How to Answer Any Interview Question

Most interviewers aren't trained well in interviewing. Often they're given a set of questions to ask and some kind of framework for what to look for. That becomes a problem when they interview candidates who haven't prepared their responses. Now you have two sides who are ill prepared for the hour they're about to spend together.

I can't help all the interviewers, but I can help you. If you're prepared with your stories, even a bad interviewer can make a good decision.

There are plenty of behavior-based interview methods you can adapt, but most of those frameworks only work for behavioral questions, and not all interviewers ask behavioral questions.

In my 15 years of recruiting, building processes, and training interviewers, I created a method for job seekers that helps you answer any interview question, no matter the format. It's called DRIP: Demand, Role, Impact, and Pitch.

DRIP works because it plugs into technical and hypothetical scenario questions too. Let me break it down.
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Demand

This is the first step in answering the question. Set the scene for the other person. What did this situation demand? What needed to happen? This is the first act of your answer, and 1-2 sentences is all you need.
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Role

This is where you're the main character, so channel that main character energy and tell them what you did. Keep it in first person, and say "I" more than "we." Everyone works on a team, but the interviewer is hiring you, and they need to know how good you are. Add "we" where it fits, but when you talk about what was done, say "I." If you constantly say "we," you aren't giving the interviewer the information they need to hire YOU.
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Impact

Now we get to the "we," or the team. Talk about what changed, positively or negatively, because of you and what you did. Use metrics and data when you can. If you don't have a number, or don't want to guesstimate, describe the concrete outcome that came from your part in it. Share the downstream or upstream effects on your team, leadership, organization, and customers.
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Pitch

This is the final part of my method, and it's where it differs from almost every other method out there right now. Pitch is where you bridge the first three acts to this role, and it lets you ask the interviewer questions too.

Pitch matters because it shows you're paying attention to the role and the interviewer. We all make connections and assumptions, but if you build the bridge for them, it's easier for the other person to picture you in that spot. You're painting a picture of you on their team in this role, and that visual is powerful.

If you need proof, try this. I ask you not to picture an elephant. What's the first thing you see in your head? Elephant! That's the psychological power of visualizing words. It also shows your interest in the role without them having to ask.

One caveat on Pitch: don't use it on every question. Use it on one or maybe two questions, where it feels natural. DRI works on most answers even without the P.
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DRIP in action

Here's one of my own stories as a DRIP answer. The question is "Tell me about a time you solved a hiring problem creatively."

Demand: We were hiring Technical Product Managers and weren't getting qualified applicants. The roles were open and the pipeline just wasn't producing.

Role: I decided to change how we reached them. I created a go-to-market strategy of weekly LinkedIn posts where I dressed up as different characters that Technical Product Managers would relate to. I planned the characters, wrote the posts, and posted them every week myself.

Impact: We started receiving 20% more qualified applicants, and those candidates told me and the team they found the roles through my LinkedIn posts. So we could trace the results straight back to the posts.

Pitch: I'd bring the same approach here, which is figuring out where your audience already spends time and meeting them there with something they'll actually stop to look at. I'm curious, which of your roles is the hardest to get qualified applicants for right now?

And here's how it sounds out loud, as one smooth answer:

"We were hiring Technical Product Managers and weren't getting qualified applicants. So I created a go-to-market strategy of weekly LinkedIn posts where I dressed up as different characters Technical Product Managers would relate to. I planned them, wrote them, and posted every week. We started getting 20% more qualified applicants, and they told me and the team they found the roles through those posts. I'd bring that same approach here. Which of your roles is the hardest to get qualified applicants for right now?"
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Build your stories first

The next thing to do is build 5-6 stories from your work, the ones you're most proud of or learned the most from.

If you need help organizing your stories, you can download the DRIP worksheet here!

Until next time,
Stay Caffeinated!