Read Time: 5 Minutes

Ever walk out of an interview feeling like you didn't quite nail it?

Maybe you rambled too much, couldn't think of the right examples, or got thrown off by unexpected questions.

By the end of this issue, you will have learned the exact approach I followed to secure offers from the NBA, CBS, MIT, and Lucid, and help hundreds of students land their dream jobs.

Let's dive in.

Step 1: Identify Your 3 Target Traits

Before you step into any interview, you need to know exactly how you want to be perceived. What are the 3 key traits you want your interviewer to associate with your name by the end of the conversation?

Here's how to nail this step:

1. Reflect on what truly matters to you professionally
2. Research what the company values in its employees
3. Find the sweet spot where your authentic self aligns with what they're looking for

For example, let's say you're interviewing for a product marketing role at a fast-growing tech startup. Your 3 target traits might be:

1. Strategic Thinker
2. Results-Driven
3. Collaborative

 

Pro Tip: Don't just pick these traits - have clear examples of how you embody them. Which brings us to step 2...

Step 2: Extract Your Top 8 Stories

Once you've identified your target traits, it's time to arm yourself with compelling stories that showcase these qualities. Why 8? It's enough to cover a wide range of potential questions without overwhelming yourself.

Here's how to choose your stories:

1. Review your resume and identify your most impactful experiences
2. Ensure each story clearly demonstrates at least one of your target traits
3. Use the SCAR method to structure each story: Situation, Complication, Action, Result

Let's break down an example story using the SCAR method:

Situation: I was responsible for managing strategic partnerships at a leading B2B software company.

Complication: The company was facing increased competition and needed to rapidly expand its ecosystem. Existing partnerships were not scaling fast enough, and there was a lack of standardized processes for partnership management.

Action:

• Developed a comprehensive partnership strategy, focusing on high-impact collaborations with tech giants.
• Implemented a standardized partnership lifecycle management process to streamline operations.
• Created a dedicated team to support partners and drive integration efforts.

Result: Increased annual output of strategic partnerships and integrations by 5X in 2 years, influencing ~$XYZMM annual recurring revenue.

This story hits all three of our target traits:

• Strategic Thinker: Developed a comprehensive strategy
• Results-Driven: Achieved 5X growth and significant revenue impact
• Collaborative: Created partnerships and built a dedicated support team

Step 3: Master the CARL Framework

Now that you have your traits and stories, it's time to learn how to deliver them effectively in the interview. Enter the BLUF + CARL framework:

I like to keep my answers under 2.5 minutes each. Combining BLUF and CARL keeps you concise.

Here's how it works:

1. Start with a concise, direct answer (BLUF)
2. Then, expand on your answer using the CARL structure

Let's see this in action with a common interview question:

Question: "Tell me about a time you had to navigate challenging stakeholders. How did you lead without authority?"

Answer: (BLUF) "I successfully led a cross-functional team to commit to building a key integration with a Fortune 100 partner, despite initial resistance from different stakeholders, that helped us exceed revenue targets."

(CARL) Challenge: When leading our new integration launch, I faced resistance from both the engineering and sales teams. Engineering was concerned about the aggressive timeline, while sales was skeptical about the integration's value to customers.

Action: To address these challenges:

1. I organized a series of workshops to align on the product vision and gather input from all stakeholders.
2. Created a detailed project plan with clear milestones and responsibilities.
3. Implemented a regular communication cadence to keep everyone informed and address concerns proactively.
4. Leveraged data from customer interviews and engagement metrics of similar integrations to validate the potential and alleviate sales team concerns.

Result: We successfully launched the product on time, and it exceeded first-quarter revenue projections by 20%.

Learning: This experience taught me that presenting a combination of user stories and hard data is crucial to influencing more senior stakeholders when I otherwise wouldn't have the authority to push the team.

You can watch an example of me walking through this framework HERE. 

3 Important Callouts

1. I like the CARL approach much more than the commonly used STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). People using STAR tend to ramble because they provide irrelevant details in the "situation" and "task" sections. With CARL, however, leading with the "challenge" forces you to highlight the most relevant information while giving you enough time to expand on your "action," which is what your interviewer cares about the most.
2. You don't always need to use BLUF. BLUF is particularly helpful when you're asked open-ended questions that start with "how," "why," or "what." However, when answering questions that start with "tell me about a time when...", you can jump straight into CARL.
3. Not every question can be answered with BLUF + CARL. While most can, the two questions that require a different approach are "Tell me about yourself," and "Why do you want to work here?" It's highly likely that your interviewer will ask you at least one of these (if not, both).

If you found this helpful, the Impromptu Speakers Academy is my 3-week bootcamp to help you become a clear and confident speaker at work. Reserve your spot today while they're still available.

 

 I hope this guide helps you crush your next interview!

Talk soon,

Preston