Prepare Success Stories for Your Interview
Introduction
Alright, so you have gone through countless books and articles that tell you how to tackle job interviews and know all there is to know, right? Not necessarily. These books bring up the most commonly asked and the toughest questions and give you possible answers to them, which you need to learn by heart.
However this does not always help. These learned answers could sound artificial when you mouth them. You do best when you are being yourself. An alternative is to internalize the strategy behind those answers and then give a response in your own words. More important, be prepared with stories of your own that support your answer.
Why Stories?
The first thing to remember is that an interview is not meant to be an interrogation session. It is a conversation between two equals about working together towards mutual benefit.
Second, interview methods are changing all over the world. In the traditional set up, the interviewer was checking if you have the necessary knowledge/skill for the job. In today’s scenario, the interviewer wants to know more. It is not just about your qualifications. The employer also wants to know about your character/ personal traits that you bring to the workplace. These behavior attributes are today perceived as crucial for success at work.
Thus, today the interviewer spends only half of the interviewer to check your knowledge and skills. The other half is devoted to character/ personality assessment. The interviewer will ask you questions that would show how you respond to different situations.
What Attributes?
The interviewer’s concerns are around these areas.
- Will you make/ save money for the company- in other words will you be an asset to the company?
- How good a team player are you? Can you assume, respect and delegate authority appropriately?
- How much of a good fit are you in the company’s culture?
What Stories?
The interviewer’s questions will be centered on these concerns. Therefore be ready with stories that demonstrate these qualities. Be precise and to the point- your stories should not take longer than a minute and half. Here are a few ideas around which you can develop your stories.
- Instances where you either saved money or earned more money for your company.
- A difficult situation at work or in your life that you responded to positively and overcame.
- An instance where teamwork produced spectacular results and how you contributed.
- A stressful situation/period in your career and how you managed it.
- Instances where you provided leadership/ direction and brought in great results.
- An instance of how you responded to failure.
- Some outstanding events in your career and how they influenced you/ benefited you.
These personal stories- your actions- tell the interviewer in specific terms the person that you are and the qualities you bring in. These are far more effective than general claims. Moreover these are just your own stories- thus they help you to stand out from the crowd.
