Interview prep · 38 roles · 29 countries · 83 guides
Know the bar before the interview.
Raise your odds in every round.
Interviews are won by candidates who know what's being graded. Each briefing gives you that for your role and level: what interviewers listen for, the questions you'll face, and the mistakes that cost strong candidates the offer. Free, no signup.
Reader favorites
First person, from the Reddit postsWhy you didn't get the job
Seven reasons from the person who decided, at both stages: the ones that stop you before the interview, and the ones that end a loop that felt like it went well.
Why engineering managers fail interviews
The six anti-patterns that sink strong EM candidates, from someone who has interviewed hundreds of them.
How to become an engineering director
Three promotions in six years, first person: what worked, what didn't, and the best questions from the comments answered at the end.
How a hiring manager screens resumes
Ten resumes, thirty minutes, and the five things he actually looked at before the shortlist changed the next morning.
What hiring managers actually look for
The profile of the candidates who get hired, in seven traits from the deciding side of the table.
How to get more interviews
A mental model for getting interviews: fewer, better-aimed applications, and referrals over the apply button.
Interview guides by company
The loop, company by companyFrontier AI labs
AI infrastructure and products
Hard tech and defense
Southeast Asia tech
Stockholm tech
Interview guides by role
38 briefings · 10 tracksGuides & playbooks
59 guides · every stage of the searchTech interviews by country
Pay, security and visas · 29 marketsQuestions, answered
FAQWhich guide should I read first?
Start with the guide that matches your CURRENT level rather than the role you're applying to. Companies judge you against the bar one step above where you are now: a Senior applying for Staff is judged on Senior signals plus the scope gap to Staff. Read your current-level guide first to anchor your baseline; then read the target-level guide to see what they'll probe for the step-up.
How long should I prep before an onsite?
Depends on your role and how active you've been. Rough guide: SWE / PM 4–6 weeks if rusty, 2 weeks if you're already practising. Senior+ engineers need 6–8 weeks because system design + STAR-story drilling both take time. Staff and Director roles need 8–12 weeks, the highest-leverage prep there is a written 90-day plan plus a strategic POV on the company, both of which take weeks to think through and rehearse.
What if my interview process is different from what's listed?
Most variation is at the edges. Major tech companies (FAANG, scale-ups, mid-size SaaS) follow processes within 1–2 rounds of what each guide describes. Smaller startups often run fewer rounds (3–4) but the bar at each round is similar; less-tech-mature companies sometimes skip system design or behavioural rounds entirely. Ask the recruiter at the screen, they'll tell you what's coming.
What is the STAR method?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, a structure for behavioural interview answers that keeps your story concrete and outcome-driven. Lead with the situation in 1–2 sentences, name the specific task you owned, walk through your action, close with a measurable result. Each role guide tags behavioural questions explicitly and shows how STAR applies to that level's questions.
How does the free scan differ from these guides?
These guides cover the general bar at each level. The free scan reads your specific job description and returns a personalised report, predicted questions for that exact role + company, a pay benchmark matched to the role, experience-gap analysis (with your CV), an ATS resume check, and a PDF emailed to keep. Use the guides for context; use the free scan to prep for a real role you've applied to.
Now do it for your posting
These guides give you the bar.
Calibrd gets you ready to clear it.
Paste your actual job and Calibrd makes it real: exactly what that company asks, where your CV is thin, and a full round you rehearse out loud.
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