Pre Interview Checklist: What to Do in the Last 60 Minutes

In the last hour, do only four things: get your setup and documents ready, read one page of notes you already made, say two answers out loud, and then stop preparing. The hour is for steadying yourself and removing friction, not for learning anything new. This pre interview checklist is mostly about what to skip, because anything you cram in the final 60 minutes is more likely to rattle you than help.

The 60-minute timeline at a glance

The timeline is fixed. If a block finishes early, you do not fill the gap with more preparation. You move to the next block or sit still. The reason is simple: every extra task you add is another thing that can go wrong and another thought competing for attention when you need a clear head.

Minutes 60–45: setup and documents

Work through five items and stop counting when all five are true:

• A copy of your CV, open in a second window or printed.
• The job description, already read the day before, now only skimmed for headings.
• The one-page note card you will build next.
• Any ID or right-to-work document the employer asked you to have ready.
• The interviewer's names and the meeting link, written down where you can see them.

If you are opening the job description for the first time now, close it. Reading it cold in the final hour floods you with details you cannot organise, and you will spend the interview trying to remember a phrase instead of answering. Skim the headings only, and trust the reading you did earlier.

Then check the device, in this order:

1. Camera at eye level. Raise the laptop on books until the lens is level with your eyes. A low camera makes you look down at the panel.
2. Microphone tested by recording. Record 20 seconds of yourself saying your name and one answer, then play it back. If you hear hiss, move the mic closer rather than turning the volume up.
3. Notifications off. Turn on do-not-disturb and close every tab except the meeting link.
4. One browser window only. A second window is where last-minute searching starts.

For the fuller version of this setup, including system settings, see the remote interview setup checklist.

Minutes 45–30: build the one-page note card

Write the card by hand now, not earlier. Handwriting forces you to pull the material from memory, and it gives your hands a job while your nerves settle.

The limit is one side of one page. Nothing to scroll, nothing to flip.

Here is a worked card for a mid-level operations analyst role:

WHY THIS ROLE
Ops analyst, 3 regions, wants someone to own reporting
and fix the handoffs between teams. That is the work I did
at my last job, at smaller scale.

THREE TALKING POINTS
- Cut weekly report build from 2 days to 4 hours by
  automating the pull and keeping one source of truth.
- Ran the handoff between sales and fulfilment for 6
  months; wrote the checklist both teams still use.
- Found a billing error by reconciling two systems;
  raised it before the customer did.

TWO QUESTIONS TO ASK
- How are the three regions reporting today, and where
  does that break down?
- What would a good first 90 days look like in this role?

ONE NUMBER
4 hours, not 2 days, for the weekly report.

WHY THIS ROLE, IN ONE LINE
I like fixing the boring handoff that everyone works
around, and this role is mostly that.

Notice what is not on it: no company history, no list of every skill, no paragraphs. The three talking points are situations you can expand on, not a script. The number is one you can defend under a follow-up question.

Minutes 30–15: say two answers out loud

Rehearse exactly two answers: your opening and the one core answer you expect to be asked. Time each with a phone stopwatch and aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Two answers said three times beats ten read once, because the point is to hear your own voice at normal volume, not to memorise wording.

Here is a weaker opening from a career changer moving from teaching to instructional design:

I have been a teacher for eight years and I am now looking to move into instructional design. I have always been interested in how people learn, and I think my background would transfer well. I am a fast learner and I am really passionate about education.

And a stronger one:

I taught secondary science for eight years, and the part I kept volunteering for was rebuilding the curriculum so it worked for a mixed-ability class. I ended up designing the units, the assessments and the teacher notes for three year groups. That is instructional design with a different job title. I am moving into it properly because I want to do that work full time, with a team that reviews it. The thing I would bring first is the habit of testing a lesson on real students and cutting what does not work.

Why the second one works: it names the transferable work with evidence, it says the job title change plainly instead of apologising for it, and it ends on a strength the new role needs. It invites a follow-up about the curriculum rebuild, which is exactly where you want the conversation. If you want to shape this answer further, the tell me about yourself interview answer page walks through the structure.

The mistake here is rehearsing ten answers and going blank on all of them. Say two, three times, and let the rest be a conversation.

Minutes 15–5: reset the room and the body

Room reset, in this order: door closed, background clear, water within reach, phone face down and silenced, lighting checked on camera so your face is lit rather than the window behind you.

Then a 90-second routine:

1. Breathe out slowly for longer than you breathe in, four or five times.
2. Drop your shoulders and put both feet flat on the floor.
3. Say one sentence aloud, such as your name and the role, to hear your voice at normal volume.

The breathing works because a long exhale slows the physical arousal that makes your voice shake. The spoken sentence works because the first words you say in the call should not be the first words you have said in twenty minutes.

The mistake in this window is checking email or a social feed. One message can change your mood for the whole call. Put the phone out of reach until the interview ends.

Minutes 5–0: log on early and stop preparing

Join two to five minutes early and test the waiting room. Keep the note card flat on the desk where your eyes go naturally, not held up to the camera.

After you join, the stop rule applies: no more reading, no more notes, no last-minute searching.

If the interviewer is late, paste a short line into the chat box:

Hi, I am in the waiting room whenever you are ready. No rush.

Then use the extra minutes to sit still and keep your breathing slow. Do not reopen your notes to cram; you have already done the preparation, and reading now only resets the nerves you just settled.

The one rule for the final hour

Preparation ends 15 minutes before the call. The last 15 minutes belong to being calm, and that boundary is the whole pre interview checklist in one line. For any last-minute urge, ask one question: would this change what I say, or only make me more anxious? If it only makes you anxious, skip it. If nerves rather than logistics are the problem, the last-minute interview preparation plan is the better place to start, and the day before interview checklist covers the preparation that should already be done.

Frequently asked questions

Should I do a practice interview in the last hour?

No. A full mock interview in the final hour usually surfaces a weak answer you cannot fix in time, which raises your anxiety without improving your performance. Save practice for the day before. In the last hour, say your opening and one core answer out loud, then stop.

What if I have less than an hour before the interview?

Compress the blocks in order and protect the last 15 minutes. Spend 15 minutes on setup and documents, 15 on a quick note card, 10 on saying one answer aloud, and keep the final 15 for the room and body reset. Drop the second rehearsed answer rather than the calm window.

Is it bad to read from notes during a video interview?

Glancing at a short note card is fine; reading whole sentences aloud is not, because it sounds recited and breaks eye contact. Keep the card to keywords and one number, place it flat near the camera, and look up before you speak. If you need a full script, the answer is not ready yet.

What should I eat or drink in the hour before an interview?

Keep it light and familiar: water and a small snack you would normally eat, nothing heavy or new. A large meal makes you sluggish, and too much caffeine can make a shaky voice worse. Sip water during the call if your mouth goes dry, and keep the glass within reach before you join.

What if my internet or camera fails in the last ten minutes?

Switch to the phone number in the meeting invite and tell the interviewer what happened. If you have a backup device, have it charged and logged in before you start. Rejoin as soon as you can, apologise once in a sentence, and carry on; most interviewers have seen it before and care that you recovered.

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