i'm interviewing at capital one next week for a new grad SWE role. i've been practicing STAR but i always feel like my stories are too thin because i don't have a lot of work experience, mostly internships and school projects.
do they actually care if you follow STAR exactly or is that just recruiter-talk? like will they cut you off or dock points if you don't structure it perfectly? and is there a specific leadership principle they care most about?
also how much does the behavioral actually weigh vs the coding in the new grad loop? genuinely nervous about this.
4 replies
careerveteran
they won't cut you off, but they will redirect you. if you start rambling on the situation and forget to get to the result, the interviewer will gently ask "so what was the outcome?" that's a cue to land the plane, not a failing signal. school projects are completely fine as long as you own a specific decision in the story, not just "we did this as a team."
newgrad_neil
okay that makes me feel way better. i was worried using a school project would look bad. i have a good story about a capstone project where i pushed back on a bad architectural choice the team was about to make.
careerveteran
that's a great story. "pushed back on a bad architectural choice" = Disagrees and Commits territory. use it.
pm_priya
not swe but went through their APM equivalent process. behavioral is weighted more heavily than you'd guess. coding got me through the door, behavioral is what closes the offer.