First Job Interview? What to Say (and What Not to)

Your first interview doesn't need a long resume behind it. It needs a few short, specific stories and some homework on the job.

Questions you'll almost always get

Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to work here?
Tell me about a time you worked on a team.
How do you handle a busy or stressful moment?
What's your availability?

No job experience? Use these stories

School projects, sports, clubs, family responsibilities, volunteering. Pick 3 short stories and practice telling each in under a minute: what happened, what you did, how it turned out.

Example: "Tell me about a time you worked on a team."In my business class, our group fell behind on a presentation. I made a shared checklist and split the slides, and we finished a day early.

Do your homework

Read the job posting twice and the company's website once. Know what they sell or do, and connect one of your stories to something in the posting.

The last 2 minutes

When they ask "Any questions for us?", ask one: "What does a great first month look like in this role?" Then thank them and say you'd like the job.

Practice your first interview first

Nexor builds interview questions from the real job posting and your resume, scores your answers, and shows a stronger version.

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