How to Answer Interview Questions

This is the third in Authentalk’s series about how to write subject matter-specific speeches. Call it “Applicatiain.”

Bad Interview Answers Are Bad Speeches

Back in 2010, I gave one of the worst interview answers of my life.

I don’t remember the exact wording of the question, but I remember the answer. I said something close to this: “I won’t do a good job serving under people I don’t like.”

I was thinking about local officials in the debate community who I thought were being unnecessarily mean to high schoolers. The interviewer had none of that context. I gave them the least useful version of the truth.

Since then, I’ve helped high schoolers prepare for Ivy League and top-10 college interviews, college students prepare for law school interviews, and adults prepare for executive-level questioning at MBB and comparably difficult firms.

The biggest lesson is simple: an interview is a speechmaking environment. That means you need better speeches.

Here are five places to start.

1. Do Not Assume They Know Anything About You

You know the contours of your story better than they do. You know why one role connects to another. They do not automatically know that.

So you need to be ready to brand yourself in a couple of sentences. Think of it like a LinkedIn pitch, but spoken naturally. It should connect who you are to what they care about.

For example, my current branding is:

Public speaking is a sport. I train leaders and teams to win the room.

• “Public speaking” tells people the lane—I care about people who have to perform in front of rooms.

• “Sport” implies rigor, fun, practice, repetition, coaching, pressure, and performance.

• “Train” tells people what I actually do.

• “Leaders and teams” clarifies the audience.

• “Win the room” gives the work a victory condition. It points toward status, persuasion, and measurable impact.

What’s your own frame?

2. Get Ready With Stories

I often talk about building an EPIC story library:

• Evolve: a time you adapted, innovated, or tried something new.

• Persist: a time you kept going through difficulty.

• Inform: a time you explained something complex clearly.

• Connect: a time you brought people together or improved a team dynamic.

Those four categories cover a lot of interview territory.

The structure for each of them should be simple: Situation. Intervention. Reflection.

• What was happening?

• What did you do?

• What did you learn?

If you only describe what happened and what result you got, you may sound rehearsed. If you can reflect honestly on what worked, what did not, and what you would do differently, you sound like someone who is still growing.

(And keep the stories under two minutes. If they care, they’ll ask for elaboration.)

3. Know What Should Be Quantified

How many people did you lead? How much money was at stake? How many clients were involved? What was the baseline before the improvement?

A lot of candidates use numbers badly. They say something like, “I increased revenue by 80%,” and then avoid saying the starting number because they think it sounds too small.

If revenue went from $5,000 to $9,000, say that. It is still growth. The interviewer can now understand scale. More importantly, they can trust you. Trying to inflate small things makes you sound insecure.

Don’t put lipstick on a pig! Show the pig as she was before you raised him.

4. Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

An interview is a test of whether people want to work with you.

That means you should talk about your own value, but don’t make every good outcome sound like a solo heroic act. Give credit where it’s due.

Kellogg often talks about high impact and low ego. Honestly assess what you brought to the table when you describe the potluck.

5. Remember the Three Fundamental Questions

Every strong interview answer should help answer three questions:

• Why me? Why am I the right fit?

• Why you? Why is this organization, school, firm, or opportunity right for me?

• Why now? Why does my current skill set match your current need?

If you cannot answer those questions, you may not have enough clarity on why you want the opportunity in the first place.

Watch Political Candidates Like Interviewees

I grew up in Los Angeles, so I have been following the 2026 mayoral race with real interest.

The current race has three leading figures: incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, and Councilwoman Nithya Raman.

Whatever your politics, watch them through the lens of interview performance. Campaigns are interviews at scale.

• Who introduces themselves best to voters who are not already on their side?

• Who has the clearest brand?

• Who tells EPIC stories instead of just making claims?

• Who quantifies the problem without drowning people in numbers?

• Who gives credit in a way that makes them seem collaborative rather than defensive?

• Who answers the three fundamental questions: why me, why you, why now?

Better interview answers happen when you know your brand, prepare your stories, quantify with honesty, share credit, and connect your value to the opportunity in front of you.

I learned that the hard way in 2010. Luckily, one terrible answer does not have to define you, but it should teach you!