How to prepare for an interview a five-part plan for Ireland

How to prepare for an interview, in five parts

Prepare five things: the job (what they need), your evidence (the examples that prove you can do it), your words (answers you have said out loud), your setup (how you will join, on screen or in person), and your numbers (salary, notice, start date). Most people spend all their time on the first and skip the last three. The last three are where interviews go wrong.

This guide uses the advice of two public sources: publicjobs.ie, which runs recruitment for the Civil Service and much of the public service, and the JobsIreland.ie tips page. Their advice works for private sector interviews too.

Interview preparation starts with the job spec

Print the job description, or open it next to your CV, and go through it with a pen. The publicjobs.ie interview advice asks candidates to read the job description and the candidate information booklet closely and note how they meet each requirement. That is good advice for any job.

• Mark the skills. Every line like "strong stakeholder management" or "attention to detail" is a likely question.
• Mark the must-haves. A licence, a qualification, a language, shift work. Know your answer to each before they ask.
• Learn the employer. JobsIreland's tips put it simply: make sure you understand what the job involves and what the company does. Read their website, recent news and their LinkedIn page. For a public body, read its statement of strategy or annual report.
• Find out who you will meet. If the invite names the panel, look them up on LinkedIn so the faces are not a surprise.

Then write one sentence for "Why do you want this job?" JobsIreland's first tip is to be clear about why you want it, and the panel will notice if you are not.

Your evidence: ten achievements, five qualities

The publicjobs.ie advice gives two useful numbers. It suggests aiming for "about 10 different achievements altogether", from different parts of your life such as education, work and interests, and picking "about five qualities that you feel are most relevant to the job".

Do it on one page:

The rows above are illustrations. Fill in your own until you have about ten. Most interview questions can be answered from that page, and the skills column tells you which story to use. The common questions they map to are in our list of interview questions in Ireland.

Your words: say it before the day

Knowing your answer and saying it well are two different skills. publicjobs.ie puts it this way: "To build confidence, practice what you would say in the interview with a friend, family member or colleague." It also suggests recording yourself to check your tone and whether you overuse gestures.

1. Write short answers to the questions you expect, as bullet points, not scripts.
2. Say each one out loud three or four times until it flows without the notes.
3. Record one round on your phone. Listen once. Cut whatever made you wince.
4. Do a full mock interview with a friend, or with the free AI mock interview, which reads questions aloud in English, asks follow-ups and reports on pace, filler words and structure.

For skills questions, give each example a beginning, a middle and a clear ending. Our guide to competency-based interview questions shows how, with the frameworks used on publicjobs.ie.

Your setup: video, phone or in person

Video interview

publicjobs.ie runs automated video interviews (you record answers to questions on screen), live video interviews with a panel, and in-person interviews. Its advice for remote interviews:

• Use a connection of at least 1 Mbps, test the device, keep it charged, and check the camera and microphone.
• Silence your phone and close other tabs.
• Pick a quiet, well-lit room with a plain background, with the camera at eye level showing your head and shoulders.
• Dress as you would for an in-person interview, and look at the webcam when you speak.
• If something goes wrong with the tech, tell the interviewers as soon as possible.

It also tells candidates the panel "will not be assessing how comfortable you are on camera in a video interview". So do not worry about looking polished. Worry about being heard.

Phone interview

Recruiters often ring first. Take the call somewhere quiet, with your CV, the job spec and your numbers (Part 5) in front of you.

In person

Check the route the day before. publicjobs.ie asks candidates to bring photo ID and any documents they were asked for, and JobsIreland suggests arriving at least 15 minutes early.

Your numbers: salary expectations in an interview

The salary expectations question is the one people prepare least and regret most. In Ireland it is usually asked as a yearly figure in euro, often by the recruiter in the very first call.

• Research the range. Compare similar roles on IrishJobs.ie, Jobs.ie and LinkedIn, and ask a recruiter what the market pays.
• Give a range, not one number, with the lower end a figure you would accept.
• Mention the package. Pension, bonus, health insurance, hybrid days and training can matter as much as the base.
• Say it once and stop. Silence after a number is normal.

Example (illustration): "Based on similar roles in Dublin, I'm looking for something in the range of X to Y a year, depending on the full package. Is that in line with your budget?"

Have the other numbers ready too: your notice period (check your contract), the earliest date you could start, and two referees with their details, who know you are applying.

Job interview tips for the day itself

• Stop preparing an hour before. Read your one-page evidence table once, then put it away.
• Open strong. A warm greeting and a clear first answer set the tone. JobsIreland suggests eye contact and staying positive, confident and friendly.
• Take your time. A short pause before answering looks thoughtful, not lost. "That's a good question, let me think of the best example" is fine.
• Answer the question asked. If a question has two parts, answer both.
• Expect a surprise. JobsIreland warns of difficult questions or being asked to show a skill. Stay calm and work through it out loud.
• Ask two questions at the end. About the first months in the role, and about next steps.

If your interview is a video call on your laptop, the ClapAssist AI interview assistant can show a short prompt from your CV as each question comes in, so the right achievement from your table is in front of you. It understands English and many other languages. Some employers do not allow AI help in interviews or tests, so read the rules first: is ClapAssist safe?

After the interview

• Write notes the same day: the questions asked, what went well, what you would change. Second rounds often go deeper on the same themes.
• Send a short thank-you email the same day or the next morning, if you have the interviewer's address.
• Warn your referees that a call may come.
• For publicjobs.ie competitions, check your message board on the site regularly: publicjobs.ie posts interview dates and details there.
• Ask for feedback if you are not successful. Not everyone gives it, but it is worth asking.

If you are out of work, your local Intreo service can help as well. JobsIreland.ie describes Intreo as "a single point of contact for all employment and income supports", and its jobseekers page points to CV and interview tips.