Ask HN: How to improve my interview performance

I hugely under perform at interviews. Mostly because I turn into a hot mess and lose organization when discussing my experiences during interviews.

I've done some of the typical stuff like writing down key points and rehearing answers ahead of the interview. I also seem to do ok with the coaches I've occasionally enlisted.

Love to hear from someone who has solved a similar problem.

I am also curious how and how much do most people practice (esp the ones who aren't exactly glib talkers)

How many times do you rehearse a single answer . I am just curious what it takes for most people

thanks and do you do that with a friend / colleague. Or do you use some interview prep outfit. I've seen quite a few though its not clear which ones are effective

I would get in the habit of practicing talking about your experiences and your projects and your passions on a regular basis -- not just while job searching! Being able to speak confidently about yourself and your accomplishments will get you far in a lot of different ways, like presentations, generic social engagements, and even dating. But perhaps more importantly, it's a great way to sell yourself within your company. At 1:1s with your (new) boss, practice talking about your projects. Your goal is to sell yourself, to make your boss think you're all that and a bag of chips. (Hopefully, it's true!)

I know this doesn't help that much right now while you're looking for a job, but it really helps to practice all the time.

For a more practical solution: I go for a 30 minute walk every morning, and during that walk, I often talk aloud about whatever is on my mind. Very often, I'm practicing a pitch that I want to make to someone else, or a speech I want to give, or a witty, snarky comeback that I should have given when Bob insulted me in front of the cashier at Starbucks. I do it every day, and I've noticed that in my "real" life, I stutter less and I come across as more persuasive than I did years ago before I started doing this.

So to answer your last question: every day for at least 10-30 minutes :)

Something that has helped me tremendously is to care less about the opinion of the interviewer and the company. An engineer provides value through their skills and I'm there to present my value and offer it.

If the interview process is dehumanizing or badly conducted, this is a signal about the company/department itself sharing the same characteristics. If I don't see bad intent, I also assume that the interviewer is trying to do their best for me to succeed. Their aim should be to get the most out of every candidate and not to pressure someone into failing.

This may sound irrelevant to the fact that you are finding it hard to describe your achievements, but I think that the mood of the interview matters a lot. A positive mindset on your part can relieve a lot of the tension and with less tension, there's more bandwidth to think.