Latest Behavioral Interview Question and Answers Explained,Ace the behavioral interview,Situation, Action, Result, and Interesting Features
tags:situational interview,behavioral interview questions,latest behavioral interview answers,prepare for a behavioral interview,HR related behavioral interview techniques,acing the behavioral interview,behavioral interview careerMany of the questions you are asked can be answered using a 4-part sequencing to your answer. An easy way to remember this is an acronym called SARI, and it stands for Situation, Action, Result, and Interesting Features. You can remember it by considering if you don't learn this interview technique you may be SARI.
So, let's say that the question is, "Tell me about a time that demonstrates your leadership capabilities…" You should structure your answer like this:
Situation: Explain the situation in a way that gives the interviewer context. Less detail is better, but give enough detail to paint the picture.
So, in our example, you might say, "I was transferred into a new department at work, and had to take on a whole new team. One of the key factors was that morale was really low because the department was not resourced properly and turnover had spiked."
Action: Here is where you explain what you did. Note that I said you, not we. Referring to the action in terms of the intangible "we" is one of the most common interview mistakes I see. You are the one interviewing, so your answer should describe specific behaviors that you actually did.
In our example, you would say, "So the first thing I did was to schedule 1:1 meetings with everyone, to really understand what the issues were, and what was troubling with the team. I also asked them what they thought should I do, and what the biggest challenge was that each of them faced. I then followed up with everyone as a group. And the most important step I took was I took action quickly against the issue that was causing the team the most grief…"
Result: Here's where you share the net result to the business. You should quantify this with numbers or other business metrics, even if they are fudged or fuzzy. It probably goes without saying, but always try to pick an example where the net result was positive. (Hey, you wouldn't believe the things I've heard.)
In our example, something like this, "The net result of my leadership actions was that morale was significantly improved after 60 days – you could just feel the energy in the department. Most importantly, we reduced turnover from 40% annualized to zero during the first 6 months…"
Interesting Features: This where you tell the interviewer something special and/or memorable about the story, so that they really remember it. If you can, tie it back to competencies to strengthen your answer.
"I think this example really demonstrates a servant-leader approach to generating business results. In fact, my team still talks about the turnaround today. I am proud of this example because I think it demonstrates strong leadership."
So, by now you are probably thinking, "This is great, Jason, but there's no way I am ever going to remember all this in the middle of an interview…" And you are right, unless you practice.
This is easy to practice. Simply have a friend or your significant other ask you a few "Tell me about a time when…" questions and then practice answering them using the 4-part sequence SARI.
So, let's say that the question is, "Tell me about a time that demonstrates your leadership capabilities…" You should structure your answer like this:
Situation: Explain the situation in a way that gives the interviewer context. Less detail is better, but give enough detail to paint the picture.
So, in our example, you might say, "I was transferred into a new department at work, and had to take on a whole new team. One of the key factors was that morale was really low because the department was not resourced properly and turnover had spiked."
Action: Here is where you explain what you did. Note that I said you, not we. Referring to the action in terms of the intangible "we" is one of the most common interview mistakes I see. You are the one interviewing, so your answer should describe specific behaviors that you actually did.
In our example, you would say, "So the first thing I did was to schedule 1:1 meetings with everyone, to really understand what the issues were, and what was troubling with the team. I also asked them what they thought should I do, and what the biggest challenge was that each of them faced. I then followed up with everyone as a group. And the most important step I took was I took action quickly against the issue that was causing the team the most grief…"
Result: Here's where you share the net result to the business. You should quantify this with numbers or other business metrics, even if they are fudged or fuzzy. It probably goes without saying, but always try to pick an example where the net result was positive. (Hey, you wouldn't believe the things I've heard.)
In our example, something like this, "The net result of my leadership actions was that morale was significantly improved after 60 days – you could just feel the energy in the department. Most importantly, we reduced turnover from 40% annualized to zero during the first 6 months…"
Interesting Features: This where you tell the interviewer something special and/or memorable about the story, so that they really remember it. If you can, tie it back to competencies to strengthen your answer.
"I think this example really demonstrates a servant-leader approach to generating business results. In fact, my team still talks about the turnaround today. I am proud of this example because I think it demonstrates strong leadership."
So, by now you are probably thinking, "This is great, Jason, but there's no way I am ever going to remember all this in the middle of an interview…" And you are right, unless you practice.
This is easy to practice. Simply have a friend or your significant other ask you a few "Tell me about a time when…" questions and then practice answering them using the 4-part sequence SARI.
No comments:
Post a Comment