No matter how tough you are, tech interviews hit different.
I’ve been through field missions, fire missions, and late-night movement under pressure—but walking into my first technical interview?
I was sweating like I was back in MOPP gear.
The truth is, tech interviews don’t just test your skills—they test your mindset. And for self-taught developers and veterans like me, they can feel like a whole new battlefield.
But the fear is beatable. Here’s how I approached it like a mission—and won.
Why the Fear Is Real (Especially for Veterans)
- You’re stepping into unfamiliar territory
- You’re afraid of getting exposed as “not technical enough”
- You’re carrying pressure to prove yourself
- You don’t want to waste anyone’s time—or your own
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Step 1: Change the Objective
In the Army, we didn’t always succeed on the first run. But we did learn, adapt, and re-engage.
That’s how I reframed tech interviews:
This isn’t a test. It’s training under fire.
Every interview became an intel op:
- What do they ask?
- Where do I fumble?
- How can I prep better?
That mindset flipped fear into curiosity.
Step 2: Prep Like a Mission
I used the same approach we used for planning missions:
✅ Briefing = Understand the company
- Read the job description
- Research their product
- Find pain points in their industry
✅ Rehearsals = Practice questions out loud
- Whiteboard with a mirror or friend
- Mock interviews on Pramp, Interviewing.io
- Review your own resume and story
✅ Kit check = Know your tools
- Brush up on Git, Python, problem-solving
- Write out key projects with STAR format
Step 3: Control What You Can
I couldn’t control the questions.
But I could control:
- My energy
- My answers
- My recovery after a tough one
I learned to slow my speech, breathe deeply, and remind myself:
“You’ve survived worse.”
And that helped me speak with confidence—even when I didn’t have every answer.
Step 4: Post-Interview Debrief
Like every mission, I’d write a quick debrief after:
- What went well?
- Where did I hesitate?
- What should I review?
It helped me treat interviews like steps in a progression, not final judgments.
Final Thoughts
Interviews are just unfamiliar terrain. With preparation, practice, and the right mindset, they become opportunities—not threats.
So to any veteran afraid of their first (or next) tech interview:
It’s not a firing squad. It’s your next mission.
Follow more at jameshenderson.online—where the uniform may be gone, but the discipline still leads.