Ace Your Interviews
One last thing stands between you and the offer. We're going to make sure we don't leave it up to chance.
"I used to think interviews were about proving I was the smartest person in the room. I was wrong.
Soft skills matter. Yes, even for technical roles.
In this module we'll learn how to structure our responses in STAR format and how to practice interviewing until it feels second nature."
— Jim
Quick Note: I am not familiar with interviews for other roles aside from SWE (eg. case studies for consultants) so I can't speak to those.
However, the behavioral interview preparation and mock interview advice in this module is universal.
STAR Method Template
Writing my stories in this template was the way I prepared for my Amazon behavioral interviews. Try for key points, not memorization.
📚 Behavioral Interview Prep
"We don't rise to the occasion, we fall back on our training."
📋 Prepare Your 7 Core Stories (Do NOT "Wing It")▼
Every job interview includes behavioral questions. While technical interviews vary by role, behavioral interviews are universal. Here's how to prepare:
1. Tell Me About Yourself
One concise answer that highlights your background, key experiences, and what you're looking for.
2. Strengths & Leadership (2 stories)
Showcase your strengths and leadership abilities. Focus on impact and results.
3. Weaknesses & Failures (2 stories)
Demonstrate how you handle challenges and learn from failures.
4. Teamwork & Conflict (2 stories)
Show how you collaborate and resolve disagreements.
Pro tip: These 7 stories are not exhaustive. But they will prepare you for 80% of behavioral questions I've seen across tech and corporate interviews. Feel free to scan through online question lists to prepare more.
🎯 Practice Is Non-Negotiable▼
Whether you're interviewing for a technical role or not, practice is mandatory. Here's how to do it effectively:
1. Practice Your Stories
Take your 7 core stories and practice them out loud until they feel natural. Focus on:
Memorizing key points, not a script
Practice them as variations to different questions - same story, different framing
2. Mock Interviews
Get real practice with feedback. This applies to technical interviews too. Options include:
Friends or mentors (free, but may lack expertise)
Paid services (more structured, expert feedback)
AI voice chat (convenient, available 24/7) - I'd recommend ChatGPT advanced voice with a prompt like "You are a seasoned interviewer. I am applying for a [job title] position. Please interview me as if you are the hiring manager." Calibrate as needed.
Pro tip: Don't skip practicing.
💻 Technical Interview Prep (For Software Engineers)
Important Note: This section is specifically for Software Engineering roles. If you're applying for non-SWE positions, you can skip this section and focus on the behavioral interview preparation above.
My LeetCode Tracker
I've made my personal LeetCode tracking spreadsheet public for you to use as inspiration.
🎥 My Technical Interview Journey▼
Video Note: Jump to 3:15 for my specific technical interview preparation strategy and timeline.
Key Points from the Video:
Track each LeetCode problem you solve, marking revisit and note down your intuition for solving the problem in your tracking system.
Practice technical interviews out loud - either in a mock interview, to AI, or to yourself when practicing
📚 Technical Interview Resources▼
LeetCode - The central platform for practice. I'd recommend buying the subscription. Think about how insignificant the cost is compared to landing a higher paying job.
Blind 75 - The OG. The list of 75 problems I personally used. Combined with practicing speaking out loud and some supplemental problems, this was sufficient for my preparation.
NeetCode 150 - A more comprehensive list of 150 problems. I hear this recommended by some. If you want to be extra prepared, this is a great resource to work through.
🎯 My Technical Interview Strategy▼
Don't be afraid to look at solutions. If you're stuck for 30 minutes without progress, look at the solution. Understand it, then revisit the problem in a few days. You can't recognize patterns you've never seen before.
Think out loud 80% of the time. Make speaking through your thought process second nature. This was crucial for my success in actual interviews. It is completely unnatural at first, so you have to get used to it.
Mock interviews are essential. Use friends or you can try ChatGPT Pro's voice function - I haven't extensively tested this fyi. The key is practicing in an interview-like setting. If you can afford it you can consider a paid service like interviewing.io.
