Interview Prep Kit | Resources by Shumbul Arifa

The STAR method (for every behavioral question)

"Tell me about a time you..." questions all have the same answer shape. Walk through these four beats and you'll always sound structured.

Situation
Set the scene briefly

Task
What was your goal?

Action
What did you do?

Result
What happened? (numbers!)

Spend most of your time on Action and Result. Use "I", not "we", they want to know what you did.

Behavioral questions to prepare

Prepare one STAR story for each of these. A few stories can be reused across many questions. Rehearse out loud on the clock, most answers should land in about 90 seconds.

Tell me about yourself. (90 seconds: present → past → why this role.)
Tell me about a project you're proud of.
Describe a time you faced a bug or blocker you couldn't solve quickly.
Tell me about a disagreement in a team and how you handled it.
A time you had to learn something new fast.
A time you failed or missed a deadline, and what you learned.
Why this company? Why this role? (Do your research, this filters out the unprepared.)

Want a bigger question bank with a random picker? See the STAR Method guide.

Technical prep checklist

Coding: Comfortable with the 8 core DSA patterns. Practice talking while you code. See the DSA Practice Guide.

Fundamentals: Be ready to explain: how the internet works (DNS, HTTP), OOP basics, a database query, and the projects on your resume in depth.

System design (for some roles): Know the 6-step framework and core building blocks. See the System Design Templates.

Your own projects: You will be asked "why did you build it this way?" Know your trade-offs. This is the easiest section to ace because it's yours.

The coding-interview flow (say these out loud)

Clarify: Repeat the problem, ask about edge cases and input size.
Examples: Walk through a small example by hand.
Approach: State your plan and its time/space cost before coding. Mention a brute force, then improve.
Code: Talk as you type. Silence is the enemy.
Test: Run through your example, check edge cases.

Interviewers grade your thinking, not just the final code. A clear, communicated approach beats a silent correct answer.

Smart questions to ask them

Always have 2-3 ready. It shows genuine interest and it's your chance to check if you'd actually enjoy working there.

What does a typical day or week look like for this role?
How does the team support someone early in their career?
What does success look like in the first 3-6 months?
What's the most interesting problem the team is working on right now?

After the interview

Send a short thank-you note within 24 hours. Mention something specific you discussed.
Jot down the questions you were asked, this makes your next interview easier.
If you get a no, politely ask for feedback. Many will share it, and it's gold.

🌱 Nervous? That's normal, here's the reframe

An interview is a conversation, not an interrogation. They already liked your resume, now they just want to see how you think and whether you're pleasant to work with. Prepare 3-4 stories and a few questions, and you're most of the way there. Want a mock interview? Tap ✦ Ask AI and ask it to interview you for your target role.