In This Issue

1. The Core 4 Stories for Behavioral Interviews

2. Q+A - Buying time when you have an offer

The Core 4 Stories

I have made a lot of videos the last week or two about what I call the core 4 stories. I have also made a few videos about the importance of demonstrating problem solving in a job interview. One of the biggest benefits of behavioral based interview questions is the ability to really demonstrate your problem solving skills.

2 common errors with interviews are not thinking about the stories you want to tell in advance, as well as spending too much time setting up what the problem was (the S in STAR) and not enough time discussing the actual action you took to solve the problem (the A).

Knowing the details of these 4 stories will not only allow you to answer many behavioral questions - some samples below- but they are stories you can constantly go back to during interviews.

I’m often asked if you can tell the same story again, and the answer is yes, but you have to branch off from it a bit. For example:

Perhaps, you tell a story about making a big sale when asked about your most successful project. You may later be asked about how you worked well with a team and you can reference the big sale story you’ve already told but now discuss the teamwork that went into it. (this also saves you the time of setting the situation up again). Or you may have already told this story, but now you are being asked about a challenge you overcame and you can point to the story you told earlier, but dig in deeper to a large challenge that came up in the sales process that you didn’t describe when telling the overall story.

There are far more than 4 stories you can tell in an interview, but the 4 that I always recommend starting with and a few of the questions you’ll be able to answer when you are comfortable with those stories:

1. Your Most Successful Project

There is no way to make it through an interview without being asked about some of the successes in your career. Think back to a project where you excelled and achieved great results. Can you explain the project's context, your role, and the challenges you faced? Can you emphasize the actions you took to overcome obstacles and the impact your contributions had on the project's success?

Some examples of common questions you’ll be able to answer by tapping into this story:

• Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills - This is a great opportunity for people who want more leadership in a role but never officially had it

• Describe a situation where you had to manage multiple priorities or a tight deadline.

• Share a situation you had to adapt to and overcome an unexpected challenge

• Tell me about a time you took initiative to drive an important change

• Tell me about a time you worked well with a team

Of course there are more questions, but the key here is that knowing your successful stories will answer a lot of questions you will get an interview. As mentioned above, you can continually go back to this story and tell different angles of it to answer these questions.

2. Your Least Successful Project

Believe it or not, being asked about failures in a job interview is not a trick. These questions are not traps to see if you admit to being imperfect (but don’t pretend you’re perfect!).

Being transparent about a project that didn't go as planned showcases your self-awareness, ability to learn, and a growth mindset. It’s important to be able to describe the project, the setbacks you encountered, and how you managed them. Focus on the lessons learned and the improvements you implemented to prevent similar issues in the future.

Some examples of common questions you’ll be able to answer by tapping into this story:

• Tell me about how you handle setbacks during work

• Tell me about a time you had to pivot due to a setback

• How do you recover and move forward from failing

• Tell me about a situation where you had to take responsibility for a mistake you made

• Tell me about a time you realized your project was not on track to meet goals and what you did from there

• Describe a project you worked on that had conflicting priorities or unclear objectives

Interviewers appreciate candidates who can handle adversity and learn from their mistakes which makes really understanding how to tell this story a valuable opportunity to show your resilience and adaptability.

3. Your Most Difficult Stakeholders

I debate listing this as 1 story as it may fall into several stories depending on your job, but for the sake of brevity we will list this once with an understanding you may need a story about several different people such as a customer or client, a peer, a supervisor, a key stakeholder in the company. Dealing with a difficult customer will not be the same story as a time you dealt with a difficult executive if you are someone who has been in both of those situations. It is unlikely however to be asked about all of these stories, so understand for you and your role who are the most likely stakeholders to have to discuss. For most people it will be a peer or a customer/client.

Working with challenging stakeholders is a common aspect of many roles. You need to be able to narrate an experience where you successfully managed a difficult relationship by sharing the context, the specific challenges you faced, and the strategies you used to build rapport and communication. Highlight how you navigated disagreements and found common ground to achieve mutual goals as much as possible in the situation. Demonstrating your interpersonal skills and conflict resolution abilities will leave a positive impression on interviewers.

