Greater Than Code
Greater Than Code
156: Authenticity in Interviewing with James Edward Gray II
01:30 - James’ Superpower: Spending time chasing his daughter and her robots around. Helping with her robotics club at school.
02:37 - “Just Be Yourself” is Terrible Advice
03:50 - What Are You Trying to Accomplish in the Interview
06:00 - Be Authentic: Which Parts of Yourself to Show
- Be a Strong Communicator
- Be an Avid Learner
- Don’t be a Jerk
07:25 - Turn Your Interviewers into Your Advocates
12:42 - Technical Interviews
- Saying “I Don’t Know” is OK
16:00 Interviewee as the Interviewer
- Make Sure You Want to Work Here
- Answer Questions Honestly
18:53 - Prepare for Common Interview Questions
- Rephrasing Weakness
23:34 - Intrinsic Motivation
29:29 - Storytelling in the Interview
- Being Confident in Your Accomplishments
- Interviewers Explain Why You Are Asking the Question
37:15 - Management Techniques
45:00 - Why Technical Interviews are Challenging
Reflections:
John: Setting the context for being approachable as an interviewer is important.
Rein: Some of this advice works all the time, and some of this advice only works when you have been able to develop a personal connection with the interviewer/interviewee.
James: Think about if this is a place you want to work while interviewing.
Avdi: Turning your interviewer into your advocate can help them also be able to tell you if this place will be a good fit for you.
Jessica: It’s not just about being able to interview well as the interviewee, but we need to choose a company that can interview well too. Ask your personal contacts about what it is like to work at a certain company.
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Special Guest: James Edward Gray.
