I need insight on these “Tell me about a time” interview questions. I understand the response format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) however, I’m having difficulty with needing to have a story for a hella ton of scenarios when they’re asking these questions. Any tips/ tricks to pass this type of interview? So aggravating when interviewing and 90% of time in the interview are these questions and the last 10% are about your experience/ skills. Feel like I’m not able to really express myself.

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I try to think of a few stories that I could mold to fit whatever question is thrown at me.

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Agreed. E.g. a difficult client story could fit for tell me about a time you built/improved relationships and tell me about a time you dealt with a challenge.

Personal advice is that besides STAR, talk about lessons you learnt and emphasise that you've continued to take these lessons forward after the experience. This makes you seem very self-aware and shows a reflective and growth mindset.

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Yes, the key is developing a minimal amount of stories (5’ish) that you can adjust on the fly to match just about any behavioral question. I practice by writing out each story in the STAR/CAR format, ensuring all the critical details (How/Who/What/Where/Why) are captured. Then recite them step by step, until you can do so both forwards and BACKWARDS without reference your notes. Good luck!

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It helps to write out these answers.

Do you remember any of the questions that were asked of you?

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I personaly use STARR. Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection.

Situation: Explain what problem Presented at thé time.
Task: I was asked to do make a report or do X-job or whatever.
Action: Here comes the story part. Use a lot of 'positive' words. Ex: I colaborated with, We encountered X-problem and came up with solutions a,b,c and chose 'b' because..., Then we managed to achieve, ...
Result: I delivered results within expected parameters (time, budget, ...)
Reflection: but, if i had to do it again and with my current knowledge and experience In would handle it like this...

It builds a positive image in the interviewers mind. He thinks "OH, this Guy can work well with others, has a good mind to find solutions, strong communication skills, result driven, keeps An overview of the objectives and can adapt, works constructive and critical towards himself so strong growth and improvement capabilities,..."

As a consultant I've had more interviews than I can count, but only have been rejected less than a handfull of times.

Plus it helps if you think of a scenario before hand and build in issues you want them to ask about. For example when I asked this person to do something for me, he reacted really badly. And when they ask about it you say: we discussed why he reacted that way and Found out that his GF had just left him... Now we're still friends.

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Look up self made millennial on YouTube. Specifically her video on building a story toolbox!

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