16 Interview Tips From a Self-Proclaimed Interview Expert

Interviewing sucks. The prep sucks. Having strangers silently judging your worth sucks. Waiting for a decision afterwards sucks. I’d rather not do it. I’d also rather not exercise. But my doctor told me it’s sort of a requirement to not die... The exercise, not the interviewing.

So I started a 15-minute ab workout recently. And before that, I was nominated to become an interview specialist of sorts (as part of the Bar Raiser program at Amazon). And this experience, along with my career as a recruiter, has allowed me to become somewhat of an interview expert. I still have a bit of a belly, but my back doesn’t hurt all the time and I can endure an interview process with less existential dread.

Now that we’ve established my creds and I’ve offered a lackluster comparison to make this more relatable, I think we can proceed. I have 16 tips to help you through the interview process. Read it all and you’ll never miss out on a job offer again. Legally, I should point out that this is hyperbole. But while interviewing sucks, this advice won’t, and I am comfortable guaranteeing that at least.

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>>>I shared all these tips separately over a 16-week period and have placed them into a longer format. For space and flow, I’ve shortened many of them. The original posts can be easily found on my page if you want to see longer explanations (from April - June 2023).

Preparation

Most people know to just start with your success stories, so I never dedicated a post to that topic. Ideally, you have 8+ great stories (~2/interviewer). To think of some, go through annual reviews, promo papers, goal tracking, ask peers you trust, etc. This will obviously be impacted by your experience level.

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>>>If you don’t have at least 8 stories, now is the time to panic. But when you’re done with that, keep reading because while it’s clear that I can be mean sometimes, ultimately I’m here to be part of the solution. There are ways to brainstorm creatively while learning about your target companies.

1) How to leverage the company mission and philosophies

Let’s imagine you’re interviewing at a company that lists a few core philosophies on their website (most do), one of which is “People first”. If I am interviewing at this company, I want to come up with examples for:

1?? The obvious - a situation where you demonstrated it very well (“Tell me about a time where you felt a deliverable may lead to a retention issue”).

2?? The inverse - A situation where you didn’t demonstrate it as well as you could have and what you learned (“Tell me about a time where you made a decision that had unexpected consequences on morale”).

3?? The other - a situation that made it really difficult to demonstrate this, but you did your best to salvage it (“Tell me about a time where you had to deliver news from leadership that you knew would negatively affect morale”).

That is three potential questions with very little sleuthing required. Go through this exercise with every philosophy listed.

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>>>You’ll likely be able to map some of your best success stories to these philosophies. Some may even apply to multiple philosophies. But hopefully, this helps remind you of some things that got buried in your memory over the years. Don’t stop there though, you need to show them you can perform the job duties as well.

2) Brainstorm functional questions

Ask yourself - what skills are required for this role that someone that has never done it before would have to learn? A company may cover 2-4 of these “functional areas”. Some companies will tell you what areas you can expect to discuss if you just ask. So - ask.

When I say “brainstorm”, I mean use the internet. Go on Glassdoor and see what people who have interviewed there say they were asked. You can also leverage ChatGPT and ask it for example questions. As you’re starting your prep, the more relevant questions you have to get your wheels turning, the better.

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>>>Interviewing is a lot easier if you’re actually good at your job. Okay, let me try that again and sound like less of an ass. There is a reason that certain questions and follow-up questions are asked in interviews. It’s because most successful companies value the same things. So you should think about what you’re doing day to day and make sure you’re indexing on the right things. In other words…

3) Prepare now

You can prepare on the fly more easily than you think. And the benefits of doing so aren’t just getting ahead in interview prep. Prepare on the go by regularly asking yourself these questions (just a few examples) that most of us encounter frequently:

??“Tell me about a time when (TMAATW) you had competing priorities, and you knew you would not get everything done?”

??“TMAATW you couldn’t gain alignment in the direction you and your team should take?”

??“TMAATW when you identified an issue in your process and you were unsure what to do next?”

??“TMAATW you were assigned a goal that you didn’t see as realistic?”

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>>>You may have noticed the theme of friction in the questions above. There’s a reason for this. You learn the most about someone when things get weird. Of course, another reason is… we all experience this friction. So don’t pretend otherwise.

4) Everyone’s dealt with failure

Even if it’s uncomfortable, in an interview be ready to discuss…

?? Failures

?? Constructive critiques received

?? Areas of improvement

?? ?? Disagreements with coworkers/managers.

Saying that you have not experienced these could seem insincere. It may lead folks to think that you are dishonest, complacent, egotistical, lack self-awareness, or are afraid to speak up.

Just share what you did to…

?? Ensure that the same failure would not happen again (mechanisms implemented)

?? Address the constructive critique with actions

?? Take concrete steps to actually improve

?? ?? Disagree respectfully, ideally with data and logical rationale (and hopefully you didn’t harp on it after the fact)

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>>>When you’re prepping your examples, do your best to be cognizant of internal lingo. Put some thought into how to communicate that to a stranger.

