Showing Up With Confidence: My 5 Essentials for Interview Prep
- victoriagonsior
- Aug 28
- 3 min read
This year marks five years since I began working with C40 Cities, the longest I have ever been with one single organisation. Of course, not in one role or function only – that wouldn’t be quite me if you look at my CV. But this time around, I have stayed and grown within one company. That has been new for me, and it has given me the chance to experience how development can also happen within one organizational home, rather than through frequent changes.
Now, don’t get me wrong, switching organizations often also came with its upside. Amongst others: it gave me the opportunity to experience an industry from various perspectives – in my case as a consultant, researcher, project manager, public sector official in a partner country, freelancer and even as the funder, within the broader umbrella of international cooperation and sustainability. And yes, it made for a CV that is perhaps less linear, but certainly not boring (at least I tell myself that, recruiters may or may not have a different opinion).
With each of those changes came application processes, and with them: interviews. Over the past 1–2 years, people have often asked me: “How do you prepare for interviews?”
So here I want to share my Top 5 tips to prepare well for an interview – practical, tried and tested, and hopefully encouraging for anyone navigating their next step.
1) Map your qualifications clearly
Take the job description’s qualifications section and map it directly against your own experiences and skills. This exercise not only helps you see where you are a strong fit, it also highlights where you may need to fill the gaps with transferable skills. And when you go into the interview, you can confidently show how what you bring aligns with what they are looking for.
2) Prepare concrete examples using the STAR method
For each major responsibility of the role, have an example ready from your past. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to tell your story in a way that is structured and memorable. And if you are switching industries, get creative! Transferable skills are often overlooked. Maybe you led a community project, or managed a family responsibility that required coordination, empathy, or leadership. Don’t underestimate how your life experiences can demonstrate capability.
3) Research the company, the team, and the role
Do more than a quick scan of the company website. Try to understand the organization’s mission, values, and culture. Learn about the team you might be joining. Come with thoughtful questions. Not just because you are supposed to ask questions, but because you are also evaluating if this role, this culture, and these people are a fit for you. An interview is a two-way conversation.
4) Ground yourself and set an intention
Right before the interview, take 1–2 minutes to arrive in the moment. This can be as simple as a few deep breaths, feeling your feet on the ground, or reminding yourself of one intention: How do I want to show up? Calm, open, curious, confident? Setting that intention makes a real difference to how you come across – and to how you feel during the conversation.
5) Let go of performance – be yourself
It’s easy to slip into “performance mode,” but interviews are not theatre. They are about connection and finding the right match. The goal is not to please everyone – it is to be authentic, so that the right team recognizes you as the person they want to work with. Showing up as yourself is the best filter you can have: the wrong roles will fall away, and the right ones will resonate.
Whether you are stepping into your first interview, moving across industries, or looking for your next career step, these practices can help you feel prepared, grounded, and confident.
And if you’d like to explore how to bring more presence and authenticity into your career journey, that’s exactly the kind of work I support my clients with in coaching and mentoring.
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