Building a Great “Interview Anecdote”

Job interviews are intimidating! It can often feel like an intricate dance you have to perform in front of a highly critical audience – your potential new employer. In order to be successful in an interview, there are several steps you need to take to make sure you’re performing the dance correctly.

In my Guidelines for Interviewing , I offer a variety of vital tips about interviewing preparation, skills, and navigating that intricate dance. One of the tips I give says to make sure you prepare anecdotes or stories that demonstrate your successes, failures, work ethic, etc. Employers are going to want to know what you are like on the job, where your priorities lie, and what you are capable of. It’s one thing to just say, “I’m a hard worker who produces results” – anybody can do that. Telling a story not only helps to drive your message home, but it also allows you to establish a relate-ability that can be critical in the decision-making process.

I read an article this morning which discussed conveying your skills in the form of a story. LinkedIn Influencer James Caan, in his article, How to: Communicate in an Interview, discusses a technique he calls, STAR – a way of “illustrating how you can add value to the role and become the missing part of the puzzle in the interviewers’ eyes”.

Caan’s method, STAR, stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. In his article, he outlines what each of those really means, and how you can make this method work for yourself. It was a very interesting article that I think helps to break down the process of preparing good anecdotes for an interview, and I encourage you to read more at the link above!

For more help answering tough interview questions, check out my Guidelines for Interviewing under the tab labeled Services – Tips and Guidelines, on my website: ProfessionalProgressions.com!