Chapter 19 — Exercises

Getting hired is a learnable game. These exercises drill the highest-impact moves. Sample answers for closed items follow.

A. What Would You Do?

Scenario 1: The behavioral question

The interviewer says, "Tell me about a time you led a project." You: - (a) Say modestly, "Oh, it was a team effort, nothing special." - (b) Give a STAR story with "I" actions and a result: "I led X (situation/task), I did Y (action), and we achieved Z (result)." - (c) Give a vague general claim: "I'm a good leader." - (d) Deflect: "I don't like to talk about myself."

Scenario 2: The offer

You get an offer at a salary you'd accept. You: - (a) Accept immediately to seem grateful/modest. - (b) Research the market rate and politely counter ("based on my experience and market rates, I was hoping for X"). - (c) Demand double, aggressively. - (d) Accept, then resent it.

Scenario 3: "Any questions for us?"

At the end of the interview, you're asked if you have questions. You: - (a) Say "No, you covered everything" (to seem easy-going). - (b) Ask 2–3 thoughtful prepared questions about the role/team/challenges. - (c) Ask only about salary and vacation. - (d) Freeze and say nothing.

Scenario 4: The résumé photo

You're applying for a US job and your home-country résumé has your photo, age, and marital status. You: - (a) Keep them — it's professional back home. - (b) Remove them for the US (anti-discrimination norms; can get you screened out) — but keep them if applying in Germany/France. - (c) Add more personal details. - (d) Ignore the difference.

Scenario 5: The "tell me about a failure" question (new)

You're asked, "Tell me about a time you failed." Your instinct is to avoid admitting weakness. You: - (a) Say "I can't really think of a failure" (to seem strong). - (b) Give a real, contained failure with a STAR structure — and emphasize what you learned and changed. - (c) Blame others for the failure. - (d) Confess a catastrophic, disqualifying failure with no lesson.

Choose and justify each. Why does modesty (1a) lose to a STAR story (1b)? Why does "no failures" (5a) hurt you?

B. Decode This

  1. "Tell me about yourself."
  2. "Tell me about a time when you failed."
  3. "Do you have any questions for us?"
  4. "We'll be in touch."
  5. "This is an at-will position."
  6. (new) "What are your salary expectations?"
  7. (new) "We're moving forward with other candidates."

C. Translate Between Cultures

Task 1 — Modest → STAR. Rewrite this modest answer into a confident STAR response: "I helped a bit on a project that went okay." (Invent reasonable details: Situation, Task, Action with "I," Result with a metric.)

Task 2 — Salary. Write two lines: (1) how you'd respond to "What are your salary expectations?" early in the process, and (2) how you'd counter an offer politely.

Task 3 — The failure story (new). Write a STAR answer to "tell me about a time you failed" that's honest, contained (not disqualifying), and ends with a concrete lesson and change. Why does the lesson matter more than the failure?

D. Culture-Shock Journal

  1. The rules. Which hiring rule surprised you most (no photo, behavioral questions, negotiating, at-will)?
  2. Modesty cost. Where has modesty hurt you in interviews or offers?
  3. Rejection. How do you handle rejection/ghosting? How can you keep it from feeling like a verdict on your worth?
  4. The negotiation gap (new). How is salary negotiation viewed in your home culture vs. here? What would it take for you to counter an offer confidently?

E. Ask a Local

Ask someone who's hired or job-searched here: - "What actually makes a candidate stand out in interviews here?" - "Is it really expected to negotiate the salary? How do people do it?" - (new) "What's a mistake international candidates often make in interviews here?"

Record the answer.

F. Self-Assessment

Rate 1–5: 1. My résumé is results-focused and country-appropriate (photo or no photo). 2. I have 5+ STAR stories prepared. 3. I present my competence confidently (eye contact, handshake, "I" statements). 4. I always ask thoughtful questions at the end. 5. I would research market rate and negotiate an offer.

Note date and scores. (Appendix J collects the book's self-assessments; Appendix G has scripts.)

Sample Answers & Discussion

A: 1 → (b) — a STAR story with "I" actions and a result shows competence concretely; modesty (a) and vagueness (c/d) leave the interviewer unconvinced. 2 → (b) — negotiating is expected and respected; accepting immediately (a) can cost real money; aggression (c) backfires. 3 → (b) — always ask thoughtful questions; "no" (a/d) signals disinterest, salary-only (c) is premature. 4 → (b) — remove photo/personal details for US/UK; keep for Germany/France. 5 → (b) — a real, contained failure with a lesson shows self-awareness and growth; "no failures" (a) reads as dishonest or unreflective; blaming others (c) is a red flag. Why 1b beats 1a: interviews reward specific, confident, results-focused stories; modesty reads as weak or as not having contributed.

B — Decode This: 1 = a brief professional summary (not life story). 2 = a behavioral question — give a STAR story showing a real failure and what you learned. 3 = always say yes; ask prepared questions. 4 = neutral; don't over-read it; follow up. 5 = you can be fired (or quit) anytime for almost any reason (US low job security). 6 = they want a number/range — deflect to their range early, or give a researched range. 7 = a rejection (move on; ask for feedback; don't take it as a verdict).

C — Task 1 model: "On a stalled product launch (S), I was asked to get it back on track (T). I rebuilt the timeline, coordinated three teams, and resolved the data blocker (A), and we shipped two weeks early with a 20% adoption lift (R)." Task 2: (1) "I'd like to understand the role better first — what range is budgeted for this position?" (2) "Thank you for the offer — I'm excited. Based on my experience and market rates, I was hoping for closer to $X; is there flexibility?" Task 3: the lesson matters more because the question tests self-awareness and growth, not perfection — a contained failure + real change shows you learn.

D, E, F are personal — your honest reflection is the answer.