The Shining S.T.A.R. In Your Interview Isn't Just You

     There are many things I'm learning about my company in my position and one thing is they pay attention to award winning ideas, celebrated authors and successful business models in the industry. Knowing this encourages me to have solid faith in the future of the company. They pay attention, make changes when appropriate and at time lead the industry in best practices.
     In our advanced training courses we teach the universally recognized S.T.A.R. interviewing method. The basic acronym stands for: Situation-Task-Action-Result. For ever question you are asked during an interview you should follow the S.T.A.R. approach.
     I'll give you an example. When you're in an interview you are most likely going to be asked, 'Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult task where you didn't have very many resources provided to you to get the job done.' There may not be much more said than that and your response should be in the following format:
     'While I was working at Fox Corp. I was asked to conduct a business meeting and present a statistic analysis for a team I wasn't a member of while a colleague was on leave of absence. I had two weeks until the meeting. The challenge was a difficult one since my current team and my colleague's team work on very different projects. I immediately called a meeting with the team I would be presenting with and we collectively made a list of the necessary resources. I put each of the team members in charge of collecting various data. I made a timeline of when everything needed to be completed and passed this off to the team. We met frequently during those two weeks to put the presentation together. The three days before the meeting the draft was completed and presented to the team. A few adjustments were needed and the final presentation was ready to be delivered. Not only did we meet the deadline but we delivered a very successful analysis of a department I had never worked in before. I was very proud of the team.'
     It's very simple. You should have a full answer to every question. In adding how you felt about the outcome will give them the answer to the next question they may ask, 'How did you feel about the result of the project?'
     Many times when you don't answer each question in full or provide very little detail they will ask probing questions. Don't let them get to that point. Research common interview questions like these below:

1. Tell me a little about yourself.
2. What brings you to our company?
3. What do you know about the position you're applying for?
4. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you? (My favorite question!)
5. What is your greatest strength/weakness?
6. How do you handle a fast paced environment?
7. How was your attendance at your previous job?
8. What makes you feel you're the best person for the job?
9. What unique skill set do you bring to the company?
10. What starting salary are you looking for?

     Practice the above questions using the S.T.A.R. approach. You can make the mistake of one word answers, or you can expand each one so that you're engaging them. If they ask about salary, don't just say, '50k, nothing less.' Start with what you offer or bring to the table for their company. Sell them on what your worth and why. They'll pay if you deserve it. Above all else, practice, practice, practice! Type it out, read it aloud and make it stick. Avoid the silent pauses, short answers and skipped questions. If you need them to reread the question that's OK. Ask, 'Can you repeat that question?' Everyone gets nervous and the employer understands that, and probably expects it. Just take your time and you'll do fine if you're prepared. Good luck!