Verbal Agenda: Share your Framework

When you are answering most interview questions, either case or behavioral, if you can share your framework or agenda, it makes it easier for the interviewer to follow.

If you were presenting a PowerPoint, would you start without an agenda slide? Try to take the same approach for interviews.

For behavioral interviews, this means starting with your introclusion (or BLUF) and then explaining you will walk through the background, actions, results, and learnings. If time permits, you will dive into the technical details of X. As you move through the story, check with your interviewer to see if they have any questions before you move to the next section/agenda item. This check also prevents you from “talking at” the interviewer and might reduce unwanted interruptions.

For case interviews, that means sharing your framework upfront and then dripping more detailed frameworks/agenda at the top of each section so the interviewer knows what is coming. Again, this might reduce interruptions and burning questions/question marks all over their notes that go to hiring committees.