Mastering Behavioral Interviews
The Guide to Storytelling in Tech
For software engineers, product managers, data scientists, designers, and technical leaders ready to land their next role at the companies that matter most.
The Guide to Storytelling in Tech
For software engineers, product managers, data scientists, designers, and technical leaders ready to land their next role at the companies that matter most.
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Clément Genzmer
Director of Engineering, Meta
Mastering Behavioral Interviews from Austen is the most complete and accurate guide I have seen on the subject and applies well to all FAANGs and beyond.
Yangshun Tay
Founder, GreatFrontEnd (Ex-Meta)
This book is THE definitive guide to behavioral interviews written by a highly qualified and experienced author.
Mike Mroczka
Author of Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview (Ex-Google)
Cracking the coding interview only gets you in the room. This missing guide teaches you how to win once you’re there.
Aline Lerner
Founder & CEO, interviewing.io
This book has everything: many (surprisingly riveting) example stories, lists of questions, clear rubrics that distinguish performance at different levels, and exactly what hiring managers are looking for when they ask any number of behavioral questions.
Prasad Rao
Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon
You've created a comprehensive guide that covers behavioral interviews in impressive detail, packed with practical insights and serves as an invaluable book for anyone preparing for behavioral interviews.
Jade Wilson
Senior Engineer, Microsoft
Austen provides a no nonsense, straight to the point overview of how to succeed in behavioural interviews. If you are looking for something that cuts out all the fluff and teaches you a framework on how to succeed, this book is for you!
Florin Dam
I read this book and it is hands down the best resource I've come across for interview preparation. The content is exceptionally clear, concise, and practical, making it far more effective than many other popular resources.
Amazon Reviewer
An exceptionally systematic and comprehensive guide that brings rare clarity to a process most books oversimplify. Rather than relying on generic STAR formulas, the book methodically breaks down signal vs. noise, evaluation criteria, and how strong stories are calibrated across candidates. The approach is nuanced, practical, and deeply informed by real hiring decisions, making it valuable not just for interview prep but for understanding how top companies think about talent.
Amazon Reviewer
This was an amazing help while recently preparing for an interview for a company I really wanted to advance in the process with. I found all the sections were well structured and gave me a lot of practicals to set out and practice. The recruiter mentioned that I had received strong feedback after meeting with the hiring manager and was happy to tell me I was moving onto the next round. I owe this book a lot of the credit for helping craft my story so I can communicate it effectively.
Syed Shuttari
I'm confident in saying this is a must-read for software engineers prepping for behavioral interviews. What sets it apart is its holistic approach – it doesn't just help you memorize answers; it teaches you to craft stories from your own experiences, tapping into your senses and memories in creative ways.
The guide you need to land the roles that matter most.
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Ryan and I talk about behaviorals for senior candidates and how to leverage different touch points in Big Tech's process.
I joined Luca on the Refactoring podcast for a deep dive into the book, but also includes some hot takes, like why I think conflict resolution questions are over asked 👀
Following Book Overflow's review of the book, I have a conversation with Nathan and Carter about the key takeaways.
I talk with Gregor Ojstersek about breaking down modern behavioral interviews and how they’ve changed with AI and shifting expectations in Big Tech.
I'm back on Coding Chats with John Crickett, now discussing AI's implications on behavioral interviews and we break down some conflict-related stories (and a bunch of other conversations).
Ok fine, this is not an appearance by me, but it is a discussion of the book so that counts, right?
Listen as Nathan and Carter cover the highlights from the book and their overall take. Spoiler: they recommend it for anyone preparing for a behavioral interview :)
I'm back with Stefan Mai to break down common questions, selecting responses, and crafting stories.
Stefan Mai and I discuss assessment, preparation, and red flags in behavioral interviews.
John Crickett from Coding Chats covers motivation and step-by-step preparation guidance.
Austen McDonald is a seasoned and empathetic technology leader and former Senior Software Engineering Manager at Facebook/Meta. During his over 9 years there, he served as Hiring Committee Chair for the iOS and Android recruiting pipelines, overseeing hiring decisions, defining leveling standards, and mentoring interviewers.
With firsthand experience conducting over 1,000 interviews for major tech companies, Austen has also coached more than 200 engineers to succeed in their big tech interview journeys. His career spans both individual contributor and leadership roles across big tech and startups, offering a unique perspective on hiring.
Austen earned Computer Science degrees from Georgia Tech and a PhD from Stanford University, where his passion for teaching and mentorship took root. He draws inspiration from his wife, Kokeb, a best-selling author and occupational therapist, and finds joy in their life together with their two children in the Bay Area.