Building Your 10 Core Stories

Behavioral interviews are designed to evaluate how you’ve handled situations in the past. The underlying assumption is that past behavior is one of the best predictors of future performance.

Unlike coding interviews, behavioral interviews focus on:

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Ownership
• Conflict resolution
• Adaptability

Why Companies Use Behavioral Interviews

Technical skills alone do not determine success.

Companies want engineers who can:

• Collaborate effectively
• Handle ambiguity
• Make good decisions
• Learn from failures
• Influence others

Behavioral vs Technical Interviews

Behavioral	Technical
Focuses on experiences	Focuses on technical knowledge
Uses stories	Uses problem solving
Evaluates soft skills	Evaluates technical skills

Common Behavioral Interview Categories

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Conflict
• Problem Solving
• Failure
• Communication
• Customer Focus

Key Takeaways

• Prepare stories from your experience.
• Use STAR format.
• Focus on impact and learning.