5) Jargon kills (your chances)

Recognize that no one fully understands your environment without being in it. Do not use jargon. Notice I am saying “do not use” and not “limit”. There is zero benefit in using this during an interview.

It is so hard to remove yourself from your situation and call out jargon. I worked in Amazon for 7 years. I never thought twice when I said “Bar Raiser” or shorthanded it as “BR”. Yet if I am being interviewed, I have to expect the individual sitting on the other side of the (likely virtual) table from me won’t know either. Instead of “BR”, I’d have to say “A designated interview expert required on every interview loop to ensure we made quality hiring decisions”.

You borderline have to have someone to bounce off of in this preparation process. That can be a friend, family member, or a trusted colleague. You can do it solo, it’ll just be more challenging.

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>>>This next chunk is more focused on what to keep in mind during the interviews than the prep. But it’s great to practice ahead of time as well.

For every answer

6) Be specific

Don’t generalize about several events; recount one event. Sometimes they might ask about your working style or management philosophies. However, philosophies are not useful on their own. Without an example showing that you have put these beliefs into action (effectively), it’s all just empty words.

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>>>Another reason that generalizing can backfire is that it’s hard to quantify…

7) It’s about impact

“So what?” That’s the question you want to ask yourself for every interview story you prepare.

As for how to answer this question, leverage the R, or Result, in the STAR method. I’d recommend getting into the habit of saying “and the result of this was”. It’s a nice way to guide yourself to what really matters, the impact. Worse case scenario, it forces you to re-summarize quickly and gives the interviewer further clarity.

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>>>“All the stakeholders were happy” isn’t a good Result. At least not in an interview format. To cleanly communicate the impact, take it a step further.

8) Use data. If you can’t - use anecdotes

Yes, math is terrifying - but so are clowns, and yet those are still a thing. So get with it, go see IT, and learn how to use and speak to data to measure your results.

When providing numerical data, offer not only the percentage change but also where those numbers started and ended. Help your audience quantify the impact.

? “grew a lot”

?? “grew by 47%”

? “Increased from 150 to 222, which is a 47% improvement and meant we could deliver on time for a critical project and customer.”

Okay - you get it, data is important… If you can’t offer data - think about it in other ways…

?? How many people used your process?

?? How often?

?? What did people say about it?

?? Was there any notable event that your process was used for?

?? Did you receive any recognition for it (promotion, bonus, more challenging projects)?

?? Why does what you did mattered?

Remember, ask yourself “So what?”.

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>>>Sharing measurables proactively is critical if you want to steer.

9) Control the narrative

Don’t leave out key details from a place of fear and find yourself backpedaling. You actually control the narrative by being vulnerable. It’s pretty simple... acknowledge your shortcomings! Below, you’ll find an example of a missed deadline.

?“We ended up getting 70% of the way there by the initial deadline. We completely finished within three months of the original due date. I made sure stakeholders knew that we’d have delays so they could plan around it.

Afterwards, I led a post mortem where we discussed why the delays occurred and it actually resulted in a change to our standard operating procedures. I wish we could have delivered on time, but it was an excellent reminder to escalate sooner in the planning process to avoid delays.”?

I’d have some follow-up questions if I was the interviewer, but I’d appreciate the candor, work to ensure it didn’t happen again, and the lesson learned. I’d likely view this favorably depending on the answers to the follow-ups.

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>>>Just like the interviewer is going to dig for that outcome whether you are upfront about it or not, they’ll also want clarity on your specific role.

10) I versus we

I know you want to be humble, but it will mean you and the interviewer waste time trying to clarify your specific contributions. Or they may just assume you didn’t drive/lead anything on your own. It’s not just about substituting the verbiage. Be real about your contributions and speak specifically about what they were. Focus there and simply acknowledge other contributions along the way.

Being overly concerned with presenting as a “team player” may mean you sacrifice clarity and miss an opportunity to showcase your impact. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, and remember they are considering hiring YOU, not your entire team!

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>>>We’ve covered most of the basics and this next chunk is a little on how to level up, and a little on avoiding some common pitfalls.

Tips to showcase your best self

11) Give the interviewer what they (actually) want

When I interview candidates, I am rooting for them. Most interviewers are.

For behavioral questions, if you don’t have a brilliant answer for a question, hit them with, “I’m sorry, I’m drawing a blank. I have something similar in XYZ ways instead, if that’d be okay?”. Most interviewers are going to be fine with this. If they aren’t… I’d probably think for another minute and let them know you’re having trouble and still go with your story. Better to give them a good story unprompted than a bad one, period.

For technical questions, ask clarifying questions. Do not make assumptions and/or just jump in and start "problem-solving".

