Unfortunately, the economy continues its painful spiral. In January, over 500,000 jobs were lost. Many companies are not filling existing vacancies, increasing the competition for positions that are being filled.

So how does a job applicant become an employee?

One key is through nailing the interview.

If your resume makes a great impression you’ll probably have an interview, your opportunity to wow someone in person. As hiring sophistication increases, behavioral based interviews, which are likely to predict future job performance, are becoming more common. In a behavioral interview, interviewees answer questions about what they have done in a particular situation, e.g. “Describe a team you lead.”

One approach to answering these questions is the STAR technique
(Situation, Task, Action, and Result).

Here’s what to do:

Situation/Task – Describe your situation or task. Ideally choose an experience that is compelling, applicable to the job you’re interviewing for, and gives you an opportunity to show off your knowledge, skills and abilities.

Action – Now you’re talking about your personal behavior, how you acted to resolve the problem or reach the desired outcome. It’s your opportunity to describe your talent.

Result – What was the end result? This should be a positive result for you and the organization, such as financial savings, a process improvement, an increase in efficiency, etc. You can go a step further by indicating how you could apply the lessons learned or behavior to your prospective employer.

STAR – it’s a simple but compelling method to illustrate your talents and your potential contributions. Practice relating different experiences and sharing them with others for feedback. It’s a great way to prepare for your next interview!

By Lakeesha Flowers Human Resources Specialist