Preparing Real-Life Examples For Interviews

In the last eight years, I have interviewed 500+ Software Engineers for various roles. Here are the most actionable tips I can give you on how to do better during your behavioral round. 1/ Set the Stage Clearly - Describe the Situation or Task that needed solving. Focus on the challenge. - Example: "The API response times were too slow, affecting user experience, and I was tasked with optimizing it within a sprint." - Keep it short. If the interviewer wants more details, they’ll ask. 2/ Focus on Key Actions - Highlight 3 core actions you took to solve the problem. - Example: "I profiled the API calls, implemented caching for frequent queries, and reduced payload size by 30%." - Stick to impactful actions. Each action should take under 2 minutes to explain. 3/ Use “I” to Show Ownership - Make it clear what you did to demonstrate leadership and initiative. - Example: "I spearheaded the migration from monolithic architecture to microservices, improving scalability by 40%." - Avoid saying "we" too much. The interviewer needs to know if you led the effort or just contributed. 4/ Stick to Facts, Avoid Emotions - Keep your answers factual, even when discussing challenges. - Example: Instead of "I was frustrated with a teammate’s slow progress," say, "I scheduled a pair programming session to help them meet the deadline." 5/ Understand the Purpose of the Question - Think about what the interviewer is trying to assess—teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, or technical expertise. - Example: If asked about handling conflict, they want to see how you navigate disagreements productively. Frame your response accordingly. 6/ Use Data to Back Your Results - Quantify your impact wherever possible. - Example: "After optimizing the query logic, I reduced database read times by 40%, cutting down page load times by 2 seconds." - Data shows real impact and demonstrates the value you bring. 7/ Keep It Interactive - Make your responses concise to encourage follow-up questions from the interviewer. - Example: "I automated the deployment pipeline, cutting release times from 2 hours to 15 minutes. If you'd like, I can explain the challenges I faced setting up the CI/CD tools." 8/ Maintain good eye contact -Eye contact showcases confidence -In the era of online interviewing, it’s even more critical to showcase your focus via eye contact. And one thing you should never do in the behavioral interview is makeup details. It’s visible how shallow a story is if someone grills you on the details. I hope these tips will help you achieve great results. – P.S: Follow me for more insights on Software engineering.

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.

How I prepared for my UX design interview at Electronic Arts (EA) that helped me land the job! I’d look at their mission, customers, competitors, and products when preparing for company-specific interviews. I’d then bring in specific examples from my experiences that relate to that. For example, for gaming company interviews, I emphasized the areas of my projects that relate to gaming and the gamer demographic. I also researched the games industry and wrote down some trends that I'm most excited about, why, and (if applicable) how it relates to my past work. I specifically prepared: ⭐️ 2 case studies to present on my portfolio (so they can scroll through before the interview) and slides to present during the interview. I used my projects (Cell-fie and Discord Bookmarks - link below). ⭐️ A doc of the commonly asked behavioral questions with answers in the STAR method. I’d look through Glassdoor to see what has been asked in the past. Do bullet points so it sounds like you’re not reading off a script. ⭐️ Practiced critiquing the top most popular apps for app critique interviews. Specifically, I’d analyze the visual design, interaction design, business model, and why I think the team who made the app made the decisions they did (focus on the “why” instead of the “what”) ⭐️ Practiced presenting my case studies (to non-designers and designers) and ran through mock interviews with designers in the Design Buddies Discord community. You can also ask your recruiter and hiring manager what to prepare! They want you to win because hiring is expensive. — RESOURCES!  👩🏻💻 My portfolio + case studies that you’re welcome to reference. I haven’t updated my product design side because I haven’t interviewed for a job since 2020, but this worked for me: https://grace-ling.com 🐰 If you like more design/career content, you’ll enjoy Design Buddies Discord and newsletter. https://lnkd.in/gkxHBgv  https://lnkd.in/gYqmHxaM 💡 10 week design project cohort if you need some real world UX design experience to add to your portfolio, staring mid February. We added another cohort because we keep filling up. https://lnkd.in/gy2JEpcU — 💬 What other topics in UX & career do y'all need help on? #UX #UXDesign #ProductDesign #JobSearch #DesignJobs

Had a client come to me last week: 12 interviews. 4 final rounds. Zero offers. The problem? She was treating interviews like a history lesson. Here's the exact framework we used to land her 2 offers in 10 days 👇 1. The Brutal Truth Most candidates think interviews are about sharing experience. Dead wrong. Companies care about ONE thing: future value. Your past? Just proof you can deliver it. 2. The Fatal Flaw When I reviewed her interview prep, it hit me: She was summarizing her career like a Wikipedia page. Hoping interviewers would connect the dots. They weren't. 3. The Simple Shift We flipped the script. Stop summarizing past achievements. Start selling future impact. Here's exactly how: 4. Deep Research First • Read recent earnings calls • Study leadership interviews • Talk to current employees • Analyze competitor moves Focus: Find their burning challenges. 5. The Power Opening Lead every answer with: "In preparing for today, I noticed [specific challenge/goal]. Here's how I can help..." 6. The Evidence Bridge THEN drop your experience - but always tie it to their needs. 7. The Closer End strong: "I've been thinking about how to solve [their challenge]. Want to hear my ideas?" 8. Real Example ❌ Old approach: "At Tesla, I led a team of 5 engineers and improved production efficiency by 23%..." ✅ New approach: "In preparing for today, I noticed your CEO mentioned supply chain optimization as your top priority. At Tesla, I led initiatives that cut production bottlenecks by 23%. I've been thinking about how those same principles could help you reduce your current 6-week component delays..." 9. The Results Her next 3 interviews? 2 offers. Why? She stopped giving history lessons. Started selling solutions instead. 🔄 Share this if it helps - let's get more people hired this month! 🗯️ What is your best interview tip? Drop it below! Resume Assassin Resume Sidekick #jobsearch #interviews #resume #gethired #jobopening #recruiter

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.