Interview Practice
7 interview modes with Elo-rated skill tracking. Practice until your rating says you're ready.
How It Works
RecruiterGolem runs interactive interview practice sessions via Telegram. An AI interviewer asks you questions, scores your responses, and tracks your skill progression using an Elo rating system — the same system used in chess to measure relative skill.
The 7 Modes
| Mode | What It Tests | Example Question |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral | STAR stories, communication | "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate" |
| Technical Deep Dive | System knowledge, architecture decisions | "Walk me through how you'd design an email routing system" |
| System Design | Scalability, trade-offs | "Design a job scraping pipeline that handles 10K listings/day" |
| Code Review | Code quality, bug detection | "Review this function — what would you change?" |
| Debugging | Problem-solving, systematic thinking | "This API returns 500 intermittently — how do you investigate?" |
| Optimization | Performance, complexity analysis | "This query takes 30s — how would you speed it up?" |
| Rapid-Fire | Quick thinking, breadth | Short questions across topics, 60s per answer |
Elo Rating System
Your Elo rating starts at 1200 and adjusts after each practice session:
| Rating Range | What It Means |
|---|---|
| < 1200 | Getting started — keep practicing |
| 1200-1350 | Building foundations — patterns emerging |
| 1350-1450 | Solid — handling most questions well |
| 1450+ | Interview ready — consistent, structured, confident |
Elo is tracked per mode, so you can see exactly where you're strong and where to focus.
Practice Flow
1. Start: /practice (Telegram) or /interview-practice (Claude Code)
2. Select: Choose mode (behavioral, technical, etc.)
3. Question: AI interviewer asks a question
4. Respond: You answer naturally
5. Feedback: Score (1-10) + specific improvement suggestions
6. Elo: Rating adjusts based on performance
7. Next: Continue or switch modes
Scoring Criteria
Each response is scored 1-10 based on:
- Structure — Clear framework (STAR, trade-off analysis, etc.)
- Depth — Technical accuracy and detail
- Relevance — Answers the actual question asked
- Communication — Clear, concise, professional delivery
- Examples — Concrete, specific illustrations
Telegram Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/practice | Start a new practice session |
/stats | View Elo ratings and practice history |
Data Storage
Practice sessions are stored in Supabase for cross-device continuity:
| Table | Purpose |
|---|---|
practice_sessions | Session recordings, scores, Elo changes |
practice_questions | Question bank with difficulty ratings |
Tips
- Start with behavioral — builds confidence for all other modes
- Practice the mode you're weakest in — that's where Elo gains are biggest
- Aim for 1450 before real interviews — you'll have consistent, structured responses
- Review feedback — the AI gives specific, actionable suggestions after each answer