Nothing can prepare you for a job interview like another interview

I've been saying this for years. No matter how hard you try to practice and study at home, nothing can prepare you for a job interview like another interview. There is simply no other way you can replicate the stress, the expectations, and the surge of motivation that comes from fear of (public) failure.

One of the best examples of this idea I've seen in a long time is Tim Ferriss' journey to become a drummer - in 5 days!

Long story short - Tim Ferriss decided to learn drumming as quickly as possible, so he convinced a rock band to join them onstage for an upcoming live show. Because the stakes were so high, he did the impossible - learned to play drums in 5 days.

Here's the episode of The Tim Ferriss Experiment I'm referring to:

Of course, he had the resources to find the best teachers in the world, but that’s not the point - the point is the motivation he created for himself, and that's something we can all do. He scheduled that rock gig before he was ready. He knew the spotlight is going to be on him, and the primal fear of embarrassment and humiliation gave him the tremendous drive and urge to succeed.

There is simply no other way we can get that amount of motivation and desire for hard work, and the same principle applies for job interviews, and for many other things in life.

If you truly want to succeed at something, oftentimes you have to jump before you're ready and build your parachute on the way down.

If you wait to build the perfect parachute first - that day may never come.

Job interviews

So what does this mean for our job interviews? How can we jump before we're ready? It's actually quite simple - but quite hard: start applying for jobs immediately! Interview as much as possible, take detailed notes, and learn from every single one of your interviews. There is no faster way to succeed!

You can spend months at home studying for interviews and crafting your responses. This is particularly true for software engineers and other roles that involve technical, quiz-like interviews. Software engineers spend months doing Leetcode before they feel "ready" to interview.

And when you actually start interviewing, you will still have to make adjustments and figure things out on the fly. So why not interview right away?

Of course, this means you should at least polish your resume and LinkedIn profile so that you pass the first round and actually get to the interviews stage, but beyond that its all a numbers game. The more you interview, the faster you'll become the best candidate for the job offer - as long as you learn and improve after each interview.

That's why I strongly encourage you to keep detailed notes and study those notes extensively, before and after each interview.

Personal example

As I kid, I always wanted to play an instrument and join a rock band. When I was in high school, I met someone who played in a band, and they invited me over to watch their rehearsal. I was 16, and it was the first time I ever saw a drum set and an electric guitar in real life.

After the rehearsal, one of the band members started complaining how they couldn't find a bass player, and without thinking - I offered to join the band as their bassist.

"That's great! Do you have your bass with you, so we can hear you play?" he asked. "We've been trying to find a bass player for months now!"

As he was saying that, I began to sweat with embarrassment, realizing the stupidity of my offer. I've never even seen a bass guitar before, let alone played one - so I said the only thing that came to my mind: "No, I don't actually know how to play the bass, but I would love to learn your setlist and come back when I'm ready".

The band members looked at each other confused for a moment, until their guitar player finally said: "We have nothing to lose, so why not? The only problem is, we have our first show in about a month, and I'm not sure if you'll be able to join us in time."

A week later I bought my very first instrument, the cheapest bass guitar I could find, and three weeks after that I had my first show in the basement of a local high school, with two other bands.

Of course, that wasn't enough time to learn all 14 songs from their setlist, but I learned 10. Just enough to play most of the show, and enjoy the rest.

I didn't realize this back then, but it was the first time I ever jumped before I was ready, and had to build my own parachute on the way down.

Watching the Tim Ferriss episode about a very similar musical experience brought back all the memories, and a realization that this was one of my most valuable life lessons.

We'll never feel ready for important things in life. There will always be areas for improvement, and if we wait for perfection, that day will never come.

Remember - nothing can prepare you for a job interview like another interview, so just apply, interview as much as you can, and enjoy the ride!