Preparing for your interview.

Research

Do at least 30 minutes before the interview. Check the company website, product and services pages, and any recent blog posts. Search for industry press coverage and look at the LinkedIn profiles of the people you'll meet.

Write a short elevator pitch covering what the company does, how it makes money, and why it exists. Note the things that caught your attention – they make for better questions than anything you'll find on a fact sheet.

Have your notes with you, and feel free to make more in interview.

During the interview

Close everything else. Treat a video call with the same focus you'd bring in person – interviewers notice when attention drifts.

Listen to the question being asked, not the question you were expecting. It's easy to jump to a prepared answer that doesn't quite fit – take a beat to make sure you're responding to what was actually said.

If you need a moment to think, say so. Verbalising it – "let me think about that for a second" – gives the interviewer context and space to let you find your answer rather than jump in.

Your CV and experience

Anchor everything to the job description. Talk about what's relevant; skip what isn't.

Use STAR to structure your answers:

Situation (15%) – context, company, scale

Task (15%) – your role and remit

Action (55%) – what you did and how

Result (15%) – measurable impact

Expect follow-up questions. Interviewers will probe beyond your first answer to understand exactly what you did, what you decided, and what the result was. This isn't a sign the answer was wrong – it's how the interview works. The candidates who can get into the detail – what they decided, what they tried, what didn't work – are the ones who lived the experience.

Your questions

Factual questions are great, but opinion questions are also useful. They reveal personality, build rapport, and let you show genuine interest.

Examples:

What are you most proud of since joining?

What's the biggest lesson the team has learnt in the last year?

What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Your motivations

You will be assessed on fit as well as skill. Know the key things you’re seeking from your next role and why they matter to you. Know the things you want to leave behind. Be direct about both – a candidate whose motivations align with the role is often the stronger long-term hire, even with slightly less experience.

AI fluency

iwoca assesses AI fluency as a core competency. The bar is using AI to complete substantive work – building, automating, owning the output. Be ready to show how you use it, including the prompts and reasoning behind your approach.

Meeting multiple interviewers

Assume each person knows little about you and start fresh each time. Keep your energy consistent. If you're in a panel, direct your answers to everyone – address each person in turn where you can.

Your interviewers will introduce themselves briefly at the start. Use it – knowing someone's role and team helps you pitch your answers at the right level.

The interview runs both ways. Interviewers at iwoca are briefed to tell you what's genuinely interesting about the role, not just sell it. If something matters to you – the quality of the problems, how much autonomy you'd have, how quickly you'd learn – ask directly. You'll get a straight answer.

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