Preparing for Job Interviews

If a job applicant said "I have no idea how to grow your startup" would you hire them as your VP of Growth? (Because I probably would). Wait, hear me out… If there was an obvious way to grow your startup, you'd already have done it. If you haven’t, you're betting on your next hire to help figure it out. But candidates with the most confidence often, paradoxically, have the hardest time uncovering new ideas, thanks to the “illusion of knowledge bias.” 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 - Individuals mistakenly believe they possess a deeper understanding of a topic than they actually do. They overestimate their knowledge and fail to recognize the gaps in their understanding, leading to poor decision-making and an unwillingness to seek further information. Wait, it gets worse - Commitment & consistency bias If they claim to know the right strategy, they will become anchored to that approach, even if it's incorrect, thanks to the Commitment & Consistency bias. (That's the one that says: After we state a position, we’re far more likely to act in accordance with that belief, even if it’s incorrect, and less likely to consider alternatives.) What should you do instead? When interviewing candidates, focus less on how much they know, and more on how quickly they can figure things out. That starts the moment a candidate walks in the door. People are uncomfortable admitting “I don’t know” — especially in a job interview! So take a moment to create space for humility and candor in the conversation. Talk about your own mistakes and blind spots, and explain that you don’t expect people to have all the answers – only to figure them out. Then ask questions about their experience finding and applying new information, such as: 1. Tell me about a time when you were wrong about something? How did you find out? And what did you do as a result? 2. What’s something you learned recently from your customers or your data that surprised you? What did you do with that information? 3. Looking at our business, what things do we need to figure out before we can scale? And how do you suggest we bottom those things out? 4. Tell me about a time when you had to tell your boss they were wrong, how did that conversation go? These aren’t easy questions, give them time to think. As they’re answering, focus on what they say plus how they say it. Are they comfortable talking about surprises and unknowns? Simple next step Be honest with yourself, are you hiring a VP of “drive it like you stole it” or a VP of “figure out how to grow my business?” If you need someone to figure it out, hire with that explicit mandate, and ask the whole team to do everything they can to support the discovery process. By the way, this approach can also unlock thinking in your existing team. Helpful? Follow me for more Matt Lerner .

After hiring 2,000+ people over 20 years in business, I’ve come to one undeniable conclusion: You’ve got to stop trying to hire the “smartest” people, and look for people with these 8 traits instead: Hiring the brainy candidate with a shiny CV, stellar IQ might feel like the way to go. But I’ve learned the hard way that someone’s character and qualities - that certain traits - are much better predictors of fit… and therefore success. Plus, business is never static. So you need individuals who can go beyond what they’re hired for. It all starts with having a growth mindset. The kind that can help you tackle challenges head-on. I’ll take someone who gets a kick out of trying new and unfamiliar things over the so-called expert, just about any day. I want an ambitious team of autonomous people that think for themselves. Not an assembly line of machines that do what they are told to do. I look for and celebrate people who thrive in adversity, because life rarely goes to plan. Proactive and resourceful thinkers. These are the people that consistently deliver. Energy is important for me, too. Trust me when I say you want people on your team that positively energize those around them. It makes creating together infinitely more rewarding. And then there’s infallibility…nothing kills trust faster than an infallible team member. You want a culture where mistakes aren’t punished, but also one where those who make them don’t deny responsibility. Otherwise, you don’t learn your lessons, nothing gets fixed, and growth stagnates. I often tell my team: “It’s okay to be wrong… and you won’t know unless you try.” During the interview process I also like to observe how convincingly candidates can convey their ideas… and note how intently they listen to feedback and how quickly they adjust. It helps me evaluate critical things like… • Can they communicate well with others? • Will they understand and support their teammates? • Can they drop their agenda and contribute to a common goal? Finally, every job will entail doing things that you don’t like. Do they still approach those tasks with the same passion and integrity? Can they leave aside personal likes and dislikes to do what’s best for the team? As Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, once said: “No task is beneath me.” So in summary, perhaps it’s not that you shouldn’t hire “the smartest people” per se... but rather that you should look for people with these traits. Because they, in fact, ARE “the smartest people”. --- If this resonated, repost to your network. And follow Eric Partaker for more. Want a high-res PDF of this infographic? Try my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dF-VwKqi You’ll also get 60+ high-value resources on business, leadership & peak performance for free.

