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CollegeJournal

http://www.collegejournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/20010925-henderson.html

Telling Tales Can Bolster
Your Next Job Interview

By ROBERTA KELLEY HENDERSON

Most candidates may not realize that telling vivid and detailed stories can be the best way to unlock a job offer. But if you stop thinking about the interview from your perspective and view it through the interviewer's eyes, this suggestion makes sense.

A job interview is essentially a conversation in which each side seeks to exchange information about the job and the candidate. To get the offer, you have to stand out from the rest.

Most interviewers likely hear the same answers repeatedly. This is because most candidates prepare similarly for interviews: they identify their competencies and attributes, research the industry, company and job description and rehearse answers to typical questions.

One way hiring managers have overcome repetitive answers is by turning increasingly to behavioral interview questions. Behavioral questions begin with "tell me about a time when" or "give me an example of." The reason these questions are effective and produce fresh answers is that they require interviewees to provide specific anecdotes about their past performance.

The premise behind the question is that many skills most valued by companies today are best determined by past performance. They include adaptability, problem solving, communication, creativity, decision-making, goal setting, taking initiative, leadership, planning, team work and integrity. Candidates can show their mastery of these skills by recounting a story of how they used them in a past position.

When answering behavioral questions, remember that the interviewer wants to hear your real-life success stories beginning with the situation, the action you took and the result. Be prepared to give specific details, but don't ramble.

"Your answer demonstrates how well you can articulate your thoughts," says Tim Ruch, a risk manager for El Paso Corp. in Houston. "As an interviewer, I'm interested in how well a candidate can use a personal experience to illustrate a point that ultimately answers the question."

Sometimes, the most revealing success stories are dramatic retellings of events. John Miller, a Houston-based investment banker with JP Morgan for nearly 20 years, remembers the vivid example a student seeking a joint master's of business administration/law degree provided to show his approach to teamwork:

"This guy had spent the summer working at a law firm that had taken on the appeal for an inmate sitting on death row with only two weeks left before the execution date," Miller recalls. "He was able to successfully communicate to me how each member of the team was charged with specific tasks and the common goal. This was a life-and-death situation where teamwork was crucial, and his managerial skills were put to the test in his contribution. Because he was able to communicate effectively to me in the interview process how he had performed well in a team environment, and his example was so vivid, I hired him."

This is one time when a little drama won't hurt your case, says Peter Veruki, executive director of career planning and admissions at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Management. "The more the candidate can make his or her experience vivid and memorable for the recruiter, the greater the odds are of advancing to the next stage of the interview process," says Veruki. "M.B.A.s should engage the interviewer by adding rich, visual detail to what they relate about their work and personal histories. Tell a story; don't just relate the facts."

When asked to provide an example of past leadership, an M.B.A. student provided an ideal response by explaining how as a U.S. Army officer, he led his platoon through a minefield in Bosnia. "In reality the exercise was probably very routine, but this vivid image no doubt stood out in a pool of applicants," says Veruki. "That student was offered several jobs very early in the M.B.A. recruiting season."

To prepare for behavioral interviews, recall experiences that demonstrate your strong transferable skills in action. Focus on leadership, problem solving, communication and teamwork.

Prepare short descriptions of each situation, the action you took and the result. Be specific. Don't generalize about several events; describe one event at a time in detail. Be prepared to provide additional specifics as needed, but be honest. Don't embellish.

Make sure your stories focus on special strengths, qualities and skills crucial to the employer. Always be prepared to tell the interviewer how you can use your proven skills in the available position. Storytelling is the best way to anchor your selling points with proof.

A Sampling of Behavioral Interview Questions

Your resume has earned you the interview. To get the job, you have to tell your story effectively. Some interview questions will allow you to expand on the one-page work history provided by your resume and to recount your successes. The following is a list of typical questions and the types of skills they're designed to illustrate:

Initiative

• Give me an example of when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Give me examples of projects or tasks you started on your own.

Motivation

• How would you define "success" for someone in your chosen career?
• Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others.

Leadership

• Give an example of your ability to build motivation in your co-workers, classmates or a volunteer committee.
• What is the toughest group that you've had to get cooperation from? Describe how you handled it. What was the outcome?

Planning and Organization

• Give an example of what you've done when your time schedule or project plan was upset by unforeseen circumstances.

Decision-Making

• What kind of decisions do you make rapidly? What kind takes more time? Give examples.
• What was your most difficult decision in the last six months? What made it difficult?

Communication

• Describe the most significant written document, report or presentation that you had to complete.
• Tell me about a situation when you had to speak up or be assertive in order to get a point across that was important to you.

Interpersonal Skills

• Tell me about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you've ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with him or her.
• Describe a recent unpopular decision you made and the result of it.

-- Ms. Henderson is a recruiting coordinator at Rice University in Houston.