Have you ever had a job interview with someone other than a close friend or family member? Then you know how panic-inducing they can be. Imagine if the interviewer asks you a question that you don’t know how to answer? What if you accidentally say something offensive? Maybe you forget something that you should already know about your potential employer? With so much riding on a single conversation, it is so easy to overthink everything. However, one important thing to remember is that having the opportunity to interview means that your potential employers already like you. They are hoping and wanting to be impressed by you. They aren’t looking for a personality quirk or interview nerves to nitpick. If you think about an interview as a confirmation of the positive first impression they received upon reviewing your resume. You can feel better about the entire experience.
One of the most difficult questions an interviewer will ever ask you is, “Tell me about a time when you…” These open-ended questions are what really can make or break your interview. However, this article lists several tips to help you through those kinds of questions, so take detailed notes!
STAR
A response to a question like “tell me about yourself” can be called demonstrating your influence skills. A method for answering a behavioral interview question is the STAR method. There are essentially four basic steps in the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. The first step basically requires that you set the stage for your anecdote. Tell your employer when and where this said event took place. This helps them understand the context of the influence skills you are about to illustrate.
Task
No tricks here. This second step means that you articulate what specific task either you or a team were assigned to complete. Provide details about time constraints, team goals, and other details you feel are important to helping the interviewer understand the task. It is also appropriate to describe your specific role in the situation. For example, you may have been responsible for maintaining habitual contact with a client to keep them updated on the progress of the project.
Action
Basically you go into further detail with what you did with the responsibility that was delegated to you. One thing you want to watch out for, however, is digressing into other details that you remember as you relate the narrative. It can be tempting to go back to step one and contextualize a little more if something comes into your head that you feel is important, but resist the temptation. Jumping around can give the wrong impression. You want to at least give some semblance of order, and mixing up these steps will only make you more nervous.
Result
Here you describe the outcome of your actions. Don’t be shy about your accomplishments. False modesty is easily detected by interviewers, and it is better to try and sound confident of the things that you have contributed to projects in the past. This will help your interviewer invest confidence in you to get things done if they were to hire you. Make sure that your answer contains multiple positive outcomes. You can do this by articulating the ending of the project or event, as well as what you learned from the experience.
The STAR structure allows you to use any experience from your past to demonstrate just about any skill. Don’t feel bad about rehearsing a couple of stories beforehand. This ensures you can adapt comfortably without losing track if your interviewer throws in a clarifying question or two during your narrative. By using the STAR method, you will not only be able to provide intelligent and well-articulated answers to open-ended behavioral questions. You will also exude a confidence that is hard to forget in a competitive job market.
