How to Answer: “What have you done to prepare for this career?”
A complete guide to answering this common interview question — including what interviewers are really looking for, practical tips, and a worked example answer.
What interviewers are really asking
Show initiative beyond coursework. Describe specific self-directed learning, projects, internships, or communities you've engaged with to build relevant knowledge and skills. Demonstrates you're serious about the career — not just applying everywhere.
Tips
- Go beyond 'I studied X at university'.
- Show specific self-directed learning or projects.
- Demonstrate genuine interest in the industry or craft.
- Show you've engaged with the professional community.
- Connect your preparation directly to this role.
Example answer
Sample response
“Beyond my degree I've been building my skills through three main things. I completed the Google Data Analytics Certificate and built a portfolio project analysing public transport data in my city. I've been attending local data meetups for the past year — partly to learn and partly to understand what practitioners actually work on day-to-day. And I've been reading industry newsletters religiously, which is how I first heard about your team's work on real-time data at scale. I wanted to make sure that if I got this interview, I'd come in knowing more than just what I studied.”
Adapt this to your own experience — never use any example answer verbatim.
Use the STAR method
Structure your answer as: Situation (brief context), Task (your specific responsibility), Action (what you personally did), Result (the quantified outcome). Most strong interview answers follow this pattern.
Full STAR method guide