How to Avoid Mistakes in Tech Sales Interviews

You didn’t bomb the interview. But you didn’t win it either. And that $200K+ offer quietly slipped away. Here’s what even smart, capable leaders don’t realize: Interviews aren’t just conversations. They’re business negotiations. And after helping 100s of professionals land 6-figure roles, I’ve seen the same 5 mistakes derail even the most promising candidates: 1. Showing up unprepared → The interviewer’s LinkedIn is public. → Spend 3 minutes and find one real connection. → It shows respect, and makes you memorable. 2. Asking entry-level questions → “What’s the culture like?” won’t cut it. → Ask: “What are the biggest challenges your team is focused on solving this quarter?” → It positions you as a strategic partner. 3. Rambling without structure → Use the STAR method. → Keep it to 90 seconds. → Communicate like an exec. Be concise and clear. 4. Talking money too soon → Getting in the weeds in the first round? → It weakens your leverage. → Wait until they’re invested. 5. Sending generic follow-ups → Skip the templated thank-you. → Share a relevant insight or market POV. → Make them see you as the one they need. Your competition isn’t more qualified. But they might be more strategic. Asking smarter questions. Prepping like consultants. Follow up like advisors. You’re already good. With the right approach, you’ll be unstoppable. What’s the hardest part of interview prep for you? Reshare ♻️ to help someone in your network. And give me a follow for more posts like this.

"Trust me, I interview really well..." But possibly not as well as you may think. Gary had missed out on several roles before we started working together. He insisted the problem wasn't his interview. Still, I suggested we walk through the process in detail because I suspected he was drawing a conclusion common among high-performers: 🚨Assuming past performance predicts future results.🚨 Over-confidence is just one of the mistakes I've seen my clients make in the interview process. These are common to high-performers, and here's what to do instead: 1️⃣ Overconfidence ↳ Assuming your track record speaks for itself, and not speaking directly to your qualifications for the job. 💡 The Fix: Prepare stories that paint the picture of your achievements and how they related to this role. 2️⃣ Failure to Notice Red Flags ↳ Overlooking warning signs, especially if you've been with the same employer for years. 💡The Fix: Notice details in the interview. How do you feel? Are you making assumptions based on where you work now? 3️⃣ Failing to do Deep Preparation ↳ Skipping the company and industry research and going with standard interview answers that may be outdated. 💡The Fix: Ensure you are up to date on your industry and master current interview trends (case questions, technical assessments, and behavioral questions). 4️⃣ Offering Generic Answers ↳ Leaving important details out of your answers, assuming people won't understand or aren't interested. 💡The Fix: Give data, define acronyms, and ask if you've provided enough detail. 5️⃣ Lack of Self-Awareness ↳ Avoiding any discussion of mistakes or vulnerability for fear it will make you look bad. 💡The Fix: Go in prepared to discuss challenges you've faced and have examples of a growth mindset. 6️⃣ Relying on Technical Skills ↳ Focusing too much on technical work, at the expense of your work style and collaborative skills. 💡The Fix: Prepare some stories that demonstrate what kind of a colleague you are. 7️⃣Focusing Too Much on Your Own Objectives ↳ Neglecting the interviewer's perspective in favor of your own priorities. 💡The Fix: Don't ask questions about what's in it for you until you've established a good rapport and have moved toward the end of the process. 8️⃣ Counting Too Much on References ↳ Giving your references, who may be "important" people, too much credit for being able to influence a decision. 💡The Fix: Confirm that the reference you've used for years is still a good one. Prepare your references with exactly what you want them to highlight about you. Do you interview high performers? What would you add to the list? Share your thoughts below 👇 ♻️Repost to help others in the interview process 🔔Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for career & job search advice 📌For more tips, tactics and trends on navigating the current job market, subscribe to The Career Rebellion. https://lnkd.in/eEdhDCb3

After interviewing hundreds of candidates as a Principal Solutions Architect at AWS and previously at Fortune 50 companies, here are three common mistakes candidates make. Fix these to ace your next interview: 1/ Don't commit to an interview yet You never thought you'd get that interview call in your dream company. But getting an interview call doesn't equate to a great interview. If you are ready, then go for it. But if you are not, then you can't wing it, and in the worst case, if you get strongly declined, you will be barred from giving another interview for one year. I told the AWS recruiter that I was not ready and asked for extra time. She agreed, and as a result, I prepared and aced my AWS interview. As my fav musical character, Hamilton, says, "Don't throw away your shot." 2/ Don't ignore the STAR format - What if you give a great behavioral answer but NOT in STAR format? Unfortunately, Amazon (and other big tech companies) are pretty clear about this. The interviewers are expected to take notes in STAR format, and recruiters are expected to set expectations for candidates to give the answer in this format. So, candidates who answer in this STAR format will be prioritized over others who don't. The rules of the game are laid out; you either blame the game and sit on the sidelines or jump in and win, which is what we will do. 3/ Practice, practice, practice - Your willingness to win must match your willingness to prepare. Plenty of times, when observing a mock interview, my students say, "These questions are so easy, I know all the answers." But when they are in the hot seat, they mess up the answers themselves! Learning and speaking are controlled by different brain functions, and one isn't equal to the other. In an interview, you won't get all the questions you know, but you MUST knock out the questions you know the answer to out of the park! 4/ Delight not meet - here's an extra tip! Competition is fierce, and you must separate yourself from the pack. For example, if interviewer asks "How will you scale your application for big traffic day?", EVERYONE will say about autoscaling group, and load balancer. But the candidate who talks about scheduled scaling, VM hibernation, lightweight AMI, RDS proxy and other, will pull ahead. So, think about other common interview questions, and think how you can add additional nuggets of wisdom. Question to readers: Have you made any of the above mistakes (I know I have!)? And what is one mistake YOU realized after giving an interview? Today, my colleagues and fellow veteran interviewers Ethan Evans, Omar Halabieh, and Steve Huynh are sharing their top tips to ace your next interview. Make sure to check them out! #interview #bigtech #systemdesign