📗 The 3-Step Playbook for Effective Interview Prep

Hello there 😎 

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn my 3-step process you can use to efficiently and effectively prepare for interviews -- so you can land an offer and move on with your life. 

Plus, the best links and resources... you'll learn:

• 😢 Single parents missing out on job interviews 

• 🧑‍💻 5 tech companies hiring remote right now

• 🧑‍🎤 Digital influence - the most important career skill

Let’s jump in:

⏩ Quick updates

👧 Annabel turned 4 last week! I write a birthday letter every year. Here’s this year’s.

💻️ 4 seats left for LARJ. The next cohort of my Land A Remote Job program starts on October 9th. Check out past results.

Here's the TL;DR

• 8-week group coaching program. With a curriculum, community, and office hours that will help you land your first (or next) remote job

• Designed for knowledge workers with 1+ years experience. We’ll cover the fundamentals like how to research roles, polish your resume, and where to find roles. Plus, advanced strategies like getting on the inside track to learn about roles before they’re announced and how to win interviews.

• This is a live and asynchronous community. We’re here to support you for 8-weeks (and beyond) but you can move at your own pace.

See what past students had to say. 

Click below to learn more:

🤷 “I’d rather not get my hopes crushed”

The interviewing game has changed.

“There was a:

• Screen

• Hiring manager

• Writing test

• Technical writing test panel

• 90 minutes reviewing my entire work history

…after 2 follow-ups, the recruiter finally called to tell me I didn’t get it.”

If you’ve ever been in this spot, just know: you’re not alone. 

Competition is tight. Employers know they can be picky. According to the WSJ, hiring time is averaging 11 weeks, up from seven weeks in 2021 (and interview rounds increasing from two to 3-4). 

The problem is most people don’t have a good process for preparing for interviews. They think they can “wing it”, because they’re a “good speaker.”

But interviewing is not about being a “good speaker”. It’s a game of preparation. In this issue, I’ll cover the three steps I use (and teach to clients) on how to prepare for interviews: 

1. Research questions interviewers will ask

2. Craft perfect answers 

3. Practice until perfect

1/ Research questions interviewers will ask

Here’s how you research questions interviewers will ask: 

1/ Record and review questions from past interviews

Nearly all interviews have a virtual component these days, remote job or otherwise. This means you have the luxury of recording your side of the conversation. (Use your phone's Voice Memo app.) 

2/ Ask friends or former colleagues at the company

Here's how I'd frame it the ask: 

3/ Review the company's career page

Some companies will share exactly what to expect for their interviews on the career page. Or the recruiter will share this information with you directly. If they don't, ask.

4/ Ask the recruiter

Recruiters often get a bad rap. Here's the truth: the recruiter is on your side. They want you to be successful. When you do well, they do well. Here's how I'd frame the ask:

Whatever they say, believe them.

5/ Check Glassdoor interview questions 

You can find company interview reviews on Glassdoor. These reviews usually include details on the interview structure, including specific questions asked.

This works best for larger companies. If you're interviewing at a smaller company, find a larger competitor and study those questions.

2/ Craft perfect answers

In an interview, you want to deliver answers that:

• Are succinct

• Avoid red flags

• Answer the question

• Demonstrate your expertise

The best way to check these boxes is to use the right structure for 99% of your answers. The structure of your answer should do the heavy lifting. 

Here are two common structures I recommend you learn: 

1/ High low high: Go high level, get very specific, then go high level again.  

Here’s what this might look like in practice:

(Within this example, you should be able to expand on any of the talking points. I’m keeping it brief for illustration purposes.) 

2/ STAR framework: Situation (explain the context), Task (what were you trying to accomplish), Action (what did you do), Result (what happened). 

For example: 

The STAR framework is a terrific framework for behavioral questions, e.g. “Tell me about a time when”. 

Use these structures to write down your answers to the questions you’re preparing for.

3/ Practice until perfect

Do not make the mistake of thinking you’re ready just because you wrote down your answer. 

Writing down an answer…

And performing it, like you’re telling a story, are two different skills.

Here are my two favorite ways to practice a story: 

1/ Record a Loom video

Recording a short loom video accomplishes a few things:

1. You get a practice rep at your answer

2. You can self-review to improve

3. You can send it to others for feedback

2/ Record on Voice Memo

Voice memos are a great way to practice. 

You can create a memo anywhere, listen to it back, and make tweaks to your answers. 

If I’m deep in my “interviewing era”, I like to keep these on hand and do short practice sessions throughout the day, e.g. while walking the dog, waiting in line, etc. 

The better prepared you are, the calmer you feel, the better you can think ahead during an interview, and the more you can just be yourself. 

Conclusion

That's it. The 3 ways I prepare for interviews and teach clients: 

1. Research questions interviewers will ask

2. Craft perfect answers 

3. Practice until perfect

Let me know how these go.

That’s a wrap. See you next week 👋

🤝 3 ways I can help you with remote work: