An Easy Interview Technique That Can Help Add Interest Into Any Story

Sept. 20, 2019, 2:25 p.m. Interviewing
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Picture this…

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time you made a mistake.”
Candidate: “I found an error in a website analytics report and fixed it right away.”

Do you think this person will stand out from all of the other candidates with answers like that? 

…The answer is of course not because it doesn’t show the interviewer enough about the candidate.

When interviewers ask behavioral questions, it’s difficult for most people to come up with an example and remember all of the details.

It ends up being a much shorter mix of whatever we can piece together from maybe a couple of situations where we then fall short on the end-results.

Instead, try saving your work win stories in your CareerKeeper account and using C.A.R. 

What is C.A.R.?

C.A.R. is an easy interview storytelling technique that can help add interest to any story.

It stands for “Challenge, Action, Result.”

Think of a challenge you had to meet, the action you took to meet it, and the results.

Let’s try it again…

Challenge: I identified website traffic was down 40% from the previous week.
Action: I reviewed the website analytics report and discovered an error in the report. I quickly alerted my manager and worked with IT to correct the bug.
Results: I was able to swiftly correct the error within a couple of hours and before the dip was reported to leadership. Afterward, I created a new process for validating the reports to prevent an error in the future.
(Skill tags: Problem Solving, Reporting, Website Analytics)

Sounds a lot better, right?

Interviewers will often ask behavioral interview questions so you’ll want to have some strong examples ready to go.

Here are some behavioral questions to get you thinking of your own stories:

  • Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation? (Skill tags: Failure, Learning)
  • Tell me about how you have worked effectively under pressure. (Skill tags: Under Pressure)
  • Give an example of how you’ve worked on a team. (Skill tags: Teamwork, Collaboration)
  • How do you handle a challenge? Give an example. (Skill tags: Difficult Situation)
  • Describe a decision you made that wasn’t popular, and explain how you handled implementing it. (Skill tags: Stressful Situation, Problem Solving)
  • Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers. (Skill tags: Motivation, Teamwork, Leadership)

Use these questions above to apply to help you brainstorm your work wins and record them in CareerKeeper.

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CareerKeeper™ is a private career management platform that helps you interview with confidence. Now you can tell the story behind your resume and prove your value with concrete examples a.k.a. your “Work Wins” stories!

Interviewing