Interview Techniques: Tell Your Story, Show Your Strengths
In our last blog post, we discussed why Autumn is the perfect season to revamp your job search! So, now that you’ve applied and gotten a call back, what’s the next step in your job search? Prepare for your interview(s)! Interviewing is a chance for you to tell your story and point out your strengths. You want your answers to be concise, vivid, and show you in the best light.
The interviewer may ask you to describe what you did in a specific situation in the past, such as how you dealt with a difficult customer or how you organized a project. Rather than ask you about a hypothetical situation and what you might do in the future, this type of behavioral interview question asks you to give a real example from your past experience. The theory is that what you have previously done is a good predictor of how you will behave in the future.
How should you prepare for these kinds of questions? Based on my experience as an executive who has interviewed hundreds of job candidates, here is a recommendation that works:
• Identify a short list of examples from work or school that you handled very well and brought results you were proud to accomplish. When you talk about these examples, your enthusiasm and pride will shine through.
• Use this simple outline to bring each story to life. Remember PAR:
-Problem: be crisp and clear in defining the situation. What did you need to face, fix, or overcome?
-Action: describe what you did to address the problem. What alternatives did you consider, what did you decide to do, and what actions did you take?
-Results: after taking action, what was the outcome? Did it turn out as you expected? What did you learn?
With planning and a little practice, you will tell a story that is easy for the interviewer to follow and understand. Your story will show your strengths in action, make your contributions more tangible, and make you memorable.
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