Even great stories can flop if they’re delivered poorly. These tips and anti-patterns help you avoid common pitfalls and present your answers with confidence—whether you’re in person or on Zoom.
1. Avoid rambling
Tip: Anchor on STAR. Think in beats—Situation → Task → Action → Result → Reflection.
Mini example: Instead of a 5-minute backstory about the company, say: “Checkout load times were 18s → I audited bundles and lazy-loaded assets → LCP dropped to 2.8s → Conversions rose 12% → I learned to measure first.”
2. Stay specific
Tip: Replace vague claims with concrete numbers, timelines, or outcomes.
Anti-pattern: “We improved performance a lot.”
Better: “We cut load time from 7s to 2.4s in 3 weeks.”
3. Quantify impact
Tip: Numbers make stories memorable. Use percentages, time saved, or adoption counts.
Mini example: “My testing framework reduced flaky test reruns by 40% and cut CI time by 12 minutes per build.”
4. Handle Zoom dynamics
Tip: Look at the camera for key points, pause slightly longer (Zoom has delay), and check for understanding (“Does that make sense?”).
Anti-pattern: Talking nonstop without noticing frozen faces or muted mics.
Pro tip
Always frame answers like you’re writing bullet points in the interviewer’s notes. If they can capture your story in 2–3 lines, you nailed it.