The Interview Process is Broken—Here’s How We Can Fix It

For years, companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have shaped the hiring processes across the tech industry. But here’s the problem: their 5-step interview processes have set a standard that does more harm than good. These multi-hour, multi-day interview marathons often fail to assess the candidate’s actual ability to perform the job. Instead, they rely on fictional, abstract questions that have little relevance to real-world scenarios.

I struggled with this firsthand when I transitioned into product management. Despite my best efforts to approach interviews with a tactical mindset, offering unique solutions based on the context of each company, I failed. Repeatedly. The feedback I got? "Learn Google’s STAR format for answering interview questions."

That taught me one thing: to succeed in these interviews, I had to play the game. I had to craft answers that weren’t necessarily aligned with how I would handle real-life challenges, but rather how I thought interviewers wanted me to respond. It became a frustrating exercise in fitting my experiences into a pre-packaged format.

Why This Approach Is Failing the Industry

The result of this process is that we’re hiring great interviewees, not necessarily great employees. Candidates who can sell themselves in a structured format but may struggle when faced with real, unscripted problems at work. Some of the most talented people I know— people who excel in problem-solving and innovation — often stumble in these types of interviews, while less capable candidates can navigate the process successfully.

The tech industry is now facing the consequences of this flawed approach. We’re in a moment where innovation feels stagnant. Is it any surprise when we’ve created a system that rewards those who can game it, rather than those who can drive real change?

The Quiet Shift in Hiring

Interestingly, some of the very companies that created this system are now moving away from it. Behind the scenes, they’re returning to performance-based, skill-focused, and talent-driven hiring practices. Instead of relying on whether candidates know the "right" format for answering questions, they are emphasizing what really matters—how well someone can do the job.

How We Can Fix the Process

If you want to understand why performance in your organization may be lacking, take a look at the interview process that got people through the door. You’ll likely find a mismatch between the skills they demonstrated in the interview and the actual demands of the role.

Here’s how we can fix this broken system:

1. Focus on practical scenarios: Tailor interviews to assess candidates’ ability to handle real-life challenges specific to the role.
2. Value skills over storytelling: Instead of grading candidates on how well they narrate their past, focus on their capacity to solve present and future problems.
3. Assess outcomes, not format: Evaluate candidates based on the quality of their solutions, not whether they follow the "right" answer structure.

The goal should be simple: hire for performance, not perfection in interview technique.