interview-skills

# Interview Skills

This skill provides frameworks for excelling in technical interviews and negotiating job offers effectively.

## When to Use This Skill

- Preparing for behavioral interview questions
- Practicing the STAR method for storytelling
- Planning how to communicate during technical interviews
- Evaluating a job offer
- Preparing to negotiate salary or compensation
- Deciding whether to accept or counter an offer

## Core Frameworks

### STAR Method for Behavioral Questions

Structure answers to behavioral questions ("Tell me about a time when...") using STAR:

| Component | % of Answer | Purpose |
| --------- | ----------- | ------- |
| **S**ituation | 10% | Set the context |
| **T**ask | 10% | Your specific responsibility |
| **A**ction | 60% | What you did (the meat) |
| **R**esult | 20% | Outcomes with metrics |

**Example Structure:**

```text
"Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict on your team."

SITUATION (10%): "On my last project, two senior engineers disagreed
about the database architecture - one wanted PostgreSQL, the other MongoDB."

TASK (10%): "As the tech lead, I needed to help them reach a decision
that the whole team could support without damaging their relationship."

ACTION (60%): "First, I scheduled a meeting where each could present
their case with specific criteria: performance requirements, team expertise,
and maintenance burden. Then I created a decision matrix we could score together.
When scores were close, I facilitated a discussion about what mattered most
for THIS project specifically. I made sure both felt heard by summarizing
their key points before moving on."

RESULT (20%): "We chose PostgreSQL based on the team's existing expertise.
Both engineers felt the process was fair - one even said it was the best
technical decision process he'd experienced. The project launched on time
and we haven't had database issues in 18 months."
```

**Full reference with 5 example stories:** `references/star-method.md`

### Techni