Interview Tips from a Hiring Manager: What I Learned as the Candidate

What 25 years of interviewing candidates taught me when I finally sat on the other side of the interview table.

For almost 25 years, I was responsible for building teams. Interviewing wasn't my full-time job, but it was one of the most important parts of it. I interviewed students looking for their first internship, recent graduates eager to launch their careers, and experienced professionals pursuing leadership opportunities.

So when I found myself searching for my next opportunity, I assumed interviewing would be the easy part.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I had spent years asking the questions. Now it was my turn to answer them. What surprised me wasn't that I struggled. It was why I struggled.

I didn't struggle because I didn't know who I was.

I didn't struggle because I lacked experience.

And I certainly didn't struggle because I didn't have stories to tell.

I struggled because I was telling the wrong story.

As an interviewer, I knew exactly what I was listening for. Yet when I became the candidate, I found myself walking interviewers through my career chronologically instead of helping them understand why my experience mattered to their role.

It wasn't a bad story.

It just wasn't the story they needed to hear.

This realization changed the way I think about interviews and ultimately changed the way I coach people today.

Interview Tips: The Question That Changed Everything

The best interview tips often come from experience and this is one lesson I never expected to learn until I became the candidate myself.

The question I had asked so many candidates over the years was "Tell me about yourself." I had asked this question countless times. Surely this would be an easy one for me to answer. It wasn't.

Like many experienced professionals, I started at the beginning. I walked through my career, talked about the different leadership roles I'd held, the teams I'd built and the products I'd launched. The more I talked, the less impact I had. I remember leaving one interview thinking, "I know I have more to offer than what I just showed them."

I wasn't connecting my experience to the opportunity sitting in front of me.

I was simply telling my story.

That's when I realized something that completely changed my perspective.

The interviewer wasn't asking me to summarize my career.

They were asking one simple question:

"Why are you the right person for this role?"

Those are two very different conversations.

Once I understood that, I stopped trying to say everything.

Instead, I focused on saying what mattered most for that opportunity.

Today, that's exactly where I begin with every client I coach.

Whether they're preparing for their first internship, interviewing for a promotion or navigating a career transition after many years, we don't start with the resume.

We start with the story the employer needs to hear.

I recently worked with a student who was preparing for an interview.

When I asked her to introduce herself, her answer lasted more than five minutes.

She wasn't unprepared.

She simply hadn't learned how to tell her story.

Together, we completely rebuilt her introduction.

Today, it takes just 29 seconds.

But the biggest difference isn't the length.

It's what happens afterward.

She finishes, pauses and owns the silence.

That's confidence.

Confidence doesn't come from memorizing answers.

It comes from knowing your story.

The Other Question That Caught Me Off Guard

There was another question that surprised me.

"Why do you want to work here?"

You'd think that one would have been easy.

It wasn't.

Like many people looking for work, I had applied for several different roles over a period of months. Some employers called a week later. Others reached out six or eight weeks after I had submitted my application. More than once, I answered the phone and quietly thought, "Wait...which company is this again?"

I couldn't remember what had attracted me to the role in the first place.

That was on me.

I had become so focused on finding my next opportunity that I wasn't keeping track of the story behind each application. It taught me something I'll never forget.

Interview preparation doesn't begin when you receive the interview invitation.

It begins the moment you click Apply.

Save the job description.

Research the company.

Write down why the opportunity caught your attention.

Those few minutes of preparation make it much easier to answer one of the most important questions in any interview:

"Why do you want to work here?"

One answer explains who you are.

The other explains why your story belongs there.

Looking Back

Looking back, I'm grateful I had the chance to experience both sides of the interview table.

For 25 years, I evaluated candidates. Then, for the first time in my career, I found myself on the other side of the interview table.

It reminded me what it feels like to prepare for an interview, question your answers, replay conversations in your head and wonder whether you truly showed someone what you're capable of.

It also reminded me that interviewing isn't about having the perfect answer.

It's about helping another person understand the value you bring.

Whether you're preparing for your very first interview or your first interview after a successful career, that challenge is surprisingly similar.

We all want to tell our story well.

We all want to be understood.

And sometimes, all it takes is a different perspective to realize you've had the right story all along.

You just needed to tell the right part of it.

In Part 2, I'll share the interview questions I believe every candidate should prepare for and more importantly, what employers are really trying to learn when they ask them.

Thinking about your own next chapter?

Whether you're preparing for your first job, navigating a career transition, or simply looking for more clarity about what's next, Campus to Career helps students, recent graduates, and emerging professionals build confidence through practical, employer-informed coaching.

If you're ready to take the next step, I'd love to help.

About the Author

Heather Goldsmith is the founder of Campus to Career, where she helps students, recent graduates, and emerging professionals confidently transition from school into the workplace. Drawing on more than 30 years of corporate leadership and hiring experience, she provides practical, employer-informed coaching in career strategy, resume development, LinkedIn optimization, networking, and interview preparation.