How to score at an interview?

Some background, I have been in the tech space for close to 5 years now. In that time, I have done a lot of interviews, I think I do an average of at close to 2 interviews a week over a span of 4.5 years. It's a lot. I thought I would pen some of the things I have observed, also as a note to future self. Some caveats to my observations:

1. I do not interview for engineers, where your technical ability could be measured using some kind of standardised testing.
2. I typically interview for mid to senior levels, where you are testing for cognitive, analytical and cultural ability. Some of which are difficult to rate objectively.

So, this is really a tongue in cheek article about some of my observations. Hope that it is a useful read for some of you.

1. Do not ramble. Most interviewers would have spent some time reading through your CV. What they want to understand from your job experience is whether there is a good chance that you would be able to do the job asked of you. How do you prove that? I have seen 3 ways candidates demonstrate this - (1) Done the job before. That is the easiest, and often, we default to that if there is a rich pool of talent, (2)Display the ability to learn and adapt in a demanding environment and (3) Show strong cognitive ability.
2. Answers should be concise. Just because most tech interviews are pretty casual, it does not mean that you forget about the need to structure an answer. I would always go with stating your big ideas (no more than 3), and then go on to elaborating them. Again, do not ramble, know when to stop.
3. Be clear about your role. Many people talk extensively about what their team did in their previous roles. We are not hiring the team, we are only hiring you. Don't over-exaggerate what you did if it was a team effort. All interviewers know they are interviewing for humans, and we expect a human level of effort, and the most experienced interviewers can sense when you are over-extending. The downside of overextending is that you are talking about area of work that you might not be clear about. Rather, focus on a piece of work that you are confident of defending.
4. Just because an interviewer counters you, it does not always mean that they disagree. The interview process is not perfect, and interviewers are finding ways to find out how convinced, and committed you are to your arguments. Or they are testing how you perform under pressure. Even if they agree with you, they might challenge you as a way to find out what you really think. Do not get flustered. Explain your answer in a logical fashion.

Lastly, the interview is not just about you wanting the job. It is about finding out whether you are a good fit for the company, and whether the company is a good fit for you. You of course want to be likeable, but you need to make sure you are truly compatible with the company if you want it to be sustainable. It is very much like a courtship - I would definitely recommending presenting your authentic self.