(Transcript)

tl;dr

Great candidates certainly know their stuff. They’re smart. And they have good habits. Here are some of the good habits we’ve noticed across levels and engineering roles.

Note: There are some negotiation tips in here, which might not seem relevant, but since they are rarely asked in behavioral rounds, it seems reasonable to share.

Don’t answer hypotheticals

The purpose of a behavioral round is to use data about your prior behavior to predict your future behavior. That’s why many behavioral questions start off with “Tell me about a time when…” However, they don’t always start out that way. The pro tip is to presuppose the “tell me about a time when” and put it in front of their question. The reason to do this is because speaking about a hypothetical situation provides less signal (for your future behavior) than speaking about one of your past experiences.

“I don’t know”

The smartest people know when they don’t know. The best interview candidates, counterintuitively, say “I don’t know.” If you don’t know something, and refuse to voice that, the interviewer will continue to dig in. “They must know, because they aren’t saying they don’t” is basically the thought. Some interviewers actually wait for you to say “I don’t know” to signal you aren’t egotistical and willing to accept when you’re at the bounds of your knowledge.

Next time you’re in an interview, and you don’t know an answer, do this

If you have no idea what they just asked you about. Be upfront and say “I don’t know what that is.” If you are unsure of the answer, but you have an idea, say: “I don’t know! I’m going to look it up later, but if I had to guess I’d say [Guess] based on [Rationale.]”

Clarify (before and/or after)

If you’re ever unsure of a question, clarify before you dive in. “You want to hear about ‘competing priorities?’”

If you’re ever unsure of your answer, clarify at the end. “Did I answer your question?”

Do not clarify every single time as if it’s a coding problem. If you do that you’ll seem junior. Only do it when you’re unsure.

Do not use the exact same language every time for a clarification, you’ll seem like a robot. “Did I answer your question, did I answer your question?” Vary it slightly: “Did I cover what you wanted there?”

Leave breadcrumbs in the direction you want them to go

An interview is a conversation. You have to know the conversation points you’d like to hit. Every engineer has 1-2 (at least) projects that they are most comfortable talking about. Whether they’re your meatiest projects or the most challenging or simply the ones you’ve discussed the most–you probably don’t want to leave a behavioral round without mentioning them. So, make sure they get time to shine. Mention pieces or highlights (one sentence can do) to pique your interviewer’s interest to increase the chances of them asking you to tell them more.

“I don’t have X, but how about Y?”

Let’s say you’re asked an incredibly specific question, like “Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a non-technical executive.” And let’s say you don’t have a story that’s  1:1 match, but you have something similar. The pro tip is to share with the interviewer that you have a semi-relevant story and ask if they’d like to hear that.

The golden rule in interviewing (and negotiation is): If it doesn’t help improve their valuation of you, don’t share it.

The shorthand version, which we refer to throughout the course is “If it doesn't help, then don’t share it.”

Do you know why the Sopranos is such a good show? Partly because of the script. And why is the script good? Partly because it’s not about what the characters say, it’s what they don’t say.

They don’t say: “We’re gonna whack Tony.”

They do say: “Tony is not gonna show up to work tomorrow.”

Similarly, great interviewers (and negotiators) know what to not say. There are many applications of this rule–too many to name–and here are the 3 most common.

Never share:

• Anything that lowers your BATNA (the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement; basically, if you don’t accept an offer you’re given, what alternatives do you have?)
  • If you only have one offer, your BATNA is usually your current job. Saying anything negative (implicitly or explicitly) about your current job lowers your BATNA, and therefore lowers your negotiating power. Something as simple as “The product is in maintenance mode now and I want to find a place where that's not the case” can lower your BATNA. Do not do it!
• Your compensation expectations, until you get an initial offer
• What companies you’re interviewing with and the rounds of those interviews, until you get an initial offer. When that time comes, you can share the details selectively.

Key takeaways

Correlation doesn’t equal causation, yet incorporating these habits into your interviewing skillset will score you an insane amount of bonus points with your interviewer, and they include:

• Don’t answer hypothetical questions. Instead, presuppose the “Tell me about a time when…” before their hypothetical and give a real experience from your past. Even though they didn’t ask for it, it’s more predictive of your future behavior.
• Say “ I don’t know” and make educated guesses when you can (and clearly say you’re making an educated guess)
• Don’t misunderstand the question. Ask clarifying questions–and vary the way you do this–whenver you aren’t clear enough.
• Think strategically about the stuff you want to make sure they hear you say in a behavioral round, and then leave breadcrumbs in that direction so interviewers invite those stories.
• Reframe irrelevant questions into semi-relevant questions wherever possible
• Unless it adds to their valuation of your skillset, don’t say it