Got an Interview? Don't Panic - Prepare Stories! 

By Pat Joachim Kitzman

Director

Career Center , Central College

 

Most of us don't worry about interviewing until we have an interview! If time is of the essence, focus preparation on one essential ingredient-describing skills in great stories! Of course, first it's important to step back and think about the essential skills sought by most employers. Depending on the career field, there may be specific skills required, like computer applications, level of proficiency in a foreign language, or a thorough understanding of tax accounting. But all employers want employees with skills like these:

· Communication : written and verbal

· Initiative: taking action without close supervision

· Commitment to task: sticking to a plan or goal

· Energy and enthusiasm: a positive attitude

· Creativity and imagination

· Teamwork: cooperation and interest in working with others

· Decision-making skills

· Time management skills

· Adaptability and flexibility

· Leadership skills

Candidates need to identify their three or four most sought-after skills. They then need to recall specific situations and occasions where these skills were demonstrated. Because employers believe that past performance is the best predictor for future performance and success on the job, it is essential that interviewees be prepared with actual stories and examples that demonstrate one's past accomplishments.

Where do these stories come from? Applicants should consider past employment, internships, volunteer experiences, class assignments, team projects, leadership roles, work-study or off-campus jobs, competitive experiences and participation in clubs, organizations or service projects.

The five-step process looks like this:

1. State a key skill or strength, required for this position.

2. Back up the skill with a short story to account for one's demonstration of that skill. Provide enough details in the story to make it interesting and yet, to the point.

3. Use numbers or other measurable data where appropriate to strengthen one's case and support one's story, like dollars saved, amount reduced, or production increased.

4. Note the final result. Did the work accomplish the intended purpose? Was the project successful?

5. Link the story and its success to the position for which one is interviewing.

Develop short stories for each of one's best skills. Rehearse four or five “proof by example” stories. Be prepared to connect the skills demonstrated previously to the skills needed for this job.

Interviewees need to know that it's not enough to simply state, “I'm organized or I'm conscientious or I'm innovative.” Employers want to hear specific examples of successful use of those skills. Putting one's skills in a story will put one ahead of the competition by demonstrating to the interviewer that the candidate knows their strengths and can back them up with real-life examples.

Pat Joachim Kitzman is Director of the Career Center at Central College in Pella, Iowa . She can be reached at kitzmanp@central.edu

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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