During the Maymester I took a class called “Human Resource Selection” with Prof. Todd Maurer. It was for that class that I was getting some research together for a presentation on tacit knowledge.

When we went through a lesson on interviewing, Dr. Maurer took us through an effective method on preparing for a job interview. When getting interviewed, the one thing that would impress the interviewer is stories about situations you have gone through in the past. After all, past behavior is an indication of future behavior. So, Dr. Maurer has done some research on the subject of the effectiveness of what he calls the STAR Technique. That’s STAR for:

• Situation or Task: Explains the circumstance you were in.
• Action: Describes what you did.
• Result: Describes the outcome of what you did.

That’s how you tell the story. Talk about the situation you were in, what you did, and the result of your action. To prepare for an interview, take some time to write down the STAR answers to the following questions:

On Achievement:

• Tell me about a time when you were primarily responsible for completing an important task, project or assignment.
• Describe a time when you went “above and beyond the call of duty” in order to get something accomplished.

On Conscientiousness:

• Describe a project or task on which you had to work extra hard to deliver the work on time and with high quality or accuracy.
• Describe a time when you were working on something and you realized that there was an error in the work which had a potentially serious implication.

On Teamwork:

• Describe a time when you had to work closely with other people in order to complete a project or task. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.
• Tell me about a time when you needed to work with others in order to complete a project or task, and you did not get along with another person or people. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.

On Communication:

• Tell me about a time when you had to explain a complicated issue to another person or group of people. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.
• Describe a time when you had to formally present information to a group of people. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.

On Leadership:

• Tell me about a time when you had to persuade others to work together in pursuit of a common cause or objective. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.
• Tell me about a time when you guided others toward achieving a goal. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.

On Problem Solving:

• Describe a situation where there were several options for handling a particular situation or problem and describe how you went about choosing an alternative. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.
• Tell me about a time when you were faced with a difficult decision and describe how it turned out. Describe the situation, your actions and the results of your actions.

Hopefully these things will help. Of course, in order to have experiences to talk about, it’s important to obtain high-quality experiences. So Dr. Maurer also recommends getting involved in many activities.

Update (1/4/2006): Not quite as specific, but still useful, is this guide on developing a personal elevator pitch.