How to Craft Compelling Stories for Interviews

My journey to #Google included intense interviews at #Amazon, #Meta, #PayPal, #Uber, #Pinterest, and more. What I learned, after all that preparation, is that simply listing your resume points isn't enough. You need to tell a compelling story. I used to think my experience spoke for itself. Wrong. The most impactful interviews weren't about reciting bullet points; they were about painting a clear picture of my career journey, connecting my past experiences, present skills, and future aspirations directly to the company's mission and the role's challenges. Here’s how I learned to craft that powerful narrative: 1) Identify Your "Why": Why are you genuinely interested in this company and this role? For me, landing at Google wasn't just about a job; it was about contributing to impactful projects, a drive I'd cultivated through specific experiences at my previous roles. 2) Connect the Dots Authentically: Don't just say you have problem-solving skills; show how you applied them at Amazon to overcome a specific operational hurdle, or how your strategic thinking at #PayPal led to a tangible outcome. My success often hinged on demonstrating how my "Amazon mindset" for structured execution could benefit Google's agile environment, and vice versa. 3) Future-Pace Your Ambition: It’s not just about what you’ve done, but what you want to do and how this role fits into your #careergoals. I always tied my aspirations back to the company's long-term vision, showing how I wasn't just looking for a job, but a place to build and grow with them. In an interview, you're not just presenting facts; you're telling your story. It’s what makes you memorable. What's one part of your professional story you find most challenging to articulate in an interview? Share your thoughts below! #InterviewTips #CareerJourney #PersonalBranding #Storytelling #BigTech

I've been helping a family friend who recently graduated college prep for her first round of job interviews—and wow, I was shocked to learn her college career services team focused heavily on creating ATS-friendly resumes (not really a thing, IMO) and barely touched on interview prep—especially the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), which is absolutely critical for telling your story clearly and effectively. Here's some things we covered: Don’t memorize answers—build stories. Think of 4–5 key experiences you’ve had (projects, challenges, leadership roles) and map them to the STAR structure. Lead with the result. Especially in fast-paced interviews, highlight the outcome upfront to grab attention before diving into the details. Keep it concise. 2–3 minutes max per story. If you’re rambling past that, you’re losing your interviewer. Check for visual cues. Align with the job. Review the job description and prep stories that demonstrate the skills and qualities they’re looking for. Practice out loud. It’s one thing to know your stories—it’s another to say them clearly and confidently. Another tip I often share with job seekers is if the interview is virtual, consider hiding your own video or putting a sticky note over your video to avoid the inclination to stare at yourself as you speak and train your eyes to the camera instead.

People often ask me: “How do I talk about myself confidently in interviews or at events without bragging?” This is STILL hard for me. But I have a few tricks: 1. Ask a friend for help Ask a friend or colleague their 3 to 5 favorite traits about you. Tag them below if you want to use this post as a reason to reach out! Sometimes, it’s hard to see our own strengths. — 2. Harvest stories that show those traits Don’t just say “I’m detail-oriented.” Instead, say: “In my last role, I managed a complex, multi-phase project where tracking every detail mattered. I created a system that helped the team stay on schedule—and we launched early.” — 3. Use the ‘Problem → Hard Work → Outcome’ framework When you tell stories about your traits, structure them like this:  • What was the challenge? • What did you do about it? • What was the result? This gives people a full narrative arc, and helps them visualize you solving problems and delivering results. — 4. Let others brag for you If talking about yourself feels awkward, borrow someone else’s words. Example: “My last manager used to say I was the most organized person she’d worked with. That’s why I was often assigned to high-stakes projects.” Testimonials and quotes add credibility, and make it easier to sound proud, not boastful. — 5. Practice out loud Writing your story is one thing. Saying it confidently is another. So, say it out loud like you’re chatting with a friend. Smooth out the rough parts and make it sound like you. If you hold back from presenting your best self, just to avoid sounding like you're bragging, you might end up missing real opportunities. So, get comfortable sharing your strengths. Practice telling your story. And remember: confidence isn’t bragging when it’s backed by truth.

