Your CV is your interview prep

Interviewers prepare by reading your CV and marking what they want to hear more about. You chose what is on the page, so you chose most of the topics.

1. 1Numbers“35% of what, measured how, and what was your part?”
2. 2Strong verbs“Led how many people? What went wrong?”
3. 3Tools and skills“How have you used it?” Sometimes followed by a practical task.
4. 4ChangesA new title, a short job, a gap or a new field: “Why?”

A bullet is the short version of something that happened. While you write it, pause and ask how you would tell the long version out loud. If you can, the line is ready. If you cannot, you have found something to prepare.

You do not need to write the stories out. If a detail is easy to forget, a few keywords in a notebook or your notes app will bring it back before the interview.

The classic interview questions are the same handful of stories seen from different angles. Six to eight stories you know well cover most interviews.

1. 1Best projectThe bullet with the result you are proudest of.
2. 2Biggest challengeThe bullet where time, information or resources were short.
3. 3A failureWhat went wrong before one of your results went right.
4. 4A conflictA bullet where you worked with people who saw it differently.

If you cannot talk about a line for a minute, prepare it or cut it. A shorter CV you can defend is worth more than a longer one you cannot.

Before the interview, open your CV, point at a random line and talk about it for 90 seconds. Out loud, not in your head: answers that feel clear in your head often come out long and tangled. Where you hesitate is where you need more preparation.