Are you struggling to respond to interview questions? Do you find yourself having the answers at the tip of your tongue or in your head but are unable to organize them? Recently, I shared a technique I have been developing for years with a former colleague. Since they found it helpful, I wanted to share it with a wider audience.

I created a dynamic document where I recorded my accomplishments and thought about common scenarios. For example, I thought about times when I had conflicts with colleagues or had to deal with difficult team members. For each situation, I documented the context, obstacles, actions, and results. This helped me reflect on these experiences and maintain a record of my history. Without this, I found that over time, I would forget significant details.

As I expanded this document, I realized the need for an elevator pitch, so I wrote down and perfected two versions, a shorter and a slightly longer one. I use some variation of these when asked to “Tell me about yourself.” I also included responses to questions that I anticipated I might be asked during interviews. This gave me time to consider my answers and ensured that I was well-prepared with polished responses. If you feel nervous during interviews, this technique can help to alleviate that.

The document includes headings such as “About Me,” “Elevator Pitch,” “What is Next” (describing my next desired position), “Programming Languages,” “Why Technical Writing,” “Who Am I” (describing my unique qualities), “Strengths and Weaknesses,” “Accomplishment Stories,” “What Motivates Me,” and “What Makes Me a Good Technical Writer.”

While you might not be fully prepared for every question, having done this work will provide you with many solid ideas to draw upon.

See the post on LinkedIn.