Job Interview Preparation: A Practical Checklist

Start your interview preparation by matching the job requirements to evidence from your own experience. Then confirm the interview details and practise explaining that evidence.

This guide gives you a worksheet, a way to build STAR answers, a checklist to confirm details with the recruiter, and a plan for follow-up. It is a general planning framework, not a description of how every employer hires. Follow the instructions for your particular role and interview.

Step 1: Turn the job description into a worksheet

Read the job description twice. Highlight every skill, duty and requirement. Then create a worksheet. The following entries are fictional illustrations, not claims about a real candidate.

• Requirement: handle guest complaints. Evidence: resolved a billing dispute in a previous hotel role. Gap or question: which complaints would this role handle?
• Requirement: use a booking system. Evidence: used a system daily in a previous role. Gap or question: which system does this employer use?
• Requirement: lead a small team. Evidence: covered shifts but never formally supervised. Gap or question: how can you explain the experience you have without claiming a management role?

Rules for the worksheet:

• Use only things you really did.
• Pick one clear piece of evidence for each requirement.
• Write down gaps. Do not hide them. Plan an honest answer for each one.
• Choose your five strongest rows. These become your main stories.

Step 2: Build STAR answers from your evidence

The National Careers Service explains STAR as Situation, Task, Action and Result. Use it to organise a specific example from your experience.

• Situation: Where were you, and what was happening?
• Task: What was your job in that moment?
• Action: What did you do? Say "I", not only "we".
• Result: What happened? Say what changed. Use a number only if you truly know it.

Here is a fictional example. It answers: "Tell me about a time you handled a difficult guest."

Situation: A guest arrived at a hotel front desk. Their room was not ready, and they had been travelling all day.

Task: I needed to keep the guest calm and find a fair solution.

Action: I listened without interrupting. I apologised for the wait. I checked with housekeeping for the earliest time. I offered the guest a seat in the lobby and a drink. I called the guest as soon as the room was ready.

Result: The guest thanked me and checked in without further complaint. I noted the delay in the handover log so the next shift knew.

This entire example, including its outcome, is fictional. Do not present it as your experience. In your own answer, use a truthful result; it need not contain a number.

Write one STAR answer for each of your five strongest rows. Keep each to a few sentences.

Step 3: Prepare your own questions

Interviews are two-way. Write three to five questions about the role. Good topics include:

• What a successful first few months look like.
• How the team works day to day.
• How the employer supports learning and development.
• What the next steps in the process are.

Step 4: Confirm the details with the recruiter

Do not guess. Send a short, polite message and ask. Use this checklist.

• Date, start time and time zone
• Format: in person, phone or video
• Address, building and entrance, or the video link and platform
• Names and job titles of the interviewers
• Length of the interview
• Whether there is a test, a presentation or a task
• Documents or samples to bring
• A phone number to call if you are delayed
• Whether the interview is panel style or one to one

Ask about documents only for this interview. Do not assume what an employer needs. Ask them.

Step 5: Practise out loud

Reading your notes is not the same as speaking. Say each answer aloud. Record yourself on your phone and listen back. Ask a friend or mentor to play the interviewer.

Check three things:

1. Does the answer address the question that was asked?
2. Is your own role clear?
3. Do you sound like yourself?

This guide is published by Muqabala. You can visit our interview practice page for your next practice session. Use any tool that suits you, and check how it handles your data first. Do not paste confidential customer or employer information into a practice tool.

Step 6: Plan the day

• Plan your route or test your technology the day before.
• For video, check your camera, sound and internet. Find a quiet place.
• Bring a copy of your CV, your worksheet and a notebook.
• Arrive early, or log in a few minutes ahead.
• Listen to the whole question. A short pause before answering is fine.
• If you do not know something, say so honestly. Then explain how you would find out.
• If a question feels unrelated to the job, you can politely ask how it relates to the role.

Step 7: Follow up sensibly

Send a short thank-you email within a day or two. Thank the interviewer for their time. Mention one specific thing you discussed. Say you remain interested.

Here is a fictional template:

Dear [Name],

Thank you for meeting me on [day] about the [role]. I enjoyed discussing [topic]. It made me more interested in the role.

Please let me know if I can share anything else.

Kind regards, [Your name]

Then wait. If the recruiter gave you a date for a decision, wait until that date passes. After that, send one polite message to ask for an update. If they gave no date, ask at the end of the interview when you can expect to hear back.

Final check

Before the interview, you should have:

• A completed worksheet
• Five STAR answers you have said out loud
• Three to five questions to ask
• Confirmed details from the recruiter
• A plan for the day
• A thank-you email ready to edit

Preparation does not guarantee an offer. Aim to make your real experience easier to explain and your questions easier to ask.