7) How to turn a 2-D accomplishment into a 3-D anecdote⭐️
Use the STAR method of storytelling to prevent yourself from rambling, and to keep your responses concise.
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An interview will consist of several question types: conversational questions, direct questions, technical questions, hypothetical questions, and questions where you’ll be asked to provide an example for how you handled a situation in the past (behavioral questions).
There is no silver bullet for how to answer these questions, but no matter the format, it’s incredibly important to be concise, and to not ramble. It can be difficult to accomplish that if you‘re not prepared.
Additionally, it’s helpful to equip yourself with a format or framework for answering questions. One of the best, simplest, and most widely taught framework is the STAR method, which consists of the following:
ST (Situation or Task)
A (Action you took)
R (Result- which is the step that most people forget about)
It may seem incredibly straightforward, but you’ll be amazed at how helpful it is to think through this very simple structure when telling a story about an accomplishment from your past. By deploying the STAR method, you can turn a seemingly simplistic, 2-dimensional accomplishment into a full fledged, 3-dimensional anecdote.
The STAR format in action
Let’s start with an example- if you told me that you were a first team all state football player, that’s a really nice accomplishment, but it’s not much of a story, at least not yet. By using the STAR method, we can turn it into a more inspirational and impressive sounding anecdote.
Situation or Task: how did you get started in football? Was it a family connection, or something you were self motivated to do?
Action: How did you go from a beginner, to good, to outstanding? What type of time commitment did you devote to your improvement? What types of injuries, setbacks, or roadblocks did you face? What kind of preparation did you commit to? Action is very important because it shows you being proactive in order to reach a desired result.
Result: After all your hard work, did you win the conference championship? Did you have an incredible senior season? Did you win league MVP? Why were you voted to such a high honor? Did it result in a scholarship? What was the positive thing that happened as a result of your proactive efforts?
The STAR format helps to turn accomplishments or quick line items into stories- where you found yourself in a situation, took action, and achieved a positive result. Stories are far more persuasive, and far more illustrative of who you actually are, than resume line items or 2-D accomplishments.
You can and should find anecdotes in unexpected places
An amazing thing about the STAR method is that you start to realize ANYTHING can be an anecdote as long as there is a situation/task, action and result.
What are the hidden anecdotes from your own life that you’re not thinking about? If you were in the army for years before going to a job interview, what kind of stories could be turned into a STAR? If you were a camp counselor and had to display leadership amongst people that look up to you, what kind of stories could be converted to STAR? If you are a first generation American, or are the child of first generation Americans, what kind of stories could turn into a STAR?
Many people feel like they don’t have any accomplishments or anything that makes them special, but this is ak=lmost always false! Figure out what those things are, and as long as you were proactive, and drove results, you are looking at a potential anecdote.
Digging into your answers with the Socratic method
With any story you tell, and any example you provide, you must be prepared for the interviewer to dig deeper and deeper into your answer- to pick it apart and examine it from several angles. It’s a similar concept to the “Socratic” method of questioning (popularized by Socrates) where you continuously seek to clarify further, and further and further.
“Why would you say that?” “Could you explain further?” “Why do you think this assumption holds here?” These are staples of Socratic questioning. This methodology accomplishes a couple things: first, it ensures that you’re telling the truth- a consistent story that remains consistent the deeper the layers go.
Next, it can reveal your logic, or your approach to problem solving. This very simple method for interviewing reveals a great deal of nuance. The way to set yourself up for success- pick examples that REALLY happened, and examples that you examine from all angles.
Prepare for interviewers to keep digging
Whenver you mention an accomplishment, be prepared to answer or think through the following: how did you achieve this accomplishment? How did you prepare? What stood in your way? How did you persevere? How could this scenario be similar to something you accomplish in the role you’re applying for?
You don’t have to necessarily map all this out for every question, but keep in mind- telling a lie or embellishing will likely be exposed by a sharp interviewer. Additionally, prepare for anything you say to be dug into a little bit.
And keep in mind- your interviewer is only asking things to make an educated guess about how you will handle situations on this team and in this role. It’s not just for curiosity- these questions are all connecting to specific traits they want to test for.
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