LIFE

Pre-Interview Prep: Your Ultimate Guide to Showing Up Like a Pro

Pre-interview prep made fun: from stalking their socials to picking your power outfit, here’s how to get ready without spiralling.

BY NICHOLI DE SILVA|PUBLISHED: AUG 25, 2025

Your Pre-Interview Glow-Up Starts Here

Everyone talks about the interview, but no one spills the tea on the day before. Consider this your backstage pass.

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Let’s be real. Job interviews are right up there with public speaking and texting your crush first when it comes to nerve-wracking experiences. You’re facing strangers, expectations and the terrifying possibility of forgetting your own name mid-sentence.

The good news? Everything you need to feel prepared, collected and ready to impress is right here in this article (shameless plug, but it’s true).

We’ve laid out the dos and don’ts so you can walk in feeling like your best self. You’ll also hear from people who have survived the process, so you’re armed with actual advice instead of just vibes.

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Stalk…I mean, research the company

Time to go full FBI-mode on LinkedIn like it’s a dating profile. You’re not just showing up to be questioned, you’re showing up with receipts.

Start with the basics: read the company’s mission, skim their latest blog posts and scroll through their socials to get a sense of their tone, vibe and culture. Like getting to know your crush, this isn’t just about impressing them. It’s about figuring out if you actually like them. Do their values align with yours? Does their work excite you as much as someone’s IG story highlights do?

The goal isn’t to impress them with trivia; it’s to show you get what they care about and where you could fit in.

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Remember, there’s more to you than your resume

If you were your resume, you’d be a stiff piece of paper with bullet points and Times New Roman. And let’s be honest, no one wants to hire a piece of paper.

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Your qualifications matter, but interviews are about you. The way you speak, carry yourself, and bring your experiences to life – that’s what makes you memorable after a long day of meeting 15 other “detail-oriented team players.”

So don’t recite your resume as if you’re reading it out loud in class. Let your personality shine through. Share stories. Make it a conversation, not a monologue.

Take my friend Heshani (23), for example. She was in a sorority during university, juggling back-to-back events, last-minute drama and people management – all while slaying her law degree. When she brought that up in an interview, the recruiter said her ability to multitask under pressure was exactly what they were looking for.

So no, that time you ran a chaotic group project does count. Let your story do the talking. The real flex is sounding like a person, not a resume in heels.

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Rehearse without going full Rachel Zegler

Rachel Zegler belting Don’t Cry for Me Argentina at the London Palladium? Iconic. Oscar-worthy. But unless your interview is for Broadway, you don’t need to bring that level of theatrical intensity.

That said, a little rehearsal does go a long way. Whether it’s talking to yourself in the mirror, pacing around with voice notes or running through answers with a friend – practising helps you sound polished, not panicked.

One technique that actually works (and yes, it’s fittingly called STAR) is a simple way to structure your answers without rambling. You explain the Situation, the Task at hand, the Action you took and finally, the Result that followed. Basically, turning your experience into a mini success story.

So go ahead. Rehearse like the main character. Just maybe don’t sing to the panel.

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Outfit Planning: You’re not going to the Met Gala, but still

Choosing what to wear to an interview is its own kind of emotional spiral. You want to look polished, feel confident and ideally avoid a wardrobe malfunction mid-conversation.

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The key? Dress for the setting. If it’s in-person, go

for clean lines, breathable fabrics and shoes that don’t betray you five minutes in. If it’s online, focus on your top half, but maybe don’t pair your blazer with Disney pyjama bottoms. Trust, you will forget and stand up at the worst possible moment.

And yes, the office siren trend is having a moment, but unless your future employer is TikTok’s ‘Corporate Baddie’ herself, maybe skip the mesh, micro skirts or ‘I’ve got dinner at a rooftop bar right after this’ energy.

Kaavya (20) once wore a spaghetti strap top to a Zoom interview. Halfway through, the strap slipped off and refused to stay up. “I looked like I was trying to seduce the hiring manager,” she said. “It was not giving employable.”

The goal? Choose an outfit that says “I’ve got this,” not “Help, my top is slipping again.”

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Vibe check: Mental prep and showing up

Ah yes, weirdly, the hardest part: showing up and not throwing up. Nerves are totally normal and usually a sign that you care. The goal isn’t to get rid of them, just to manage them enough so your brain doesn’t go static mid-answer.

Find a ritual that gets you grounded. Heshani (23) listens to a playlist of powerful, feminist anthems before interviews. “When Power by Little Mix comes on, I remember who I am. A Sri Lankan woman with big dreams and parents who gave me the freedom to chase them. That’s all the confidence I need to walk in like I belong.”

So whether it’s music, a mantra, or a 2000s montage moment in your mirror, make space for a little self-belief before you log in or walk in.

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One last thing

You don’t need to have everything perfect, just prepared. The fact that you’re showing up and putting yourself out there? That’s already a huge win and a power move in itself.

So take a deep breath, trust your prep, and remember: you’ve got this.

And hey, once you’re done, we’ll let you in on the secrets to holding it together during the interview.

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