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The Praxy Journal
Straight talk on resumes, interviews, salary, promotions, and the job market. No fluff.
Interviews
Scripts and strategy for the moments where your story gets tested.
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Showing posts for interview prep.
Clear themeself introduction for interview
Self Introduction for Interview: 6 Scripts That Skip the Biodata
A self introduction for interview is a pitch, not your biodata. Use the 3-part formula and 6 ready scripts for freshers, experienced hires and career switchers.
Read →behavioral interview questions
Behavioral Interview Questions: Six Competencies, Asked Thirty Ways
Behavioral interview questions probe four to six competencies. Here are the common ones by competency, a STAR answer example, and the follow-up that decides it.
Read →weaknesses for job interviews
Weaknesses for Job Interviews: 12 Real Answers, Not Humblebrags
In an HBS study, 77% of students humblebragged about their weakness, and raters preferred the honest ones. 12 weaknesses for job interviews, with answers.
Read →informational interview
Informational Interviews: The Coffee Chat Has No Agenda, and That's the Trap
70% of hires land where they had a connection, so an informational interview is a covert evaluation. Here's how to prep it and leave with a referral.
Read →thank you email after interview
Thank You Email After Interview: 4 Templates (Skipping It Costs More)
22% of hiring managers are less likely to hire you if you skip it. Four templates for a thank you email after an interview, plus when to send each one.
Read →job interview red flags
Job Interview Red Flags: When to Walk Away From an Offer
33% of new hires quit within 90 days. The job interview red flags that actually predict that regret, the ones that don't, and the questions that surface them.
Read →star method interview
STAR Method Interview: Examples, and How to Stop Sounding Generic
The STAR method interview format makes answers complete, not memorable. Here's what STAR is, a worked example, the common mistakes, and the order that sticks.
Read →tell me about yourself
Tell Me About Yourself: 3 Sample Answers That Set the Whole Interview
Tell me about yourself isn't a warmup: it sets the frame for every answer after it. Use the 4-part formula and 3 sample answers that open on a claim.
Read →why do you want to work here
Why Do You Want to Work Here? 6 Answers That Prove Fit, Not Love
Interviewers want proof of fit, not love. Here's how to answer why do you want to work here, with a three-part formula and 6 sample answers by situation.
Read →why should we hire you answer
Why Should We Hire You? 5 Sample Answers and the One-Line Formula
Situational interviews predict performance at .50, trait-focused ones at .29. Here's the formula and 5 sample answers for “Why should we hire you?”
Read →is a cover letter necessary
Is a Cover Letter Necessary? Only for the Person Who Decides
Is a cover letter necessary? Recruiters mostly skip it, but 94% of hiring managers say it sways who gets interviewed. Here's when to send one, and when not.
Read →questions to ask the interviewer
Questions to Ask the Interviewer: 30 That Actually Get Scored
48% of hiring decision makers say strong candidates ask pertinent questions. Here are 30 questions to ask the interviewer, grouped, plus the ones to avoid.
Read →using ai to cheat in job interviews
Candidates Are Using AI to Cheat Interviews. Companies Are Quietly Losing the Arms Race.
Using AI to cheat in job interviews is now common: 1 in 5 professionals admit it and only 19% of managers trust their screen. Why the remote era is ending.
Read →should a resume be one page
The One-Page Resume Rule Is Junior Advice. It's Costing Senior People Interviews.
Should a resume be one page? Recruiters are 2.9x likelier to prefer two pages for managers. Above mid-level, the one-page cut deletes your best evidence.
Read →no response after interview
No Response After an Interview? It's Usually Not a No.
61% of job seekers report no response after an interview, up nine points in a year. Here's what silence means, the follow-up cadence, and when to move on.
Read →best time to apply for jobs
Best Time to Apply for Jobs: 'Within 48 Hours' Is the Only Timing Tip That's True
Applying in the first four days can make you up to 8x likelier to get an interview. The best time to apply for jobs is a queue position, not Tuesday at 11am.
Read →tsenta alternative
Praxy vs Tsenta: The Fastest Application Isn't Always the One That Gets Hired
Looking for a Tsenta alternative? Tsenta's auto-apply speed vs Praxy's free coaching on fit, interviews, and offers. Where each genuinely wins.
Read →why do i keep getting rejected after interviews
Most Rejections Aren't About You. That's Not Comfort, It's Strategy.
Why do I keep getting rejected after interviews? Often the role was frozen, filled internally, or never real. Here's how to tell signal from noise.
Read →take home assignment interview
When the Take-Home Is a Free Consulting Project, Walk
How to tell a real take home assignment interview from unpaid consulting work. Five tells, the validity research, and exactly when to walk away.
Read →structured vs unstructured interviews
Structured vs Unstructured Interviews: The Gut Feeling Predicts Least
A gut-feel chat explains about 4% of job performance. Structured vs unstructured interviews: what nearly 40 years of research shows, and how to win both.
Read →career gap
Career Gap: The One-Line Explanation That Beats Any Cover Story
A career gap costs less than the lie you'd tell to hide it. Copy-ready lines for your resume, cover letter and interview, sorted by why you were out.
Read →why am i overqualified rejection
"Overqualified" Isn't a Compliment. It's a Real Rejection With a Real Cause.
Why the overqualified rejection happens, what employers actually fear, and the exact scripts that flip a screen-out into an interview. Honest, no fluff.
Read →confidence in interviews
Interviews Reward Confidence Over Competence. Here's How to Stop Losing to It.
Interviews reward confidence over competence because fluency is a proxy for skill. Here's how to make your real ability legible and stop losing rooms.
Read →panel interview effectiveness
More Interviewers Doesn't Mean Better Decisions. It Usually Means Worse.
Panel interview effectiveness plateaus fast. After four signals, more interviewers add noise and reject your best candidates. Here's what the data shows.
Read →job referral
Job Referral: How to Ask for One, With 3 Messages That Get a Yes
Referred candidates reach interview 40% of the time vs 3% for cold applicants. How to ask for a job referral, with three messages that get a yes.
Read →how many jobs should i apply to
Applying to 300 Jobs Is a Symptom, Not a Strategy
How many jobs should you apply to? The volume game is rigged against you. Here's the funnel math and the channel shift that actually gets interviews.
Read →why are you leaving answer
Why Are You Leaving? How to Answer When It's Complicated
63% of U.S. workers who quit in 2021 cited low pay. A good "why are you leaving" answer is honest and short. Scripts for layoffs, firing, and burnout.
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