How to prepare for a job interview in Switzerland

For a Swiss job interview, connect the role’s main requirements to short examples from your experience. Research the employer, review the application you sent, prepare questions that help you judge the job and confirm the practical details. Prepare evidence, not a script.

Build a one-page preparation sheet

Copy this worksheet and complete it from the advert, your application and current employer sources.

INTERVIEW
Employer:
Role:
Date, time and time zone:
Format and location / meeting link:
Interviewers and roles:
Contact if delayed or disconnected:

THE ROLE
Three main outcomes or responsibilities:
1.
2.
3.

MY EVIDENCE
Requirement 1 → example, my action, result, what I learned:
Requirement 2 → example, my action, result, what I learned:
Requirement 3 → example, my action, result, what I learned:

MY MOTIVATION
Why this work:
Why this employer, based on a checked fact:
What I still need to learn:

QUESTIONS TO ASK
1.
2.
3.

PRACTICAL POINTS
Availability / notice period:
Work authorisation, if relevant:
Salary range or questions, if the topic arises:
Documents to bring or keep open:

The Swiss public employment service recommends preparing your own experience, goals and motivation; researching the employer; and planning for questions about your career, abilities and fit. Read the federal interview guidance.

Turn the advert into likely questions

Interview questions vary, but the advert tells you what the employer is likely to test. Translate each important requirement into a question.

Advert says	Prepare for
Coordinate several suppliers	Tell us about a time priorities conflicted across partners
Improve a reporting process	How did you identify the problem and measure the change?
Work in German and English	When have you used each language at work?
Take ownership	Describe a decision you made without complete information

Prepare several examples. Do not stretch one story to prove teamwork, leadership, conflict handling and technical judgement.

Structure examples without sounding rehearsed

A compact answer usually needs four parts:

1. Context: enough detail to understand the situation.
2. Task: what you were responsible for.
3. Action: what you personally did and why.
4. Result and reflection: what happened and what you would repeat or change.

UZH’s interview guidance notes that interviewers may ask for examples tied to job requirements and recommends explaining the starting situation, your action, the result and what you would do differently. It also stresses that the interview helps you decide whether you want the job. See the UZH interview process.

Worked answer: laboratory technician

The candidate, employer and incident are fictional.

Question: Tell us about a time you found a quality problem before it affected a customer.

Answer:

During the morning check in our food-testing laboratory, two control samples produced results outside their usual range. I was responsible for preparing the run, so I paused the batch and checked the preparation log before assuming the instrument was faulty. I found that a new bottle of reagent had been entered under the previous lot number. I quarantined the affected preparations, told the shift lead and repeated the controls with the correct record. The second run was within range, and no customer sample was released from the first batch. Afterwards, I added a lot-number check to our setup sheet. I would now ask a second technician to verify a new reagent lot before the first run rather than relying on the end-of-setup check.

Why it works:

• The context is short and understandable.
• “I” identifies the candidate’s decisions; “we” is not used to borrow the team’s work.
• The result is specific without an invented financial figure.
• The final sentence shows judgement rather than pretending the process was perfect.

Research enough to ask better questions

Start with the employer’s site, the original advert and recent first-party material such as reports, product documentation or public announcements. Separate the employer’s claims from your interpretation. You do not need to recite its history.

Useful questions close gaps that affect your decision:

• What would you want the person in this role to have achieved after six months?
• Which decisions can this role make without escalation?
• Why is the position open?
• How does the team handle work across the named languages or locations?
• What part of the role tends to be harder than candidates expect?
• What are the remaining stages and likely timing of the process?

Avoid questions answered on the first page of the employer’s site. Ask what you need to judge the work, not what you think will sound impressive.

Prepare for the format

For an in-person interview, confirm the address, route, reception instructions and contact number. Plan to arrive on time. If the invitation gives a dress code or site-safety instructions, follow them.

For a video interview, test the meeting link, microphone, camera and connection. Keep your CV, application and notes nearby, but do not read answers from the screen. UZH advises treating video interviews with the same preparation as in-person interviews and keeping application documents ready. Review its guidance on interview formats.

If you do not understand a question, ask for it to be repeated or clarified. If you do not know an answer, say what you know, identify the gap and explain how you would find out.

Practise for usefulness, not polish

Ask another person to run a 30-minute practice interview. Give them the advert and ask them to interrupt vague answers. Record only with their agreement. On review, check:

• Did the answer address the question?
• Was your own action clear?
• Did you provide enough context without a long preamble?
• Was the result accurate?
• Did you stop when the answer was complete?

Practise a short career summary. Focus on relevant choices and transitions, not every line of the CV.

Common mistakes

• Preparing generic answers without returning to the advert.
• Memorising polished paragraphs that collapse when the wording changes.
• Giving the team’s result without explaining your contribution.
• Treating employer marketing as independent fact.
• Asking no questions, or asking only performative ones.
• Guessing when you do not understand the question.
• Failing to test a video setup or route.
• Speaking negatively about a former employer instead of explaining what you want next.

Interview-day check

• ✓I can explain the role's three main requirements in my own words
• ✓I have several true examples with clear actions and results
• ✓I can explain why the work interests me using a checked employer fact
• ✓My questions will help me decide whether the role fits
• ✓I reviewed the advert, CV and letter I submitted
• ✓The location or meeting link, time zone and contact details are confirmed
• ✓I know how I will answer practical questions without guessing
• ✓I have water, notes and the requested documents ready

If your employer notes are still vague, use the company research worksheet before you practise again.