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Caught myself giving 'textbook' interview answers after 8 years of working
I was prepping a junior dev for their interview and heard my own words back, all the 'passionate about learning' garbage I used to say in 2016. The tipping point was when I actually tried to do one of those STAR method stories in a real standup and realized I'd been hiding my actual problem-solving behind scripted fluff. Has anyone else had that cringe moment where you figure out your professional persona is just recycled advice from some LinkedIn post?
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kimmurphy1mo ago
Honestly, I used to think that whole scripted interview vibe was just part of the game. Like, you gotta say the right things to get past the weird HR filters, and then you can be yourself once you're in. But reading this totally flipped that for me. The part about realizing you were hiding your real problem-solving behind the fluff, that hit hard because it means the script is actually working AGAINST you, not for you. If you've been doing the job for years, your real stories and messed-up fixes are WAY more interesting than some polished STAR thing anyway. I get now that those textbook answers just make everyone sound the same, and the people who actually know their stuff can spot it from a mile away.
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