6 Stories to nail an interview

Summary

In this video, the presenter distills insights from over a hundred interviews into six key themes crucial for acing job interviews. These themes include leading people, taking initiative, handling challenging work, accepting feedback, dealing with failure, and managing conflict. The video offers guidance on crafting stories around these themes, emphasizing the importance of preparation and the ability to adapt these stories to various interview questions. Links to additional resources, including concrete examples and templates, are provided to assist viewers in developing their own compelling narratives.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The video focuses on six key areas that are commonly addressed in job interviews, providing guidance on crafting stories to effectively answer related questions.
• 👥 'Leading People' is the first theme, suggesting stories about leading a team, setting an example, teaching others, or taking initiative in a group setting.
• 🚀 'Taking Initiative' is the second theme, encouraging stories about proactive actions, improvements, helping without being asked, or quick responses to situations.
• 🏋️‍♂️ 'Challenging Work' is the third theme, which could involve overcoming obstacles, dealing with miscommunication, or completing tasks despite roadblocks.
• 🔁 'Accepting Feedback' is the fourth theme, highlighting the importance of responding positively to feedback from bosses, colleagues, or customers to improve performance.
• 💔 'Dealing with Failure' is the fifth theme, which includes stories about mistakes, unmet goals, misunderstandings, and personal feelings of failure.
• 🤝 'Managing Conflict' is the sixth theme, discussing how to handle disagreements with bosses, coworkers, teams, or customers, including disagreements on change management or communication.
• 🔗 Links to concrete examples for each theme are provided below the video to help viewers craft their own stories.
• 📄 A downloadable guide with a formula for answering interview questions, 10 real-life examples, and fill-in-the-blank templates is offered to assist in preparing interview stories.
• ❓ The guide also includes 25 reflective questions to help viewers挖掘 their own experiences for interview storytelling.
• 👋 The speaker assures viewers that with the right approach, everyone has stories to tell, even if they feel they don't, and encourages downloading the guide for further assistance.

Q & A

What are the six general areas that interviewees should prepare stories for?

The six general areas are: leading people, taking initiative, challenging work, accepting feedback, dealing with failure, and managing conflict.

What does it mean to lead by example in an interview context?

Leading by example means demonstrating behaviors or actions that others follow, without necessarily holding a formal leadership position.

How can one show initiative in their interview stories?

Showing initiative can be demonstrated by sharing stories where one took action without being asked, improved processes, or helped others proactively.

What types of situations would be considered challenging work in an interview?

Challenging work includes personal situations with many obstacles, miscommunications in a team, or tasks completed despite roadblocks.

Why is accepting feedback important to discuss in an interview?

Discussing accepting feedback shows one's ability to grow, adapt, and improve based on constructive criticism from supervisors, colleagues, or customers.

Can you provide an example of how to discuss failure in an interview?

Discussing failure should include a time when a mistake was made, a goal was not achieved, or there was a misunderstanding that led to incorrect actions, emphasizing what was learned from the experience.

What is an example of managing conflict in an interview story?

An example could be a disagreement with a boss, coworker, or customer, or a conflict over managing change or wording in a communication, highlighting how the conflict was resolved.

Where can viewers find concrete examples and further guidance on these interview themes?

Viewers can find concrete examples and further guidance by clicking the links provided in the video description or downloading the examples guide mentioned.

What additional resources are available for those who need help crafting their interview stories?

For those needing help, there are fill-in-the-blank templates and 25 self-reflection questions provided to assist in crafting personal interview stories.

How can interviewees ensure their stories are relevant to the questions asked during an interview?

Interviewees should listen carefully for the themes as they come up and adapt their prepared stories to fit the specific questions asked.

What is the purpose of the video and the accompanying guide?

The purpose is to help interviewees prepare by providing a framework for creating stories that can be used to answer a wide range of potential interview questions.