The same can be said if you're asked "scenario" based questions like "What would you do in this situation?" These hypotheticals aren't my favorite personally. But let's ask why a company might take this approach?

They likely want to understand your thought process and more importantly, how you might work with a potential colleague when there's ambiguity. If you engage them, they will likely have a better time during that conversation, and they may "like you" better and want to work with you... it's kind of human nature.

Read their social cues of course. Sometimes they just wanna see what you can come up with, especially on a technical screen. But it's rare that they don't want you to seek any clarity with at least a question or two in the technical and scenario-based questions.

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>>>Disclaimer: The behavioral questions should be pretty clear. Don't ask clarifying questions just for the sake of it. Only do it if it's needed and you truly aren't sure what they're looking for.

Now this next one might seem a little obvious but…

12) Give your best answer

Some folks feel saving answers is wise to ensure every interviewer gets at least one awesome story from you.

However, there is no guarantee the next interviewer will ask something that prompts the answer you’re saving. You’re also choosing to give the person in front of you a worse answer. Why limit your upside in that chat?

Caveat: Limit the repetition. If your best answer was already used, maybe it's okay to reuse it; maybe not. If you have 4+ interviews of mostly behavioral questions, you might be running low on answers and need to repeat once. But if you're interviewing for a highly technical role, and given how much time will be spent on the role fit assessment, you are only being asked ~3 behavioral questions in total, I'd avoid repetition altogether.

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>>>And in rare times, it’s okay to go a little bigger than one story to truly offer your best.

13) Discussing your strengths

When discussing strengths, it’s an awesome opportunity to tie it to your career trajectory and show them what they’d gain from bringing you on. This is especially helpful if you’re interviewing for a role during a career transition. Here, you can help the interviewer see how your skills could translate.

“Scaling repetitive processes is something I’ve enjoyed doing throughout my career.

1?? In ‘x’ job, I improved scheduling time 50% by implementing a surveying tool…

2?? A few years later, in ‘y’ job, I introduced a batch interviewing process…

3?? In my most recent position, I streamlined the role description to a consistent standard across the organization…

Happy to expand on any of these examples more if you’d like! But overall scaling process is something I’ve been able to do in most roles I’ve held.”

This is a time where it’s okay to deviate from the STAR method so that you can pile on the supporting data (briefly) with multiple stories. I would give more details than I offered above, though. You can see a better example in the initial post.

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>>>And while you showcase your strengths during these conversations, it’s obviously not a time to be humble. Just don’t get too carried away!

14) Be honest. Or don’t I guess it’s your life

Stretching the truth is a gigantic risk! Don’t embellish or omit more of the story than necessary to offer a coherent answer. A good interviewer will find out if your story is on a weak foundation, find a thread, and pull.

If one interviewer gets the impression that you’re lying, it could plant a seed of doubt in every other interviewer’s mind that you’re dishonest. I have seen interview loops pass on qualified candidates over a fib (whether perceived or real). I have also seen loops lean into authenticity and extend an offer in a “borderline” case. There is a perception that everyone lies in the job search/interview process - that’s not true.

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>>>And now that we’ve covered being honest, time for me to contradict myself!

15) Be an extrovert (sort of…)

Extroverts have an edge, that’s just facts. But you can close the gap. You just want to be mindful/strategic about scheduling.

?Acknowledge your circumstances and take practical steps to ensure you have the energy required to present well in those chats. Maybe the version that fooled your in-laws into accepting you?…

?Turn into this zany, smiley, fast-talking version of yourself that you broke out one time at a Murder Mystery party.

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>>>If you’ve made it this far, congrats. You’ve read further into this article than I have ever done with any article in my life. I’ll wrap this up with an important reminder.

They aren’t the only one with a decision to make

16) Interviewing is a two-way street

I know people hate hearing this when they’re desperate for a role. But maybe you don’t want to work for a place that treats you like trash before you even walk through the door?

Stories pop up all the time about what ignoring red flags leads to. Is it worth it? Only you can make that calculation. Sometimes being paid is the priority and that could not be more fair. At a minimum, it’s worth a direct chat with your potential manager before accepting.

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>>>You won’t get every job offer. Because as we covered at the beginning, interviewing really sucks. You’re great - it’s interviewing’s fault.

Just remember that and use these tips to give yourself the best chance. And trust that even if it might be hard to see in the moment that you’ll get to the “right” outcome.

Outro (?)

I recognize this advice might be more relevant for larger, established companies with more cleanly defined interview processes. However, these tips will help you prepare for any interview process.

If it's a start-up, I'd emphasize tip #15. I'd argue that the smaller the company, the more likely they are to lean on your "excitement" for the role. Is that fair? ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ. But it's real. Show your interest, verbalize it, and ask thoughtful questions to each interviewer so that they can see you're serious about the opportunity.

If you felt this was good advice, share it! If you felt that I didn’t live up to my word and these tips suck, this is a free article and you get what you pay for :).