Career Resource Hub

Go beyond the About page. Read their recent news, LinkedIn updates and Glassdoor reviews. Understand their products, competitors and challenges. Check if they've raised funding recently or made acquisitions. Look up your interviewers on LinkedIn to find common ground. This research gives you talking points and shows genuine interest.

Prepare 3-5 stories using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that demonstrate problem-solving, teamwork, leadership and overcoming challenges. Know your resume inside out and be ready to discuss any project or achievement in detail. Prepare thoughtful questions about the role, team and company culture.

When in doubt, dress one level above the company's dress code. For startups, smart casual usually works. For enterprise or government, lean towards business casual. If working with a recruiter, ask them as they'll know the culture. It's always better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed.

Bring copies of your resume (even for virtual interviews, have it handy), a notepad and pen, a list of your questions and any portfolio or work samples if relevant. For virtual interviews, test your camera, microphone and internet connection beforehand. Have a glass of water nearby.

Keep it to 2 minutes max. Structure it as: Present (your current role and key skills), Past (relevant experience that led you here), Future (why this role excites you). Focus on professional background, not personal life. End by connecting your experience to what they're looking for.

Keep it positive and forward-looking. Focus on what you're moving towards, not what you're running from. Good answers include: seeking growth opportunities, wanting to work on different challenges, looking for a company better aligned with your values. Never badmouth your current employer, even if the situation is genuinely bad.

Choose a genuine area for improvement that isn't critical to the role. Explain what you've done to address it. For example: 'I used to struggle with public speaking, so I joined Toastmasters and now regularly present at team meetings.' Avoid clichés like 'I'm a perfectionist' as interviewers see through these.

Show ambition while being realistic. Connect your goals to the growth opportunities at the company. Good answers demonstrate you've thought about your career trajectory and that this role fits into that path. Avoid saying you want their boss's job. Instead, focus on skill development and increasing responsibility.

Don't bluff, as experienced interviewers will see through it. Instead, talk through your thought process, explain how you'd approach finding the answer and demonstrate your problem-solving methodology. Saying 'I don't know, but here's how I'd figure it out' is far better than making something up.

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. It's a framework for answering behavioural questions with concrete examples. Situation: Set the scene briefly. Task: Explain your responsibility. Action: Detail what YOU did (use 'I', not 'we'). Result: Share the outcome with metrics if possible. This structure keeps your answers focused and memorable.

Choose an example where you resolved the conflict professionally. Focus on listening, understanding the other perspective, finding common ground and reaching a resolution. Emphasise what you learned. Avoid examples where you were clearly in the wrong or where the conflict remained unresolved.

Pick a genuine failure, but one where you took responsibility, learned from it and applied those lessons going forward. The interviewer wants to see self-awareness, accountability and growth mindset. Avoid blaming others or choosing something trivial. Show that you can handle setbacks professionally.

Leadership isn't just about titles. Think about times you mentored a colleague, led a project, influenced a decision or took initiative beyond your role. Examples of informal leadership are just as valid. What matters is showing you can guide, influence and take responsibility for outcomes.

First, clarify the problem by asking questions about edge cases and constraints. Talk through your approach before coding. Start with a working solution (even if not optimal), then optimise. Narrate your thinking throughout. If stuck, explain where you're struggling as interviewers often provide hints. They're assessing your problem-solving process, not just the final answer.

A working solution is better than no solution. After getting it working, discuss how you'd optimise it given more time. Mentioning time and space complexity shows you understand tradeoffs. Interviewers often value clear thinking and honest assessment of your solution more than achieving the perfect answer under pressure.

Practice designing common systems (URL shortener, chat app, e-commerce platform). Learn about scalability, databases, caching, load balancing and microservices. Structure your answer: clarify requirements, estimate scale, outline high-level design, then dive into components. Draw diagrams. Discuss tradeoffs explicitly as there's no single right answer.

Prepare to discuss 2-3 significant projects in depth. Know the architecture, your specific contributions, challenges faced and decisions made. Be ready to justify technical choices and discuss what you'd do differently. Having metrics (performance improvements, user adoption, cost savings) makes your impact tangible.

Ask about: What does success look like in the first 90 days? What are the biggest challenges facing the team right now? How does this role contribute to company goals? What happened to the previous person in this role? These questions show you're thinking about how to add value.

Ask: How does the team celebrate wins? What's the approach to work-life balance? How are decisions made on the team? What's your favourite thing about working here? Watch how they answer as enthusiasm (or lack of it) tells you a lot. You can also ask about learning and development opportunities.

Ask about: Career progression paths in the organisation. How does the company support professional development? What's the company's vision for the next few years? How does this team/role fit into that vision? These show you're evaluating the opportunity for growth, not just the immediate job.

Avoid asking about salary, leave, or benefits in the first interview. Wait until they've shown interest. Don't ask questions easily answered by their website. Avoid questions that sound like you're planning your exit ('How quickly could I move to a different team?'). Save negative Glassdoor questions for after you have an offer.

Yes, within 24 hours. Keep it brief: thank them for their time, reiterate your interest, and mention something specific from the conversation that reinforced your enthusiasm. If you forgot to mention something important, this is a chance to add it. Don't send a generic template.

Wait until after their stated timeline before following up. If they said 'end of the week', wait until the following Monday. If no timeline was given, a week is reasonable. A brief, professional email checking in is fine. Don't call multiple times or appear desperate.

Thank them for the opportunity and ask for feedback. Not everyone provides it, but when they do, it's invaluable. Keep the relationship positive as the hiring manager may have other roles in future. If working with a recruiter, debrief thoroughly so they can improve your positioning for the next opportunity.

Look beyond salary: consider super contributions, bonuses, equity, leave entitlements, flexibility, learning budget and career growth potential. Research market rates for the role. Think about commute, team culture and management style. If unsure, ask for 24-48 hours to consider as any good employer will give you time.