How I'd recruit for a BizOps role in 2026 (Pt. 2)

Nov 19, 2025

Last week, I covered how to get interviews.

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This week we're covering how to convert interviews. Starting with behaviorals.

If the thought of interviewing leaves your hands clammy and heart rate up, you're not alone.

Most people hate interviewing because it feels like the interviewer is out to get you. That there's some trap they're waiting for you to fall in.

But having been on the other side, trust me when I say: there's no trick or trapdoor.

When you're hiring and not a full-time recruiter, you want the recruiting process to take as little time as possible. Why? Because we have day jobs to get back to!

So in as little time as possible, we're trying to answer two questions:

Can you do the job? Will I like spending time with you?

BizOps has decided the best way to figure this out is through:

1. Behavioral questions
2. Live cases
3. Take-home cases

Today: behaviorals.

The Questions You'll Get

Beyond "Tell me about yourself" and "Why X company," the most common ones are:

Tell me about a time when you:

• Worked with data or an analytical project
• Managed a difficult stakeholder
• Disagreed with / challenged your boss or someone more senior
• Lead a project
• Worked cross-functionally

Why I Don't Teach STAR

Every career center in the world teaches the STAR format,

But I don't use it. Not for myself, nor with my clients.

Why? Because most people end up memorizing their answers and focus so much on getting their script right that they forget the most important part - actually connecting with the interviewer on a human level.

Interviewers remember how you made them feel, not whether you hit all four STAR points.

If you're someone who leans too scripted and rigid, these next two tools might really help you:

1. The Braindump​
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   Open a blank document. Write out everything you remember about this project. Give yourself 10 minutes or ~750 words. Write freely. Don't worry about grammar, structure, or whether it makes sense.
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   Just get everything out. Then reread it. Ask: "What did I do?" and "Why did it matter?" If something doesn't answer one of those two questions? It's not relevant. Cut it.
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   When you're prepping, everything feels important because you lived it. The braindump gives you permission to include it all first, then helps you be ruthless about what actually needs to be in your answer. You end up with the core of the story, instead of every detail you recall.
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2. The Conversation Test
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   ​If the braindump is your prep, then the conversation is where you get to put it into action.
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   Grab a friend. If they're not in your industry, even better. And then just explain the project to them like you would over coffee or lunch.
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   Do they understand what you did and why it mattered? Can they follow along? It's simple but it works so well. It'll help you notice the difference between your "interview" voice and your natural voice.
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   I've seen this work time and time again.
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   I'll be giving someone a mock interview and their answers feel too scripted. Then I'll ask them to just drop the interview and talk to me like a normal person.
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   And every single time. The answer gets better. Shorter, more authentic. And I end up connecting with them much more.
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   ​Bonus: If you tend to ramble, time yourself with decreasing intervals. Try answering the question with 5 minutes. Then 3. Then 1 minute. It's a hack I picked up from an Ultraspeaking workshop a few years back that attunes you to what's essential.

Next week - cases!

Until then,
Jacky "Interviewers are humans too" Ye

p.s. Ever since moving back to LA, I've been on the hunt for the best breakfast burrito. This one from Pepe's was great for $13. Had to be at least a thousand calories though and was larger than my hand. Food coma'd for 2 hours but man look at that cross-section.