5 Steps to Nail Your Next Interview: Insider Tips from Hiring Managers
A Free Guide by Pathlighter Mentors — Empowering You to Step Boldly into Your Calling
A Free Guide by Pathlighter Mentors — Empowering You to Step Boldly into Your Calling
At Pathlighter Mentors, we know the job search process can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re reentering the workforce, shifting careers, or simply facing rejection with no feedback. Interviews, in particular, are a common stumbling block. But here’s the truth: with the right preparation, confidence, and strategy, you can stand out from the crowd.
This guide shares five insider tips gathered from hiring managers, career coaches, and our own workforce readiness training sessions to help you walk into your next interview prepared and powerful.
Step 1: Know the Job Inside and Out
Before the interview:
Carefully read the job description. Highlight the specific responsibilities and required skills.
Research the company’s mission, values, and recent news so you can speak to why you align with them.
Use keywords from the job description and naturally insert them into your resume and interview answers. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that scan for these terms—without them, your resume may never even be seen by a human.
Example:
If the job mentions “project coordination” and “stakeholder communication,” include those exact phrases in your resume and say them in your interview stories.
Step 2: Prepare STAR-Based Stories
Hiring Managers Want: Specific, Proven Results
Use the STAR method to answer behavioral questions:
Situation: Set the scene
Task: What needed to be done
Action: What YOU did
Result: What positive results occurred because of your actions
Example:
“Tell me about a time you solved a problem.”
Instead of saying, “I’m a good problem solver,” share a quick STAR story that proves it with a specific and quantifiable example.
Step 3: Practice Your Body Language
Hiring Managers Notice: Confidence, Energy & Connection
What you don’t say matters:
Sit upright with open posture
Make intentional eye contact (even on video)
Smile—genuinely
Avoid fidgeting and filler words like “um” or “you know".
This guide shares five insider tips gathered from hiring managers, career coaches, and our own workforce readiness training sessions to help you walk into your next interview prepared and powerful.
Step 1: Know the Job Inside and Out
Before the interview:
Carefully read the job description. Highlight the specific responsibilities and required skills.
Research the company’s mission, values, and recent news so you can speak to why you align with them.
Use keywords from the job description and naturally insert them into your resume and interview answers. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that scan for these terms—without them, your resume may never even be seen by a human.
Example:
If the job mentions “project coordination” and “stakeholder communication,” include those exact phrases in your resume and say them in your interview stories.
Step 2: Prepare STAR-Based Stories
Hiring Managers Want: Specific, Proven Results
Use the STAR method to answer behavioral questions:
Situation: Set the scene
Task: What needed to be done
Action: What YOU did
Result: What positive results occurred because of your actions
Example:
“Tell me about a time you solved a problem.”
Instead of saying, “I’m a good problem solver,” share a quick STAR story that proves it with a specific and quantifiable example.
Step 3: Practice Your Body Language
Hiring Managers Notice: Confidence, Energy & Connection
What you don’t say matters:
Sit upright with open posture
Make intentional eye contact (even on video)
Smile—genuinely
Avoid fidgeting and filler words like “um” or “you know".
Tip: Record yourself answering a practice question and review it to adjust tone and body language. Better yet, do a mock interview with a coach (we offer that too!).
Step 4: Ask Powerful Questions
Hiring Managers Remember: Candidates Who Are Curious, Not Just Qualified
Interviews are two-way. Prepare thoughtful questions such as:
“What does success look like in this role after 6 months?”
“How does this position contribute to the company’s mission?”
“What’s the team culture like?”
Avoid questions that focus too soon on benefits or time off. Show you care about the work first.
Step 5: Follow Up with Intention
Hiring Managers Respect: Professionalism & Gratitude
Always send a thank-you email within 24 hours of your interview:
Thank them for the opportunity
Reiterate your interest in the position
Mention one specific topic you enjoyed discussing
Tip: This is another chance to reinforce keywords from the job description. Keep it brief but strategic.
Step 4: Ask Powerful Questions
Hiring Managers Remember: Candidates Who Are Curious, Not Just Qualified
Interviews are two-way. Prepare thoughtful questions such as:
“What does success look like in this role after 6 months?”
“How does this position contribute to the company’s mission?”
“What’s the team culture like?”
Avoid questions that focus too soon on benefits or time off. Show you care about the work first.
Step 5: Follow Up with Intention
Hiring Managers Respect: Professionalism & Gratitude
Always send a thank-you email within 24 hours of your interview:
Thank them for the opportunity
Reiterate your interest in the position
Mention one specific topic you enjoyed discussing
Tip: This is another chance to reinforce keywords from the job description. Keep it brief but strategic.
BONUS TIP: Optimize Your Resume for the Interview Gatekeepers—Bots!