I've interviewed 100s of candidates for $100k+ roles. It's not the person with the best experience who wins. It's the one who is best prepared for the interview. 6 common questions you need to prepare for: 1. Tell me about yourself. ➟ Don't recite your resume. Tell them a story. ➟ Share a defining moment in your career journey. ➟ Tie it to your enthusiasm for the role and company. 2. What are your strengths? ➟ Focus on strengths crucial for the role. ➟ Back them up with numbers and examples. ➟ Show how they'll directly benefit the company. 3. What's your greatest weakness? ➟ Choose a skill not critical for the job. ➟ Show self-awareness and a focus on growth. ➟ Explain how you're actively working to improve it. 4. How do you handle stress or pressure? ➟ Share an example of a high-pressure situation. ➟ Highlight your approach to stay calm and focused. ➟ Demonstrate how you lead by example. 5. What are your salary expectations? ➟ Show you've done your research on market rates. ➟ Provide a range rather than a single figure. ➟ Emphasize your value and openness to negotiation. 6. Can you tell me about the gap in your resume? ➟ Be honest and brief about the reason for the gap. ➟ Focus on skills or experiences gained in that time. ➟ Express your excitement to re-enter the workforce. And just as important... Remember, you're interviewing the company too. Ask smart questions about: The role The culture The company An interview is a two-way street. It's not just about impressing them. It's about finding the right fit for you too. So don't hold back. Be curious. Be authentic. Be confident. You've got this. P.S. Find this valuable? Repost to help others too ♻️. And follow Justin Wright for more. Want a PDF of this and my 50 best infographics? Get them here for free: brilliancebrief.com

Over the last few years, I’ve switched jobs, given many interviews, and spent hundreds of hours optimizing my resume and profile. During this journey, I made plenty of mistakes that cost me time and opportunities. So today, I want to share these genuine mistakes—and more importantly, how you can avoid them: Applying Randomly & Everywhere: In the early stages, I thought applying to as many jobs as possible was the key. Big mistake! Quality always beats quantity. Lesson: Tailor each application to the job role. Research the company and make sure your resume aligns with their requirements. Ignoring LinkedIn & Online Presence: Initially, my LinkedIn profile was incomplete and poorly optimized. I underestimated the power of LinkedIn visibility. Lesson: Your online presence matters. A complete, active LinkedIn profile attracts opportunities you’d never find by traditional methods alone. Sending Generic Cold Messages: I used to send cold messages like "Hi, can you refer me?" which rarely received replies. Lesson: Craft a concise, clear message. Always include the specific role, job link/ID, your resume, and a short summary of your skills. Poor Resume Formatting: My resume had too many graphics, complicated formatting, and lacked the right keywords. This reduced my ATS compatibility. Lesson: Keep your resume simple, structured, and ATS-friendly. Use clear headings, bullet points, and keywords from the job description. Not Preparing for the "Tell Me About Yourself" Question: I used to treat this question lightly and gave long, vague answers. The interviewer would lose interest quickly. Lesson: Prepare a structured 1-minute summary focusing on your experience, skills, and how you match the job you're interviewing for. Underestimating the Job Description: I didn't closely analyze the job description and often missed key details required by employers. Lesson: Job descriptions are gold. Analyze them carefully and reflect their highlighted skills and requirements in your application and interviews. Overlooking Company Research: During interviews, I would have limited knowledge about the company's products or mission. This made my answers generic. Lesson: Always research the company’s recent activities, products, and news. It helps you answer questions meaningfully and shows genuine interest. Getting Demotivated by Rejections: Early rejections made me question my capabilities, negatively impacting future interviews. Lesson: Every rejection is a lesson. Ask for feedback, reflect, and improve. Rejection means redirection—not the end of the road. Negotiation Mistakes: I used to accept offers quickly without proper negotiation due to the fear of losing the offer. Lesson: Negotiate politely but confidently. Companies expect this. Always understand your market worth, and clearly communicate your value. Have you made similar mistakes or learned something valuable from your own job search? Share your experiences in the comments—let's help each other grow!

