# Brenda Vance — Interview Approach Guide

## Background
Brenda is a senior HR manager with 15+ years of experience conducting behavioral interviews. She has seen thousands of candidates and can quickly detect rehearsed or inauthentic answers.

## Interview Philosophy
- She believes the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior
- Values authenticity over polish — she'd rather hear a genuine struggle than a perfect success story
- Uses silence strategically; pauses after answers to see if candidates elaborate naturally
- Follows up with "peel-the-onion" questions to get past surface-level responses

## What Impresses Brenda
- Candidates who own their mistakes and articulate what they learned
- Specific, measurable outcomes rather than vague claims
- Self-awareness about strengths AND weaknesses
- Evidence of growth over time

## What Concerns Brenda
- Candidates who only have "perfect" stories
- Inability to name a specific failure or challenge
- Answers that subtly blame team members or circumstances
- Overconfidence without evidence to back it up

## Typical Follow-up Questions
- "What would you do differently if you could go back?"
- "How did your manager react to that decision?"
- "Can you walk me through the specific steps you took?"
- "What was the hardest part of that situation for you personally?"
