How to Overcome Tech Interview Weaknesses and Turn Them Into Job Offers ??

Have you ever walked out of an interview feeling completely deflated? ??

No matter how much you prepared, there was still that one question, or maybe a few, that left you stumped, stumbling over your words.

I know that feeling all too well.

But here’s the thing: every “gap” in your interview performance is an opportunity waiting to be transformed. Instead of viewing these moments as failures, what if you could see them as stepping stones to your next big career win? ??

Trust me when I say this: tech interviews, are designed to reveal your growth potential and your hunger for learning.

It’s not about having all the answers as I said plenty of times before, it’s about how you handle not having them. ??

And this, my friend, is where you can flip the script on its f***in head.

As I continued to learn more about business, I understood a concept called Proof, Plan, and Promise when it came to content strategy.

But here, I want to show you how to apply this same concept to your opportunity to showcase your growth and skills in an interview, or even after the interview.

Believe it or not, when you’re in an interview or communicating about your next role, you are essentially delivering content, whether live or written.

?? So why not use this concept to hook the listener or reader and engage them with tremendous value at this point? ??

I’m here to show you how you can turn those gaps into proof of your determination, a strategic plan for your future learning, and a promise of the value you can bring to your next role. ????

? Gaps Aren’t Failures—They’re Feedback ??

Let’s get one thing straight: if you’re getting interviews, you’re already in the game. ?? You’ve got something they want; otherwise, you wouldn’t be there. But when you find yourself stumped by a question, don’t let that moment define your value.

Instead, think of that awkward silence or struggle as feedback. That’s right—each gap is a signal telling you, “Hey, this is where you need to level up.” ?? And when you look at it that way, you’re no longer facing a failure; you’re uncovering a new area to conquer.

But what do you do after you’ve identified those gaps? Here’s how I approached it:

1. First, I acknowledged it—no sugarcoating. ?
2. Next, I took action by building targeted projects to address each weak spot. ??
3. Finally, I used those projects as proof of my growth in the next round of interviews. ??

And that’s exactly what I want to show you how to do: convert your gaps into tangible proof of your abilities and resilience. ????

Step 1: Turn Your Gaps into “Proof” ??

When I first started interviewing for cloud roles, I got tripped up on some technical concepts. It was crushing tbh, but I knew it wasn’t a deal-breaker unless I let it be. ?

So, I turned those gaps into projects that showed I wasn’t just going to accept those gaps as “weaknesses.” Instead, I treated them as challenges I was determined to overcome.

???? Here’s What I’ve Done (Proof) ?

Let’s say you blanked on a question about deploying serverless applications. Instead of shying away from it, create a project where you deploy a serverless web app using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, and DynamoDB. Document every step, from initial setup to testing and optimization.

Once you’ve completed the project, that experience becomes your proof. ?? It’s no longer a gap, it’s now a skill you’ve mastered through hands-on experience.

When the next interviewer asks you a similar question, you won’t just tell them you’ve improved; you’ll show them by pulling up your project documentation, GitHub repo, or even a short demo video. ??

That’s what I did showed project documentation, and it made a world of difference.

You can literally reach back out to the same interviewer or company and say, “Hey, I really appreciated the feedback on X topic during our interview. I took it to heart and created this project to show you what I’ve learned.

Would you mind taking a look and sharing any thoughts?”

This approach not only shows that you took the initiative to work on a weak area immediately but also demonstrates how fast you acted to close the gap. ??

It’s impressive to employers when they see you taking ownership and applying feedback with speed and efficiency.

??? Step 2: Develop a “Plan” That Shows How You Tackled Each Gap

It’s not enough to just say, “I built a project.” You need to show how you systematically tackled each learning area.

This is where your plan comes in. It’s about outlining your learning journey in a way that tells a compelling story of growth and dedication. ??

?? Here’s How I Did It (Plan)

When I realized I was lacking in cloud fundamental concepts, I didn’t just sign up for a random course and call it a day. I created a roadmap that covered:

• Researching resources ??: Found the best online courses, tutorials, and hands-on labs specifically focused on cloud security.
• Building a learning environment ??: Set up my own sandbox in AWS to try out IAM policies, VPC configurations, and security group rules.
• Creating a real-world project ??: Designed a secure multi-region application architecture, documented it, and shared it on my portfolio.

Every time I hit a roadblock, I documented my process. ??

By the end, I didn’t just know the fundamental building blocks of the cloud, I could demonstrate how I learned it, and that’s the part that really resonated with interviewers. ??

When you go into your next interview, you can confidently walk them through your plan, step-by-step, showing exactly how you took your learning into your own hands. It shows initiative, resourcefulness, and most importantly, commitment. ??

?? Step 3: Make a “Promise” to Your Next Employer ??

Now that you’ve built your projects and shared your learning plan, it’s time to show your future employer how these newfound skills will help their organization.

The final piece is your promise, a clear and compelling explanation of how what you’ve done will directly benefit their team. ??

?? Here’s How It Will Help Your Organization (Promise)

During interviews, most candidates can talk about what they know and how they learned it. But not everyone can articulate how they’ll use those skills to solve real business problems.

This is where you go beyond being a “good candidate” and become an “ideal candidate.” ??

For example, if you struggled with building out complex automation pipelines during an interview, but then went home and created a project to master it, say something like this:

“After that interview, I spent the next month building out a project that automated cloud infrastructure deployments using Terraform and Jenkins.

Not only did I gain a better understanding of how to set up multi-environment configurations, but I also implemented best practices for code testing and deployment strategies.

I’m confident that with these skills, I can help streamline your CI/CD processes and reduce manual deployment errors, contributing to more stable and reliable software releases for your team.”

That’s the promise. You’re not just proving you have the skills, they can see exactly how you’ll use those skills to add value to their business. ??

?????? Step 4: Showcase Your Journey Publicly ??

Once you’ve got your Proof, Plan, and Promise, don’t keep it to yourself!

Use platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and personal blogs to showcase your journey.

Post updates on what you’re learning, share your projects, and talk about your growth. ???

? Why It’s Important

When you put your journey on display, you’re not just preparing for interviews, you’re building your personal brand duhhhh lol (I'm just playing with the duh).

Employers and recruiters are more likely to take you seriously when they see your proactive approach to learning and overcoming challenges. ??

??Just Remember: Gaps Are Opportunities in Disguise ??

Every gap you encounter is an invitation to grow.

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t measure up during an interview, know that it’s not a sign to give up, it’s a sign to get back to work and close those gaps.

I started as a Payday Loan Teller making $8.50 an hour. I faced countless setbacks and gaps in my knowledge along the way.

But each gap pushed me to learn, grow, and build the skills that ultimately led to my six-figure cloud engineering role. ??

You can turn your gaps into job-winning opportunities too.

Use your Proof to show what you’ve done, your Plan to demonstrate how you did it, and your Promise to explain how it will benefit your future employer. ????

Your journey won’t be perfect, but it will be worth it. ??