Preparing for a job interview? Use our Careers In Blue’s STORY format – it will help you!
You’ve probably heard of many interview preparation techniques – STAR, STARL, CARLI….there’s a lot of ideas out there to help you prepare for that all important interview. They’re all techniques to help with competency based job interviews to prompt you when interviewers ask you a ‘tell me’ question. Why should they give you the job? Have you got the skills they’re looking for? Have you already used those skills and can give a great example?
Do they work?
They do….to an extent – they give you a structure to present your evidence, but what if there’s a better way? An easier way to remember what to say in that stressful environment of a job interview….
Careers In Blue – STORY Format
Here at Careers In Blue, we’ve developed a great way to help you prepare for that all important interview.
We’ve developed the STORY format to help you ace that interview! It’s similar to some others but with added value to make sure you include all details. Why? Because when you tell a STORY, it’s important to have a start, a middle and most importantly – an end. It should be interesting and engage your audience (your interviewers!)
It’s explained in full in our Application Forms and Structured Interviews workbook, along with loads of practical advice and tips on application forms, preparing for that all important interview and how to structure your answers!
Application Forms and Structured Interviews Guide and Workbook – Careers in Blue
STORY makes you do that. When you’re giving that great example of how you already have the skills they’re looking for, you give your life experience (evidence of skills you have) in our STORY format
So what is it and how will it help you?
S – Situation or role you were in
T – Task you were faced with
O – Option(s) available to deal with the task and what you did
R – Result
Y – Why it was good, anything you’d do differently given the same situation again?
Why is STORY better than others?
So many times when we are helping people prepare for interviews, we ask them an interview question. When they start answering, sometimes it’s too formal, it sounds too rehearsed. They might have written it down and tried to memorize it. Sometimes if they are preparing for police recruitment, it sounds like they’re in court, presenting evidence! We want you to tell the interviewers your STORY, include the start, middle and end and tell it from the heart. You want the interviewers to be interested in your STORY, imagining they’re there with you as you tell your STORY!
Try it!
Preparing for a job interview? Use our Careers In Blue STORY format! Think of an example i.e. How you’ve helped someone…..put it in bullet points in our STORY format and practice telling your STORY!
For plenty more hints and tips on interview techniques, visit our website http://www.careersinblue.co.uk