* Tips to help you get the right job
As the year draws to a close, you may be thinking of the next stage in your career and perhaps are looking for a new job – or open to meet with companies that have identified you as a potential employee. James Del Monte, president of JDA Professional Services, a Houston-based IT staffing firm, and a certified personnel consultant has contributed his expertise to this column from time to time. This month, he shares with us his 10 tips to successful job interviews. James says the best way is to answer interviewer questions is to give responses that show how you solved problems at work and achieved results for your employer. Here is part 1 of his two-part Q&A for top interviewing techniques.
As the year draws to a close, you may be thinking of the next stage in your career and perhaps are looking for a new job – or open to meet with companies that have identified you as a potential employee. James Del Monte, president of JDA Professional Services, a Houston-based IT staffing firm, and a certified personnel consultant has contributed his expertise to this column from time to time. This month, he shares with us his 10 tips to successful job interviews. James says the best way to answer job interview questions is to give responses that show how you solved problems at work and achieved results for your employer. Here is part 1 of his two-part Q&A for top interviewing techniques.
1. What is a behavioral interview?
A behavioral interview is based on the idea that a candidate’s past performance is the best predictor of future job success. As a job seeker in a behavioral interview it is most appropriate to answer all questions with a PAR story.
2. What is a PAR story?
A PAR story is one which includes a career based PROBLEM from your past, the ACTION you took to overcome that problem, and the quantifiable RESULT of your action. It is a good idea, when possible, to include an explanation of the long-term strategic impact your actions had on the company such as increases in revenue, decreases in expenses, or increases in efficiency or effectiveness, in addition to the immediate results.
3. What is the advantage of telling a PAR story vs. giving a traditional interview answer?
As a job seeker you want an employer to have no doubts about what you can do for their organization. A PAR story allows you to give actual examples from your past of what you can do rather than providing a vague answer such as, “I am personable, very detailed oriented, or a great problem solver.” You must keep in mind that all candidates will focus on their positive attributes. If you not only focus on them, but also give detailed examples, you will be sure to stand out amongst the group.
4. What is a good example of a PAR story in response to a behavioral interview question?
Interviewer question: Tell me about a time when you were faced with a difficult situation at work.
Your answer: Once, when I was working for ABC Company, my team was asked by several different departments to complete three projects simultaneously. Since we were only staffed to work one project at a time, this task became a bit of a challenge. As the Team Lead, I thought about what each of my team member’s technical strengths were, and I assigned them each to a project based on those strengths. Because we divided up the work load and each team member was working on a project with which they were highly skilled and efficient, we were able to complete all three projects within the allotted time.
5. What if the interviewer does not conduct a behavioral interview and instead asks traditional questions?
In this case you, as a candidate, have an even greater advantage because the interviewer will be expecting traditional, vague answers in response to their questions rather than PAR stories. Definitely use this opportunity to your advantage by asking the interviewer if you may provide examples to further explain your answers. I can guarantee that using this strategy will make your interview more credible and memorable to the interviewer.
6. What is a good example of a PAR story in response to a traditional interview question?
Interviewer question: What is your greatest strength?
Your answer: My greatest strength is my determination and my willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Let me give you an example of a time when my strengths helped in getting my team through a challenging situation. At my last job, my team was assigned the XYZ project. No one on our team had any experience using the software that was necessary to complete the project. I volunteered to attend a couple of online tutoring sessions and coach the rest of the team on how to use the applications necessary to do our project. Within a couple of days our entire team was technically up to speed, and we were able to meet our deadline with a day or so to spare.
Join us for part 2 next week.
** Editor’s Note: Network World has relaunched its Careers Research Center. At the site, you can not only search for IT positions, but also post and distribute your resume, and tap into a host of job and career-related resources including videos, blogs, salary reports, resume writing tips and search a database of continuing education courses. Check it out here.