Pro Tip: I spent around 3 months preparing and did LeetCode almost every day. Spaced repetition was helpful for me if I needed to revisit problems.
My Experience: When I was interviewing for my current role, I took over 10 days of PTO total - both for preparation and the actual interviews. I scheduled 4 onsite interviews within a 2-week period, which allowed me to:
Fully focus on each interview without work distractions
Maintain momentum and stay in "interview mode"
Align offer timelines for better negotiation leverage
It was a significant time investment, but it paid off - I over-doubled my salary at my current role.
🚦 Interview Logistics
The logistics of your interview process can make or break your success. Here's how to handle it:
📅 Batch Final Rounds for Maximum Leverage▼
When I was interviewing, I scheduled all my final rounds within the same week. This allowed me to:
Take time off work and fully focus. No more worrying about scheduling too many "dentist appointments".
Align timelines for offers, which is essential for negotiation leverage
Lock into "interview mode" for a week.
Pro tip: Once one offer drops, it's much easier to accelerate timelines with others ("Hey, I just received an offer—do you think we can wrap up this process in the next week?").
🗓️ Manage PTO and Scheduling▼
Planning your time off and interview schedule is crucial:
Block off PTO in advance for final rounds
Schedule interviews in the mid-morning when you and the interviewer fresh. Call me superstitious, but I am iffy about afternoon interviews because I don't want to meet a hangry/lethargic interviewer.
Pro tip: If you're working full-time, try to schedule interviews on the same days to minimize time off and stay in the "interview zone" - if you can handle it.
My Edge: I don't believe I'm the most technically capable interview taker out there. But what I am good at is being personable and making interviews feel like conversations rather than interrogations.
I focus on building rapport. People want to work with people they like.
I treat technical challenges as collaborative problem-solving sessions
I show genuine interest in the interviewer's experience
Having interviewed folks for Google, I believe that as long as you're "good enough" on the technical side, soft skills can really go the distance to fill the gap. It's near impossible to be the most technically brilliant, it's simple to be personable.
🎯 Taking the Interview
Game day is here. Here's how to perform at your best:
🧠 Mental Preparation▼
The night before and morning of your interview:
Don't force sleep—accept whatever rest you get. If you're nervous and can't sleep, don't fight it!
Trust your preparation. If you truly feel unprepared, that means you need to practice more for the next one.
Pro tip: Do a quick meditation or breathing exercise before the interview to center yourself. It actually helps.
🤝 During the Interview▼
The best interviews I had? They felt like conversations, not interrogations. Here's how I did that:
Be personable and treat the interviewer like a human. Crazy that this has to be said, but people forget this when they're nervous.
Prepare 1-2 questions to ask the interviewer - you can reuse these for every interview.
This applies to all interview types—technical interviews, case studies, or role-specific challenges. You're not there to silently solve problems like a lab rat while the interviewer views you behind a glass pane.
📝 After the Interview▼
Congratulations on making it through the interview. Do this brief post-interview debrief before unwinding:
Reflect on how it went, what you did well, what you could improve, and what you learned. Actual interviews are the best form of practice and signal.
If you have the interviewer's email, send a quick thank-you note. Small gestures can go a long way. At Google, interviewers have a time gap between the interview itself and submitting feedback.
We're all human. If you're on the edge, it could give you the nudge you need. Doesn't hurt to try.
(Optional) Inform the recruiter that you've completed the interviews and thank them for their time thus far. I always wanted to hear back ASAP, so I wanted to keep my interview loop at the top of their mind.
Lastly: Offer Negotiation
Once you've received an offer, congratulations! You've worked hard, so let's make sure you're getting the best deal possible.
How to evaluate and compare offers
Strategies for negotiating
How to gain leverage in any negotiation
If you're building freedom too — or thinking about what comes next — you can follow my journey here: