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The Behavioral Interview

How to Prepare for Behavioral Interviews

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Overview

How to Prepare for Behavioral Interviews

Having helped thousands of candidates pass their FAANG interviews, we've learned exactly what works.

Most candidates approach behavioral interview preparation backwards - they start by memorizing common questions or generic frameworks. Instead, we're going to take a systematic, inside-out approach that ensures you have the pieces you need to nail your interview. Here's the process:

Story Mining: Brainstorm your past experiences using targeted prompts to surface your best stories
Competency Mapping: Map these experiences to key competencies that companies evaluate
Story Crafting: Structure these experiences into compelling interview narratives using the STAR framework
Practice and Refinement: Polish your delivery through structured practice and feedback

1. Story Mining

The goal of story mining is simple: surface your best experiences before worrying about how to tell them. Set aside 30-60 minutes and use the following prompts to brainstorm. Write down everything that comes to mind - we'll filter and refine later. Go dig up and past performance reviews, emails, and other documents that can help you remember your experiences.

Treat this like a true brainstorm: be exhaustive, even for things you don't think fit. A lot of candidates pre-judge themselves and then get stuck with an artificial limitation which keeps them from really digging into their past experiences. Just write down everything that comes to mind.

Here are some high-level prompts that can help you jog your memory.

For conflict, think about a time when...

You disagreed with teammates or leaders
You dealt with interpersonal challenges
You had to navigate competing priorities
You faced friction between teams
You turned a difficult relationship around

For perseverance, think about a time when...

You faced significant technical obstacles
Things didn't go as planned
You had to push through setbacks
The odds seemed stacked against you
You refused to give up despite challenges

For adaptability, recall times when...

Everything changed unexpectedly
You had to pivot quickly
Plans fell through
You worked outside your comfort zone
You had to be flexible with your approach

To highlight growth, reflect on times when...

You made significant mistakes
You received tough feedback
You took on something new
You were initially wrong about something
You grew significantly as an engineer

To show off collaboration, think about a time when...

You worked across multiple teams
You built bridges between groups
You turned a difficult collaboration around
You helped others succeed
You improved how people worked together

For your results, think about a time when...

You realized a performance improvement to some system/code
You got kudos from your manager or peers
You created something net-new
You created a tool that solved a problem for you or your team
You released something which users loved
You spent a considerable amount of time on a project
You coordinated with other teammates/teams/functions to deliver a project

For senior and up candidates, remember instances where you showed leadership by considering when...

You influenced without authority
Others followed your technical direction
You helped grow other engineers
You saw a need and stepped up
You drove change across teams

For each story that comes to mind, jot down just a quick note to help you remember. We've found the following simple format to be effective:


Project/Situation: [1-2 words]
Timeline: [Month/Year]
Key Challenge: [1 sentence]
Your Role: [1 sentence]
Impact: [Numbers if possible]

So for example,


Project/Situation: Auth Service Migration
Timeline: March 2023
Key Challenge: Had to migrate 200+ services to new auth system without downtime
Your Role: Led technical design and coordinated across 5 teams
Impact: Zero downtime, reduced auth latency by 40%

As you go through this exercise, consider this set of dos and don'ts:

Do focus on recent experiences (last 2-3 years) unless older stories are exceptionally impactful
Do write down more than you think you'll need - aim for at least 2-3 examples per section
Do include situations that didn't go well - learning experiences are valuable
Do note any metrics or numbers while they're fresh in your mind
Do not don't worry about storytelling yet - just capture the raw experiences
Do not include group projects where your individual contribution isn't clear
Do not use stories that require deep technical context to understand the impact
Do not share experiences that are too basic for your level
Do not include situations where you were just following orders
Do not use stories without clear resolution or impact

At the end of this first exercise you should have a list of 10-20 raw experiences that are going to serve as the foundation for your stories moving forward. Don't worry if they feel incomplete or too much - we'll refine them in the next step when we map them to competencies.

2. Competency Mapping

Now that you have a bank of experiences, let's map them to the competencies you'll be evaluated on. Your approach here depends on your interview context:

In many cases, your recruiter will send you the list of core competencies they evaluate. Take time to review any preparation materials they provided carefully, as these competencies are exactly what your interviewer will be scoring you on during the interview.

For FAANG companies (excluding specialty roles), the set of competencies:

Amazon: 16 Leadership Principles: Customer Obsession, Ownership, Invent and Simplify, Are Right, A Lot, Learn and Be Curious, Hire and Develop the Best, Insist on the Highest Standards, Bias for Action, Think Big, Dive Deep, Have Backbone, Deliver Results, Earn Trust, Win Together, Foster a Radical Discipline Culture, and Deliver Results
Google: "Googleyness", Leadership, Communication, Collaboration, Product Sense
Meta: Conflict Resolution, Driving Results, Embracing Ambiguity, Growth Mindset, and Effective Communication
Microsoft: Adaptability, Teamwork, Customer Focus, Drive for Results, Decision-Making, Growth Mindset
Apple: Customer Focus, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Adaptability, Passion for Technology, Resilience, High Ethical Standards

If you aren't sure which companies you'll be interviewing at yet, or your recruiter never provided you with a set of competencies, we suggest you use this core set:

Conflict Resolution
Perseverance
Adaptability
Growth Mindset
Collaboration & Teamwork
Leadership (Senior+)

These competencies are largely universal enough to map well to most company-specific frameworks.

Once you have the set of competencies, you can map your experiences from the previous step to them. For each experience, determine which competency it best fits into and update your notes accordingly.


Project/Situation: Auth Service Migration
Timeline: March 2023
Key Challenge: Had to migrate 200+ services to new auth system without downtime
Your Role: Led technical design and coordinated across 5 teams
Impact: Zero downtime, reduced auth latency by 40%
Competency: Conflict Resolution

You may find that some experiences don't map to a competency, or that others map to multiple competencies.For those that don't map well to a competency, consider throwing it out, this is why we have extras! For those mapping to both, this is great, just highlight the primary vs the secondary.

I'll help craft this section that introduces Story Builder while providing a clear STAR framework for those who want to craft stories manually.

3. Story Crafting

Now that you've mapped your experiences to competencies, it's time to transform them into compelling interview narratives. While we'll cover the manual process below, we highly recommend using our free Story Builder tool to streamline this step.

Story Builder guides you through crafting your stories by asking targeted questions that help surface the most interview-relevant details. It then synthesizes your responses into a polished narrative optimized for behavioral interviews. Think of it as having an experienced interviewer help you refine your stories.

Whether you use Story Builder or craft your stories manually, we recommend following the STAR framework.

The STAR Framework

Situation (20-30 seconds): Set the context briefly. Include only details relevant to understanding the challenge. Highlight scale/scope (team size, project impact, etc.).

Task (20-30 seconds): Describe the specific challenge or problem. Explain your role and responsibilities. Make clear what success looked like.

Action (60-90 seconds): Detail the specific steps you took. Focus on YOUR contributions, not the team's. Highlight key decisions and their rationale. Include how you influenced others.

Result (30 seconds): Quantify the impact where possible. Include both technical and business outcomes. Share what you learned. Keep it concise.

Story Checklists

Once you've crafted your stories, use these competency checklists to ensure they demonstrate the right signals for your level. Each competency has two parts:

Base requirements that apply to all levels
Additional signals expected at your specific level

Start with the "All Levels" questions for your chosen competency, then add the level-specific signals. A strong story should hit most points in both categories.

Conflict Resolution

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you clearly identify who was involved and what they wanted?
	Did you explain what caused the conflict at its core?
	Did you describe your specific role (participant, mediator, observer)?
	Did you demonstrate active listening and empathy?
	Did you explain how the conflict was resolved?
	Did you reflect on what you learned?
Junior	Did you focus on facts rather than emotions?
	Did you try to understand the other person's perspective?
Mid-Level	Did you take initiative to help resolve the conflict?
	Did you help find middle ground?
	Did you use data to support your position?
Senior	Did you focus on strategic approaches to resolution?
	Did you demonstrate influence and consensus-building?
	Did you achieve measurable business outcomes?
Staff+	Did you address conflicts affecting multiple teams/departments?
	Did you influence senior stakeholders effectively?
	Did you identify and address systemic causes?
	Did you have an effective mental model of your counterparty?
Manager	Did you focus on resolving interpersonal conflicts within your team and improving team dynamics?
	Did you help coach team members to navigate their own conflicts (vs triangulating them)?
	Did you reach a conclusion which built trust and respect between parties while also keeping the organization's goals in mind?

Perseverance

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you clearly define the challenge or obstacle faced?
	Did you explain why perseverance was required (complexity, failures, resistance)?
	Did you demonstrate repeated efforts and refusal to give up?
	Did you show how you adapted your approach based on feedback?
	Did you highlight determination and resourcefulness?
	Did you focus on the process, not just the outcome?
	Did you demonstrate self-awareness about strengths/weaknesses?
Junior	Did you highlight specific actions taken to overcome the challenge?
	Did you focus on concrete steps rather than just general effort?
Mid-Level	Did you show how you adapted your approach based on results and feedback?
	Did you demonstrate initiative in finding solutions?
	Did you effectively communicate progress and setbacks?
Senior	Did you tackle a complex, long-term challenge with significant business consequences?
	Did you demonstrate data-driven decision making and resourcefulness?
	Did you show leadership in guiding others through difficulties?
Staff+	Did you address challenges requiring long-term commitment and strategic thinking?
	Did you maintain momentum despite significant obstacles?
	Did you offer sufficient context so that a 3rd party could understand the depth of the challenge?
	Did you demonstrate organizational influence and resilience?
Manager	Did you describe a challenge you faced in managing your team (e.g., performance issues, resource constraints)?
	Did you show how you supported your team members through difficult situations?

Adaptability

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you clearly describe what changed or what disruption occurred?
	Did you explain why adaptation was necessary?
	Did you demonstrate quick assessment and decision-making?
	Did you show how you adjusted your plans or approach?
	Did you demonstrate flexibility and open-mindedness?
	Did you explain how your adaptability affected the outcome?
	Did you reflect on lessons learned about handling change?
Junior	Did you show willingness to learn new approaches?
	Did you maintain productivity despite changes?
Mid-Level	Did you effectively reprioritize tasks when needed?
	Did you clearly communicate changes to the team?
	Did you help others adapt to changes?
Senior	Did you lead the team's response to major, unexpected changes?
	Did you demonstrate rapid decision-making and effective communication?
	Did you show how you influenced team adaptation?
Staff/Principal	Did you lead adaptation across multiple teams?
	Did you anticipate and mitigate potential resistance?
	Did you offer a clear framework for making a decision and moving forward?
	Did you demonstrate strategic thinking in managing organizational change?
Manager	Did you adjust your management style to meet different needs?
	Did you effectively manage change within your team?
	Did you support team members through transitions?
	Did you align with the organization's goals, even if they weren't your top priority?

Growth Mindset

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you describe a challenge, failure, setback, or critical feedback received?
	Did you demonstrate willingness to learn from mistakes?
	Did you show how you actively sought and used feedback?
	Did you explain specific steps taken to learn new skills?
	Did you highlight self-reflection and honest assessment?
	Did you describe how you applied new learning?
	Did you emphasize commitment to continuous learning?
	Did you show a positive attitude towards challenges?
Junior	Did you describe a specific instance of seeking feedback?
	Did you show how you applied that feedback concretely?
Mid-Level	Did you proactively seek learning opportunities to address skill gaps?
	Did you take initiative in your own development?
	Did you help others learn and grow?
Senior	Did you describe a significant failure/setback as a catalyst for growth?
	Did you demonstrate how you applied learning to achieve later success?
	Did you show leadership in promoting learning culture?
Staff+	Did you identify and address critical organizational skill gaps?
	Did you champion a culture of learning and improvement?
	Did you demonstrate strategic thinking about development?
Manager	Did you foster a growth mindset within your team?
	Did you demonstrate continuous learning as a manager?
	Did you effectively develop and mentor team members?

Leadership

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you describe a situation where you took initiative and guided others?
	Did you explain how you influenced and motivated others?
	Did you highlight your decision-making process?
	Did you take responsibility for outcomes?
	Did you demonstrate ability to inspire and support team members?
	Did you explain how you built consensus?
	Did you show effective delegation and feedback?
	Did you reflect on your leadership style and learnings?
Senior	Did you describe a situation with significant organizational impact?
	Did you demonstrate influence without direct authority?
	Did you show how you built and maintained high-performing teams?
Staff+	Did you influence the strategic direction of major initiatives?
	Did you build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders?
	Did you demonstrate strategic thinking and negotiation skills?
Manager	Did you focus on coaching, mentoring, and developing team members?
	Did you create a positive and productive team environment?
	Did you demonstrate effective people management skills?

Collaboration & Teamwork

Level	Key Questions to Ask
All Levels	Did you describe a situation where you worked effectively as part of a team?
	Did you highlight your contributions while acknowledging others?
	Did you explain how you communicated and collaborated?
	Did you show how you handled disagreements constructively?
	Did you demonstrate ability to share knowledge and support colleagues?
	Did you explain how you adapted to different work styles?
	Did you describe the team's overall success?
	Did you reflect on what you learned about teamwork?
Junior	Did you describe your specific contributions to the team?
	Did you show how you communicated with team members?
Mid-Level	Did you help resolve team conflicts?
	Did you contribute to improving team dynamics?
Senior	Did you foster cross-functional collaboration for strategic goals?
Staff+	Did you break down silos across organizational boundaries?
	Did you demonstrate ability to influence across functions?
Manager	Did you facilitate collaboration within and between teams?
	Did you create structures for effective teamwork?
	Did you show evidence of uncovering the root cause of collaboration issues?

I'm sure you won't be shocked to hear us say this, but practice is key. At this point, you should have some pretty good stories, but in an interview you need to also be able to deliver them with confidence in response to questions that might not be exactly what you practiced.

We strongly believe that doing a mock interview with an interviewer from your target company is by far the best way to practice. They can give you direct feedback on whether your stories hit all the right signals for their company's competencies and help you adjust accordingly. It will also test your ability to deliver under pressure and give you a strong sense of what to expect in the real interview.

Most candidates don't realize that their stories miss critical signals until they practice with someone who has actually conducted interviews at their target company.

If you can't get a mock interview, there are still several effective ways to practice. You can work with friends or colleagues who have interviewed at similar companies to get their perspective. Many people also find it helpful to record themselves telling their stories and watch it back, or practice in front of a mirror to work on their delivery. But find a way to speak. out. loud. Don't treat this as a silent exercise!

It's ok to have some high-level notes on stories on your desk on interview day, but avoid reading storing verbatim or referencing your notes too frequently. Interviewers get put on high-alert when candidates are coming across as over-rehearsed or scripted and typically judge more harshly. This is a conversation after all, make it feel natural.