Episode 9 of 10Interview and close40 min

Prepare for the interview from your own proof

Match eight likely questions to your own true stories, then practise one question at a time with brief feedback on what you actually said.

You will have: A table of eight likely questions, each linked to one of your true stories (or marked as a gap), and one full practice round with short, honest feedback.

Before you start

Your numbered list of true stories from Episode 2, with numbers marked exact, estimate or unknown
The job post from Episode 3, with recruiter names, emails and phone numbers removed
What you know about the interview format: phone, video, in person, a recorded video, a test, or an AI interviewer. Note it, but do not paste private links from the invitation
Remove your own name, phone, email, address and any confidential details from your past employers before you paste. A temporary or incognito chat option, if your app has one, keeps this out of your history
A quiet place where you can answer out loud

Make it yours

Change the example (operations job search (fictional)) to your own. Your answers are saved in this browser and used in every episode.

Job you are aiming forOne job title you want to apply for. Episode 1 helps you choose it.Your backgroundOne sentence about your work or study so far. Keep it true and short.CountryWhere you want to work. Hiring and pay rules differ by country.Type of employerFor example: a hospital, a small agency, a school, a bank.

Other series keywords (1)

AI chat you useChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another free chat.

Your prompt

Paste into: A normal AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini), in a fresh chat. Say each answer out loud first, then type a short version of what you said, so you practise speaking, not writing.

You are a calm, honest interview coach. I have an interview for a Operations Coordinator role at a mid-sized logistics company in United States. My background: 4 years as a retail assistant manager, moving into office operations.

My true stories (numbered; numbers marked exact, estimate or unknown):
[PASTE YOUR NUMBERED STORIES]

The job post (personal details removed):
[PASTE THE JOB POST]

Part 1. Map questions to my stories.
List 8 questions I am likely to be asked for this job: "Tell me about yourself", "Why this role?", at least three "Tell me about a time..." questions based on the job post, one "What would you do if..." question, and one about my move from my background into this job. Show a table: Question | Story number | Why it fits | Gap to check. If no story fits, write "No story yet" and say what kind of true example I could look for. Do not write my answers for me.

Part 2. Practice round.
Ask if I am ready. Then ask ONE question at a time and wait for my answer. After each answer, give feedback in three short lines:
- What worked (quote my own words)
- One thing to make clearer (the situation, what I did myself, or the result)
- Anything I said that is not in my story list, so I can check it is true
Write the feedback as statements, not questions, and end each message with only the next practice question. Then ask the next question. Stop after 8 questions, or when I type "stop", and give a short summary: my two strongest stories and one thing to practise.

Rules:
- Use only facts from my stories and the job post. Never add facts, numbers, tools, results or skills to my answers. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing.
- Keep unknown numbers as [?] and estimates labelled as estimates.
- Do not invent details about the company or its interview process.
- Plain text, short sentences. Feedback only, never a rewritten answer.

Review the prompt, then copy it. Never paste real passwords or API keys into a chat.

How to check it worked

Each of the eight questions has a true story next to it, or you wrote down which ones need a new example
The feedback quotes only things you actually said. If it added a number, tool or result, you ignored it
Anything flagged as "not in my story list" is either true and added to your list, or dropped from your answer
You can tell each story out loud without reading it, in your own words: the situation, what you did, and what changed
You know the interview format. If a recording, a test or an AI interviewer is involved, you asked how it will be used, and you asked early for any adjustment you need, such as extra time or a different format
You checked the employer's rules on AI in the job post, invitation and careers page. Unless they clearly allow it, you use AI only to prepare, never during the live interview or test

Sample result

Example: operations job search (fictional)

Fictional example for Maya Torres, applying for Operations Coordinator at Northline Logistics (a made-up company). Story numbers refer to her own list.

If something goes wrong

The interview is a recorded video, an online test or an AI interviewer.: Prepare the same way: short, true stories in your own words. Read the invitation for words like "recorded", "automated" or "AI", and note the deadline. In a May 2026 Greenhouse survey, about 6 in 10 US job seekers said they had been interviewed by an AI, and most were not clearly told in advance. It is fine to ask: is AI involved, what does it look at, how will my answers be used, and can I speak to a person? Your rights differ by place. For example, New York City requires notice to NYC-resident candidates before an automated hiring tool is used, Illinois requires consent before AI analyses a recorded video interview, and in the EU you can ask for a person to review a decision made only by a computer that significantly affects you. Laws checked October 2026; check this for your country.
You wonder if you can use the AI during the real interview or test.: Use AI to prepare, not on the day. Many employers are fine with AI for practice and polishing, but far fewer allow it in live interviews or tests, and some disqualify candidates for it. Read the job post, the invitation and the careers page for an AI policy and follow it. If you are asked whether you used AI, tell the truth.
The AI rewrites your answers or adds results you never mentioned.: Reply: "Do not rewrite my answer. Give feedback only, in three lines, using only what I said." Then answer the question again in your own words.

Good to know: a large 2022 review of hiring research found that structured interviews, where every candidate gets the same job-related questions, predict job performance better than most other methods (Sackett and colleagues, Journal of Applied Psychology). That is why many employers use them, and why preparing from your real stories works.