It's tough to double-down without reflecting

After every round sit down to replay the interview, list down everything and objectively assess your performance - this will allow you to do better.

1:1 Interview practice for any role

Here’s the thing—at the mid-senior / leadership stage in your career, you’re not just asked what you know. You’re expected to communicate vision, leadership, and impact, all while staying calm under pressure. The stakes are higher, and so are the expectations.

You might think, “I’ve done this before, I know my stuff.” And sure, you do. But interviewers have a way of putting even the most seasoned leaders on the spot. What if they ask about that tricky project where things didn’t go as planned? Or challenge you on your vision for a department you haven’t led?

That’s where interview practice helps. It’s not about sounding rehearsed; it’s about being ready. Ready to tell your story, share your vision, and do it all under the pressure of a virtual interview, where reading the room is hard.

You can now book a mock interview session directly on your GrowthX dashboard

The path to cracking interviews is simple: Practice. Refine. Get into that interview as the leader they can see in the role, not just the one with the right credentials.

To crack your upcoming round with confidence, you can now prepare with the outcomes team and get feedback to do better.

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now, getting to today’s topic

Last week, we spoke about how to set your space - virtual space, physical space and mind space for the interview. Today we will go over the ‘after’ part of interviews - How to reflect on your Round 1 chat.

Round 1 interviews are the gateway to the rest of the process. It’s that crucial first impression where you’re not only proving that you’ve got the skills, but that you also align with the company’s culture, values, and direction. Whether you're speaking with a recruiter, hiring manager, or even the founder, this round sets the foundation for how the rest of the process will go.

The moment the interview ends, before diving into anxiety about whether you’ll get a callback, you should sit down and ask yourself: How did I really do?

Let’s understand how to evaluate yourself and build actionable insights to ensure you’re better prepared for the next interview.

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Reconstruct the interview 🎯

Once the interview is done, start writing down the details of how the conversation went, do this while it’s still fresh in your mind. The more detailed this is, the better you can reflect and truly understand what to do better next time.

Start by mentally replaying the entire interview, from the first “hello” to the closing “thank you.” You want to be as thorough as possible in your recall.

1/ Write down the questions asked
List out as many questions as you can remember. This helps you break the conversation into digestible pieces and gives you a concrete starting point for reflection.

Most commonly asked questions will involve -
Tell me about yourself, Why do you want to work here? Can you describe a time you handled a challenge? What excites you about this role? etc

2/ Note your answers
Reflect on how you answered each question. Did you give a clear, concise response? Did you feel lost when responding? Were there any moments where you felt unsure?

Write it down - for example, 'Tell me about yourself,' I started strong but then rambled a bit when talking about my previous roles.

3/ Capture key moments
Was there a point in the interview where you felt you really clicked? Or maybe there was a moment when you noticed the interviewer's interest fade. These moments are clues to what worked and what didn’t.

Example: I noticed the interviewer got more engaged when I talked about my experience leading a product launch.

Here’s what the interviewers are looking for in Round 1

Most of the questions will revolve around the above themes. Once you make a list of everything you recall from the interview, you have a rough blueprint of how the interview unfolded. You’ll use this to dig deeper into how you performed.

Rate yourself for the answers 🧠

Four key areas to assess yourself:

1. Role fitment
   How well do your skills and experiences match the job requirements?

2. Authenticity check
   Did you come across as a genuine, true-to-yourself kind of person?

3. Vibe check
   Did you connect with the interviewer and fit the company culture?

4. Intent for the role
   Did you show enthusiasm and clear intent for this specific role?

Each of these can be rated across three bands: Needs Improvement | Can do better| Nailing it. Now, coming to how do you self-evaluate accurately

A] Role fitment: did you share skills & experience effectively?

Questions to ask yourself:

• Did I link my experience with the role's requirements?

• Did I give specific examples of relevant skills in action?

• Could I have given better examples or been more concise?

Now, coming to self-assessment and understanding how well did you do -

Needs Improvement: If you realized your examples weren’t strong or clear enough, identify two to three better examples from your past that are more closely aligned with the role’s needs. Practice how to explain these examples clearly in your next interview.

Can do better: You had decent examples but they could’ve been stronger. Reframe them to highlight impact—what specific outcomes did your efforts achieve? Tie them back to what the company is looking for.

Nailing it: If you feel confident here, keep those examples polished. Focus on sharpening how you deliver them, maybe trimming down any unnecessary details.

B] Authenticity check: Were you true to yourself?

Questions to ask yourself:

• Did I answer questions in a way that reflects my true self?

• Did I feel like I was putting on a "professional" mask or speaking genuinely?

• Did I avoid exaggerating or underselling my abilities?

On the rating part, here’s how you can assess your answers -

Needs Improvement: If you felt inauthentic or like you were just saying what you thought they wanted to hear, focus on realigning with your true strengths and weaknesses. Practice answering questions more honestly, even if it means admitting areas where you’re still growing.