Most companies now use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to pre-screen resumes. To make it through the filters:
Match the language of the job description
Avoid graphics, columns, or overly complex formatting
Use standard job titles and spell out abbreviations
Include specific metrics to demonstrate success (e.g., “increased customer retention by 25%”)
(We can help you audit and optimize your resume.)
Want to Practice with a Pro?
After reading this guide, you might still feel unsure. That’s where we come in.
Book a free 30-minute mock interview or resume strategy session with a Pathlighter coach.
We’ll help you:
Review your resume for ATS compatibility.
Practice answering tough interview questions.
Sharpen your story and confidence.
[Book Your Free Fact Finding Session By Going To Our "Contact Us" page]
🌟 At Pathlighter Mentors:
We are here to help. If you are looking to make a career change, rebuilding after a setback, or just getting started in the professional space, we help you discover your worth, sharpen your skills, and walk into every opportunity equipped for success. Whether it’s workforce readiness, confidence coaching, or spiritual renewal, we’re here to light your path forward.
Subscribe to our monthly Pathlighter Post Newsletters by sending a message through our "Contact Us" page.
Most companies now use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to pre-screen resumes. To make it through the filters:
Match the language of the job description
Avoid graphics, columns, or overly complex formatting
Use standard job titles and spell out abbreviations
Include specific metrics to demonstrate success (e.g., “increased customer retention by 25%”)
(We can help you audit and optimize your resume.)
Want to Practice with a Pro?
After reading this guide, you might still feel unsure. That’s where we come in.
Book a free 30-minute mock interview or resume strategy session with a Pathlighter coach.
We’ll help you:
Review your resume for ATS compatibility.
Practice answering tough interview questions.
Sharpen your story and confidence.
[Book Your Free Fact Finding Session By Going To Our "Contact Us" page]
🌟 At Pathlighter Mentors:
We are here to help. If you are looking to make a career change, rebuilding after a setback, or just getting started in the professional space, we help you discover your worth, sharpen your skills, and walk into every opportunity equipped for success. Whether it’s workforce readiness, confidence coaching, or spiritual renewal, we’re here to light your path forward.
Subscribe to our monthly Pathlighter Post Newsletters by sending a message through our "Contact Us" page.
What are you tired of tolerating? What weighs you down, keeps you stuck, or makes you feel like you’re surviving instead of thriving? Now flip the script—what do you want to move toward? What does freedom, purpose, and joy look like for you?
The leap from here to there might feel impossible. But when someone comes alongside you—someone to steady your steps, encourage your progress, and hold you accountable—that leap starts to feel less like a canyon and more like a path. The fog begins to clear. The next step comes into focus, then the next, until you look up and you are THERE!
Right now, you may be living in the known—even if that known is uncomfortable, draining, or downright unhealthy. And here’s the hard truth: the difference between people who live out their calling and those who never do… is right here, in this space between familiar pain and unfamiliar possibility.
The known can feel deceptively safe. But safety isn't always freedom. And "the devil you know" is not a strategy for a fulfilled and joyful life.
If you keep choosing comfort over calling, security over purpose, you'll slowly extinguish the light in you that was gifted to you to shine bright. Your gifts, your voice, your dreams—they require faith. They require movement.
If you're finally ready to want freedom more than you want the illusion of safety…
If you're ready to know what accomplishment and victory actually feel like…
Then take the step.
Not the giant leap. Just the next step.
Let someone walk with you. You will start to rewire your mindset— your focus will begin to shift from everything that could go wrong… to what just might go right!
There will never be a perfect time. There will never be a flawless scenario.
But there is this moment.
And this moment is the most powerful place you can begin.
The leap from here to there might feel impossible. But when someone comes alongside you—someone to steady your steps, encourage your progress, and hold you accountable—that leap starts to feel less like a canyon and more like a path. The fog begins to clear. The next step comes into focus, then the next, until you look up and you are THERE!
Right now, you may be living in the known—even if that known is uncomfortable, draining, or downright unhealthy. And here’s the hard truth: the difference between people who live out their calling and those who never do… is right here, in this space between familiar pain and unfamiliar possibility.
The known can feel deceptively safe. But safety isn't always freedom. And "the devil you know" is not a strategy for a fulfilled and joyful life.
If you keep choosing comfort over calling, security over purpose, you'll slowly extinguish the light in you that was gifted to you to shine bright. Your gifts, your voice, your dreams—they require faith. They require movement.
If you're finally ready to want freedom more than you want the illusion of safety…
If you're ready to know what accomplishment and victory actually feel like…
Then take the step.
Not the giant leap. Just the next step.
Let someone walk with you. You will start to rewire your mindset— your focus will begin to shift from everything that could go wrong… to what just might go right!
There will never be a perfect time. There will never be a flawless scenario.
But there is this moment.
And this moment is the most powerful place you can begin.
© 2023 All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 All Rights Reserved.