The Lost Art of Interview Prep
Practical ways to prepare and stand out in a noisy job market.
I was sat on the bench, notebook in hand. My leg was tapping uncontrollably, but I didn't notice it, I was staring intensely at my notes deep in concentration.
It was half eight in the morning and London was busy, people were rushing past me on their way to work. I looked up and glanced over at the building in front of me, staring at the neon blue light.
MONZO
I went back to looking at my notebook and going through the questions and the answers I had prepared for the interview. The pit of my stomach was in knots. Nerves was an understatement.
Anxiety before interviews was not a new sensation to me, but this was different. It felt like a bigger deal than I was used to - like I was punching way above my weight. Multiple times I had considered sending an email, apologising that I wasn’t feeling well today, and then just going home and never pushing myself this far out of my comfort zone again. Without doubt I am not a naturally confident person, so my brain was wracked with doubts - but deep down I was content with myself in knowing that there was nothing else I could have done to prepare for this moment.
A few weeks prior, I had seen the opening for an Engineering Manager at the company, and had applied on a whim not expecting to hear anything back. I was working at a smaller company at the time and this was in the peak of Monzo's growth, when it had been considered the "most desirable startup to work for" several years in a row in the UK.
The team there were the real deal. I was genuinely surprised when I got the follow up that they wanted to speak with me, and right from that moment I decided that I would do whatever it took to try my best to land that role.
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This was over five years ago now (where has the time gone!?). I was fortunate enough to end up getting the job and I put the success here down to the sheer amount of preparation I did prior to ever speaking to someone from the company.
That job changed my career trajectory, and my whole life, literally - two weeks of focusing on ensuring I was set up for success seemed like a pretty good trade off.
I have hosted a lot of interviews since then, and it seems that prepping for interviews is becoming more of a lost art. More and more I am seeing people turn up for initial calls with the minimum amount of preparation done - even someone saying that they have just simply used the product and know what it us makes them stand out in many cases.
Many think that interviews are an extroverts game, that if you have the gift of the gab then you can chance your way through them. That is just not the case. It’s a game of prep and effort.
A while back I saw a post shared by Adam Wathan which really stuck with me and I believe illustrates very eloquently what I have seen time and time again whilst conducting my own interviews.
Tailwind were looking to bring on two new engineers to the team. No doubt for many a dream role and a career “moon shot”. But 90% of people couldn't be bothered to follow the correct process!
"10% more effort doesn't increase your chances by 10%, it increases them by more like 1000%."
In a game where you are trying to compete with a crowd, and as time goes on every single role out there is getting more competitive, every little bit of extra effort you put in will play dividends. Trust me.
Here are six extra things you can do to prepare as throughly as possible and help you to stand out next time you are prepping for an interview.
This is from personal experience both from the interviewee side, the interviewer side as well as from coaching both engineers and leaders on how to interview better.
Job applications aren't a numbers game
Over the past year or so, I’ve seen a steady stream of LinkedIn posts that go something like: “I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs and haven’t heard a thing.”
I get it, truly. I’ve been through redundancy myself. I know what it’s like to watch your savings dwindle while waiting for a door to open, it's a scary time. The default response is to apply for as many as possible and hope that something will stick.
But here’s the truth: job applications aren’t a numbers game.
Playing it this way diminishes your chances of getting the initial call. It’s not about applying to as many roles as possible, it’s about picking a few and doing everything you can to present yourself at your best. Sure, each application takes more time, but as Adam Wathan said, 10% effort increases your chances by 1000%. This is a mindset shift that needs to take place for anyone that is going through the process.
You need to be the applicant that is shared around internally, that people are excited to speak to, and what truly gets people excited is not big names on your CV, it’s how well you present yourself initially.
Which brings me to the next point...
Go the extra mile early on
The interview process is your chance to shine. It’s your moment to show who you are, what you bring, your personality and why you’re worth hiring.
If your effort feels half-hearted, it sends a clear message about the effort you’re likely to put into the job itself. That might sound harsh, but it’s often true.
Skipping application questions. Rushing your CV. These things stand out and not in a good way. Yes, doing it properly takes time. Which is exactly why I suggest focusing on quality over quantity.
When I was looking for my current role, I applied to just four companies. For each, I created a short video introducing myself, walking through my career, and explaining what I could bring to the team. It took about thirty minutes to make each video, but it helped me stand out and (I believe) played a real part in my success.
Do your research
When I applied to Monzo, I trawled through every Glassdoor review I could find looking for patterns, interview hints, and anything that could help me prepare. What I ended up with was a solid bank of questions that are likely to get asked and plenty of time to get ready.
This kind of information is often easier to find for bigger companies (especially in tech, where interview processes are well documented), but even when Monzo was still considered a startup, there were valuable insights out there: on Glassdoor, in official company blogs, and through employee-generated content. I still remember reading A Day in the Life of an Engineering Manager at Monzo, it gave me a clear picture of the culture and expectations.
