This is Part 4 of my 9-part series: The Behavioral Interview Game Plan. [View the Full Series Roadmap]
In our previous step, we looked “under the hood” of the job description to identify the specific signals a company is looking for. It is common to feel a bit overwhelmed by the length of that list, but identifying these attributes early makes your preparation targeted and efficient. Rest assured that while this list looks long now, by the end of this series we will have narrowed these down into a much smaller, more manageable set of “Super-Stories” so you can focus on quality over quantity.
Instead of practicing general answers, we are going to use the exact evidence this specific team wants to see. Below is your consolidated list of attributes—a comprehensive list of the individual attributes we pulled directly from the job description’s “cheat sheet.” These are the core qualities you want to demonstrate through your stories:
- App maintenance
- Bug resolution
- Clean code
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Debug code
- Efficient code
- Focus on quality
- Individual ownership
- Interface builder
- iOS best practices
- iOS development
- iOS tools
- Mobile app development
- Problem solving
- Release Process
- Reusable code
- Software design
- Staying current
- Swift
- Teamwork
- Testing code
- Xcode
Why This List Matters
By keeping these attributes front and center, you ensure that when you speak, you are hitting the exact notes that resonate with a hiring manager. You aren’t just checking boxes; you are preparing to prove your action-oriented qualities through past experiences. Having this clear list allows you to save time and mental energy by ensuring every story you prepare serves a specific purpose.
What’s Next?
Now that we have our definitive list, we can move on to the fun part: finding your wins. In our next post, we will begin “mining for gold” in your career history to identify the specific moments—the scenarios—where you demonstrated these qualities.
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If you want help narrowing down your own career highlights into a winning list, let’s chat. I offer behavioral interview coaching for tech to help you feel completely prepared for your big day.
I've spent over 25 years navigating the software engineering landscape—scaling teams, fostering well-being, and mentoring the next generation of technical leaders. After 6.5 years at Google, I built a coaching practice to help talented engineers and techies unlock their potential and build the momentum that transforms careers. I'm the coach who meets you at your pivotal moments and helps you make the most of them.