Know Your Success Stories

Behavioral Interviewingis becoming more and more common. Have you ever heard people say that the best indicator of how you will perform on a job is how you have performed on jobs in the past?
With behavioral interviewing, the interviewer is looking for specific examples of how you have handled situations or problems in the past. Behavioral questionsbegin with phrases like: "tell me about a time when..." or "can you give me an example of..."
When an interviewer asks such questions, this is your chance to talk about your accomplishments and prove that you're a suitable candidate for success in a future position.

Know Your Success Stories!
Take some time before your interview to write out stories of times when you have:

• successfully solved problems;
• dealt with ambiguity and conflict,
• showed creativity, assertiveness, decisiveness, or good communication skills;
• demonstrated goal setting and commitment to task.

Determine what stories you have that would be appropriate for the position based on its job description. They can come from jobs, classroom activities, or volunteer positions.

By preparing for an interview ahead of time and recalling your past successes, you will be able to have examples in mind and will not be caught off guard. You can not predict what the interviewer will ask, but you can prepare what you want him or her to know about your knowledge, skills, and characteristics.

Use the STAR Model

A useful tool to use in preparing "Job Skill Stories" is the S.T.A.R. Model. On paper, for each story, describe:


S = Situation: A specific situation that addresses the question.
T = Task: The tasks associated with the situation.
A = Action: The actions taken to address the situation.
R = Result: The results of your actions. Don't forget this, as it's very important.

The average answer to a behavioral interview question should be around 3 minutes long. Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job