What to Say in a Job Interview: Preparation Tips from Travelers

Preparing for a job interview can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure what to expect. But with the right preparation, you can walk into your next interview feeling confident and ready.

Whether you’re applying for an internship, development program or a full-time opportunity, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll cover how to prepare for a job interview, the types of questions you might be asked and how to answer them effectively.

Common Types of Interview Questions: Traditional vs. Behavioral

At Travelers, we use two main types of interview questions: Traditional and Behavioral.

Traditional Questions
These are straightforward and focus on your education or technical skills. Examples include:

• “What types of accounting classes were part of your major?”
• “When did you receive your certification?”
• “What is your comfort level with Excel?”

Behavioral Questions
These open-ended questions explore how you’ve handled situations in the past. Examples include:

• “Describe a time when you had to learn something new. How did you approach the process?”
• “Tell me about a time when you had to complete a task under time pressure. How did you handle it?”

Behavioral questions help us understand how you work, solve problems and collaborate with others.

A Helpful Tool: The STAR Method

One of the best ways to structure your responses to behavioral questions is to use the STAR method:

• Situation – What was the context?
• Task – What were you responsible for?
• Action – What steps did you take?
• Result – What was the outcome or what did you learn?

This structure helps you keep your answer clear and concise—while still telling a complete story with a beginning, middle and end.

How to Prepare for the Interview

Start by reviewing the job description and identifying the skills and qualities that stand out to you. Think about your own skills and past experiences, whether at work, at school or extracurriculars and line them up with what the role requires.

Write out a few examples that showcase those skills and practice talking through them out loud or even with a friend. This will help you to feel more comfortable when it’s time for the real conversation.

A helpful hint: don’t try to memorize your responses word-for-word. Instead, focus on remembering the example itself and the key takeaway. This approach will make your responses feel more natural and allow you to adapt in the moment, depending on how the question is asked.

Final Thoughts

You won’t be able to predict every question you’ll be asked. But arriving at the interview equipped with examples that highlight your skills and expertise will help you feel more confident in the conversation and focused on what matters most – showing show your experience and strengths align with the opportunity.

Most importantly, be yourself. Your interview is an opportunity to share what makes you uniquely qualified, your skills, your experience and your perspective.

Want to prepare more? Check out our tips for getting ready for in-person and video interviews.

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