You're good enough. Make sure they know it.

I've interviewed and/or sat in thousands of interviews (at one point I calculated upwards of 10,000?!). People come from all sorts of backgrounds and possess a myriad of skills and abilities (notice how I said people and not candidates?).

It's frustrating to see so many bright, capable people struggle to win the interview process. But I'll let you in on a recruiting secret: it's not always you.

Ok, sometimes it definitely is you. Candidates go off about their previous manager, decide to change their shirt mid interview, or get confrontational with no provocation. These things happen and are all (real) examples I've seen.

Other times? The interviewer just wasn't convinced. THAT is what we're here to fix.

Be a buddy

This sounds cringe(y) but your chances of getting hired are significantly increased if you're a friend of the interviewer [1]. You may not be a current friend but do everything you can to make a friend by the end of the interview. Smile, be genuine, friendly, build rapport, and try to find something in common.

"I'm not going to pretend to be this person's friend."

Don't do ^ that. You're not sucking up or pretending. You're being a pleasant, future coworker and whether you like it or not, it's going into their decision making. Bias training or not, we are human at the end of the day. Additionally, interviewers are more likely to guide you in the right direction of an interview question instead of waiting for you to land on the right answer if they view you in a friendly light.

Coach and clarify

Now, we get into some fun territory! You want to get INTO the interviewer's notes. You're going to coach them on their writing and clarify areas without them knowing. Taking notes for an interview is a learned skill and very few interviewers are great at it. During my time at past companies, out of 50 interviews, 4-5 are really solid at taking interview notes with 1 who is a clear standout.

How do you get INTO their notes? After you answer a question, clarify: "Does that make sense?" - you could even follow it up with a "is that what you have there?" (referring to their notes). This will need to be done with precision. There's a minimum social acceptable level (MSAL) for checking an interviewer's work. Proceed with caution.

This part of the interview is a mindset shift from the standard authoritative (interviewer) and the passive (candidate). Now we're into collaboration mode where you're going to help them get the best possible notes on you that are the most accurate. This isn't an intuitive way to position your interview so prepare and continue to practice.

Don't bumble being humble

Nothing is worse than people who are confidently wrong. As someone who has had plenty of practice in that area I can tell you that it's just as unappealing during the interview process as it is in real life.

Don't know something? Say it. Think your answer has some room for improvement? Call it out. Self awareness and EQ are infinitely more valuable then someone who squeaks there way across the finish line of an interview question. What if they think less of me? They might. But you likely won't fool them into thinking you know it and will probably earn some trust and respect by demonstrating that level of humility.

Wrap it up

Interview answers can go on for days. Make sure yours don't. Answer the question you're being asked. DO NOT go into your elevator speech you've rehearsed about your background going back to your college career. Allow for follow ups, don't dominate the conversation, and answer directly what the interviewer is asking. Interviewers want a chance to add some to the conversation as well. Let them. If they're on a roll, let them roll.

This isn't everything. These are a few short tips I could think of back to some recent interviews in software engineering specifically. They apply across departments. I hope they can help your next interview AND if you're really in need of some help with things like building rapport or public speaking, consider your local Toastmasters International club. There should be one near you and it's a great resource to build your speaking skills particularly in an interview setting.

--Robb