Interview Techniques for Candidates: How to Show Up & Stand Out

After perfecting your CV and polishing and your LinkedIn, you’ve landed an interview for your dream role. This is a big milestone, it means you’ve caught the attention of your next potential employer. But the interview itself is where the real work begins. Whether you’re navigating your first conversation with the hiring manager or preparing for a panel of senior tech leaders, how you perform in the interview ultimately decides whether that offer will land in your inbox.

At Gambit we’ve guided many candidates through this process in the New Zealand tech market. Over time a few common themes have emerged: preparation, clarity, confidence and connection. Here’s how to apply them in practice.

1. Understand the role and organization inside and out.

Preparation starts long before you sit down with the interviewer. A little bit of research will go a long way.

Firstly make sure you re-read the position description and match your past experience to each key skill or responsibility.

Then research the company: take a look at their mission, product, culture and recent developments. Get ready to speak about why this particular role at this particular company excites you.

If you’re working with a recruiter, use them! Lean on them for insights into the hiring manager’s style and priorities.

This groundwork stops you sounding generic, helps you tailor responses that fit into the role, and shows you are genuinely interested in the job.

2. Use structured storytelling such as the STAR method.

Interview questions want to explore your behavioural response to difficult experiences, as this is the easiest way to predict your future performance. One effective way to answer these types of questions is the STAR framework:

• Situation: Set the context: what was the problem you were faced with?

• Task: What was your position within the issue?

• Action: What did you specifically do to help the situation within your task?

• Result: What was the outcome and what did you learn?

For example: “In my last role, my team faced a critical deadline while understaffed (Situation). I was responsible for reallocating priorities to meet delivery (Task). I remained calm, coordinated with cross-functional leads, adjusted timelines and stood in to help close critical gaps (Action). As a result, we delivered on time and client satisfaction increased by 20% (Result).”

This approach keeps your answers clear, relevant, evidence-based, and prevents rambling. This will make it easy for interviewers to see you in the role.

3. Practice, but stay authentic.

Preparation builds confidence, but over-rehearsed answers can come across as scripted.

Once you have a few STAR examples from your past experience, practice speaking aloud so you’re familiar with them. You could even simulate an interview with a friend or coach.

Make yourself ready for curveballs. You likely will not have a perfect STAR example for every question, and that’s okay. Practice taking a deep breath and shifting into an honest answer of what you would in the given scenario do and why.

Remember, interviews are as much about how you think and communicate as they are about what you’ve done.

4. Mind your presence.

Your body language, tone and engagement matter. Maintain eye contact, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully. Pauses are fine, taking a moment to structure your answer is better than rushing a weak response. So, take a breath, slow your pace and show the interviewer why they should hire you.

Many first interviews will be conducted on an online platform. Before a virtual interview there are a few steps you should check off before the interview so that the presence is perfect:

·       Set up a personal account on the platform so that you can immediately get into the interview when you click on the link.

·       Check your camera angle, lighting, and sound quality.

·       Make sure you have good internet connection to avoid a blurry video.

·       Have a plain, professional background set as the default.

Whether in person or online, treating the setup with professionalism will reduce your stress, you’ll come across calm and prepared and which will reflect well on you.

5. Ask thoughtful questions.

An interview isn’t a test, it’s a conversation. Just how your experience is more than your CV; the job is more than the job description. While the interview stage is to present your experience, it is also your opportunity to get information about the actual job you are applying for. Asking good questions demonstrates your interest and helps you assess your fit in return.

During your research stage write down 7-10 questions you can ask about the company and the role. Having around 10 questions means that you have some backups when they undoubtedly answer some during your interview.

If your research comes up short, consider asking about:

• What success looks like in the first 6–12 months

• Team dynamics and collaboration practices

• Opportunities for growth and learning

This signals that you’re thinking strategically about the role and your future there.

6. Close strong and follow up.

At the end of the interview make sure you summarise why you’re excited about the role and how your experience aligns, and thank the interviewers for their time.

Follow up with your recruiter to pass on your feedback. Depending on the hiring manager send a follow-up message to express appreciation and reiterate interest. This can keep you top of mind.

Final thoughts

Interviews are nerve-wracking, and that’s completely normal. But with mindful preparation, clear examples and an authentic connection, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.

Even if you don’t get the offer, every interview is a chance to refine your approach and build your confidence.

At Gambit, we’re here to support you at every step: from preparation to offer and beyond.

Let us help you make the right move.

Thomas Hoksbergen | 09 355 8324 | thomas@gambitrecruitment.co.nz