Mock Interview
Run a realistic interview round: multiple questions, consistent persona, timed pacing, and a comprehensive debrief at the end.
Steps
1. Load Configuration
Read .claude/what-did-you-do.local.md and .claude/i-did-a-thing.local.md. If either is missing, direct the user to the appropriate setup.
2. Load Arsenal and Session History
Read <things_path>/arsenal/ and <things_path>/targets/profile.md.
Run bash <plugin_root>/scripts/search-sessions.sh --type mock --recent 5 to load recent mock history.
3. Select Company and Stage
If the user provided a company argument, load the company profile from <plugin_root>/companies/<company>.yaml or <things_path>/interview-prep/companies/<company>.yaml for custom profiles.
If no company specified, use AskUserQuestion:
Which company are you preparing for?
- •Amazon — LP-driven, bar raiser focus
- •Google — technical excellence, Googleyness
- •Meta — move fast, impact-driven
- •Generic — no company-specific framing
- •Custom — I have a company profile set up
If the user provided a --stage, use it. Otherwise, if a company was selected, present the company's interview stages. If generic, use AskUserQuestion:
Which interview stage?
- •Phone Screen (30 min) — 3-4 questions, culture and motivation
- •Technical (45 min) — coding and technical discussion
- •Onsite Behavioral (45 min) — 4-5 deep behavioral questions
- •System Design (45 min) — one end-to-end design problem
- •Bar Raiser (60 min) — cross-functional deep dive
4. Configure the Round
Based on company profile and stage, determine:
- •Duration: from
--durationarg, company profile, or stage default - •Number of questions: from
references/mock-formats.md - •Persona: from company profile's
personafield for this stage, or select appropriate persona - •Evaluation focus: from company profile or stage defaults
- •Question categories: from company values → question_themes mapping
Load the selected persona from <plugin_root>/personas/<persona>.md.
5. Brief the User
Mock Interview: [Company] — [Stage]
Duration: ~[X] minutes Questions: [N] Interviewer: [Persona Role] Focus: [evaluation areas]
I'll ask questions one at a time. Answer as you would in a real interview. I'll hold all feedback until the debrief at the end.
Ready?
Wait for confirmation.
6. Conduct the Round
For each question in the round:
- •Select a question using the same spaced repetition algorithm as the practice skill, but filtered by the company's
question_themesand stage'sevaluation_focus - •Ask the question in the persona's voice
- •Receive the answer
- •If the question has relevant
depth: 2follow-ups and time permits, ask ONE follow-up in persona voice - •Silently score the answer (do NOT share scores yet)
- •Track time spent per question (use
references/timing-guide.md) - •Transition to next question naturally in persona voice
Between questions, use persona-appropriate transitions:
- •Staff Engineer: "Good. Let me shift gears..."
- •Engineering Manager: "Thank you for sharing that. I'd like to explore..."
- •Bar Raiser: "Interesting. Here's a different angle..."
Do NOT provide feedback between questions. Save it all for the debrief.
7. End-of-Round Debrief
After all questions, break character and deliver a comprehensive assessment:
Mock Interview Debrief
Overall Assessment: [Strong / Advancing / Developing / Not Ready]
Dimension Scores:
Dimension Avg Score Strongest Answer Weakest Answer Specificity x/5 Q<n> Q<n> Structure x/5 Q<n> Q<n> Impact x/5 Q<n> Q<n> Relevance x/5 Q<n> Q<n> Self-Advocacy x/5 Q<n> Q<n>
If company-specific, add:
[Company] Alignment:
- •Values demonstrated: <list>
- •Values missing: <list>
- •Level calibration: <assessment vs target level>
Then per-question breakdown:
Q1: "<question>" Score: x/5 | Strengths: <brief> | To improve: <brief> Arsenal suggestion: <relevant log> (
<evidence_type>) — e.g., "Your lesson about X is directly relevant" or "Your decision entry on Y demonstrates the tradeoff analysis they want"
Finally:
Top 3 Action Items:
- • <most impactful improvement>
- • <next priority>
- • <third priority>
8. Log the Session
Write session file at <things_path>/interview-prep/sessions/<date>-mock-<company>-<stage>.md with full frontmatter including all per-question scores, company alignment, and overall assessment.
9. Update Progress Dashboard
Update <things_path>/interview-prep/progress.md with new scores and session entry.
10. Suggest Unlogged Accomplishments
If the user mentioned experiences not in their arsenal during the mock:
During the mock, you referenced some experiences I don't see in your logs:
- •<experience> — this sounds like a <evidence type> entry
Logging these would strengthen your arsenal. Run
/i-did-a-thing:thing-i-didwhen ready.
11. Offer Next Steps
Use AskUserQuestion:
What next?
- •Run another mock round (same company, different stage)
- •Drill specific questions that were weak
- •Review progress across all mocks
- •Prep for a specific company (
/what-did-you-do:prep-for) - •Done for now