How long should you spend preparing for a job interview? Probably a lot more time than you think. When I was interviewing at Microsoft, Google, and Twitter I spent about 15-20 hours *per company.* Why? There were a LOT of things in the job search that I couldn’t control. Preparation wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t going to let anyone out-hustle me. I was going to walk out of that interview knowing I gave it everything I had. Here’s how I broke down my prep: Step #1 (5 Hours): Company Research Listen to earnings calls, read articles, listen to interviews with execs, look into competitors, etc. Step #2 (5 Hours): Research Interviewers Do a deep dive on each interviewer - who they are, what their role entails, what their goals are, what their personality is like. Then come up with a plan to engage. Step #3 (5 Hours): Research, Record, Reflect, & Refine My Answers I would draft up answers to questions I might be asked, then I'd record myself delivering them. I'd watch the recording, see where I could improve, and do it all over again. Step #4 (5 Hours): Create a VVP Finally, I'd use everything I'd learned to put together a Value Validation Project to help sell my value and make my case. Now I'm not saying you need to spend 20 hours preparing. But if you're not converting interviews into offers? Inadequate preparation is probably the largest factor in that outcome.

“Design Whatsapp.” “Design Uber.” “Design Netflix.” How to actually approach these high level design problems in an interview? You’ve to think clearly, step by step. Here’s how I approached my Design rounds- ✅ Clarify the problem first. Ask basic questions: – Who are the users? – How many users? – What are the must-have features? Don’t assume anything. Understand the need properly. ✅ Define the scale. Rough numbers like daily active users, QPS (queries per second), storage needed — they’ll guide your design choices. ✅ Sketch the basic building blocks. Clients → APIs → Application Servers → Databases → Caches → Queues. Start simple. You can add complexity later if needed. ✅ Walk through the data flow. Explain how a request travels in your system. Where it goes, how it’s processed, and how the response comes back. ✅ Think about scalability and reliability. Talk about load balancing, replication, database sharding, caching strategies. Show how your system will survive real-world traffic. ✅ Discuss bottlenecks and trade-offs. No design is perfect. Acknowledge what might break and how you can fix or improve it later. You don’t have to build the “perfect” system in 45 minutes. You just need to show a clear thought process and adapt as you discuss. That’s what good interviews look for — not perfection, but how you think. All the best!❤️

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking—but the right prep can help you stand out. The best candidates don’t just answer questions—they tell compelling stories, showcase impact, and align their skills with the role. Here’s how: ✅ 1. Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” Clearly This answer should be concise (90-120 sec) but detailed enough to showcase your career journey. 📌 Present: What you do now & key skills 📌 Past: Relevant experience & accomplishments 📌 Future: Why this role excites you 💡 Example (~2 min): "I’m a Digital Marketing Manager at [Company], leading paid media & SEO. I helped increase conversions by 40% and improve engagement by 25%. Before that, I developed a segmentation strategy at [Previous Company] that boosted email engagement by 30%. I’m excited about this role because I see [Company] scaling its digital strategy, and I’d love to contribute my expertise." 🚀 Tip: Practice out loud to ensure a smooth, confident delivery. ✅ 2. Use STAR for Behavioral Questions For “Tell me about a time when…”, structure answers with STAR: ✔ Situation – Context of the challenge ✔ Task – What you needed to accomplish ✔ Action – Steps you took ✔ Result – Impact & measurable outcomes 💡 Example: "At [Company], our email engagement was dropping. I redesigned the email strategy (A), ran A/B tests (A), and increased open rates by 25% (R)." ✅ 3. “Why Should We Hire You?” → Sell Your Value 📌 Formula: What they need → How you fit → A past success 💬 Example: "You’re looking for someone to optimize ad performance. At [Company], I boosted ROI by 40% in six months. I’d love to bring that expertise to your team." ✅ 4. Be Ready for Salary Discussions ❌ Mistake: Giving a number too early. ✅ Better: Deflect until you know more. 📌 Example Response: "I’d love to learn more about the role before discussing numbers. What’s the budgeted range for this position?" 🔥 Final Thoughts: Preparation = Confidence ✔ Use Present-Past-Future for introductions ✔ Answer behavioral questions with STAR ✔ Align your skills with the company’s needs ✔ Handle salary talks strategically 👉 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others ace their interviews! 🔥

Why do interviews feel like a trap?  “What are your weaknesses?”   “How do you handle stress?”  These questions aren’t just about your flaws.   They’re a test of your self-awareness, resilience, and growth mindset.  Top candidates don’t fear tough questions.   They use them to stand out.  Here’s how:  --- 1. Understand What They’re Really Asking   - Weaknesses? They want to see honesty and self-awareness.   - Stress? They’re looking for problem-solving and resilience.  2. Show, Don’t Just Tell   - Share examples of how you’ve tackled challenges.   - Highlight growth—how you’ve turned weaknesses into strengths.  3. Align Your Answers to the Role   - Connect your responses to what the company values.   - Show them why you’re the best fit, even in tough moments.  --- The takeaway:   Interviews aren’t about perfection—they’re about connection.   Show who you are, and how you grow under pressure.  What’s the toughest interview question you’ve faced?   Share your experience in the comments.   Save this for your next job search.   Share it with someone preparing for an interview.   Follow Jay Mount for more tips on growth, leadership, and career success.  

