Day 14: Don’t Just Answer, Add Value
Series: How to Crack a Job Interview – Day 14 of 21
✅ Great Candidates Don’t Just Answer — They Contribute
Most candidates respond. Exceptional ones respond and elevate.
They don’t just say what’s expected — they add a layer of insight, relevance, or curiosity.
🛠️ How to Add Value in an Interview:
Link your answer to the business.
“In my previous role, I improved turnaround time by 15%. If your team is scaling right now, this efficiency mindset could help ease the growing pains.”
Anticipate what the interviewer cares about.
Instead of just describing a skill, show how it solves their current problem.
Offer a perspective.
“I noticed your app recently added XYZ feature — I think there’s an opportunity to...”
Ask smart, forward-thinking questions.
After answering: “Would you like me to walk you through how I approached that in detail?”
🎤 Example: Bad vs. Better
Question: “Tell me about a leadership experience.”
❌ “I led a team of 4 interns and we completed the project in 2 weeks.”
✅ “I led a team of 4 interns and set up a structure where each person owned one metric. This helped us finish the project in 2 weeks, but also gave them ownership. I think this kind of lean leadership works really well in fast-paced teams like yours.”
🧠 Practice Tip:
Take 3 common interview questions and try to go one level deeper in each answer.
Look for ways to:
Tie it back to the role
Highlight how your experience benefits them
Show that you’re already thinking like someone on the team