29 JAN 2025 | BLOG
How to Prepare for Your Job Interview Fast.
In the last step we identified the most common high yield questions and how to quickly prepare for them.
In this penultimate step we are going to now put this into practice.
Many candidates assume that preparing answers is enough for a last minute interview. But knowing what to say is very different from being able to say it fluently, confidently, and persuasively under pressure.
Mock practice is the fastest way to improve interview performance. Candidates who practice out loud before their interview experience:
✅ More confidence – They feel prepared and less anxious.
✅ Better delivery – Their responses sound smoother and more natural.
✅ Fewer filler words – They eliminate “um,” “uh,” and “you know.”
✅ Stronger presence – They project calmness and authority.
However, many candidates make the mistake of practicing only in their heads. This doesn’t help because:
❌ Your brain works differently when speaking aloud. Answers that seem great in your head may sound awkward when spoken.
❌ Under pressure, your delivery can break down. If you haven’t practiced speaking under real conditions, you may struggle.
❌ You can’t hear your own mistakes. You might not realize you speak too fast, use filler words, or lack clarity.
The good news? Just 30 minutes of targeted mock practice can dramatically improve your interview performance.
1️⃣ Practice Out Loud (No Silent Rehearsing!)
🚀 Why This Works:
• When you speak out loud, you train your brain and mouth to work together.
• You become aware of awkward phrasing and can correct it.
• You learn to control your pacing and tone.
📌 How to Do It:
✅ Choose 5 common interview questions.
✅ Answer each one out loud, without stopping, as if in a real interview.
✅ Record yourself using your phone.
✅ Listen back and note areas to improve.
💡 Pro Tip: Focus on your opening (“Tell me about yourself”) and one behavioral question using the STAR-L framework.
2️⃣ The Mirror Technique: Train Your Body Language
Interviewers don’t just evaluate what you say—they assess how you say it. Your body language, facial expressions, and posture all influence how confident you appear.
🚀 Why This Works:
• Watching yourself in the mirror makes you conscious of nervous habits (e.g., fidgeting, avoiding eye contact).
• It helps you practice smiling naturally—which improves warmth and likability.
• You can adjust your posture and hand gestures to appear more confident.
📌 How to Do It:
✅ Stand in front of a mirror and answer one question out loud.
✅ Observe your facial expressions and gestures.
✅ Are you making eye contact? Do you look confident?
✅ Adjust as needed and practice again.
💡 Pro Tip: Smile at the start and end of every answer—it creates a warm, approachable presence.
3️⃣ Do a Full Mock Interview with a Timer
Your final step is to simulate the real interview environment. You should attempt to replicate the interview process based upon your research in Step 2.
🚀 Why This Works:
• It helps with timing. Most responses should be 60-90 seconds—mock practice ensures you don’t go over.
• It reduces nerves. The more you practice answering in a timed setting, the more natural it feels.
• It identifies weak areas. If a certain question feels hard, you know where to refine your answers.
📌 How to Do It:
✅ Set a timer for 30 minutes.
✅ Run through at least 5 questions (Tell me about yourself, a behavioral question, a technical question, and two job-specific questions).
✅ Keep answers within 60-90 seconds.
✅ If an answer feels unclear or awkward, refine and try again.
💡 Pro Tip: Simulate the interview setting—sit at a desk, dress professionally, and speak as if an interviewer is in front of you.
1️⃣ Use the “20-Second Rule” to Stop Rambling
A common mistake is talking too much. When candidates feel nervous in a last minute interview situation, they tend to:
❌ Give too much backstory before getting to the point.
❌ Overload with technical details that don’t matter.
❌ Keep adding points because they’re afraid of silence.
🚀 Fix It with the 20-Second Rule:
✅ After 20 seconds, pause and ask yourself: “Have I answered the question?”
✅ If yes, stop talking. If no, get back to the key point.
💡 Pro Tip: Most great answers have one strong example, not five. Keep it focused.
2️⃣ Identify & Eliminate Filler Words
Nervous candidates often use filler words like:
❌ “Um, like, you know, basically, I think, kind of, sort of.”
🚀 Fix It:
✅ Record yourself answering a question.
✅ Count how many filler words you use.
✅ Practice pausing instead of filling silence with “um.”
💡 Pro Tip: A 2-second pause sounds confident—filler words sound uncertain.
3️⃣ Speed Control: Use a Slower, Confident Pace
Many candidates speak too fast because they’re nervous. This makes answers harder to understand.
🚀 Fix It:
✅ Use the “1-Second Rule”—after finishing a sentence, pause for one second before continuing.
✅ Imagine you’re explaining something to a patient or client—keep a steady, clear pace.
✅ Practice slowing down by reading your answers 20% slower than usual.
💡 Pro Tip: Speaking slightly slower than normal makes you sound more authoritative.
4️⃣ Record Yourself Twice – Compare the Difference
Many candidates improve drastically in just two recordings.
📌 How to Do It:
✅ Record yourself answering a question once.
✅ Identify areas to improve (filler words, speed, clarity).
✅ Record again, making those improvements.
✅ Compare the two versions—notice the difference?
💡 Pro Tip: Your second recording is almost always smoother, clearer, and more confident.
5️⃣ Practice Under Pressure – Recreate the Interview Setting
To truly simulate the real interview, try:
✅ Sitting in front of a bright light (like a camera) to mimic an online interview.
✅ Asking a friend or mentor to “interview” you over Zoom.
✅ Practicing with a straight posture and professional attire to feel the part.
💡 Pro Tip: If you only practice casually, your real interview will feel overwhelming. Simulate the real setting for best results.
Mock practice is the closest thing to a real interview—it removes uncertainty, builds fluency, and gives you confidence.
✅ Action Step: Schedule 30 minutes today for a mock practice session using these techniques. The more you practice, the better you’ll perform!
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