Short answer Paste the prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot with your own details and you get a mock interview for the actual job you've applied for, with feedback on each answer and a few strong examples ready to go. Works on free plans. Time saved: about an hour of prep, and a lot of nerves (estimate).
Why it helps
Most people go into an interview having read the job ad twice and hoped for the best. The questions that trip you up are the "tell me about a time" ones, where you need a real example and you can't think of one on the spot.
AI makes a patient practice partner. Paste in the job ad, and it asks you likely questions one at a time, waits for your answer, then tells you what worked and what to tighten. You can do it on the bus the night before, as many times as you like.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I have a job interview in New Zealand and I want to practise. Act as the interviewer. The job ad: [paste the job ad] About me: [a few lines on your experience, without your full name or contact details] How to run it: - Ask me one question at a time and wait for my answer. Mix common questions with "tell me about a time" ones that fit this job. - After each answer, give short feedback: one thing that worked, one thing to improve, and a tighter version of my answer using only what I said. Don't invent experience I don't have. - After 6 questions, give me a summary: my strongest examples, any gaps, and 3 good questions I could ask them at the end. - Use NZ English and keep it friendly but honest. Start with the first question.
Then keep chatting
Ask me the 3 questions you think I'm most likely to struggle with.
Help me turn this story into a short answer: what happened, what I did, and how it turned out.
I've been asked about a gap in my CV. Help me answer it honestly in 3 sentences.
Do a quick 5-minute version I can run the morning of the interview.
Step by step
- Copy the job ad and write a few lines about your experience. Leave out your name, address and contact details.
- Paste the prompt and answer each question as if you're in the room. Typing is fine, but saying it out loud first helps.
- Read the feedback and try the weak answers again.
- Write your 3 or 4 best examples on a card so you can glance at them before you go in.
- Check any facts about the employer yourself on their website. AI can get details about real organisations wrong.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Privacy: don't paste your full CV with your name, address, phone number or referees' details. A few lines about your experience is enough.
- Don't let AI make up experience. If the tighter version includes something you didn't do, take it out. Interviewers can tell.
- Know your rights: employers generally shouldn't ask about things like age, marital status, religion or health unless it's relevant to the job. Employment New Zealand (employment.govt.nz) and the Human Rights Commission (tikatangata.org.nz) explain what's covered.
- Facts about the employer: check them on the employer's own website, not from the AI.
Go further
If you haven't sent your application yet, start with the CV and cover letter use case so your examples line up. For a big change of career, use the learn anything tutor use case to get your head around the new field first.
