10 Tips for Crafting S.M.A.R.T. Interviewing Stories
An Article by Susan Whitcomb, Certified Career
Management Coach, Career Coach Academy
With small businesses following Fortune 500 companies
in the hot trend toward behavioural interviewing, it’s critical that job
seekers be prepared to deliver fact-filled stories when responding to the
query, "Tell me about a time when you. . . “ Many interviewers prefer that
job seekers deliver interview responses, or stories, using the CAR or STAR
method (acronyms for Challenge, Action, Result or Situation/Task, Action, and
Result).
For our purposes, we’ll use the SMART format, which
stands for Situation with Metrics, Actions, Results, and Tie-in. The last item,
Tie-in, is key. It neatly links the response back to the employer’s competency
question, allows the individual to inquire further into the employer’s needs,
and helps focus the conversation on how the candidate can DO the job instead of
simply AUDITION for the job.
These 10 tips can serve as a guide for writing SMART
stories.
- Use the "it’s about them, not me"
perspective when describing your stories. This means that, ultimately, your
SMART stories must be related to “them”—the employer and their needs. Think in
terms of what will motivate the employer to buy, the return-on-investment you
offer, and your benefits vs. features.
- Write SMART stories about your work at each of your
past employers. The heaviest concentration of stories should be about your
current or most recent experiences. Pen a SMART story for each recent
accomplishment on your resume.
- Assign themes to your SMART stories that underscore
competencies for the target position. For instance, competencies for a customer
service rep might include customer-focused orientation, interpersonal judgment,
communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, listening skills/empathy, and
initiative.
- Write SMART stories for non-work experiences if you
are just entering the work force. It is fair game to draw on volunteer work,
school experiences, and general life incidents. (If you sense you need
additional experience, identify and quickly act on how you can best prepare
yourself through reading, attending a course, job-shadowing, volunteering, or
taking a relevant part-time job.)
- Regardless of what point your career life is at,
everyone should recollect influential or life-altering events throughout youth
and adulthood. Write SMART stories about these times.
- Numbers speak louder than words! Load the stories
with numbers, dollar amounts, productivity measurements, comparisons, and the
like. (Be cautious about conveying proprietary or confidential company
information.) Be specific and offer proof. Instead of saying, "I learned
the program quickly," make it crystal clear with language like, "I
studied the manual at night and, in three days, I knew all the basic functions;
in two weeks I had mastered several of the advanced features; and by the end of
the month, I had experienced operators coming to me to ask how to embed tables
into another program."
- Include emotions and feelings. Yes, feelings. When
describing the situation, don’t be afraid to include details such as these:
"the tension among the team was so serious that people were
resigning"; "the morale was at an all-time low"; or "the
customer was irate about receiving a mis-shipment that occurred because of our
transportation vendor." When writing about emotions or feelings, be
mindful NOT to whine or disparage anyone, even if through a veiled reference.
- Avoid personal opinions. You can, however, include
the opinion of a supervisor or another objective party. Instead of saying,
"I believe my positive outlook really helped keep the customer
happy," rely on someone else’s opinion: "My supervisor commented in a
memo how my outlook helped us save a key account that was in jeopardy of being
lost. I have a copy of that memo if you’d like to see it."
- Pace the stories so that each is approximately 2-3
minutes in length. Set up the story briefly with facts, place the greatest
weight on the action portion of the story, wrap it up with numbers-driven
results, and tie it back to the interviewer’s needs. Occasionally, vary the
delivery by dropping in a result at the front end of the story.
- Make the stories relevant. You have a myriad of
experiences in your background. Sift through them and select the stories that
best substantiate your competencies, knowledge, skills, and motivation to excel
in the target job.
Susan Whitcomb, is a Certified Career Management Coach and founder
of Career Coach Academy. She can be reached at (559)
222-7474 or by e-mail at SWhitcomb@CareerCoachAcademy.com
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interview, and career strategy. Our service is confidential and by appointment
only. To obtain further information or to schedule an appointment, contact
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