مقابلة العمل مثل الحديث.

Because this is a nominal sentence in Arabic. In the present tense, Arabic normally does not use a separate word for is / am / are.

So:

مقابلة العمل مثل الحديث
literally has the structure [subject] + [predicate]

If you wanted the past, you would usually add a form of كان:

• كانت مقابلة العمل مثل الحديث = The job interview was like the conversation/speech

This is an iḍāfa construction, often called a construct phrase.

In an iḍāfa:

• the first noun usually does not take الـ
• the second noun can be definite with الـ
• the whole phrase can become definite because of the second noun

So:

• مقابلة العمل = the job interview / work interview
• not المقابلة العمل

This is very common in Arabic:

• باب البيت = the door of the house
• مدير الشركة = the manager of the company

Yes. Here the ة is pronounced as t because مقابلة is the first word in an iḍāfa.

So you pronounce it roughly as:

muqābalat al-ʿamal

Not just muqābala al-ʿamal.

This happens often:

• سيارة by itself: sayyāra(h)
• سيارة المدير: sayyārat al-mudīr

Here it is mithl, meaning like / similar to.

That is different from mathal, which means example or proverb.

So in this sentence:

• مثل = mithl
• function: like / similar to

This is a common thing learners wonder about because Arabic script usually does not show the short vowels.

Here مثل acts like a noun meaning the equivalent/like of, and it forms a structure with the next noun.

So:

• مثل الحديث = like the conversation/speech

Grammatically, مثل is the predicate of the sentence, and الحديث depends on it.

A very common alternative in Arabic is to use كَـ:

• مقابلة العمل كالحديث = The job interview is like the conversation/speech

Both are possible.

After مثل in this kind of structure, the following noun is typically in a genitive relationship with it.

So the fully grammatical reading is:

مثلُ الحديثِ

That means:

• مثلُ = nominative, because it is the predicate
• الحديثِ = genitive, because it is attached to مثل

In normal unvowelled writing, you just see: مثل الحديث

A fully vowelled MSA version would be:

مُقَابَلَةُ العَمَلِ مِثْلُ الحَدِيثِ

More precisely in connected reading: muqābalatu l-ʿamali mithlu l-ḥadīthi

Case by case:

• مقابلةُ: nominative, as the subject
• العملِ: genitive, because of iḍāfa
• مثلُ: nominative, as the predicate
• الحديثِ: genitive, because it follows مثل in this structure

In everyday writing, these endings are usually omitted.

As written, it sounds definite.

That is because:

• مقابلة العمل is definite through iḍāfa with العمل
• مثل الحديث is also definite because الحديث has الـ

So the sentence feels closer to:

• The job interview is like the conversation/speech

However, Arabic can also use definite nouns in a generic way, especially in simple explanatory sentences, so context matters.

It is understandable, and grammatically the structure makes sense. But depending on what exactly you want to say, a native speaker might choose a slightly different wording.

For example:

• مقابلةُ العملِ تشبهُ الحديثَ = The job interview resembles conversation/speech
• مقابلةُ العملِ مثلُ المُحادثةِ = The job interview is like a conversation
• مقابلةُ التوظيفِ مثلُ الحديثِ = The employment interview is like conversation/speech

So your sentence works as a learning example, but in real usage there may be more natural alternatives depending on context.