Tips For Conducting Interviews

I Can Spot a Great Candidate in 30 Seconds - Without Looking at Their Resume. At Vicco Laboratories, the first few interview rounds are handled by our HR and leadership team. They assess skills, experience, performance history - all the standard checkboxes. But when someone reaches my room, I’m not evaluating capability. I’m evaluating character. Because skills can be trained. Character can’t. So in the final round, I deliberately observe three things before we even get into formal questions: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 1: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 Before they enter, I always ask our receptionist to make them wait for a few minutes. Not to trouble them — but to observe: Do they greet her or ignore her? Do they show gratitude or entitlement? Do they smile or stay blank? Do they thank her when being called in? If someone is only respectful upwards, they’re not fit for leadership. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 2: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 During the conversation, I pause intentionally. A great candidate: Doesn’t panic when things go quiet Holds eye contact without overcompensating Thinks before responding, instead of rushing to impress Silence is a pressure test.  Silence exposes a person’s comfort with themselves. And self-assured people make better decisions under pressure. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 3: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐤 “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐨”, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐆𝐞𝐭?” I watch closely when compensation and responsibilities are discussed. If the questions are only about salary, perks and timings, they’re employees. If they ask about learning culture, values, decision-making structure…they are already thinking as an owner. I’ll always choose alignment over achievement. So if you’re ever preparing for your final round anywhere — don’t just prepare your resume. Prepare your presence. Because long after your words fade, your character stays in the room. Sanjeev Pendharkar  Just sharing what I’ve learnt #values #business #hiring #hr #decisionmaking #cv #leadership #skills

Why wait until employees leave to understand what matters to them? Instead of conducting exit interviews to understand why people LEFT, let's start doing "stay interviews" to understand why they STAY. Companies like Google, Salesforce, and LinkedIn (yes, this platform!) have already embraced this proactive approach. The results? Higher retention rates and more engaged teams. What makes stay interviews different? • They focus on what's working, not what failed • They give you time to act on feedback • They make employees feel valued NOW Key questions smart leaders are asking: 1. "What growth opportunities are you seeking?" 2. "How can we better support your career goals?" 3. "What's one thing we could change to make your experience better?" Studies show that by the time an employee gives notice, they've been mentally checked out for an average of 6-8 months. Why wait that long? I recently spoke with a tech lead who said, "Exit interviews are like asking for relationship advice after the divorce." Ouch, but true! Don't wait until it's too late. The best time to understand what keeps your top talent engaged is while they're still passionate about their work. Has your company tried conducting stay interviews? #exitinterviews #stayininterviews

How to fail in an interview Topic: Product Backlog Role: Product Owner 👔 Interviewer: “As a Product Owner, how do you ensure stakeholder needs are reflected in the Product Backlog?” 🧑 Candidate: “I ask stakeholders what they need and add it to the backlog in priority order.” 👔 Interviewer: “Alright, but let’s make it real. Imagine this: You have multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities—one wants a feature for a major client, while another insists on addressing technical debt. The team is overwhelmed, and deadlines are slipping. How would you handle this situation?” 🧑 Candidate: “I’d try to balance their requests and ask the team to work harder to meet both needs.” What the Product Owner Should Have Answered: ------------------------------------------------------ ✍️ Facilitate Prioritization: “I would engage stakeholders in a prioritization workshop, using a framework like WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) or MOSCOW, Or Kano Model to evaluate features based on value, time sensitivity, and effort.” ✍️ Align on Vision: “I’d refer back to the product vision and roadmap to explain how each request aligns with strategic goals, helping stakeholders understand trade-offs.” ✍️ Collaborate with the Team: “I’d consult with the team to assess capacity and feasibility, ensuring realistic commitments without jeopardizing delivery quality.” ✍️ Communication is Key: “Transparency is critical. I’d keep all stakeholders informed about the decisions, timelines, and reasons behind prioritization.” Impact of the Right Answer: ✅ Avoid chaos: Proper prioritization prevents overloading the team. ✅ Strengthen relationships: Transparent communication builds stakeholder trust. ✅ Deliver value: Aligning requests with the product vision ensures the team works on what truly matters. 💡 Takeaway for POs: Strong prioritization and stakeholder management are essential to success. How would you handle conflicting priorities? Share your thoughts below! 🚀 Need more! Join "Agile Interview Hub": Link in the comment section below #InterviewTips #ProductOwner #agile

