Behavioral Interview Advice

I listened to 704 interviews. Observation 1: The people who got $200k-$500k+ offers talked extensively about 3 topics: - mentors they learned from - metrics they measure (and why) - how they drive revenue for the business Observation 2: The people who got these offers only talked ~50% of the time. They asked intentional questions about the - hiring manager - company - culture - team - goals Observation 3: The people who did NOT get offers - didn't ask questions throughout the call - didn't talk about business outcomes - didn't talk about metrics - didn't give credit to mentors/team - tried to look completely perfect If I were interviewing right now, I would - list the metrics I measure (and why) - know how I drive revenue for the business - research the company/interviewers - ask Qs that can't be answered by Google - know the value I bring to the company - make a list of my mentors + send them a note of gratitude for teaching me XYZ Not sure if this is helpful for other folks, but feel free to share if it is. If these insights are helpful, you might also enjoy the CareerSprout Newsletter. Each week, Gaurav and I share resources, tools, thoughts about growing a meaningful career. Everything we recommend comes from lessons we’ve personally learned, resources we trust, and systems we teach to our clients. If that’s your jam, you can join our community below 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/g-zzZZzA

In the last 20+ years, I have conducted hundreds of interviews. In that time, I’ve seen so many candidates sabotage themselves by saying 1 of 5 things: 1. “I don’t have any weaknesses.” (or give me a fake one like ‘i’m too organized’) That either signals you’re unaware or hiding something. Instead: Share a real (but manageable) weakness and how you work around it. It builds trust, and helps you avoid jobs where that weakness would derail you. Example: "I sometimes get overwhelmed by ambiguous projects. I've learned to ask clarifying questions upfront and break large tasks into smaller, concrete steps." ____ 2. “It’s all on my resume.” Hiring managers read hundreds of resumes daily. We literally forget what was on which resume between interviews. Instead: Re-express your resume highlights with insight. Add context: what you learned, why you left, what you loved. That's what they'll remember. ____ 3. “What’s the bonus and raise schedule?” You're asking "How will you reward me before I've proven my value?" Bonuses depend on performance and company profits, impossible to predict. The better question: "What are the ways I can know I'm being successful in this role?" This reveals how they measure and celebrate success while showing you're focused on performance first. ____ 4. “I hated my last boss.” Even if true, it backfires. There's a phenomenon called "spontaneous trait transference." When you say negative words about others, the interviewer's brain unconsciously associates those traits with YOU. Say your boss is "disorganized" and they'll start questioning YOUR organization skills. Safe alternatives: • "It wasn't the right fit" • "The timing wasn't great for us" • "I felt it was important to move on" Most hiring managers understand something didn't work without the details. ____ 5. Any question you can Google • “What’s your mission” • “What does your company do?” •“How you’re different from your competitor?” Asking about company size, basic mission, or job responsibilities (all available online) screams "I didn't prepare." Research-based questions that impress: • "What challenges is the team currently facing?" • "What does success look like in the first 90 days?" • "Based on your experience here, what do you enjoy most about the company culture?" Remember: You want the interview to feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. The more casual and natural you can make it feel, the better rapport you'll build. When they're just reading through your resume like a checklist, nobody's connecting—and connection is what gets you hired. What's the worst interview mistake you've made or witnessed?

The truth about what recruiters are really looking for in your interview ↓   I've been on both sides of the hiring table, and there's something most candidates get wrong about recruiter interviews.   Here's what I've learned: most recruiters aren't deeply technical experts in your field.   We're not primarily evaluating if you can code in Python or execute a specific accounting procedure.   What we're actually assessing is much more fundamental:   First, we're looking at fit.   Will you thrive in this specific team? Will your communication style work with this manager? Do you approach problems in a way that aligns with how the company operates?   Second, we're evaluating risk.   Based on your past experiences and how you present yourself, how likely are you to succeed in this role? Are there any red flags that suggest you might struggle?   This is why we ask those behavioral questions about past challenges, team conflicts, or how you've handled difficult situations.   We're looking for patterns that help us predict your future performance.   Understanding this completely changes how you should prepare.   Rather than just demonstrating technical perfection, focus on clearly communicating how you'll fit into this specific environment and why you're a low-risk, high-potential hire.   I've seen many technically brilliant candidates get passed over because they couldn't effectively show they'd thrive in the company's particular culture.   What's been your experience with recruiter interviews? How do you demonstrate fit beyond just technical qualifications?   Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #hiringprocess #interviewpreparation #recruiterperspective #culturalfit