If I had a system design interview tomorrow at Google, this is exactly how I’d approach it.   (This framework helped me crack 3 FAANG+ companies in the past, including Amazon.)  Most engineers fail system design interviews not because they lack knowledge but because they lack structure.  You don’t need to memorize 100 architectures. You need a structured and easy-to-apply approach that works every time.  Here’s how I break it down:   1/ Clarify the Problem Before Writing Anything   - System design interviews aren’t about throwing buzzwords—they’re about trade-offs.   - Start with scoping → Are we designing just one feature or the entire system?   - Ask constraints upfront → How many users? Read/write ratio? Latency requirements?   - Define success criteria → What matters most? Scalability? Cost? Low-latency?  Most candidates assume things and jump into solutions.   I make sure I know what we’re solving before I even start.   2/ Define Functional & Non-Functional Requirements Clearly   - Functional: What features does the system need?   - Non-functional: What are the performance expectations?   - What’s the biggest technical challenge? (This helps guide the discussion.)  Example: If we’re designing YouTube, is the focus on video uploads, recommendations, or live streaming?   Each has a different set of constraints.   3/ Estimate the Scale & Plan Capacity Like an Engineer   - Users per second? Requests per second?   - Storage needs? If we store 10MB per user and have 100M users, what does that mean?   - Throughput? Can a single database handle the load, or do we need sharding?  Most candidates throw random numbers.   I do quick, back-of-the-envelope calculations to validate my assumptions.   4/ Break the System into Core Components (High-Level Design)   - Define the major building blocks → API Gateway, Load Balancer, Service Layers, Databases.   - Don’t overcomplicate. Simple and scalable always wins.   - Clearly define the interactions between services.  If I’m designing a messaging app, I break it down into:   — User Service (auth, profiles)   — Messaging Service (storing chats)   — Notification Service (real-time updates)   — Media Storage (for images, videos)  Each has different constraints, so I build around what’s most important.  Continued Here: https://lnkd.in/eiHQs-qT P.S. If you’re preparing for tech interviews or appearing soon for one as a SWE. Check out my book Awesome Tech Interviews. It will help you: — Learn techniques to win behavioral interviews — Learn DSA with a detailed 6-month roadmap — Build your foundations of System Design - all in one place. Along with 300+ free online resources. Digital copy: https://lnkd.in/efc7u85w Paperback (Available on Amazon internationally): https://lnkd.in/ePWCr74g

Hiring managers remember the questions you ask. 8 questions that show you're serious about the role: ➤ "What would success look like in this role in the first 6 months?" - Shows you're focused on delivering value - Sets clear expectations from day one - Demonstrates immediate impact planning ➤ "Could you share more about the team's biggest challenge right now, and how this role would help address it?" - Demonstrates proactive problem-solving mindset - Shows your interest in making an impact - Reveals your solution-oriented approach to problems ➤ "How does this team's work align with the company's 5-year vision?" - Shows strategic thinking - Signals long-term commitment - Demonstrates big-picture understanding ➤ "Can you tell me more about the team's decision-making process for major projects?" - Reveals interest in team dynamics - Shows you're thinking about collaboration - Helps you understand team structure ➤ "What professional development opportunities are available for someone in this role?" - Demonstrates ambition - Shows commitment to growing within the company - Reveals your dedication to continuous learning ➤ "Could you share an example of how constructive feedback is typically delivered within the team?" - Shows emotional intelligence - Highlights interest in team communication - Demonstrates maturity in handling feedback ➤ "How might [recent company announcement/initiative] impact this team's priorities?" - Shows you've done your research - These questions are better than standard questions - Positions you as someone who thinks about business context (Example: "How might the recent expansion into the EMEA market affect this team's product roadmap?") ➤ "What are the next steps in the interview process and what timeline do you anticipate?" - Always ask if it’s not mentioned - Ensures clear follow-up expectations - Gives you an idea on when to send a follow-up email if you haven’t heard back The questions you ask can be just as impactful as the answers you give. Save this post for your next second interview! What questions would you add to this list?  Share below! 👇