“Design Whatsapp.” “Design Uber.” “Design Netflix.” How to actually approach these high level design problems in an interview? You’ve to think clearly, step by step. Here’s how I approached my Design rounds- ✅ Clarify the problem first. Ask basic questions: – Who are the users? – How many users? – What are the must-have features? Don’t assume anything. Understand the need properly. ✅ Define the scale. Rough numbers like daily active users, QPS (queries per second), storage needed — they’ll guide your design choices. ✅ Sketch the basic building blocks. Clients → APIs → Application Servers → Databases → Caches → Queues. Start simple. You can add complexity later if needed. ✅ Walk through the data flow. Explain how a request travels in your system. Where it goes, how it’s processed, and how the response comes back. ✅ Think about scalability and reliability. Talk about load balancing, replication, database sharding, caching strategies. Show how your system will survive real-world traffic. ✅ Discuss bottlenecks and trade-offs. No design is perfect. Acknowledge what might break and how you can fix or improve it later. You don’t have to build the “perfect” system in 45 minutes. You just need to show a clear thought process and adapt as you discuss. That’s what good interviews look for — not perfection, but how you think. All the best!❤️

Hiring managers remember the questions you ask. 8 questions that show you're serious about the role: ➤ "What would success look like in this role in the first 6 months?" - Shows you're focused on delivering value - Sets clear expectations from day one - Demonstrates immediate impact planning ➤ "Could you share more about the team's biggest challenge right now, and how this role would help address it?" - Demonstrates proactive problem-solving mindset - Shows your interest in making an impact - Reveals your solution-oriented approach to problems ➤ "How does this team's work align with the company's 5-year vision?" - Shows strategic thinking - Signals long-term commitment - Demonstrates big-picture understanding ➤ "Can you tell me more about the team's decision-making process for major projects?" - Reveals interest in team dynamics - Shows you're thinking about collaboration - Helps you understand team structure ➤ "What professional development opportunities are available for someone in this role?" - Demonstrates ambition - Shows commitment to growing within the company - Reveals your dedication to continuous learning ➤ "Could you share an example of how constructive feedback is typically delivered within the team?" - Shows emotional intelligence - Highlights interest in team communication - Demonstrates maturity in handling feedback ➤ "How might [recent company announcement/initiative] impact this team's priorities?" - Shows you've done your research - These questions are better than standard questions - Positions you as someone who thinks about business context (Example: "How might the recent expansion into the EMEA market affect this team's product roadmap?") ➤ "What are the next steps in the interview process and what timeline do you anticipate?" - Always ask if it’s not mentioned - Ensures clear follow-up expectations - Gives you an idea on when to send a follow-up email if you haven’t heard back The questions you ask can be just as impactful as the answers you give. Save this post for your next second interview! What questions would you add to this list?  Share below! 👇

"Tell me why we should hire you" consistently challenges even experienced candidates - because they default to resume recitation instead of demonstrating organizational alignment. After extensive discussion of background and technical capabilities, summarizing credentials already visible on LinkedIn isn't what hiring managers evaluate. They're assessing whether you've researched their organizational mission and whether your motivations align with their strategic priorities. Effective preparation: review mission statements and current initiatives before interviews. Identify specific elements that genuinely resonate, then connect your capabilities to advancing that particular vision. Example: "I know your mission focuses on X. That resonates deeply because in my previous role I achieved Y. I want to continue creating that specific type of impact here." That demonstrates research, personalization, and strategic fit. Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights: https://vist.ly/4mftp #interviewtips #jobinterview #careeradvice #interviewquestions #jobsearch #interviewprep #careerstrategy #interviewskills #jobsearchtips #hiringtips

Stop babbling! Struggling to ask a clear, concise question is a very common thing that I see damage executive presence. If you want to be an executive, you must speak like one. Here is how to make a better impression: In all my classes, we always do a live Q&A. Everyone has experienced someone who gets up to the microphone and rambles without arriving at a clear question, leaving others wondering what they are talking about. Surprisingly, this even happens in my executive class, “Cracking the C-Suite,” where people are hoping to get Chief Officer jobs. Before the Q&A, I always tell the class that this is a chance to practice and demonstrate their Executive Presence by asking a concise, clear question. I then give them time to prepare. While a few succeed, most do not. The main reasons that some struggle are these: 1) They do not write out their question. It is one thing to struggle when you are put on the spot, but all of these people have time to prepare. However, they simply decide what they want to ask in their minds and do no further preparation. This is a mistake. Write your question down in its clearest and most concise version. 2) They do not practice the question. After writing the question down, it would take less than a minute to speak your question out loud a couple of times to get used to stating it quickly and clearly. You should practice your question as though it were a short public speaking opportunity. In essence, it is. 3) They over-contextualize and qualify We all think our own lives are fascinating and that the context of our situation really matters. But, in most cases, it doesn't. The core questions that people ask are very simple, such as "my boss micromanages me - how can I change that?" The exact type of micromanagement makes almost no difference. Cut out all but the most necessary context, and realize that if the person answering your question needs more context they can simply ask. 4) Verbal Fidgeting We often say too much because we are nervous and uncertain, and saying too much makes us look and sound exactly that way. I call this verbal fidgeting because it is touching and playing with words to ease our nerves, just as we sometimes do with physical objects. Executive presence is amplified by short, powerful, direct, declarative sentences. Recognize if you have the tendency to “fidget,” and combat it by preparing and practicing your question until you no longer need to. Readers—who in your life could benefit from stronger speaking skills? Send them this post. And, share any other tips for improved speaking/question-asking.