I've interviewed nearly 100 people over the last few months for openings at CNN. Here's what the most successful candidates did well: 1. They told a clear story. Every answer had a beginning, middle and end (or a conflict, action & solution). They didn't repeat themselves and didn't include a lot of extraneous information. For example, to answer the common question "What's a mistake you've made recently?" the strongest candidates started with a BRIEF summary of where & when the mistake happened, walked through the actions that led to the mistake, explained clearly how they handled the error and then ended with what they learned from the incident. The worst candidates monologued; I had one who spoke for 16 minutes straight after the first question. If you find yourself rambling, stop yourself, take a deep breath and apologize. Then try to summarize your answer to the question again in a few sentences. 2. They had examples ready to share. Every question is an opportunity to let the interviewer know about a great story you produced, or a time when you shined. Have a list of your best moments handy so you can weave those concrete examples into your answers in an authentic way. 3. They showed their passion. Employers want to know that you're excited about the opportunities this job presents. Find a chance to share what motivates you and/or your career origin story (aka why you became a journalist/video editor/writer/etc.) One of my favorite candidates ended the interview by thanking us for our time and expressing how much they were interested in tackling the challenges the job would bring. 4. They acknowledged what they don't know. For example, when asked what they would do differently if they were on the team, one candidate explained what they would do but caveated it with the fact that they are viewing our content as a single user, not knowing our strategy and how data informs it. That showed me they understand audiences are diverse, and would lean into data to inform their strategy as a leader. Another smart candidate said they haven't had the opportunity to use our content management system but "couldn't wait" to get their hands on it and learn quickly. I'd rather have a fast learner than someone who knows the current system but can't pick up the next one.

Friends, many people seek advice for interviews. You'll discover your own method, which is ultimately the best, but here is my guidance based on receiving and accepting four offers from Amazon and conducting nearly 200 Amazon interviews myself. Attached is the Amazon "one sheet" I created for myself. More on this later. It's fully applicable to interviews beyond Amazon as well. First, be authentic and humble. Honesty and acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses are irreplaceable, as people can easily detect insincerity. Second, understand the company and the role for which you are applying. Many applicants fail to demonstrate a convincing passion and suitability for their chosen role. Being non-traditional is fine, but your application shouldn't seem vague or general. Third, have over 30 examples of impactful situations, whether related to Amazon's Leadership Principles (LPs) or general stories, that follow the STAR format. Ensure each story (S+T) clearly illustrates what you (not others) did (A) and the outcomes (R), including metrics if possible. Incorporate layers of thoughtfulness, such as scalability and lessons learned. Fourth, create a one-pager that organizes your preparation and serves as a reference during live interviews. As mentioned above, I've attached the actual edited (with brackets for confidentiality) one-pager I used for my Amazon interviews. I prepared three stories for each LP (42 in total), since interviewers value unique stories and it's uncertain which LPs will be discussed. I prepared three questions for the interviewer, incorporating topics throughout the job process. I crafted a four-point, 60-second summary of my resume, and a 5-minute version, as many candidates overly extend their background discussions. I also practiced delivering every LP response within five minutes, aware that people often extend their answers during the actual interview and in anticipation of follow-up questions. I prepared specific examples of successes in team/stakeholder management. For each past job, I outlined 3-6 examples of impact, serving as backups for LP stories. I noted my interests for the job I'm applying for. In this case, for my ultimate passion for games at Amazon, I went further and listed expertise in games, collectibles, non-endemics, and specific account and platform ideas. Outside of Amazon, prepare 30-40+ general anecdotes and you can make categories for different areas of impact you anticipate wanting to highlight or that they will ask about. I found this one-pager to be an optimal tool for motivation and structuring my preparation. It may seem excessive, but it worked for me, and you'll find what works for you. Given virtual interviews, having a "cheat sheet" seems even more sensible. You can find this reference sheet within resource 9 of 10 ("Career Job Pack") on my LinkedIn profile page, under the 10 video game career resources. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck in all your interviews.

Raise your hand if you get super nervous before interviews 🙋♂️ I used to be a wreck before a big interview. Knees weak, arms heavy, Mom’s spaghetti — the works! It was such a confidence killer and it seriously impacted my performance. I’d be wiping sweat off my palms hoping the interviewer didn’t notice when I shook their hand. I’d immediately forget my talking points as soon as we got started. My answers had zero conviction and most of the time I ended up nervously rambling. I’d even lose my train of thought mid-answer! Then I discovered this little hack that helped make the nerves disappear: A 10 minute pre-interview meditation 🧘♂️ You don’t need to be religious, spiritual, or "zen" to benefit. Research shows that you can reduce stress and increase mental clarity in a single meditation session — even if you’ve never done it before. All you need to do is: 1. Arrive early to your interview and find a quiet spot (your car, a park bench, etc.) 2. Search for “10 minute meditation” on YouTube or Google “Box Breathing” 3. Breathe in, breathe out, relax, and repeat Give it a shot, I promise you’ll be a different (more confident) person walking into that interview.

