10 Interview Tips to Make a Great Impression with Hiring Managers

A job interview can fall apart before you even realize it. On the day of the interview, small lapses in tone, eye contact, or body language can quietly weaken a first impression. Whether it’s a virtual interview, phone screen, or in person meeting with a recruiter or hiring manager, interviewers notice clarity, structure, and composure throughout the interview process. 

This guide walks through practical interview tips to help you leave a good impression at every stage of the hiring process. You’ll learn how to handle common interview questions, prepare for different types of interviews, and stay consistent from your first job interview to your next interview.

60-minute pre-interview checklist: what to do at T-60, T-45, T-30, and T-10

The last hour before your interview can make a big difference in how confident, prepared, and focused you feel. Instead of cramming or stressing, a simple time-based checklist helps you stay organized and avoid last-minute mistakes. Here’s a checklist of what to do in the final 60 minutes before your interview.

T-60 minutes: Re-align with the role and your story

• Re-read the job description and highlight the top 3 skills or outcomes the employer cares about.
• Review your resume and identify the experiences most relevant to this specific role.
• Prepare short, clear examples for common interview questions (e.g., strengths, challenges, teamwork, leadership).
• Refresh your knowledge of the company’s products, services, mission, and recent news.
• Write down 2–3 thoughtful questions to ask at the end of the interview.
• Do a quick posture check and breathing exercise to calm nerves and focus your energy.

T-45 minutes: Environment and materials setup

• Choose a quiet, well-lit space with a clean, professional background.
• Adjust your chair, camera angle, and lighting so your face is clearly visible.
• Prepare a glass of water nearby.
• Inform people around you to avoid interruptions during the interview.

T-30 minutes: Technical and appearance check

• Test your internet connection, camera, microphone, and headphones.
• Open the interview link and confirm that the meeting platform works.
• Close unnecessary tabs and programs to avoid lag or distractions.
• Silence phone notifications, messaging apps, and email alerts.
• Log out of personal accounts that might send pop-ups.
• Get fully dressed in your interview outfit, including shoes if it helps your posture and mindset.
• Do a quick mirror or camera check to ensure you look neat and professional.

T-10 minutes: Mental focus and final review

• Re-read your key talking points and the questions you prepared.
• Take a few slow, deep breaths to steady your voice and pace.
• Sit up straight and check your framing on camera.
• Open the meeting window and confirm audio/video settings one last time.
• Join the interview 3–5 minutes early and be ready to greet the interviewer with a smile.

4 things to research before your finance interview

Strong interview tips for finance roles go beyond reviewing technical concepts. Interviewers expect candidates to understand the context of the role, the firm, and how their background fits into the hiring process.

1. The job description and how the role creates value

Start with the job description, not just the title. Understand how the role contributes to revenue, risk management, deal execution, or client outcomes.

Hiring managers use interview questions to test whether you understand what the job actually involves. If you cannot connect your skills to the role’s responsibilities, even strong technical answers may fall flat during the job interview.

2. The firm’s business model and recent activity

Research how the firm makes money and where it competes. For investment banks, this may include recent deals. For asset managers or private equity firms, focus on strategy, fund structure, or portfolio focus.

Referencing firm-specific details from the company website during the interview process signals preparation and intent. It also gives your follow-up questions more credibility later in the interview.

3. The interviewer’s background and evaluation lens

Not every interviewer assesses the same competency. A recruiter may focus on communication and motivation, while a hiring manager or senior banker evaluates judgment and execution.

Review LinkedIn profiles when available to understand the interviewer’s background. This helps you adjust how you answer questions and frame examples, especially during Superdays or multi-round interviews.

4. Your core stories and technical foundations

Finance interviews reuse common interview questions. You should be ready for prompts like “tell me about yourself,” “tell me about a time,” and standard technical questions tied to the role.

Prepare concise stories using the STAR method and refresh core finance concepts relevant to the job. This ensures your answers stay structured and consistent throughout the interview process.

10 interview tips to leave a great impression on interviewers

Making a good impression during a job interview is not about charm or confidence alone. Interviewers evaluate how you answer questions, how you listen, and how consistently you communicate across the interview process. These interview tips apply to virtual interview settings, in person meetings, and phone screens with a recruiter or hiring manager.

Tip 1: Treat the first answer as part of the interview evaluation

Your first answer often shapes the interviewer’s baseline impression. When you respond to early interview questions like “tell me about yourself,” focus on clarity and relevance rather than telling your full story.

Anchor your response to the job description, your core competency, and how your background supports the role. This helps the hiring manager quickly assess fit and sets expectations for how you will answer questions throughout the job interview. In Superday or multi-round interview process settings, early structure matters even more. Interviewers often compare notes, and a weak first impression is difficult to reverse later in the hiring process.