Yesterday, I posted about why scope and scale matter in interviews, your stories need to show the size and impact of your work to grab attention. Ownership + Impact = ME LIKE! Today, let’s make it practical: How do you tell stories that interviewers remember, and prove you understand the business impact of your work? I recommend you use this 4-step structure: 1. Describe the Setup (Scope): Set the stage with context, team size, company scale, or market reach. Example: “I worked on a software update for a platform with 500K users across 10 countries.” 2. Show the Problem (Complexity): Highlight the challenge and why it mattered. Add metrics or stakes. Example: “A critical bug caused a 10% user drop-off, putting $500K in monthly revenue at risk.” 3. Highlight Your Role + Results (Impact): Tie your work to a business outcome: cost savings, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or efficiency. Example: “I led a 5-person team to redesign the feature, cutting drop-off by 8% and preventing $500K in losses.” 4. Connect to Their World (Business Acumen): Research the company’s priorities and link your story to what drives their success. Example: “This is similar to how you’re scaling your platform globally, I’ve solved these kinds of retention issues before.” If you have more than 3 years of experience then you should be able to start tying your impact to business outcomes, so that you can show you’re not just an executor, you’re a strategic thinker. Don't want you out here looking like Stewie the night before your interview!

I don't like the STAR interview method, so I'll give you an alternative: (please steal it if you're interviewing) As a candidate, I always found STAR too vague. - What should "the situation" include? - What is the "task" if I proposed the project? - What's actually the best way to set up my story? It left me with more questions than answers. I used the PARADE method instead: P - the primary Problem A - Anticipated consequence of not solving it R - your Role in solving it A - Actions you took to solve it D - Decision-making rationale you used E - End results (including learnings) This comes from consulting case interview prep legend Victor Cheng, who designed it because consultants are tasked with solving organizational problems. But ALL roles exist to solve company problems... the candidate who shows they can solve the company's problems better than anyone else gets the offer. This framework highlights the problem you solved, why it was important, and your thought process — not just what you did. The context of your stories won't transfer into a new role, but the way you think will. Show that off, baby! Once I wrote my 5-8 best career stories into this framework and practiced them often, I started slaying interviews. I never got stressed by "Tell Me About A Time" again. Have you seen this framework before? Few people have. P.S. Repost ♻️ if this could help more job seekers in your network turn interviews to offers.

Job searchers: here is a quick exercise to try if you are struggling to think of your best interview stories. Make a list of the top 5 moments of your career. Your highlight reel. But here is the tricky part - it has to be a specific moment. Not 2 years at a job. Not a project you did. What is the minute you are most proud of. Those instances have so much valuable information in them. What you were feeling. Why you were feeling it. That is your passion. Your fire. What makes you unique and interesting. For me - I presented at a number of conferences, but the specific moment I feel most proud of is the time my two mentees both presented at one. I remember watching them from the audience and being so impressed with them. I much preferred relishing their accomplishments to achieving my own. (That's why I'm a coach now.) If I was interviewing for an engineering manager position, do you think it would be more impactful for me to say "I like helping people" or tell the story of that moment of pride? Find your 5 top moments, then dig into what makes them matter to you. Now you have your why and the story to back it up. Share that in every forum available because that is what will make you stand out. Interviews, posts, comments. Anywhere the people who are hiring might see it. Finding a job is all about your skills and making sure that the right people see who you are. Use your top 5 career moments to make that super easy for them to see. #jobsearch #interviewprep #careermoments

✅ Tip 1 How to confidently tell your interview stories with humility. My client, a director at a global high-tech company, and I worked on interview prep this week. Story after story, she glossed over how she had to present a business case to win the time and financial resources for the multiple projects she and her team were working on. These complex stories involved deep market analysis, collating the insights, and then presenting them to the executive team for buy-off. And then ... she and her team won. They created products and services that make a difference for millions and millions of business owners. Flip the script! Focus on *both* 'I' and 'We' 🔦 . On one hand, you strip away your power when you do not explain what *you* led. On the other hand, you fear you will come across as a braggart if you say 'I' too much. Balance the two words - 'I' and 'We.' What did you lead? How? What were the challenging conditions? Then, talk about "we accomplished" and "the team achieved X results" while subtly including your role in leading or driving that success. You can show you are a humble leader who lifts and showcases other people's work without diminishing the hoops you had to jump through to achieve those amazing results. Do you struggle with sharing your success stories? #jobs #careers