Dealing with Unexpected Questions
You've done the work. You've mined your stories and built a comprehensive Story Bank. You have polished answers for questions about teamwork, failure, leadership, and technical challenges. You walk into the interview feeling prepared and confident.
Then, the interviewer asks:
"Tell me about a time you had to work with a very vague or incomplete specification."
You scan your mental Story Bank. You have your "API Optimization" story and your "Database Failure" story, but nothing is a perfect fit.
A wave of panic begins to rise. What do you do?
This moment is inevitable. No matter how much you prepare, you will eventually face a question you didn't anticipate. How you handle this moment separates good candidates from great ones.
This chapter is your guide to gracefully handling the unexpected. It's about moving from reciting prepared answers to a more fundamental skill: thinking on your feet.