Some examples of common questions you’ll be able to answer by tapping into this story (I will be using stakeholder to represent all possible stakeholders here):

• Can you share a time you received significant pushback on your work from a key stakeholder

• Share a situation where you had to communicate difficult or sensitive information to a stakeholder. How did you prepare for the conversation, and how did you ensure the message was conveyed effectively?

• Can you recall a time when you had to deal with a stakeholder who was uncooperative or resistant to change? How did you gain their trust and buy-in for the proposed changes?

• Tell me about a challenging negotiation or disagreement you had with a stakeholder. How did you find common ground and reach a mutually beneficial solution?

• Tell me about a time you disagreed with a stakeholder above you but knew you were correct.

Demonstrating your interpersonal skills and conflict resolution abilities will leave a positive impression on interviewers and show a high level of emotional intelligence. The key is not if you were right or wrong or won or lost. The key is how you solved the problem as professionally as possible.

4. Your Passion Project (past or future)

One of the best things during a job interview is when somebody starts telling a story or talking about something that makes their eyes light up. This is key for both a candidate and an interviewer. Both people in the interview should be able to describe somethings that make them passionate.

This story is your chance to showcase your enthusiasm for anything work related. Share a project or initiative you spearheaded because of your passion for the subject matter, or one you would like to lead one day. Describe how this project brought you joy and what drove your interest in it. You are probably thinking right now “I really don’t care that much” and that’s ok, but there are still parts of your job you like more than others, or more importantly things you’d like to do and be excited to do and it’s key to know those.

Having real opinions and points of view on things is important, an interviewer does not want somebody who straddles the fence on every issue and has no real thoughts about it. A passion project is a great way to show that off.

Some examples of common questions you’ll be able to answer by tapping into this story

• What is the ideal next role for you? What would you be working on?

• What are you most proud of so far in your career?

• What do you find most rewarding about your job?

• Can you share a specific instance where you found great satisfaction in completing a task or project?

• Describe a time when you felt genuinely excited and enthusiastic about coming to work. What factors contributed to this positive feeling, and how did it impact your productivity and performance?

Preparing these stories is not about memorizing a script, but rather being sure you are comfortable with them in advance, making sure you remember the details and being ready to tell them when asked. You will also benefit from the confidence that comes knowing you are ready to tell these stories and feeling sure of yourself to hit the key details you have thought about in advance without rambling or omitting something.

Q+A

I’d love to answer your question in an upcoming issue. Submit any questions you’d like me to discuss here.

Q: I am currently interviewing at 2 companies, 1 is moving faster and I anticipate an offer, but I am really interested in the 2nd company. Should I tell the 1st company I’m waiting on another offer, or how do I buy time?

First of all, congrats! Of all the job searching stresses, not being sure what to do with an offer and potentially 2 offers is probably the best one. When you receive a job interview and you know you will need more time, the typical steps to handle the situation are:

1. Thank them for the offer and ask to see it in writing so you can review it

2. Upon getting the written offer notice an expiration date that is likely in the offer- typically 48 or 72 hours.

3. Reply saying something along the lines of “I appreciate the offer, in order to have some time to fully review it and discuss with the important people in my life, can I have a week to make my decision” (You’re unlikely to get more than a week, and they may say no, especially in this market)

4. Contact the 2nd company to tell them you received an offer and have X deadline. Reiterate you are very interested in the company and see what the timeline looks like for a decision and if they can operate in the timeframe given.

There are a lot of variables at this point depending on what both companies have told you. It’s possible company 2 may say “sorry no we need way more time, best of luck with the new offer” which at least lets you know. It is also possible they quickly move you through the process, or just flat out reject you so that you aren’t stuck wondering what to do.

In an event where they tell you they are still interested but won’t be able to move within the deadline you want, you have some decisions to make for yourself. I would not recommend declining an offer in hopes of the 2nd happening (unless you know you don’t want the 1st no matter what), but there certainly is no law saying you can’t accept an offer and later back out on it because another offer you wanted more came through. (Though as a recruiter please don’t do this to me 😀 )

The situation can be a bit tricky to navigate it, but a big key is not telling the 1st company you are specifically waiting on an offer from another company. This ultimately is something they do not want to hear. Keep the conversation with that company centered around you and your decision making process specific to the job.

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