Interview Prep Series: Tip 3

Tip 3: Practice, Practice, Practice

Some say "practice makes perfect" others say "practice makes permanent". Either way the expression goes, practice is key. Once you've worked your way through the exercises in The Interview”: The Ultimate Job Interview Prep Workbook, the next step is to practice. I personally like to practice my interview responses aloud in addition to writing them. It's my way of editing my answers so they are clear and concise.

Many interviews start with basic questions like, “tell me about yourself”, “what are your strengths"?”, “what are your weaknesses?”. But are you familiar with behavioral interview questions? These typically start with language like "tell me of a time when" or "give me an example of" followed by a scenario they want you to walk them through. By asking these questions, the interviewer can get a better understanding of your previous work and your thought process in order to make predictions about how you may perform in the role.

The trick to answering these questions is simple and it starts by following one of the three easy formulas below.

STAR

• Describe the SITUATION that took place. Explain the TASK you were asked to complete. Describe the ACTIONS you took to complete the task. Share the RESULTS of your actions.

START

• Describe the SITUATION that took place. Explain the TASK you were asked to complete. Describe the ACTIONS you took to complete the task. Share the RESULTS of your actions and your TAKEAWAYS or learnings

PART

• Describe the PROBLEM that took place. Explain the ACTIONS you took to complete the task. Share the RESULTS of your actions and your TAKEAWAYS or learnings

Check out pages 12-16 of the “The Interview”: The Ultimate Job Interview Prep Workbook to try this exercise.