Your Interview Preparation System

🔄 Quick Recall: Over seven lessons, you’ve built every component of interview preparation: company research, story library, mock interviews, tough questions, technical/case prep, and salary negotiation. Now let’s combine them into a system you’ll use for every interview, forever.

The Interview Preparation System

This is your reusable framework. Each component feeds the next, and the system improves every time you use it.

Phase 1: Research (1-2 hours)

When you get an interview:

1. Run the company deep-dive prompt (Lesson 2)
2. Decode the job description for real priorities
3. Research your interviewers on LinkedIn
4. Build your one-page preparation brief
5. Identify 3 research insights to weave into answers

Phase 2: Stories and Answers (1-2 hours)

Before mock practice:

1. Review your story library — which stories fit this role best?
2. Tag 5-7 stories for likely question themes
3. Prepare your “tell me about yourself” tailored to this company
4. Write answers for the 3 tough questions you struggle with most
5. Prepare 3-5 smart questions to ask the interviewer

Phase 3: Practice (2-3 hours)

The practice rounds:

1. Run a full mock interview with AI (first pass — identify weak spots)
2. Refine your weakest 2-3 answers
3. Run a second mock with different interviewer style
4. If technical: practice 5-10 domain problems independently
5. If case: run 2-3 case scenarios with AI

Phase 4: Day-Of (30 minutes)

Right before the interview:

1. Review your one-page preparation brief
2. Read through your top 5 story summaries
3. Review your “tell me about yourself” once
4. Check your smart questions list
5. Take three deep breaths and remember: you’re prepared

The Post-Interview Debrief

This is what makes the system improve. Within 2 hours of every interview:

Help me debrief this interview:

Company: [name]
Role: [title]
Interviewer: [name and title]
Stage: [phone screen / second round / final]

Questions I was asked:
1. [list each question]

How I answered:
[brief notes on each answer]

Now help me:
1. Rate each answer (strong / adequate / weak) and explain why
2. Identify questions I wasn't prepared for
3. Suggest improved answers for my weak spots
4. Note any patterns (do I consistently struggle with certain question types?)
5. Add any new stories or answers to my library
6. What should I practice before my next interview?

✅ Quick Check: Why debrief within 2 hours instead of the next day?

Because memory fades fast. Two hours after the interview, you remember the exact questions, your specific wording, the interviewer’s reactions, and the moments you felt confident or shaky. By the next day, details blur into general impressions. Timely debriefs capture the specific data points that drive improvement. Set a calendar reminder: “Debrief at [time]” immediately after scheduling any interview.

Scaling Your Preparation

Quick Prep (24 hours before)

When time is limited, focus on highest-impact activities:

1. Company research deep-dive (30 min)
2. Review and select your best 5 stories (20 min)
3. Prepare “tell me about yourself” (15 min)
4. One quick mock interview round (30 min)
5. Write 3 smart questions (15 min)

Full Prep (1-2 weeks before)

For dream jobs, invest the full system:

1. All four phases with multiple practice rounds
2. Research the entire interview panel
3. Study the company’s product, recent earnings, and strategy deeply
4. Run 3+ mock interviews at increasing difficulty
5. Prepare negotiation strategy in advance

Your Interview Preparation Toolkit

Course Review

Here’s what you can now do with AI-assisted interview preparation:

Final Exercise: Build Your System

Start now, regardless of whether you have an interview scheduled:

1. Build your initial story library (mine 10 experiences, structure 5 in STAR format)
2. Write your default “tell me about yourself” (generic version you’ll customize per role)
3. Prepare answers for the 5 universal tough questions from Lesson 5
4. Run one full mock interview to calibrate your starting point
5. Create a debrief template you’ll use after every future interview

This system is now yours. Every interview you have makes it stronger. Every debrief adds data. Every practice round sharpens your delivery. The candidates who get offers aren’t necessarily the most talented — they’re the most prepared.

Key Takeaways

• The preparation system has four phases: Research → Stories & Answers → Practice → Day-Of review
• Post-interview debriefs within 2 hours are the most valuable improvement tool — they turn every interview into a learning experience
• Scale preparation intensity with interview stage: 30 minutes for phone screens, 5+ hours for final rounds
• The system improves through compound learning: story library grows, weak answers get polished, patterns emerge from debrief notes
• Quick prep (24 hours) covers the highest-impact activities; full prep (1-2 weeks) goes deep for dream opportunities
• Interview success isn’t talent — it’s preparation that compounds over time

Congratulations on completing this course. Your interview preparation system is now built. The next step is to use it — and watch it get better with every interview.