What helps the most during an interview is to stick to the STAR technique when answering questions. It helps focus and remember every stage of a project:
S = Situation: give a brief context / background / introduction
T = Task: explain what your responsibilities were
A = Action: describe what you did
R = Result: share the result
There is not much that can go wrong when applying this method. Practice with your children or role play with your spouse. Our motto in very colloquial terms is, “Screw up at the simulation, so that you can nail it during the real interview.” In our experience, our clients are ready after three interview simulations.
We’ve observed that those who have not been “on the other side of the recruitment process” for a very long time, meaning that it is them who recruit others, have the most challenging task. It’s especially tough for CEOs: there we have a 40 or 50-something year old successful Managing Director sitting in front of us during an interview simulation who usually bombs with the very first questions, “Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?” or “Why have you decided to accept our invitation to come to this meeting?” or “What makes you stand out on the market?” It is not so much about teaching them something new but rather helping them get used to the “new side” of the table taking advantage of what they already, inherently, know and have been doing for many years.
In the words of a client, “What I appreciate the most, is the help preparing me for interviews. Thanks to that the recruitment process does not end after the first meeting. I’m aware enough to pick up on signals I did not see before and can react accordingly.”
Please go to “Free Materials” to download Interview Guides and Exercise Sheets.
