Interview as Architecture: Why I Built an AI Coach That Knows My War Stories
"Revenue is not arithmetic. It is architecture."
"Hiring is not intuition. It is signal processing."
I spent 15 years treating job interviews as performance theater—memorizing techniques like the STAR method while hoping to impress hiring managers. This approach was inefficient and high-latency.
The Problem: Dictionary vs. Signal
Most candidates present themselves as dictionaries—lists of attributes like "hardworking, strategic, Python-literate, and a closer."
Hiring managers don't want descriptors. They want evidence addressing their specific anxieties. Without understanding those underlying concerns, candidates operate on guesswork.
The Build: The Dojo Simulation Engine
I built a three-layer architecture into Basin::Nexus:
1. INGEST (JD Parser)
Rather than reading job descriptions, a Python script extracts "Pain Clusters"—underlying organizational problems beneath surface language.
Example: "Lead GTM Strategy" translates to "They lack playbooks, bleed customer acquisition costs, need execution-focused hiring."
2. VECTORIZE (Context Injection)
The system accesses a structured JSON file containing my career "War Stories":
- Series A cybersecurity outbound engine rebuild (160% growth)
- $300M portfolio management at SurveyMonkey
- Failed CRM migration lessons
Vector similarity matching connects job pain points to relevant experiences.
3. SIMULATE (Adversarial Testing)
Rather than practicing with cheerleaders, I use AI to adopt a "Skeptical VP" persona—someone burned by previous strategy hires. This generates tough questioning on execution, creating calibration rather than false confidence.
Results and Philosophy
I've seen a 350% increase in interview conversion rates post-deployment.
The outcome isn't confidence—it's calibration. By conversation time, I've already mentally gamed the hardest objections three times over.
This isn't AI exploitation; it's using systems to force empathy. Candidates obsess over themselves ("Look at my credentials"). Architects obsess over systems ("I see your bottleneck; here's the blueprint").
Stop Practicing. Start Architecting.
Systematic preparation is fundamentally different from traditional interview rehearsal—it centers the hiring organization's actual problems rather than the candidate's narrative.
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