If I had a system design interview tomorrow at Google, this is exactly how I’d approach it.   (This framework helped me crack 3 FAANG+ companies in the past, including Amazon.)  Most engineers fail system design interviews not because they lack knowledge but because they lack structure.  You don’t need to memorize 100 architectures. You need a structured and easy-to-apply approach that works every time.  Here’s how I break it down:   1/ Clarify the Problem Before Writing Anything   - System design interviews aren’t about throwing buzzwords—they’re about trade-offs.   - Start with scoping → Are we designing just one feature or the entire system?   - Ask constraints upfront → How many users? Read/write ratio? Latency requirements?   - Define success criteria → What matters most? Scalability? Cost? Low-latency?  Most candidates assume things and jump into solutions.   I make sure I know what we’re solving before I even start.   2/ Define Functional & Non-Functional Requirements Clearly   - Functional: What features does the system need?   - Non-functional: What are the performance expectations?   - What’s the biggest technical challenge? (This helps guide the discussion.)  Example: If we’re designing YouTube, is the focus on video uploads, recommendations, or live streaming?   Each has a different set of constraints.   3/ Estimate the Scale & Plan Capacity Like an Engineer   - Users per second? Requests per second?   - Storage needs? If we store 10MB per user and have 100M users, what does that mean?   - Throughput? Can a single database handle the load, or do we need sharding?  Most candidates throw random numbers.   I do quick, back-of-the-envelope calculations to validate my assumptions.   4/ Break the System into Core Components (High-Level Design)   - Define the major building blocks → API Gateway, Load Balancer, Service Layers, Databases.   - Don’t overcomplicate. Simple and scalable always wins.   - Clearly define the interactions between services.  If I’m designing a messaging app, I break it down into:   — User Service (auth, profiles)   — Messaging Service (storing chats)   — Notification Service (real-time updates)   — Media Storage (for images, videos)  Each has different constraints, so I build around what’s most important.  Continued Here: https://lnkd.in/eiHQs-qT P.S. Preparing for a software engineering interview? Check out my book, System Design and Behavioral Intelligence. It will help you: • Build strong System Design foundations and approach design problems with confidence • Develop practical frameworks to navigate complex behavioral and leadership challenges 📘 Paperback available on Amazon internationally: https://mybook.to/systemdesignbehavioralhttps://lnkd.in/eiHQs-qT P.S. Preparing for a software engineering interview? Check out my book, System Design and Behavioral Intelligence. It will help you: • Build strong System Design foundations and approach design problems with confidence • Develop practical frameworks to navigate complex behavioral and leadership challenges 📘 Paperback available on Amazon internationally: https://mybook.to/systemdesignbehavioral Check it out!

I am going to finally say it. Founder-led hiring alone won't scale, and holding onto it too long actually hurts your company. In our early days, hiring was 100% founder-run. Ishan and I personally handled every step first calls, case studies, final on-sites. We’d spend 6–8 hours per candidate, getting to know them deeply. At that stage, it was the right call. These were the first people on the team. We worked with them every day, and a single bad hire could derail everything. But as the company grew, this process quietly became a bottleneck. Over the last year, we made a deliberate shift away from fully founder-led interviews. We brought in our founding recruiter, Farron, to run initial screens, while functional interviews are now owned by team members in engineering and sales functions. Ishan and I usually only step in during the final round. This change allowed us to run dozens of final-round interviews every month without compromising quality. As more people got involved, we invested heavily in interview training, coaching, and aligning on what “the bar” actually means. Turning instinctive founder judgment into a shared standard took work across Juicebox. The lesson for us has been that founder involvement is critical early on, but scaling hiring means turning judgment into process that doesn't lower the bar.

At least 80% of candidates I pass on fall into the same trap during my interview: rehearsing too many STAR stories — and nailing none. After years of interviewing product managers, there’s a consistent pattern I see: Too many candidates over-index on rehearsing polished STAR stories and memorizing multiple anecdotes. But by optimizing for breath, they often miss the most important part: 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵. They struggle to clearly articulate one story deeply — why they made specific decisions, what trade-offs they faced, how they thought through ambiguity. And when we start digging into the problem — pressure-testing choices, poking at constraints — things fall apart. That’s when it becomes clear: there’s a gap in ownership or decision quality. ➡️ My advice: Don’t just prepare a story. Prepare your thinking. Show me how you navigate complexity, not just how well you can narrate it. That’s what separates good PMs from great ones.