A calm framework for interview preparation

Interviews are not tests of charm. They are conversations about whether a specific problem is safe in your hands.

Prepare four stories: a time you fixed something broken, a time you led without authority, a time you were wrong, and a time you protected quality under pressure. Nearly every behavioral question maps to one of these.

Research the problem, not just the company. Read the job posting as a symptom list. What is going wrong that made this role necessary? Speak to that.

Prepare three questions that only someone serious would ask. Questions about success metrics, about what the last person struggled with, about how decisions actually get made.

The night before, stop preparing. Rest is part of the work.