Course
The Big Three Questions
Special preparation for the three most important behavioral questions: Tell Me About Yourself, Tell Me About Your Favorite Project, and Tell Me About a Conflict.
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While drilling random behavioral questions isn't the best preparation strategy, three questions (or variants) appear so consistently, and carry so much weight, that preparing them thoroughly pays off every time:
- Tell me about yourself (TMAY)
- Tell me about your favorite project
- Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict
Since you know they're coming, you have an opportunity to prepare polished, practiced responses you can deliver confidently even when you're nervous. Nailing these will give you confidence through the rest of the interview and gives you a huge boost in terms of the subjective assessment from your interviewer. These questions also give you a chance to cover a wide variety of signal areas, establishing yourself as a good fit for the role.
Let's cover some special guidance for each of these questions.
Tell Me About Yourself (TMAY)
This question pops up everywhere. It starts in casual networking conversations, with recruiters, hiring managers, and of course in behavioral interviews. It's so ubiquitous it has its own acronym: TMAY (pronounced "tee-may").
Answering TMAY effectively can set the tone for the entire session and accomplish a few things:
Break the ice and leave a great first impression. Candidates and interviewers alike are nervous at the beginning of an interview. Take these first few minutes to make a lasting impression when the interviewer is most attentive.
Set the context and your scope. Many interviewers have not reviewed your resume. They might be coming straight from another meeting and not even have looked to see which open role they're interviewing to fill. Your TMAY introduces the conversation and helps both of you get oriented.
Steer the rest of the conversation. A strong TMAY lets you guide the interviewer toward topics that showcase the best of your career. This ensures the rest of the interview focuses on your repeatable behaviors, which is how the interviewer will judge you.
Express passion for your role and for the company. This is your opportunity to demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the work you do and the role you're pursuing.
Paradoxically, the way to achieve all of this is to keep your TMAY short. About 30 seconds to 2 minutes is ideal. Interviewers want enough context to orient themselves but are also eager to dive into their more meaty questions.
Don't use flattery like "It's been my life's dream to interview for this company." Your job is to guide the interviewer to the best stories about your career, so time you spent in the introduction means less time spent delivering signal that will get you hired.
A Simple Structure for TMAY
Personal Summary
Accomplishments
Forward-Looking Statement
TMAY Examples by Career Level
New Grad
Mid-Level Engineer
Senior Engineer
People Manager
Handling Complex Situations in TMAY
TMAY Mistakes to Avoid
Tell Me About Your Favorite Project
Choosing Your Favorite Project
Tell Me About a Time You Resolved a Conflict
How Tech Companies View Conflicts
Common Conflict Stories
Choosing the Right Conflict Story
Common Elements of Successful Conflict Stories
Full Example: Data Quality vs. Timeline
The Result Includes the Relationship
Bonus: The Question Everyone Forgets
Good Questions to Ask
Questions to Avoid
Exercise: Prepare Your Big Three
What's Next
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