Interview Preparation Sheet

Who this is for

One page to prepare on and take with you. It sets what the advert asked for against the evidence you have for each point, gives the questions you expect a short answer each, keeps the questions you want to ask, and ends with the practical checks for the day.

Anyone with an interview coming up — a first job, a promotion, a change of career, a return after a gap — who wants to walk in with the answers already thought through rather than improvised.

What this helps you track

• What the role asks for, point by point, and the example you have for each
• The questions you think will come up, with an answer in brief
• The questions you want to ask them, so the end of the interview is yours too
• The route, the documents, the contact and the time, checked the night before

How to use it

1. Fill in the role, the company, the date, the time, where it is or the link, and who you will be meeting.
2. Go through the advert or the job description and write each thing they ask for in the left column, with your best evidence for it on the right.
3. Write the questions you expect — about the role, your experience, the gaps — and a two-line answer to each. Short enough to remember, not a script.
4. Write the questions you want to ask them on the tick lines, and tick each one off as it is answered in the interview so you know what is left.
5. Work through the logistics checklist the day before and take the sheet with you; the evidence column is the thing to read in the waiting room.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Should I bring the sheet into the interview?

Many people do, and glance at it for the questions to ask. Whether it is welcome depends on the interviewer; keep it in a folder and use your judgement.

What counts as evidence?

A specific thing you did, when, and what came of it — a project, a problem you sorted, a figure you improved. Written in your own words; the skills and experience inventory on this site is where the longer list lives.

Does it work for a video or phone interview?

Yes. Put the link or number where the address would go, and the logistics checklist has a line for testing the login. The sheet sits beside the screen.

Is there a version for after the interview?

The interview log and follow-up tracker records how each one went, whether the thank-you was sent and when to chase. Fill it in the same day while it is fresh.