Can do better: Maybe you were mostly yourself but over-prepared and sounded rehearsed. Practice answering common questions more spontaneously—make it feel like a conversation, not a speech.

Nailing it: If you feel completely at ease, keep it up. Authenticity builds trust and sets you apart.

C] Vibe check: Did you fit the company culture?

Questions to ask yourself:

• Did the conversation feel natural or awkward?

• Did I communicate clearly and confidently?

• Did I get a sense of their culture, and do I think I fit?

To truly understand if you did well, evaluate it like below -

Needs Improvement: If there was a disconnect, research the company culture more deeply before the next round. Look for clues about how they communicate, what values they emphasize, and tailor your responses accordingly.

Can do better: If you felt a bit formal or stiff, try to relax more in future interviews. Focus on building rapport with the interviewer by using personal references that are relevant and asking thoughtful questions.

Nailing it: If the vibe was good, think about how you can replicate that connection with other interviewers down the line.

D] Intent for the role: Did you show excitement & energy?

Questions to ask yourself:

• Did I express genuine excitement for the role and company?

• Did I make it clear that I wasn’t just applying to any job, but this job?

• Did I align my career goals with what the company is offering?

Needs Improvement: If your interest didn’t come across strongly, spend more time before the next interview thinking about why you want that specific job. Why is it a great fit for your career goals? Practice communicating that.

Can do better: You were interested but maybe didn’t fully convince them. Next time, tailor your excitement to something specific—maybe it’s the company’s mission or its products. Make it clear that this role is more than just a paycheck to you.

Nailing it: If your excitement shone through, you’re in great shape. Continue emphasizing why you’re drawn to this role in a meaningful way.

You’ve rated yourself across these four areas. Now, you know which areas need improvement and where you feel confident. Keep this organized in your notes, so next time you have an interview coming up - you can quickly go over this.

Objective feedback is critical, actively seek it

It’s one thing to think you did well on a certain question, but it's a whole different ball game when a mentor or peer tells you they noticed a hesitation or a lack of clarity.

Set up a mock interview with a friend or mentor who has experience in the field or has been through a similar hiring process. Record the session and play it back. This exercise is often uncomfortable but incredibly revealing.

• Did your responses flow smoothly?

• Did you maintain energy throughout, or did you taper off after a tough question?

Watching yourself on video or hearing your answers allows you to identify areas where you can tighten up, whether it’s the way you structured an answer or how confident you sounded.

But here’s where the real value comes in—ask for candid and raw/real feedback. A lot of the time, you won’t notice small things that make a big difference, like just the body language or tone.

Have a plan in place

Here’s the secret: interviewing is a skill like any other. The more intentional practice you put in, the better you become. So, once you’ve reflected and gathered feedback, the next step is to create an action plan

1. Start by making a personalized checklist before each interview.

2. If you know that answering technical questions under pressure is where you struggle, that’s something you need to zero in on. Maybe it’s preparing detailed case studies, fine-tuning your STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method for behavioural questions, or researching the company culture more deeply.

3. Tailor your preparation to the areas that need the most attention.

And this doesn’t stop at prep. After each interview, revisit your scorecard. Compare how you performed versus the last time. Did you improve on the areas you focused on? If not, adjust your plan.

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Putting it all together

At its core, interviewing is about evolution. With every round, you’re honing how you present your skills, how you connect with the interviewer, and how you communicate your value.

Each step - writing down the questions asked & your answers, assessing it against the scorecard, practicing - feeds into that evolution. These aren’t steps you do once and move on. They’re iterative. They’re part of a larger journey to becoming the kind of candidate who doesn’t just get through interviews but owns them.

The goal here is progress, not perfection. Interviewing is iterative, and with each round, you’re building muscle memory for how to handle different questions, scenarios, and personalities.

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Featured roles this week ✨

Growth Marketer at Rocketlane
Chennai-based B2B SaaS platform looking for someone with B2B experience, hands-on ownership of paid channels and leading growth.

Marketing Manager and Product Marketing Manager at ALLEN Digital
Both are IC roles, in which you will work closely with Apoorv Sharma, CMO at Allen and ex-Apple, Marketing & communications.

Senior Product Marketer [Growth team] at Uniqode
They offer a complete QR Code lifecycle management & analytics solution that is used by over 50,000 businesses around the world.

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Curated resources for you 🚀

• How to become a CMO? Cheatsheet from the session with Jaimit Doshi

• Questions you should ask in the first round of Interview as a candidate

• How to improve Netflix? learn how to answer questions asked in product improvement rounds

• The ultimate guide to cold reachouts, specifically for job seeking.

• [Offline event] Demo Day is happening across 11 cities, meet the fam IRL.

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What’s your #1 focus in the job search process currently? Reply back and I will share resources that will help you prepare for it.

See you next week.

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