Hundreds of books, thousands of articles, and dozens of blogs have tried to explain how to pass an IT interview.
And yet, for most tech professionals, it still feels like a struggle.
As a coach preparing IT specialists for interviews, I’ve participated in hundreds — from Microsoft, Reddit, Pinterest to internal sessions in local IT companies.
And one thing keeps surprising me:
Why do interviews still seem so hard, despite so many guides and checklists?
🧩 It’s Not About Knowledge
Only a small percentage of people find interviews easy.
For everyone else, the challenge isn’t technical — it’s emotional.
Most “how-to” advice is someone else’s lived experience, not yours.
You can’t just read summaries or scripts and expect results.
You need to simulate your real interview and analyze your own reactions — stress, fear, or confidence.
🧠 The Power of the “Future Self”
When preparing, we often think:
“I know this. I’ll handle it.”
But under pressure, stress erases 30% of knowledge.
What remains is pure skill — practiced repeatedly.
That’s where soft skills become crucial:
first impression, confidence, communication, and self-presentation.
No interviewer can truly measure your technical depth in an hour.
They only decide whether they want you on the team.
📊 Interview Metrics: What Companies Really Evaluate
Each company has its own formula.
For example, Google combines:
1️⃣ technical expertise,
2️⃣ composure and adaptability,
3️⃣ soft skills.
As Daniel Tunkelang (former Tech Lead at Google) notes, it’s the behavior under pressure that separates candidates.
In Ukraine, however, technical skills are tested by engineers, “adequacy” by HR, and soft skills — left to vague first impressions.
📈 What I’ve Observed in 3 Years
Candidates with above-average soft skills pass interviews more often and get higher-level offers, even if their technical level is slightly below average.
Meanwhile, technically brilliant “computer geeks” often fail — simply because they can’t present themselves.
After years of technical and soft skills training, I can confirm this pattern empirically.
🧭 So, What Should IT Professionals Do?
✅ Admit that soft skills are professional skills, just like coding or frameworks.
✅ Stop “winging it” — interviews aren’t the place for “love me as I am.”
✅ Reflect on your emotional reactions:
fear, frustration, shame, or anger — and address them.
✅ Read at least one book on emotional intelligence, like Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence.” 
✅ Identify your growth zones — handling stress, communication, or self-presentation.
✅ Work on your soft skills — through structured self-study or coaching.
🎯 Coming next:
motivation during job search, interviewer subjectivity, core soft skills for IT specialists, and critical thinking vs think different.