This is Part 4 of my 9-part series: The Behavioral Interview Game Plan. [View the Full Series Roadmap]
After analyzing the job description, it’s common to feel a little overwhelmed by all the different things an interviewer might ask. But here’s a secret: many of those requirements overlap. By simplifying the list, we can make your preparation feel much more manageable.
We’ve taken all the “signals” we identified in our last post and narrowed them down to a single, clean checklist. These are the core qualities we want to highlight throughout your interview.
Think of this as our success checklist:
- Technical Foundations: Swift, iOS development, mobile app development, iOS best practices.
- Problem Solving: Debugging code, bug resolution, testing code, and general problem-solving.
- Craftsmanship: Clean code, efficient code, reusable code, and a constant focus on quality.
- The Tools of the Trade: Xcode, Interface Builder, Release Process, and general iOS tools.
- Working with Others: Cross-functional collaboration and teamwork.
- Reliability & Growth: App maintenance, software design, releasing features, individual ownership, and staying current with tech.
Why We Group These Together
When you look at the list this way, you start to see themes. You don’t need 22 different stories! You just need a few high-quality experiences that demonstrate these themes.
By organizing our thoughts now, we’re saving you time and mental energy later. We aren’t just checking boxes; we’re making sure that when you speak, you’re hitting the exact notes that resonate with a hiring manager.
What’s Next?
Now that we have our checklist, we get to do the fun part: finding your wins. In our next post, we’ll start identifying the specific moments in your career—the “scenarios”—where you showed up and demonstrated these qualities.
If you want help narrowing down your own career highlights into a winning checklist, 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.