Tip 2: Use body language and eye contact to reinforce credibility

Interviewers read body language before they fully process your words. Poor eye contact, slouched posture, or restless movement can weaken an otherwise strong answer, especially during common interview questions.

In a virtual interview, look at the camera when answering technical or behavioral prompts, while in person, steady eye contact and controlled gestures signal confidence without distraction. Dressing appropriately also shapes first impressions and shows respect for the interview process, whether you are meeting face to face or over video.

If you’re practicing for virtual interviews, tools like Cook’d AI’s mock interview simulator can help refine these details. It tracks your gaze duration to ensure you’re building a “virtual connection” with the recruiter instead of staring at your own video box, helping you develop a more natural and confident on-camera presence.

Tip 3: Use structure to answer questions without sounding memorized

Interviewers expect structured answers, especially during common interview questions. What hurts candidates is sounding scripted rather than clear.

Use simple frameworks like the STAR method to organize your thought process. This works well for prompts like “tell me about a time,” behavioral interview questions, and competency-based evaluations. Structure helps recruiters and hiring managers follow your answer without effort. It also keeps you aligned with the job description instead of drifting into unrelated details during the job interview.

Tip 4: Prioritize clarity over completeness when answering

Many candidates try to cover everything at once. That approach often leads to rambling, especially when answering technical questions or follow-up questions.

Start with your main point, then expand only if needed. This makes it easier for interviewers to assess competency and compare candidates during the hiring process. Clear answers stand out more than long ones. This matters across all types of interviews, including virtual interview formats and in person meetings.

Tip 5: Adjust your depth based on who is asking the question

Not every interviewer evaluates the same thing. A recruiter may focus on communication and career goals, while a hiring manager may test judgment or technical depth.

Pay attention to cues and adapt how you answer questions. Senior interviewers often prefer concise responses that show decision-making rather than step-by-step detail. This flexibility signals maturity and awareness of the interview process, especially during Superdays or multi-round job interview schedules.

Tip 6: Focus on decisions, not storytelling

Behavioral interview questions are designed to test judgment, not creativity. When interviewers ask “tell me about a time,” they want to understand how you made decisions under pressure.

Frame your answer around the decision you owned, the constraints you faced, and the outcome. This makes it easier for a recruiter or hiring manager to assess competency during the interview process. Avoid overloading the answer with background. Strong behavioral answers help interviewers make hiring decisions quickly, especially when comparing candidates across multiple job interviews.

Tip 7: Keep behavioral answers consistent across interview rounds

In Superdays and other multi-round interview process formats, interviewers often share feedback. Inconsistent answers to the same common interview questions can raise concerns, even if each answer sounds reasonable on its own.

You can reuse the same example across interviews, but adjust the emphasis based on who you are speaking to. Consistency signals credibility and preparation, while still allowing flexibility in how you answer questions. This matters whether the interview is virtual or in person. Interviewers notice when a candidate’s story shifts between rounds.

Tip 8: End every behavioral answer with a clear takeaway

Many candidates stop talking once they finish the story. That leaves the interviewer to decide what mattered.

Always close behavioral answers with a short outcome or lesson tied to the job description. This reinforces your thought process and makes your answer easier to remember after the interview. A strong ending improves your first impression and helps your response stand out during the hiring process, particularly when interviewers review notes later.

Tip 9: Explain your thought process, not just the final answer

Interviewers care about how you arrive at an answer, especially during technical questions. Walking through your thought process helps the hiring manager assess competency, logic, and problem-solving under pressure.

State your assumptions clearly, then move step by step. This approach makes it easier for interviewers to follow along and ask follow-up questions if needed. This matters across different types of interviews, including case rounds, finance technicals, and structured job interview assessments.

Tip 10: Clarify the question before you start solving

Many mistakes happen because candidates rush. If a technical question is unclear, ask clarifying follow-up questions before answering.

This shows judgment and prevents wasted time during the interview process. Recruiters and interviewers generally prefer clarification over incorrect assumptions. Clarifying also protects your first impression, especially in fast-paced Superday environments where accuracy matters more than speed.

Don't let a 'Good' first impression be the reason you miss the 'Great' offer

Most candidates are 'good' on paper but 'average' in the room. Cook’d AI uses tone/expression feedback and technical precision tracking to turn your preparation into a high-performance output. 

Through realistic technical and behavioral simulations, delivery coaching focused on tone and pacing, and reverse interviewing practice, candidates prepare for real interview conditions rather than isolated practice. Because Cook’d AI is a continuous training tool, it supports performance from the first recruiter screen through Superday rounds.

Want to stop hoping your preparation holds up under pressure? Start preparing with Cook’d AI, and get the great offer you deserve.

‍