If that kind of information isn’t available, then at the very least: get familiar with the product.
This is so often overlooked. I’ve interviewed candidates who turn up not knowing anything about the product they claim to be excited about. It signals a lack of agency and initiative. The standout candidates are the ones who obviously have done their homework, already have a pre-conception about what they are likely to be working on and show motivation to bring value.
One recent example: I’ve seen candidates apply to Zerion, saying they’re passionate about getting into crypto and it’s their ambition - but when asked, they can’t speak to the space/industry at all. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to show you’ve done the work. Curiosity and preparation go a long way.
Prep a story bank
Most engineering interviews break down into two parts: technical and behavioural.
The behavioural side is designed to understand how you think and respond in real situations. The good news? It’s surprisingly easy to prepare for if you follow a simple formula:
Situation → Example → Impact.
You don’t need to predict every question. What helps is building a “story bank”: a collection of real situations you’ve faced, the actions you took, and the impact you made by solving said situation. When you prep these stories in advance, you’re not scrambling for examples on the spot. It also gives you the luxury to be able to spend time thinking over the many examples in your career and pick the best.
This is something I did when interviewing at Monzo and it worked so well, I’ve done it ever since. Having interviewed hundreds of engineers and managers, you can really tell those who have taken the time to think examples through in advance. Sure, perhaps you are not going to be able to prep stories for every question that comes up, but it is considerably less demanding if you have to recollect one example on the spot as opposed to five or six.
Dry run technicals
It goes without saying: the more you practice something, the better you get at it. Technical interviews are no exception.
Whether it's live coding or system design (I’ll leave out take-home tasks or work trials, as those are often handled differently), these formats can absolutely be rehearsed.
Start by searching Glassdoor for interview reviews. Often, you’ll find repeated themes or specific problems that give you a sense of what’s coming. Pair that with ChatGPT or similar tools to generate mock questions and walk through them. What’s useful about tools like this is that they can also simulate follow-up questions and edge cases, helping you think through the problem more deeply.
Another underrated tactic is timed dry runs. Sit down and simulate the real conditions - give yourself a fixed time limit, talk through your thought process out loud, and aim to balance speed with clarity. If you’re preparing for system design, sketch it out on a whiteboard or virtual tool and practice structuring your answer like a narrative: clear beginning, middle, and end.
Better still, find a friend or colleague who can play the role of interviewer. Practising in front of someone else helps surface blind spots and builds your confidence under pressure. I did this a lot with my wife, and she was very helpful even though she had no clue as to what I was on about! Sure, getting the solution right in these things counts, but your presentation/communication skills matter I would say equally, and someone who is not technical will be able to provide valuable feedback.
Focus on what you can bring to the table
Nan Yu made a great point on Lenny’s Podcast about interviewing. He was talking specifically about PMs, but the insight applies to any role.
Companies don’t just hire for the sake of it. A role opens up because there’s a gap to fill or a problem to solve. Maybe a team is understaffed. Maybe a new project is about to kick off. Maybe leadership wants to raise the bar in a particular area.
Nan’s advice is to find out what that specific problem is and then double down on showing why you are the person who can solve it.
It’s a mindset shift: rather than thinking "how do I show I'm impressive?", think "how do I show I’m the right person for what they need?".
I’ve actually been doing this unintentionally for a while. Early in the process, I’ll often ask directly: “What’s driving this hire?” or “What challenge is this person being brought in to solve?” Once I know that, I can shape my answers to show how I’ve solved similar problems before.
For example, if I’m interviewing for an engineering leadership role and I hear that the company is looking to mature its engineering practices, I’ll focus my responses around the ways I’ve done that in past roles - where I’ve introduced better processes, improved delivery, or scaled teams sustainably.
Many people go into interviews and don’t actually sell themselves. I get it. This newsletter is called the quiet engineer for a reason. Interviewing can feel uncomfortable, especially if you’re more of a shy or quiet person. But the more senior you get, the more important this becomes. It’s not about bragging, it’s about making a clear case for how you can help.
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To anyone out there navigating the job hunt, or who has found it a tough battle in the past, I hope this has helped in some small way.
It’s a hard process. I know how it feels to doubt yourself, to stare at a job spec and think, “Am I really good enough for this?”. Remember, I’ve been that person sitting outside the office with a notebook in hand wondering if I have made a terrible decision.
But: preparation gives you power.
You don’t need to apply to a hundred roles. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room. You just need to care enough to go the extra mile and trust that it will set you apart.
And if you're feeling stuck, or unsure where to start, I'm always happy to chat. Whether it’s a specific question, a bit of encouragement, or someone to run ideas past, please do reach out.
You’ve got this, friends.
— The Quiet Engineer
Recently I've got the pleasure to fail at an interview for a company I really wanted to work at, everything from now on is prep for the next attempt. Appreciate the post, really helps with some actual actionable advice on how to prep