I've interviewed tens of thousands of candidates. The majority struggle with behavioral questions ("tell me about a time when..."). Here's my 4 step process for nailing these questions and getting your dream job: Interview questions will often explicitly or implicitly seek a specific example from your past history. When they do: 🤯 Use an actual example!!! Most candidates provide a "general" approach in response to behavioral questions (rather than a specific example). Interviewer asks "tell me about a time you were having difficulty with a colleague." Most candidates will say something like "when I'm dealing with conflict, I do X, Y, and Z" rather than "I was working with a colleague when this specific scenario occurred." The first response is not an example - it's a framework. The second response is an example. You need to give an example, and it needs to be specific. ⭐ Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method when providing examples The STAR method is a simple way to bring structure to your response: - Situation: team, company, budget, anything material as backdrop - Task: what was expected out of you, and by whom - Action: what YOU actually did - Result: what happened as a result ("we hit our KPI") From the example question above - tell me about a disagreement with a colleague - it'd be smart to give context about your relationship with the person, if you were 1:1 or in a meeting, if it was over zoom or in person - all of this context is applicable to understanding how a disagreement unfolded. LinkedIn wrote a whole page on this - check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gDpuMWMV 🍒 Frameworks are the "cherry on top" You might have a "framework" for the topic (ex: dealing with conflict, building relationships, goal setting, etc.). You can mention the framework either throughout your answer (harder), or at end of your answer (easier): eg: "on the topic of goals - [long STAR method example] - this example is a good illustration of my general goal setting approach, which is is A -> B -> C" Avoid sharing JUST the framework ("my general goal setting approach is A -> B -> C"), or leading with the framework before providing the example. 🔁 Repeat Back & Summarize Re-state their question at the end of your answer. "You asked X." Then provide back a VERY brief summary of your answer. Directly ask if you've provided the context they are looking for. By asking the question, you are reminding them as much as you are reminding yourself. You might find that you've wandered and that your story did not answer their question. If it hasn't, ask if you can provide another example, or at least acknowledge that you drifted off topic. ------------------------------------------------ 👋 Follow me (Jordan Mazer) and Jordan Carver for more tips just like this, and join the a16z speedrun talent network here: >>> https://lnkd.in/gfgRTgrm <<<

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 Ask any major league baseball player and they'll tell you to be successful at the plate takes hours of batting practice. The same applies to interviews. Answering interview questions successfully takes hours of practice. You may think you can go into an #interview and wing it, but times have changed. Like today's major league pitchers, interviewers have more pitches (questions) in their arsenal. Traditional questions like, "What is your greatest weakness,?" "Why should we hire you?" and "What would your former boss say about you?" have been replaced by more difficult questions. When I conduct mock interviews, I mainly ask behavioral-based questions because they tell me more about the candidate. Instead of the lame weakness question, I'll ask, "Can you tell me about a time when you were unorganized and as a result you failed to complete an assignment." The weakness I'm trying to discover is disorganization. If the candidate says they can't remember a time, I discover another weakness; lack of self-awareness. How do you know if a question about organization will be asked? Read the job ad carefully, and if one of the required skills is organization, expect questions to be asked about it. Then practice answering a couple of questions about when you have succeeded in an important skill, as well as when you've failed in demonstrating the important skill. How can you practice? ① Read the job ad to determine which are the most important skills and requirements. ② Write the questions you predict will asked. ③ Write the answers to the questions. ④ Rehearse answering without sounding canned. ⑤ Go a step further and have a friend, neighbor, and/or job coach ask the predicted questions and critique your answers. ⑥ The best way to practice answering interview questions is to participate in a mock interview offered by a trained interview coach like the volunteers for Candorful, an organization that provides this service for Veterans and their spouses. #InterviewTips #JobSearch #LinkedInUnleashed

She kept freezing in interviews. Not because she was unqualified. Not because she was bad at interviews. But because her brain wasn’t trained to retrieve. It was trained to recognize. Here’s the difference: ➤ Recognition = “I know it when I see it.” ➤ Recall = “Say it now. Out loud. With no cue.” And interviews? They demand recall under pressure. When we started working together, she had prepared for interviews by: – Reviewing her resume – Highlighting buzzwords – Memorizing her answers But when it was go time? She blanked. Or spiraled. Or skipped the actual point and never made it past the 2nd or 3rd round. It wasn’t a confidence issue. It was a cognitive mismatch. So we changed how she prepped. We used a method called retrieval practice. And we trained her to tell each story in multiple ways: ➤ Concise version for rapid-fire questions ➤ Context-heavy version for behavioral interviews ➤ Values-first version for leadership rounds Each rep stretched her brain’s ability to access and flex her answers without relying on scripts. Within 2.5 weeks, she went from freezing to landing 2 final rounds. Because this time, she wasn’t trying to remember. She had trained her brain to retrieve, adapt, and respond. If you keep freezing in interviews, it may not be nerves. It may be that your prep method is training the wrong muscle. Train recall. Practice variations. Build fluency under pressure. ____________________ And if we haven't met...Hi, I’m Erica Rivera, CPCC, CPRW I help people take everything they’ve done, & say it in a way that lands offers. Let’s stop downplaying your value. You deserve a role that reflects your experience, and pays you like it.

You're asked that *one* question during your interview that you were hoping they just wouldn't ask... And, you freeze ❄ I've been there, and it isn't fun. If you get to that point in an interview, remember that you can always PAUSE 🤚 Say to your interviewer, "give me a few moments to get my thoughts together to respond to your question." As someone who has been both the interviewer and interviewee, I would much rather a candidate ask for a minute to gather their thoughts than rush into a response that ends up jumbled, long, and doesn't answer the question 👀 So, when you're asked a question that stumps you... ✅ Ask for a moment to think through your answer ✅ Jot down some notes or ideas ✅ Respond when you're cool and collected 😎 You're going to crush your next interview!