By | Kat Boogaard | www.themuse.com
You’re prepped and ready to totally nail this job interview. You’ve rehearsed your elevator pitch—in front of the mirror, even. You’ve committed the entire job description to memory. Heck, you even drove a practice route to the interview location to make sure you knew exactly where to park.
So, when the meeting finally rolls around, you’re feeling cool, calm, and collected. That is, until the interviewer jumps right in with the dreaded, “Tell me about a time when…”
Suddenly your mouth is dry, your mind is blank, and you have a mental facepalm moment. Why, oh why, didn’t you think to prepare for these types of prompts?
Yes, those requests for real-world examples—also known as behavioral interview questions—are frustrating. But, they’re also an extremely common part of the interview process.
Your best bet is to have a few stories prepared and ready to go for your next interview. Here are the six big ones you should make sure to have in your arsenal. They’re general enough that they can be used for a variety of questions, but specific enough that the person asking will feel like he or she’s getting a good, solid, detail-filled response. (And be sure to read up on the STAR interview method to help you craft impressive answers using these stories.)
