Steven Lefkowitz is a project manager at Sierra Vista Group, a Boston-based firm that offers IT and advisory services to companies ranging from Fortune 50 giants to start-ups. As someone who has sat across the table from numerous technology pros interviewing for jobs, he likes to know "if the individual can work under stress."

While he believes it's important for candidates to be able to discuss in detail successful project stories, Lefkowitz says he's "more interested in the projects that aren't successful, and how they respond to questions about that."

"Those kinds of responses are interesting to see how the candidate places the blame for failure, and how they framed their role," he says. "Those kinds of questions put job candidates in a stressful situation because someone's going under the bus, and how do you handle that?"

The best way for candidates to handle "track record" questions, Lefkowitz says, is to be prepared.

"If they haven't done the prep work and they're trying to think on their feet, it could appear to be disingenuous," he says. "Candidates should go through the last five years of their professional career, hone in on two success stories, and be able to discuss them without stumbling."