Interviewing Is a Skill, Not a Test

What interviewing taught me after 20 years at Oracle

After twenty years at Oracle, thirteen in India and seven in the US, I decided to explore roles outside.

For two decades, I had not interviewed even once. My only interview in my entire career was with Oracle during a university campus drive. I joined, grew, changed roles internally, and stayed. Interviewing simply was not a muscle I had exercised.

When I finally stepped out, reality hit fast.

I struggled. I did not know how to prepare. I was unsure how to answer basic questions. I did not understand what interviewers were really looking for. I felt like a fish out of water. It was uncomfortable and humbling in ways I did not expect.

Instead of avoiding that discomfort, I decided to approach interviewing the same way I would approach learning any hard skill. I created a six-month preparation plan.

I started with three low-stakes interviews at small companies. These were roles I knew I could decline. There was no pressure to perform perfectly. The goal was simple: get back into the rhythm. Learn how to talk about my work. Learn how to listen better. Learn how to think on my feet again.

Something interesting happened along the way. Interviews stopped feeling awkward. I stopped dreading them. I started enjoying the process. They felt less like interrogations and more like conversations between professionals.

Later, within a span of ninety days, I interviewed at Netflix, LinkedIn, Google, Amazon, and Meta. I cleared interviews at Google and Meta in 2021 and joined Meta in December 2021 as a Senior Data Engineering Manager.

Looking back, here are eleven things I want you to remember about interviews.

1. Interviewing is a skill.
   The more you do it, the better you get. Do not wait for the perfect role to practice. Interview for low-stakes roles you can comfortably reject. Think of it as strength training for your career.
   

2. Interviews are intelligent conversations.
   This mental model matters a lot. When you treat interviews like a test of intelligence, pressure builds and performance drops. When you treat them as thoughtful conversations, you relax and show up more authentically. Your feelings are a compass. If you dread an interview, you likely need more preparation. If you are looking forward to the conversation, you are on the right track.
   

3. Keep your resume updated every year.
   Even when you are not actively looking, this habit builds confidence and clarity. When someone asks about your career, you already know the story you want to tell.
   

4. Keep your LinkedIn profile current.
   Recruiters and hiring managers search constantly. Make it easy for the right opportunities to find you.
   

5. Do not ignore recruiters from small companies.
   Avoid defaulting to “I’m not interested right now.” Conversations with recruiters teach you about the company, the hiring process, and market trends. Even if nothing comes of it, the learning is valuable.
   

6. Understand the interview loop before you start.
   Each interview has focus areas and expectations. Once you understand the rules of the game, you can play it well. Most candidates show up underprepared. Using an 80/20 approach helps you stand out quickly.
   

7. Build a solid list of references.
   Some companies and hiring managers care deeply about references. They use them to understand how you actually work, not just how you interview. Choose people who know your strengths and can speak honestly about your areas for growth. I will write more about this in a future article.
   

8. AI will change recruiting, but fundamentals remain.
   Tools will evolve, formats will shift, but the core question stays the same: can this candidate do this job at this company? Interviews are simply an attempt to answer that question with high confidence.
   

9. Get help when you need it.
   A career coach can significantly improve your preparation. For big tech interviews, especially salary negotiation, a coach can pay for themselves many times over. I once helped a senior engineer negotiate a fifty-thousand-dollar sign-on bonus at Meta. She spent one thousand dollars for two sessions. That is a strong return on investment.
   

10. Interview at multiple companies when possible.
    Parallel interviews improve performance and give you leverage during negotiations. Be thoughtful when declining offers. Preserve relationships with recruiters. You never know when you might need their help again.
    

11. Improve your storytelling skills.
    The most critical question I faced in 2021 was simple and hard: why leave Oracle after twenty years? There had to be an authentic story behind that move. Why now. Why this role? What I could bring that was unique because of my background. Your story needs ABC: Authenticity, Brevity, and Clarity.
    

If you have not interviewed in years, feeling uncomfortable is normal. It does not mean you are behind. It simply means you are out of practice. Treat interviewing like a skill, build a plan, and give yourself permission to be bad before you get good. The confidence comes faster than you think.