STAR in the Employment Interview

I went to a career workshop today that was about what to expect on interviews. The lady who ran the workshop gave a lot of very important information that everyone should know when going to an interview. One of the biggest things that I learned from the workshop was how important it is to prepare before you go. She stressed that it is important to research information about the company because you might be asked questions to see what you know about what the company does and maybe if they have a mission statement. It is also important to be prepared to answer behavioral questions that are sometimes open-ended questions. She suggested using the STAR method in answering the questions. S - Situation T - Task A - Action R - Result....When asked a question like what would you do if you were in this situation or tell us about a time that you had to.....(fill in blank) and you should explain what the situation was, what the specific task was, what you did to accomplish the task and what the results of the actions were.

Another topic that was covered in the workshop was appropriate attire when attending an interview. The lady running the workshop suggested that men wear a business suit and tie and that women wear a skirted suit. Normally I would agree that wearing a suit is the appropriate attire for an interview. However, I strongly believe that it depends on the company and the job you are interviewing for. Several of the other students that attended the workshop were graphic design students. My sister is a graphic design student and the industry is very different than your typical business. One of the design students spoke up and tried to say that a skirted suit would be seen as too stuffy or uptight. One of the points brought up before this was how it is important to "fit" with the company. Wearing a skirted suit to many design firms would give the wrong first impression to a potential employer. Long story short, I was really frustrated with the lady who ran the workshop thinking that a skirted suit is the only outfit ever appropriate for any interview. I agree that you need to look very professional, clean cut and presentable when attending an interview because you only get one chance to make a first impression. I think it just depends on the company and the position you are interviewing for.

Overall the workshop was very informative and I was able to take away some new information that I never thought about. A good interview should be a conversation. Employers are not only looking for someone who meets the qualifications but someone who has a personality that fits with the company.