which answers need a little more work.

It’s impossible to anticipate every question ahead of your interview. Putting time into your prep work, will mean you can breeze through the standard questions and feel confident when you tackle the trickier ones.

For help with interview prep, pop in to see us at Building 101 Curtin Connect. Or, if you can hold out, check out the Graduate Gateway series coming up next month. Attend the whole series, or pick and choose the workshops that suit you.