👋Criticalmedium15-20 minutes
What are you looking for in your next opportunity? What's important to you?
screeningmotivationculture-fitmust-preparecritical
🎯 What Interviewers Are Looking For
- ✓Whether your priorities align with what they can offer
- ✓How thoughtful you are about your career
- ✓If you've researched their company (do your needs match their strengths)
- ✓Red flags: only care about money, unrealistic expectations
📋 STAR Framework Guide
Structure your answer using this framework:
S - Situation
Your career stage and what you've learned about yourself
T - Task
Articulate clear priorities that are authentic and realistic
A - Action
Explain 3-4 key factors and why they matter
R - Result
Show how this role aligns with those factors
💬 Example Answer
⚠️ Pitfalls to Avoid
- ✗Only mentioning compensation and benefits (looks mercenary)
- ✗Being too vague: "good culture" or "interesting work" without specifics
- ✗Listing unrealistic expectations: "fully remote, unlimited vacation, 200k+ salary for entry-level"
- ✗Not connecting your needs to what they offer (shows you didn't research)
- ✗Focusing only on what you want without mentioning what you'll contribute
- ✗Contradicting yourself: saying you want mentorship but asking about senior IC role
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Prepare 3-4 priorities and explain WHY each matters to you
- ✓Make it personal: "I've learned I work best when..." not generic
- ✓Show you've researched: "I saw on your blog that..." or "I noticed your team..."
- ✓Balance learning and contributing: not just "what can you do for me"
- ✓Be authentic—they can tell if you're just saying what they want to hear
- ✓It's okay to mention compensation, but frame it properly: "fair market compensation" not "I want $X"
- ✓Tailor this answer to each company based on what they offer
🔄 Common Follow-up Questions
- →What would make you choose one offer over another?
- →What are your deal-breakers?
- →Where do you want to be in 3-5 years?
- →What's your ideal team size?
- →How important is remote work to you?
🎤 Practice Your Answer
0:00
Target: 2-3 minutes
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