Job interview advice

[itsrainin]

Hey, I have an interview coming up. Which of the below 2 examples sound better? They’re about the same situation at work just reworded. I’m applying for a promotion so I like example 1 as it seems wider in scope. Example 2 is more chronological of what happened. I’m writing using STAR. Basically I did a good job that led to a promotion and increased responsibility.

Example 1: YABU
Situation: I lead finance in 7 sites covering 150 staff, and have line manager duties
Task: improve/sustain exceeding performance
Action: focus on leadership/delivering through others
Result: success…(I fall a bit flat here)

Example 2: YANBU
Situation: I lead finance in 1 office, underperforming site
Task: turn performance around and prevent budget decreasing
Action: focus on transforming project and influencing/decision making
Result: success. was promoted, was asked to improve performance in another 6 offices where i replicated my success, was given a team of 10 to line manage to deliver my vision

One thing I have recently tried is put the info/ possible questions (not using company specific names etc) into chatgpt and got it to craft a reply, it really helped add in a few useful points/phrases I missed.

ooo thanks for that!

It’s trial and error, so have a play around.

These are some helpful links
TealHQ
CareerTuners
Linkedin
ExplainThis
Careerflow

I think 2 is better but you haven't actually said what you did... you need to tell them how you transformed the project and influenced the decision making.

And you need to say why what you did was a success. How was it measured?

Just saying 'success' and 'got promoted' isn't enough.

You need to state the status of the 'project' before you led the team and the status after. You then need to demonstrate how you rolled the same out again on a bigger scale... again... what was the status when you started, and what did success look like.

Please don't ask chatGPT! You need to put the information/measurements into your answers. ChatGPT can't do that. It will just give a woolly response, which, with all due respect... you already have!

As per one of the previous posts, you need to highlight what you did, and have in your back pocket why you did it.

When I am interviewing, I dig into why did you choose to do that? What other options did you consider at that time etc. With the 'why did you...' line of questioning, I can usually weed out those who have researched a model answer from those who have actually been there and done it.

Thank you all, I do have more substance to the examples. I just didn’t want to post the full example here for brevity and anonymity. I suppose my question was more for a strong example, should I set the situation from before or after I got promoted?

Example 2 is better overall.
It may slightly depend on the question.
If asked how you made a difference then 2 is better. If asked how you demonstrated leadership in large scale organisation then 1 is possibly better.

Is it a behavioural style interview, if so the content and applicability of the example tends matter more that the age of the example.

That said it also depends on the role. If you’re going for a subject matter expert role - applicability all the way, unless affected by regulatory etc changes.

If it’s more senior strategic/policy type role then don’t delve too far back in history, but if an oldish example does should strategic impact don’t avoid using it.

Thank you all! Yes it’s a behaviour style interview for a civil service SEO role x

Are there competencies you are expected to demonstrate, that you need to build into your answers? Eg strategy, collaboration, leadership, that you use the appropriate verbs to demonstrate how you acted, and how you achieved desired outcomes? Competency based interview in my experience are all about hitting the x-spots.

Bring out the key message as the difference it made to the company.

E.g. I successfully turned around a failing team thereby protecting £xxx worth of business and then went on to replicate this at 6 other sites. This resulted in an overall gain of £xxxx and improved team performance for the organisation.

@itsrainin I’m G7 so if you want a practice buddy pm me and happy to go through finer detail :)

@LittleRedYarny thank you. I will message you

I'm not able to send you a pm, can you send one to me?

You should include why the team was failing and how you turned the team around, what did you implement? How did you do it?

I did some research into the staffing issues and suggested alternative easy to improve the overall Jo’s satisfaction for staff and enhanced the client experience which increased turnover and staff moral.
I find being open and honest about the current boundaries and restraints meant that staff were more likely to trust me to help solve internal issues.
Once I discovered the root causes I could implement the same among 6 other sites.

Whilst this has been successful, I understand the need for long term solutions, and not just short term successes.

Since I started interviewing people, I personally think sometimes over focusing on the STAR method results on overly stilted answers.

I think it's often better to article a few sentences that completely articulate what you want to say & then check that it includes the ST and A and ends with the R.

Maybe it's just me but depending on the question, the order might not be the best way of articulating what you have done.

Just a thought - might be no help.

Sent :)

Hey friend,
My thought on this!

Both examples showcase your accomplishments and the impact you had on the organization, but they have distinct approaches. Let's analyze them:
Example 1: YABU

• This example focuses on your current role and responsibilities, highlighting that you lead finance in multiple sites with line manager duties.
• The action and result sections are concise and may lack specific details.

Example 2: YANBU

• This example provides a chronological progression of your achievements, starting from one underperforming site to eventually improving performance in multiple offices.
• It includes more details about the actions you took and the specific outcomes, such as being promoted and managing a team of 10 to deliver your vision.

When choosing between the two examples, consider the context of the job you're applying for and the preferences of the interviewer. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Scope of the New Role: If the new position you're applying for involves overseeing multiple offices or teams, Example 1 might be more relevant as it highlights your experience in managing multiple sites.
2. Demonstrating Growth: Example 2 shows a clear progression of your accomplishments and how you took on increased responsibilities, which can be appealing when applying for a promotion.
3. Clarity and Specificity: Example 2 provides more specific details about the tasks you undertook and the results achieved, which can give a clearer picture of your capabilities.
4. STAR Method: Both examples follow the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), which is good. However, if you feel Example 1 lacks impact in the Result section, consider expanding on the success you achieved in that role.
5. Relevancy: Ensure that whichever example you choose is relevant to the requirements of the new role you're applying for.

In conclusion, a combination of both examples could work well. You could start with the broader scope and responsibilities from Example 1 and then delve into the specific achievements and outcomes from Example 2. This way, you demonstrate your ability to handle multiple sites while also showcasing your growth and accomplishments in a chronological and detailed manner. Remember to keep the focus on how your performance in the past role aligns with the requirements of the promotion you're seeking. Good luck with your interview!

Reading through applications recently it was clear which had used chat gtp due to very similar phrases etc. use it as a guide rather than copy exactly.