Search Results for 'CV preparation'

In this column, we continue our series breaking down the START answering method that will stand to you in one of the most common type of interviews, namely the competency-based interview. In the first column in the series, we explained how START stands for the five key steps of an answer – Situation, Task, Action, Result and Them.

In this column, we continue our series breaking down the START answering method that will stand to you in one of the most common type of interviews, namely the competency-based interview. In the first column in the series, we explained how START stands for the five key steps of an answer – Situation, Task, Action, Result and Them.

Q: Of late I’ve been hearing a lot about competency-based interviews. Indeed, you have referred to them on a few occasions. I hadn’t done gone for a new job for years until this summer and the whole interview world has changed. All tips would be appreciated. (FG, email).

Q: Every time I go to an interview, I am conscious of the fact that I move my hands far too much when speaking. Face to face it doesn’t appear too bad, but in online interviews it looks crazy. I can see myself in the screen gesticulating and waving like a mad thing, going like a windmill, but I just don’t know how to stop. Any tips on how I can get those hands back under control? (EF, email).

Q: Every time I go to an interview, I am conscious of the fact that I move my hands far too much when speaking. Face to face it doesn’t appear too bad, but in online interviews it looks crazy. I can see myself in the screen gesticulating and waving like a mad thing, going like a windmill, but I just don’t know how to stop. Any tips on how I can get those hands back under control? (EF, email).

This week, we go over and back by email with a reader who submitted a query – you may find the exchange useful if you have a job interview in the offing. Hopefully you won’t run into a similar scenario.

Q: It was a very unusual job interview, I felt. Every time I told a story in response to a question, they pushed me to elaborate more on the result of the story. I didn’t really know what to say. A story is a story. I told them what I did and gave a general idea of how it went, and I felt that should have been more than enough. I didn’t get the job. Any thoughts? (EF, email).

Q: It was a very unusual job interview, I felt. Every time I told a story in response to a question, they pushed me to elaborate more on the result of the story. I didn’t really know what to say. A story is a story. I told them what I did and gave a general idea of how it went, and I felt that should have been more than enough. I didn’t get the job. Any thoughts? (EF, email).

Q: I’m going for a big job interview next week. And when I say big, I mean big. The biggest I’ll have gone for so far, and perhaps the biggest I will ever tackle. I want to let them know everything. As the saying goes, I aim to leave it all our there on the field. However, in two mock interviews I’ve done with my work colleague over the last fortnight, I find myself struggling to remember details from all my employments to date. I’ve tried various ways of prompting myself, but they just aren’t working. My roles to date have been wide and varied and are choc-a-bloc with experience that I’m sure would impress the panel. How can I get this right? (KJ, email).

Q: They asked me what challenges I find most difficult in my current role. To be honest, while my job is tricky and at times challenging, there's nothing in it that I really struggle to do. I get through things well. They kept pushing for more detail and it felt like they wanted me to show something that I had completely failed on. Why would I say that? I don't want to sound like I'm not able to manage a challenge. Why should I shoot myself in the foot?