I've sat on both sides of the interview table. I know what it feels like to walk into a room nervous, wondering if you're saying the right thing. I also know what it feels like to interview someone and think, within the first ten minutes, "this person is not ready."
This is not a list of tricks or hacks. This is what I genuinely wish someone had told me — and what I tell people who ask.
1. Stop trying to sound smart
Seriously. A recruiter who has interviewed hundreds of people can tell, almost instantly, when someone is trying to perform intelligence rather than demonstrate it.
The thing is: they are not evaluating your IQ. They are evaluating how you think through a problem. Those are two very different things.
If you need a moment to think before answering, take it. Say "let me think about that for a second" — that is not weakness, that is self-awareness. Then be specific. Specific answers are worth ten times more than impressive-sounding ones that say nothing.
The candidate who says "I increased customer retention by restructuring the onboarding email flow, which reduced churn in the first 30 days by 18%" will always beat the one who says "I have strong strategic communication and stakeholder management skills."
Being concrete is more valuable than being polished.
2. Do your homework before walking in
You would be surprised — genuinely surprised — how many people show up to interviews not knowing what the company does. Not even roughly. That is not just a missed opportunity, it signals something: that you do not care enough to spend twenty minutes on their website.
Every company has its own way of speaking, its own values, its own idea of what a good hire looks like. You do not need to memorise their annual report. But knowing their core product, their recent news, and what they seem to care about? That changes the entire conversation.
It also gives you something to hook your answers onto. Instead of generic answers, you can say "I noticed you're focused on expanding into Latin American markets — that's actually where a lot of my experience sits."
Twenty minutes of research. That is all it takes to stand out from half the room.
3. Know your numbers — and be ready to defend them
This is the one that catches the most people off guard. They can talk about their experience fluently, but the moment someone asks "what was the impact?" or "what size budget were you managing?", there is a long pause.
Numbers are not just for salary negotiation. They are proof. They are the difference between "I led a sales team" and "I led a team of seven that grew revenue from €200K to €320K in 14 months."
If you are genuinely not sure of your exact numbers, that is fine — estimate, and be honest that you are estimating. But do not avoid them altogether. Vague answers feel unconfident. Specific ones feel credible.
And when it comes to salary: the person who comes in knowing their market rate, with numbers to back up why they are worth it, will almost always negotiate better than the person who says "I'm open to what you think is fair."
Words are hard to argue with. Numbers are not.
4. Do not take rejection personally — learn from it
Every rejection feels personal. It is not. Or at least, not in the way we think.
Sometimes you are the second-best candidate and the decision comes down to a single detail that has nothing to do with your ability. Sometimes the role gets frozen. Sometimes the hiring manager had someone internal in mind from the start. You will never know.
What you can control is what you take from it. Every interview teaches you something — a question you were not ready for, a moment where you spoke too fast, a topic you should research more. The candidates who get consistently good at interviewing are not the ones who got it right on the first try. They are the ones who kept going, adjusted, and loosened up over time.
If you get feedback, use it. If you do not, give yourself the feedback anyway. What would you do differently? That question, asked honestly, is worth more than any interview coaching course.
5. The company is not doing you a favour by interviewing you
This is the one that matters most, and the one I see people struggle with the most.
Job searching is anxiety-inducing. I understand that completely. But somewhere along the way, many people start treating interviews like an audition where they have to earn the right to exist in the room. They over-apologise. They talk themselves down. They act grateful just to have been called.
Here is the truth: they called you because they think you might be the solution to a problem they have. That is it. You are not lucky to be there. You are a potential answer to something they need.
This does not mean you walk in arrogant. It means you walk in as an equal. You ask questions. You evaluate whether the role is right for you, not just whether you are right for the role. You hold your ground on salary because your time and skill have real value.
The moment you genuinely internalise this, the dynamic of every interview you have will shift — and interviewers notice it immediately.
One last thing
Nobody is born good at interviews. Every person you know who handles them well — who seems calm, clear and confident — got there by making mistakes, recovering, and trying again.
Rome was not built in a day. Neither is interview confidence. Be patient with yourself, keep showing up, and remember: the goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be honest, prepared, and sure of your own value.
If you have questions, the DMs are always open. And if you want help making sure your CV reflects the same confidence as your best self — try HAIRED.
