How to Ace an Interview
15 Oct 2010
Learn to Tell a Story: How to Ace an Interview
Let Your Experience Speak for Your Skills
When you’re giving an example, be sure to be clear and concise.
To prepare for the interview, you need to think about projects you worked on in school, problems with professors, and problem-solving situations. You need to answer the question so that the interviewer can evaluate you. Saying that you have never had a problem does not allow for the interviewer to assess you on your problem-solving skills.
In addition to seeking problem-solving skills, interviewers look for lots of other key skills or “competencies,” such as team orientation, organization, planning, creativity, innovation, assertiveness, and communication. These are the “soft skills” most employers are really looking for.
Practice Answering These Questions
Just how do interviewers search for these skills? Following is a practice list.
Give me an example of a time when you had to plan a process from beginning to end. How did you do it?
Sometimes it’s difficult to come to consensus with a team member. Tell me about a time when you had that kind of difficulty. How did you resolve it?
Give me an example of a situation in which you had to deal with a difficult person. What did you do?
Tell me about a situation in which you couldn’t meet your goals. How did you handle it?
Describe a complex problem you worked on in which multiple solutions were possible. How did you arrive at a solution?
Tell me about a time when you had the opportunity to generate a creative solution to a problem. What happened? How did you come up with the solution?
If you were going to start your own business, what do you think would be your three biggest challenges?
Give me a quick overview of a current or past internship and describe the biggest impact or change you made.
Tell me about an academic team project in which you participated. Explain your role.
Tell me about a time when you encountered a conflict with a team member. How did you handle the conflict?
Take Time to Think About Your Answer
Have you figured out how to answer all these yet? If not, listen through the whole question and work in your mind what you think they’re looking for. There’s no problem in taking time to answer a question. If you take a little bit of time to plan your answer, it comes off a lot better.
And as you’re listening and thinking, do your best to relax.
The interviewers are trying to make you as comfortable as possible. They just want to make sure that your personal experiences and motivations will fit well with the company.
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