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Depending on your personality, you’re probably either the type to wing it in a job interview or someone who’s deeply intimidated by them. But according to one former recruiter, the best approach is to meet somewhere in the middle: To basically be so prepared that you neither get caught without an answer, nor get tongue-tied and give unconvincing ones. She recently shared her process for striking this sweet spot, and her success rate just might speak for itself.

A former recruiter shared the 7 steps she’s followed to get a 100% job interview success rate.

TikTok creator Lauren Wilensky has two credentials that show she knows her stuff when it comes to job interviews: Not only was she a recruiter for nearly five years, but she has gotten every job she’s ever interviewed for, including ones she wasn’t technically qualified for. So, how did she do it? She recently shared the seven steps she follows that have been foolproof throughout her career.

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1. Know your resume like the back of your hand.

This probably sounds obvious, but there’s often so much info on our resumes that it’s easy to lose track of the finer points. “If you don’t study your resume and … know it like the back of your hand before an interview, that’s your first mistake right there,” Wilensky insisted.

This is because, she said, while recruiters ask questions as if they don’t know you at all, they’ve usually done their homework. If you aren’t able to speak cogently about the information they’ve been provided, it’s a red flag. They also typically want you to be able to elaborate on the bullet points and stats you’ve included, so make sure you know what’s in that document.

2. Know all about the company you’re being interviewed by.

This goes without saying, of course, but oftentimes we assume we can just wing this part so long as we know the basics about the company. However, Wilensky said this approach is a major missed opportunity to stand out and impress the interviewer.

“(Read) up on the company that you’re applying to. Look at their mission statement, look at what they stand for, look at the experience that’s required in the position that you’re applying for, and cater every answer to that,” Wilensky instructed. This helps show that you’re a fit for the company, not just the job.

3. Cater your resume to every interview, every time.

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“You should never use the same resume for more than one job that you’re applying for,” Wilensky said, “because every company, every job has a different type of description and qualifications.”

This is a pain in the neck, sure, but AI tools like ChatGPT can do wonders to streamline this customization process once you’ve established a basic resume template for yourself. “Even if it’s like the smallest change to your resume, you should always cater your resume to the job description,” she stressed.

4. Know how to answer all the basic interview questions, and rehearse your answers.

This is another area not to wing it in. All job interviews have at least some of the same, boilerplate questions, like asking about your strengths and weaknesses, your approach to conflict, how you’ve handled a difficult situation, etc.

Wilensky said it’s not enough to just have answers to these questions, though. You need to have good ones, and you need to have them down pat. Wilensky suggested actually scripting them if you need to, and rehearsing them, especially if you struggle with getting nervous or tongue-tied. “Eventually, you’ll get comfortable with how to talk about them in more of a conversational, more informal setting,” she explained.

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5. Use the S.T.A.R. method to structure your answers.

S.T.A.R. comes from the world of public relations, which was Wilensky’s major in college. The acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, and she said this framework can be a really helpful way to structure answers to job interview questions.

So when asked about the time you had to solve a difficult problem at work, for instance, you can structure your answer around these four aspects to give an effective and clear answer: what was the situation, what task needed to be done to solve it, how did you take action on that, and what was the result.

6. Make it clear that you love to be challenged.

Wilensky explained that she has gotten hired at jobs in the past that she was actually pretty unqualified for. What made the leaders involved take a chance on her was her enthusiasm for being challenged. Being able to talk about this confidently and cogently can help set you apart from other candidates who might be better fits on paper.

She said to focus on two factors: Why the position is the right fit for you, and why you are the right fit for the company, despite what qualifications you might be lacking. Use your research on the company to construct these stories for the interview.

7. Never, ever say you don’t have any questions for the interviewer.

“If an interviewer ever asks you, ‘So do you have any questions for me?’ and you don’t? Sorry, you aren’t getting the job,” Wilensky said. “It doesn’t even have to be a difficult question. It can literally be, ‘What’s your favorite part about working here?'”

But you have to ask something, and Wilensky said questions that show curiosity about the job itself, or ones that get your interviewer talking about their personal experience at the company, can make a great impression on a hiring manager.

She also suggested asking questions that show you’re growth-minded and ambitious, like asking about promotion timelines or the interviewer’s best piece of advice for how to succeed in the position. These are great ways to ingratiate yourself and be memorable, and being memorable is the most important part of the job search game!

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John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.