What an interview is
How to Prepare
The different parts of an interview
How to use the STARR method
Technical Interview Overview
An interview is just a conversation
An interview is about how you fit with the company
Interviewing is a skill that requires practice
You are better than you think!
An interview is an opportunity for both the company and you to get to know each other to see if you are a fit. The interview will cover anything from values, projects, future plans, failures, and ideas you may have for the company which is why it’s very important for you to prepare before the interview so it’s not the first time you think or talk about it.
An important reminder is that each interview answer should aim to show the company why you are the best candidate for the job so you should always end each answer with a sentence on why it would benefit the company to hire you. This way they know upfront and don’t have to connect the dots as to why you are a great fit!
The first and most important part of the interview is the preparation that you put into it. If you are new to interviewing, you should aim to practice behavioral interviews at least 30-min a day and do at least one technical problem. The following are some resources that you can start with
Dream Job Exercise
What was your journey to [Company Name]?
What has surprised you since joining [Company Name]?
Can you share a story of when you or another employee exemplified one of your company values?
What role do company values play in hiring and performance reviews?
What metrics or goals will the company use to evaluate my job performance?
How often are performance reviews completed?
When and how do people like to give and receive feedback?
What are some of the ways the company celebrates success?
Describe the ideal candidate for this role. Use this as an opportunity to highlight how you meet the criteria if you haven't done so already
What are some non-technical skills you find yourself using everyday?
How have you been able to connect with coworkers outside of work?
What is a recent challenge you’ve experienced while working on a product?
What do you think is one particular skill that would make an intern/the person in this role successful at the company?
What is one of the biggest takeaways you’ve gotten from working here?
Thinking back to your college experience, what is some advice you’d give yourself now?
How did your college experience/studies prepare you for the role that you have now?
Do you have any passions that sparked after joining your company?
Are there any tasks that this person would be expected to do that aren’t included in the job description?
How would you describe your management style?
What is the first problem the person you hire for this role must attend to?
How would you define ‘success’ for the person in this role?
What do you feel is the company's greatest competitive advantage?
What are some differences between good employees and great employees in this company?
What goals would you like to see accomplished during the first three months (few weeks if it's an internship) in this position?
Are there any questions I'm not asking that I should be?
Below we are going to break down the parts of a behavioral interview so you can understand the process a bit more and be able to ace your next interview.
The most important thing to remember about answering any interview questions is “what do they want to hear?” and structure your interview answer around that. The reason that this is effective is because it will help you keep the focus on the company and their goals and how you can help meet them which will make you stand out as a candidate.
The introduction portion of an interview consists of the interviewer getting to know you, your interests, your goals, and how that all matches with the company’s overall mission and culture.
Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to work for this company?
What could you bring to the company?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What values do you most admire about this company?
Research the company, its values, it’s mission and any news updates they have posted. Doing this will help you better understand how you can make them meet their goals. If the company’s goals don’t align with you at all, you may want to ask yourself if you really want to interview with this company after all or use it as practice for a company that you do really like
Start with how much you admire the company and why what they do inspires and motivates you
Talk about how your values align with theirs
This is your moment to brag so talk about how many projects, internships, and other cool things you have done and how those showcase your values
Make sure that you end by tying everything together and letting them know how excited you are to be interviewing there!
Tell me about yourself example here
Why do you want to work for this company?
“ I am so excited to be interviewing for XXX company, I love how you are revolutionizing XXXX industry and would love to be part of that mission. What I admire most about XXX company is their value of XXXX because of XXXX. In addition to being alined with your mission and values, I also love to learn and have had XXX internships/ projects that taught me about XXXX languages. Thanks again for the opportunity and I am looking forward to learning more during our interview.”
This part of the interview focuses on getting to know more about your experience and how that lines up with the goals of the company. This part looks at collaboration skills, technical skills, coding strategy, and project work. The questions in this part are usually called Situational Questions.
Tell me about a time you failed
Tell me about a time you succeeded
How would you handle a situation when you don’t know what to do?
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker/group mate
How do you usually start a new project?
Tell me about a time you led a project
To prepare for these interviews, you want to create a list of all your interview examples so that you can easily memorize them for your interview. You can use the Interview Examples worksheet to get started. Once you’ve filled out the form, it’s important you practice using the STAR method. You can get more familiar with the STAR method below or check out more information here
Start with a general answer of the question outlining how you did what is being asked
Continue with the STAR method (more information here)
Make sure you redirect back to the company so they know how your example is tied to helping the company and shows them how you can be a value-add to the team
Tell me about a time you succeeded
“A time that I succeeded was when I was a part of a team at XXX company (or XXX group project) where I ended up creating a project using XXX technologies that impacted XXX people/ run time/ efficiency.
The project came together in a team of XXX to solve XXX problem(Situation)
We were tasked with redesigning a process in order to XXXX (Task)
In order to make sure we met the goal, I used( XXX language) to build XXX because it was more efficient (Action)
Due to what we built, we were able to increase efficiency/ change the process/ find a creative solution (Result)
Since I was able to build that solution and got experience with XXX technology, I think I would be a great value add to the team (Redirect)
This part of the interview focuses on wrapping up the interview and reiterating any final points to the interviewer that you want to showcase about your experience. This also is where you can ask the interviewer about themselves or their experience at the company. Most interviewers expect you to ask at least one question to find out more about the role, company, or them.
Do you have any questions for me?
Is there anything else that I could answer for you about the company?
Are you curious about anything?
To prepare for this part of the interview, you want to have researched your interviewer on LinkedIn, researched the company, and made a list of questions that you want to ask.
To end the interview, you want to thank the interviewer for their time and ask if you can stay in touch through LinkedIn or for their email (this is great info for later on in the process.) Once you’ve said goodbye, try to send a thank you note to them via LinkedIn or Email.
The STAR method is a framework used to answer interview questions (especially situational ones) It is widely used because of its simplicity and because it helps candidates articulate their thoughts better in an interview.
The STAR Method is comprised of 4 parts: Situation, Task, Action, Result, and it’s aim is to help create structure for an interview answer. Below are some general guidelines when using the STAR method:
Should be 1-2 sentences
Focus on size of team
Focus on scale of company
Answer what caused the task to arise
Should be 1-2 sentences
Focus on the problem
Focus on scope of work
Mention tactics and technologies used
Should be 2-3 sentences
Talk about process
Focus on the solution
Focus on collaboration
Should be 2-3 sentences
Talk about impact
People
Business Operations
Sales
Describe the most challenging project you worked on. What made it challenging and how did you overcome? How did it ultimately turn out?
What is one area of growth that you believe this role would support you in improving in?
Describe a time you received difficult feedback. What was the feedback and how did you react?
Describe a time you had to collaborate with someone who was difficult to work with. How were you able to make it work?
Describe a time you had a conflict with a team member (in a class/previous internship). How did you resolve it?
Tell me about a time when a job or company felt like a bad fit for you and why.
If you have previous work experience] What are 3 things you really liked about your previous employer and 3 things you disliked/would change about it?
How do you prioritize/stay organized? What tools/and or resources do you use?
Tell me about a time your original plan for something fell through. How did you pivot? What was the outcome?
What personal or professional mistakes have you learned the most from?
What personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership/took initiative.
How do you think your previous managers/coworkers would describe working with you?
How would your best friend describe you?
How would you pitch this company to a friend?
Who do you see as our top three competitors, or industry threats?
What inspires you to want to work in this industry?
How do you think our product, website, customer service, etc. can be improved?
What has been your biggest challenge with X technology and how did you resolve it?