Hey, Prasad here 👋 I'm the voice behind the weekly newsletter "Big Tech Careers."
In this week's article, I share templates to answer the most common behavioral interview questions. As you know, I categorize the behavioral questions in 8 key themes. In this part 1 of the series, I will cover templates for the first 3 categories - Customer Focus Story, Success Story and Failure Story.
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When preparing for interviews at big tech companies, behavioral questions are a critical component of the assessment process. These companies are looking for evidence of your past behaviors as predictors of future performance.
Certain data points need to be included depending on whether you're sharing a success story, failure story, problem-solving experience, time management example, or any other theme from the 8 categories.
In this article series, I will break down the structure you can use as a template for each different behavioral category theme.
Before we dive into templates for the categories, a quick note of Big Tech Interview Preparation Course. I’m thrilled with the feedback I’m receiving.
Here is one of the message from one of the course student:
I'm humbled to receive such messages, and they motivate me to keep going!
Most candidates who fail MAANG+ interviews don't realize the critical mistakes they make during the interview. The lack of feedback from recruiters makes it even more difficult for candidates to understand their shortcomings.
In my Big Tech interview preparation course, I cover all the behavioral skills you need to excel in Big Tech interviews. The strategies I teach are based on insights from hundreds of interviews I've personally conducted, revealing patterns and techniques you simply won't find in any other course.
In Part 1, we will cover the first 3 categories: Customer Focus Story, Success Story and Failure Story.
For each category, we'll examine a common question, provide a high-level structure to respond, and offer a detailed template based on the STAR format, along with important considerations.
Use these structures and templates as frameworks to craft your own compelling stories based on your personal experiences.
Let’s get started.
Customer/User Focus Story
Question
"Tell me about a time when you advocated for the customer against competing business interests."
High Level Structure to Respond
I encountered this situation during [specific project]
I identified the customer need by [discovery method]
The competing business priority was [specific constraint]
I advocated for the customer by [specific actions]
We resolved the tension by [compromise/solution]
The outcome benefited customers through [specific impact]
Important Considerations
Demonstrate your customer obsession by showing how you deeply understand customer requirements and work backward from their needs to deliver the right solution.
This is your opportunity to highlight how you've earned customer trust and how your customer-centric approach has created long-term business value.
Detailed STAR based template
Situation:
I encountered this situation during [specific project]
The context was [specific business circumstance]
We were facing [tension between business and customer needs]
Task:
My role required me to [specific responsibility]
I needed to balance [competing priorities]
The challenge was to [specific objective]
Action:
I identified the customer need by [discovery method]
I gathered [specific evidence/data] to support my position
I presented this information to [relevant stakeholders]
I proposed [specific alternative approach]
Result:
We resolved the tension by [compromise/solution]
The outcome benefited customers through [specific impact]
The business also gained [unexpected business benefit]
This experience reinforced my belief that [principle about customer focus]
Success Story
Question
"Describe your most significant professional accomplishment and why it matters."
High Level Structure to Respond
I'll share my work on [project name]
I identified the opportunity by [method]
I took initiative by [specific action]
I overcame [specific challenge] by [approach]
The measurable impact was [specific result]
This matters because [broader significance]
Important Considerations
Showcase your most impactful project, emphasizing the specific actions you took and your unique contribution to the successful outcome.
Highlight your initiative, leadership qualities, problem-solving approach, and how you leveraged your strengths. Quantify the results whenever possible, demonstrating the measurable impact of your success.
Detailed STAR based template
Situation:
I'll share my work on [project name/type]
The context was [specific business situation]
We faced [specific challenge or opportunity]
Task:
My specific responsibility was [your role]
I was tasked with [specific objective]
The goal was to achieve [measurable target]
Action:
I approached this by [overall strategy]
I took initiative by [specific key action]
I overcame [obstacle] by [specific approach]
I involved [relevant stakeholders] by [collaboration method]
Result:
The immediate outcome was [specific accomplishment]
The measurable impact included [quantifiable results]
This matters because [broader significance/lasting impact]
I learned [personal or team insight] from this success
Failure Story
Question
"Tell me about a project that failed. What did you learn?"
High Level Structure to Respond
A specific project that didn't succeed was [name/type]
The failure occurred because [root cause]
I contributed to this by [personal mistake]
I realized my error when [moment of insight]
I applied this lesson by [specific change]
This experience changed how I [broader principle]
Important Considerations
When sharing a failure story, focus on demonstrating self-awareness and growth.
Acknowledge your mistakes honestly without making excuses or putting the blame on others, and clearly articulate what you learned from the experience. Emphasize the concrete steps you took to address the situation and prevent similar issues in the future. Show how you've applied these lessons successfully in subsequent situations.
Choose a genuine failure that's not catastrophic, and frame your story to highlight your resilience, accountability, and ability to transform setbacks into valuable learning opportunities.
Detailed STAR based template
Situation:
A specific project that didn't succeed was [name/type]
This happened when [timeframe/context]
The original goal was [intended outcome]
Task:
My role in this project was [specific responsibility]
I was expected to [specific expectations]
Our team was trying to [specific objectives]
Action:
Our approach was to [strategy/method used]
I specifically worked on [your contribution]
The failure occurred when [specific turning point]
I attempted to [recovery efforts if applicable]
Result:
The outcome was [specific failure or shortcoming]
I realized [specific insight about what went wrong]
I learned [key lesson] from this experience
I applied this lesson by [specific change in approach]
This experience changed how I [broader principle/practice]
Transform these proven structures and templates into powerful personal narratives that showcase your unique experiences and strengths. Customize these frameworks with your own professional journey to create compelling stories that resonate with interviewers and set you apart from other candidates.
Next week in Part 2, I will share the structures and templates for the next 3 categories - Conflict Story, Problem Solving Story and Learning/Growth Mindset Story. Stay tuned!
I cover these MAANG+ interviewing strategies along with examples of reference stories in detail in my Interview Preparation Course.Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
Access to recordings of my live MAANG+ interview preparation workshop: 15+ hours recordings of the live workshop that include recordings of Q&A, mock interviews, practice sessions and access to discord community. Details here.
Mock Interviews: Have an upcoming interview at a MAANG+/Big Tech company? I provide a detailed debrief after conducting mock interviews, with actionable points to help you improve your responses immediately.
