Master the Behavioral Interview as a Senior Engineer
Cohort-based Course
Decode what hiring managers really evaluate. Consistently select, structure, and deliver stories that articulate Senior-level impact.
Master the Behavioral Interview as a Senior Engineer
Cohort-based Course
Decode what hiring managers really evaluate. Consistently select, structure, and deliver stories that articulate Senior-level impact.
Trusted by engineers at:
Course overview
Take the guesswork out and communicate your seniority and impact with confidence
Behavioral interviews are often ambiguous for Senior engineers because expectations are rarely made explicit. This lack of clarity makes interview candidates anxious, less likely to prepare well, and get down-leveled potentially.
This course removes that ambiguity.
Gain the confidence and peace of mind you need to ace this interview type.
Receive offers that are commensurate with your wealth of experience—and future potential.
Do you identify with any of these?
- "I'm not sure what the interviewer expects."
- "I can't instantly identify the right story to tell."
- "Are my answers good? Will they impress the interviewer?"
- "I get anxious, and ramble or freeze in the interview."
- "I memorize answers to all key questions. Or I make up answers on the fly."
- "I freeze when it's my turn to ask questions, or I get vague answers."
If yes, then this course is for you.
After this course, you will be able to:
- Evaluate exactly what hiring managers are looking for in your answers.
- Select the right story in under 30 seconds.
- Structure stories that consistently convey seniority and impact.
- Deliver answers with the confidence of a peer, not a candidate.
- Break the "ad hoc answer" cycle with a reliable method.
- Reinforce your seniority when it's your turn to ask questions.
- Uncover the real work culture and—make the right choice for your career.
You’ll also receive a practical handout that:
- Maps common behavioral questions to hiring signals.
- Includes guidance on structuring compelling stories.
- Includes a set of anchor examples to model your own answers.
- Signal-based questions to ask when it's your turn.
Course outline:
- 3 hours of instruction in total.
- 2 solo exercises to brainstorm and craft a story
- 1 exercise in small breakout groups to deliver your story and receive feedback
- Ample time for Q&A to get all your questions answered
This course distills the interview judgement I've developed over my 15+ year career from entry level to Staff Engineer—the kind of nuanced, experience-based decision-making that AI simply cannot replicate.
Move beyond generic AI outputs and borrow my real-world expertise to upgrade your strategic thinking and accelerate your career.
Got questions? My LinkedIn DMs are open. Your questions are welcome!
This course is for you if
01
You're a Senior Software Engineer or a mid-level engineer close to up-leveling to Senior through interviews.
Other job titles: See FAQs
02
You're a Senior IC in adjacent functional roles like AI/ML, Frontend, Infrastructure, Mobile, SRE, etc.
03
You struggle with selecting the right stories, structuring them to convey impact, answering follow-up questions, or managing nerves.
What you'll learn
How behavioral interviews are used to *level* Senior engineers
Demystify how interviewers use behavioral interviews to assess how you work and predict your future success and partnership potential.
The Signals that make Senior engineers hireable
Identify the key Signals and Traits that behavioral interviews implicitly assess, and map your experience to what interviewers are actually evaluating.
How to structure compelling stories using STAR++
Leave traditional STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) behind. Leverage an enriched storytelling structure that makes your impact and role-suitability compelling—using examples and a practical checklist.
How to interview with the confidence of a peer
Build confidence by understanding the four pillars that move Senior engineers from under- or over-explaining to showing up as credible peers in the interview.
Strategic questions that uncover the real work culture
Reinforce your seniority and uncover the real work culture when it's your turn to ask questions.
A repeatable method for future interview preparation
Solidify the necessary and sufficient steps to prepare effectively, so you’re not starting from scratch every time you interview.
What’s included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Shine Garg in a real-time, interactive format.
Solo + small-group practice
Write answers to real behavioral questions and practice with peers in small groups to give and receive feedback.
Behavioral interview question bank
A curated set of common behavioral questions mapped to hiring signals, so you know what each question is really testing.
STAR++ story checklists
Practical checklists for each component of the STAR++ framework to help you structure clear, complete, and compelling stories.
Anchor stories as examples
Real, Senior-level examples from Shine’s 15+ year engineering career to model strong behavioral responses.
Strategic closing questions
Direct questions you can ask that reinforce your seniority and uncover the real workplace culture
Peer learning environment
Practice with other Senior engineers and learn from how others approach the same questions.
Lifetime access
Revisit course recordings and materials anytime: during your current search or future ones.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
Week 1
Feb
28
Live class with Shine
Discover why behavioral interviews are crucial and, your cohort's challenges
Identify impactful stories using The 4“I” Signals Framework for Senior Engineers
Effectively craft your stories: Your story, your success with STAR++
Confidently narrate your stories: Interview like a peer, not a candidate
Do your homework: Stand out through preparation
Takeaways, resources, and closing
Extended Q&A (~45 mins)
What people are saying
Anonymous Client
Abhishek Waichal
Anonymous Client
Anonymous Client
John Vandivier
Meet your instructor
Shine Garg
Ex-Staff Engineer turned career coach for Senior through Principal Engineers
Shine Garg is a former Staff Software Engineer with over 15 years of experience building and scaling systems at high-growth tech companies.
Through mastering behavioral interviews, she:
- Up-leveled herself from Senior to Staff
- Secured over $500K in equity through a single behavioral round with a VP
- Advanced directly to onsite at Meta after an initial behavioral interview
Today, Shine coaches Senior through Principal engineers 1:1 using the same principles taught in this course, helping clients return to work after extended layoffs and land offers at FAANGMULA companies and startups.
Her approach focuses on clarity, signal-driven storytelling, and communicating senior-level impact with confidence.
She built this course to make success in behavioral interviews repeatable and reliable for Senior Engineers.
Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts
Master the Behavioral Interview as a Senior Engineer
Schedule
One 3-hour class
Saturday
10:00am - 1:00pm PT
One-day, foundational course for Senior engineers busy with work and interview prep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts