Estimated Runtime: ~10 minutes
Welcome to Module Six — The Interview. This is where everything comes together.
Your brand, your network, your applications — they've all been building toward
this moment. And here's the truth that separates candidates who get offers from
candidates who get "we went with someone else." It's not talent. It's not
experience. It's preparation. The most prepared candidate wins — almost every
time.
Preparation isn't just Googling the company five minutes before the call. It's a
five-layer system. Layer one — company deep dive. You need to know their
mission, their recent news, their competitive landscape, their culture. When the
interviewer asks "why this company," your answer should make them think you've
been following them for years.
Layer two — role intelligence. Re-read the posting. Decode the priorities.
Understand what problems this role is being hired to solve. The person who
understands the job better than the job description articulates it has an
enormous advantage.
Layer three — and this is the one most people skip — interviewer research. Look
up every person you'll be speaking with on LinkedIn. Understand their
background, their tenure at the company, their likely perspective. An HR
recruiter evaluates you differently than a technical lead or a VP. Tailor your
communication style to each.
Layer four — your story bank. Prepare eight to ten career stories that
demonstrate your capabilities. Map each story to the likely interview questions.
Every story should be structured, quantified, and rehearsed until it sounds
natural, not scripted.
Layer five — logistics and mindset. Confirm every detail. Test your technology.
Prepare your environment. Then do your mental preparation — visualization,
breathing, whatever grounds you and builds confidence. Walking into an interview
anxious because you're scrambling is a preparation failure, not a personality
trait.
Two to three hours of preparation per interview is the sweet spot. That sounds
like a lot, but think about what's at stake. One hour for company and role
research. Thirty minutes for interviewer research. Thirty minutes rehearsing
your stories. Thirty minutes on logistics and mindset.
You've already done most of the foundational work — your story bank, your brand
narrative, your knowledge of target companies. Preparation per interview gets
faster over time.
Your interview preparation system is your unfair advantage. Five layers, two to
three hours, and you'll walk in more prepared than ninety percent of candidates.
Next lesson, we master the STAR method for behavioral interviews — the format
most interviewers love and most candidates butcher.