A Seven-Day Plan to Prepare for an English Interview

The interview invite arrives. It's in English, and it's next week. A wave of panic is normal. Many candidates immediately start grammar videos, memorize difficult vocabulary, or binge dozens of sample interviews with no plan.

A week isn't enough to make your English fluent. But it is enough to make you ready for this interview. The key is to focus on what you'll almost certainly be asked, then practice until you can say it calmly.

The plan below breaks preparation into daily tasks of 45 to 90 minutes. Adjust it to your schedule, but try to keep the order.

The seven days at a glance

Day	Focus	What you have by the end of the day
1	The job post and the company	A list of the role's needs + notes on the company
2	Your introduction	A 60–90 second "tell me about yourself"
3	Story bank	Four or five STAR stories
4	Projects and technical questions	Two projects ready to explain
5	Hard questions	Weaknesses, salary, "why hire you"
6	Full mock interview	A 30-minute recorded practice interview
7	Light polish and rest	Day-of checklist done

Day 1: Read the job post and learn about the company

Every answer you give will build on this, so don't skip it.

1. Read the job description slowly. Mark the skills and responsibilities that appear more than once.
2. Write the role's three to five main needs, one sentence each.
3. For each need, write down evidence from your real experience. If there's one you don't meet yet, write that down too, and prepare an honest answer: "I haven't done X yet, but I did Y, which is similar."
4. Visit the company's website. Note what the product is, who uses it, and one thing that interests you.
5. Collect words from the job post you're not sure how to pronounce. Check them in an online dictionary.

Time: about 60 minutes.

Days 2 and 3: Your introduction and your story bank

Day 2: Tell me about yourself

Write your answer in the order now, before, proof, why. The full guide is in how to answer "Tell me about yourself".

I'm a backend developer with four years of experience. I mostly work with Python and PostgreSQL. Last year, I rebuilt our order system. I'm applying because I want to work on a product with real users.

Once it's written, reduce it to four keywords. Practice saying it from the keywords alone, at least five times. Record the last attempt.

Day 3: STAR stories

Write four or five real stories in Situation, Task, Action, Result format. Choose stories that can answer many questions: a hard problem, a mistake, a conflict, working under pressure, learning something new. The patterns are in the STAR method for English interviews.

First, I checked the logs. Then, I found two slow queries. After that, I added an index. As a result, checkout became faster.

Don't write long sentences. If a sentence takes two breaths, split it in two.

Time: 60 to 90 minutes per day.

Days 4 and 5: Projects and hard questions

Day 4: Projects and technical questions

Pick your two best projects. For each, fill in the frame problem, role, solution, result, lesson. Prepare a 30-second and a two-minute version. The guide is in how to explain your projects in English.

Then prepare answers to the most likely follow-ups:

Why did you choose that technology?

What was the hardest part?

What would you do differently?

For technical roles, also practice thinking out loud in English. Simple phrases are enough:

Let me think about this for a moment.

My first idea is to use a hash map.

One problem with this approach is memory.

Time: 60 to 90 minutes.

Day 5: Hard questions

Today is for the questions that make candidates freeze.

• Weaknesses. One real weakness, one example, one step you're taking.
• Why should we hire you. Two or three needs from Day 1, each with evidence.
• Five years from now. A skill direction that connects to this role.
• Salary. Research a range, then write your sentence with a clear currency and period.

Also prepare five or six questions for the interviewer, such as:

What does a normal week look like in this role?

What are the next steps in the process?

One more thing people forget: a sentence for asking them to repeat a question. It's a lifesaver when you miss something.

Sorry, could you repeat the question?

Do you mean my last project, or in general?

Time: 60 to 90 minutes.

Day 6: Full mock interview

This is the most important day. Run a practice interview of about 30 minutes.

1. Ask a friend to read 8–10 questions from the most common English interview questions, in random order. If nobody's available, record the questions yourself and play them one by one.
2. Do it over Zoom or Meet if the real interview is online. Get used to the camera and to hearing voices through your headset.
3. Answer without looking at full notes. Keywords are fine.
4. Record the whole session.
5. Watch it back. Note three things: answers that ran too long, spots where you stumbled, and words you didn't say clearly.
6. Fix only those three things. Don't try to fix everything.

Time: about 90 minutes, including the review.

Day 7: Light polish and rest

Don't learn anything new on the last day. The goal is to feel calm.

• Read through the keywords for each answer, once.
• Practice your introduction twice.
• Check your setup: camera, microphone, headset, and internet. Open the interview link early to make sure it works.
• Keep water and your keyword notes nearby.
• Get enough sleep.

Day-of checklist

• The interview link is tested and opens.
• Camera, microphone, and headset are tested.
• The room is quiet enough and well lit.
• Phone and laptop notifications are off.
• Keyword notes and questions for the interviewer are ready.
• I'll join five minutes early.

Common prep mistakes

1. Relearning grammar from scratch. In one week, it doesn't pay off. Use simple sentences you already know are correct.

2. Memorizing long scripts. Memorized scripts freeze easily. Learn the points, not the sentences.

3. Never practicing out loud. Reading an answer in your head is very different from saying it. Always practice aloud.

4. Inventing experience to match the job post. Interviewers dig, and invented stories fall apart quickly. Use the "not yet, but something similar" pattern.

5. Staying up late the night before. A tired brain has a harder time finding words in a second language.

Summary

One week of prep needs focus: the job post on day one, then your introduction and STAR stories, projects, hard questions, a full mock interview, and rest. Practice everything aloud, in short sentences, and only from your real experience. By the end of the week, you may not be fluent yet, but you'll be ready.

Repartee has a practice mode and job-post prep you can use during this week. In the interview itself, it shows each question with an Indonesian translation and a short answer script built from your own profile. New accounts get a free 20-minute trial; see the pricing page.