How to prepare for an interview as the interviewee

Have you ever been to an interview where you're the one who is going to be interviewed but felt unprepared? I have and so here are some tips on how to prepare for an interview.

As a journalist and blogger, I tend to be the person conducting interviews, asking the guests questions. However, I was recently a guest on a podcast where I was the interviewee.

The podcast I featured on was Megan's Bookish Life Podcast - available on Spotify - and it was such an enjoyable experience but also very different to what I'm used to.

Generally, I'm interviewing racing drivers or authors and researching them and their careers. But being interviewed myself was a whole different experience because it wasn't me in charge of the interview.

But that being said, there was still preparation I could do to make sure I was less nervous about being the subject of all the questions. So I thought I'd share some tips on how I prepared to be a guest on a podcast and to be interviewed.

Know your host

Whilst I'm a podcaster, the only experience I have is with regards to motorsport. I review races, and interview drivers and legends of the sport, which is very different to appearing on a podcast that is centred around books.

So before the interview, I made sure I knew what the podcast I was appearing on was about. I'd listened to previous episodes of the show, so I already had some knowledge. However, it was still helpful to list some of the topics that were common on the podcast.

This is the same for a job interview. If you're being interviewed for a job, it's good for you to know information about the company you've applied to work for and if you know who will be conducting the interview, some information about them too; for example, their role in the company.

Know yourself

One of the hardest things in life is being able to sell yourself. But when you're being interviewed it helps to know your selling points and key information about yourself.

For the podcast interview, I was asked questions about my job, working in motorsport, wanting to write a novel and my blog too. Before the interview, I prepped some pointers I could draw upon so I knew what sort of things I could say in response.

In a job interview, you're often asked 'What can you bring to the company?' This exact question is one where you need to know yourself and be able to sell your strengths.

Knowing what type of person you are, and what skills and abilities you have can all help you in interviews and make you seem both more confident and prepared.

Know the type of interview

When it comes to interviews, there are lots of different types. For example, it could be a one-to-one interview, a group-based interview, a podcast interview or one that requires a presentation. For me, it was a podcast interview that was conducted over Skype.

As it was a podcast interview, I needed the correct set-up and equipment. Thankfully, as part of my job, I already have a decent microphone and laptop.

However, I needed to check the audio sounded okay, the backdrop behind me wasn't too bright and overbearing as well as making sure I had a stable internet connection.

Checking all of these off the list meant I was one step closer to being fully prepared.

If you've got an interview that requires a presentation, you need to make sure you have the presentation, you know what slides are coming up next as well as making sure it is accessible to everyone.

Practice

For my interview, Megan sent me the questions in advance so I was aware of what she would be asking me. Once I had them and had prepared some bullet points for answers, I was able to practice what I would say.

It would never be the same every time because I didn't memorise my responses. But, practising giving an answer made me feel more confident when the time came to actually speak to Megan on the podcast.

So for any interview, practising answering common questions can be helpful because you're less likely to be nervous and also more likely to be able to think of an answer in the interview.

The right frame of mind

When it comes to being interviewed, it can be a daunting experience because you'll never know how it's going to go until it's over. But you can help yourself prepare by getting in the right frame of mind.

For mine, I felt a mixture of nerves and excitement because it was my first time being the interviewee. I was excited about the prospect but also nervous because I kept thinking: What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don't have anything to say? What if I freeze up on the spot?

But getting myself in the right frame of mind beforehand meant I felt more at ease when the podcast interview began.

Some of the ways I helped prepare was that I left 20 minutes before the interview started to set up and get ready. Once I had my laptop set up, I went over the questions and my answer prompts one more time. I had some water and then was in front of my laptop, calming my breathing, until it began.

I'm usually someone who speaks very fast when nervous - although I get told I speak fast any time by family - and so for me, I really wanted to try and calm my heart rate and breathing to an even level making sure I didn't speed-talk when it came to the interview. And the tips above helped me with that.

Be yourself

Perhaps the most important tip of all. When it comes to anything in life, whether it's interviews, dating, or friends, the best thing you could be is yourself.

In today's world, so many people try and put on an exterior of a person who they think people want to see, but it's not always true to themselves.

But being yourself, being the unique you, is the best and most important thing because there is no one like you in the world and that on its own is a selling point.

So if you have any kind of interview coming up, where you're the one being interviewed, practice some of these tips and you might help you more than you think.

Until next time...