The interview method that led to my job offers
Interview success isn’t about saying everything you can.
It’s about saying the right things at the right time.
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Nothing beats this feeling:
Receiving an email that says 'We really enjoyed speaking with you... We'd love to invite you to the final stage.'
In contrast to receiving the ones I get more that often start with 'Unfortunately..' (if you've applied for design jobs, you know too well how this one ends 💀).
And yes, my heart still sinks every time I read that word. I think I'm officially traumatized by it after so many rejections over the years 🫠
For the longest time, I didn't know how to sell myself in interviews. I would say everything I could think of about my skills and projects in every interview, hoping something would stick.
It didn't.
I sounded unprepared, flustered, and unprofessional.
But then something switched after analyzing what went wrong in my first 20+ interviews.
I realised each interview has a different purpose, and I can increase my chances of success by understanding each purpose and tailoring my responses to it.
This approach has since helped me land multiple offers at both startups and established tech companies.
I went from constant rejections to landing roles at companies I had dreamt of working for.
I've been coaching designers for the past two years using the method I created to do this.
I call the method "The Hidden Purpose Method" ✨
The Core Principle of 'The Hidden Purpose Method'
If you match your approach to the purpose of the interview, you'll increase your chances of success.
After 120+ interviews and testing this approach across different company types and roles, here's what I've learned about each stage and how to approach them strategically:
Recruiter call purpose:
This is a high-level screener to check if you're qualified.
Purpose: It's mainly to ensure the company isn't investing hours of the hiring manager's time speaking to designers who aren't qualified.
Approach: stay high level, don't need to go deep, just trying to tick off as many buzzwords and skills as possible.
I also use this as an opportunity to build rapport with the recruiter.
Why? Because they'll be speaking to the hiring manager about me, and I want them to 'like me' as a person, so they speak more highly of me.
Think about it, if you have a great chat with someone, you'll think they're cool and you'll pass those positive feelings on.
Hiring manager call:
Purpose: The hiring manager evaluates if you'll be a good fit for the team, the company, and the types of projects you'll be working on.
Here's the thing, every hiring manager is different, and there's no way for you to know what's important to each one. This is where I focus on figuring that out.
My approach: I try to discover what matters most to them for this role.
How I do it: I ask strategic questions, but timing is crucial.
Don't wait until the end, you need these answers before you start answering their questions, because their responses will shape everything you say.
Here's my approach: the hiring manager will typically start by explaining the company or role. Once they finish, that's my moment to ask questions.
Here are examples of what I ask:
What's your biggest worry with the design team at the moment?
What's making it difficult to achieve these business goals from a design perspective?
What types of projects will the person who gets this role work on?
The question I ask will depend on what they have previously said to me.
If you want a list of more questions, you can download my list here 👇🏽
Now I know the answers to the test, and I can answer all their questions, ensuring I address the problems they've mentioned or issues they've highlighted as important to them.
Case study walk-through
Purpose: This is where your design skills get evaluated. It's challenging because you're typically condensing extensive work into 45 minutes while maintaining a natural pace.
In the past, I would hope for the best and present what I thought was important. Sometimes it worked, but usually it didn't.
My current approach:
I focus on what the hiring manager highlighted as important during our conversation. There's a high chance they've briefed the design team conducting your presentation, and they may even attend themselves.
I also reach out to the recruiter to ask if they have specific guidance about what the team wants to see. Even a single sentence can be incredibly helpful.
I once had a recruiter tell me, "They really want to see how you build a design vision for your work." That insight completely changed my approach. I condensed all my process work down so it was half the size and added more content on my future thinking and vision work.
That interview led to an offer.
Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to landing a job. You have to figure out what each company values most.
If you're feeling confident, you can email the hiring manager directly.
Want two templates I created based on the emails I've sent in the past? 👇🏽
Conclusion
How you answer questions significantly impacts how you're perceived in interviews, but the questions you ask are equally important.
This strategic approach has helped the designers I coach increase their confidence during interviews, and the more confident you feel, the better you will perform.
