Allen Iverson is arguably one of the top 100 basketball players to have ever played the game.

He played 14 seasons in the NBA, won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

That said, he never won an NBA Championship.

Now, there is probably a multitude of reasons for AI’s lack of a ring but one of them is undoubtedly his passionate dislike for practice.

On the other hand, greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were OBSESSED with practice. Both would log thousands of hours in the gym and practice multiple times throughout the day.

They were rewarded with multiple championships. 11 combined, to be exact.

Now, while you may not win a championship for your interview prep you absolutely should still be prioritizing it.


Here are the three key things you should be doing before any interview.


1/ Scout

On every NBA team in the league, there is a whole room of basketball nerds called Scouts. Their entire job is to evaluate up-and-coming talent and prepare their players for the games ahead.

Without proper scouting, there would be no game plan and no strategy. It would be chaos.

The same is true for your interview prep. If you don’t have a strategy or any plan for what to expect, you are toast.

Take time to properly research the role and who you will actually be interviewing with.

Brainstorm a list of all the possible questions you think they could ask you.

Better yet, ask yourself why they would ask those questions.

This exercise will make you more familiar with the role and ensure you aren’t overwhelmed on interview (game) day.


2/ Practice

Don’t be like AI. While he was great, he never won a championship.

You can have all the talent or skill in the world and still not get the job if you aren’t prepared.

Put the above preparation to practice and get live reps with the questions you prepared.

Ask a friend or family member to help you out.

Make yourself uncomfortable on purpose and tackle the tough questions first.

Go through a sample case or sales pitch.

The more reps at game speed you can get the better off you’ll be.

If you go in cold you’ll be flustered, no matter how talented you are.


3/ Visualize

A study detailed in the book "The Power of Mindful Learning" found that basketball players who spend no time shooting free throws but visualize making them shoot the ball just as well as those who only physically practice the shot.

Visualization matters and is the difference between some of the best NBA players in the world and the okay ones.

Visualize your interview.

What are you wearing?

What questions will you ask?

How do you feel at the end?

What will your first day be like?

Where will the interview take place?

The more we can see a positive outcome the more likely it is to come to fruition.

Envision yourself being charismatic, well-prepared, and sharp.

Then, make it happen


All told interviews are the championship game of a job hunt. Don’t blow them by skipping out on practice.

Until next time,

The TCK Team

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