“How Can I Get Better at Interviews?” 

Hi,

I’m an experienced programmer, but my company’s been sold, and I’m back in the job market. I’m naturally more of a quiet guy, and I find that I’m not coming across well in interviews. When I got my first job, I had a personal connection with the company’s owner and didn’t have a formal interview, so I can’t draw on that experience. Any advice?

Let’s start by taking some of the fear out of the interview process.

Think of an interview like this: Both you and the interviewer are characters onstage, and you each have a role to play. The interviewer’s role is to ascertain if you have the skills and experience to do the job well. Your role is to show that you do. They’ll ask you questions to try and figure that out, you’ll prepare answers that showcase your abilities. While you won’t know in advance the specific questions you’ll be asked, the best way to prepare is by determining what your main skills are, and coming up with stories — yes, stories — that highlight you using them.

Start by creating a simple list of things you’ve done at work that you’re proud of. You might decide to spend an hour or more of focused time doing this, or you can start a list and jot down one thought a day over a week or two. The goal is to come up with five to ten scenarios that came up at work that highlight your skills. This list can include anything from major challenging situations, to small detailed things that you took pride in. From the changes you’ve made to a system, to your relationships with coworkers. The magic in this method is that we often do things that we don’t think of as stories, and likely have never talked about. Actually writing them down helps them become active stories that you can share in an interview.