Interviews can be stressful. Often you have less than an hour to convince an interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job. That interviewer is going to talk to others on the same day and have other things that they are occupied with. How are you going to stand out?
Over the hundreds of interviews I've conducted, I've realized that the best ones have been with candidates who have a clear narrative.
Everyone knows that preparation is key. How you prepare is extremely important. Many people come up with a list of questions that they may get asked and prepare for these. This leads to some amount of panic when they're thrown a curveball (I've seen that look of panic or heard the "that's a good question" stall when I'm interviewing someone or helping students with interview prep).
Here's my recommendation: Start with the end in mind and work backwards. Research the company and role by reading up about them and reaching out to people you know who work there. Understand what they are looking for in terms of skills and cultural fit.
Assess yourself. What are you good at? And how does it match what the company might be looking for? This process can give you a clear picture of whether this company and role are actually a good fit for you. Assuming they are, you now know exactly how you are a match. You also know where you fall short.
Pick the situations from your past work experience that highlight the attributes you've identified at the intersection of your skills and the role's requirements. Also, find stories which showcase that you can learn the things you might be lacking. Usually, the handful of stories that you come up with can be re-purposed for any behavioral question.
I recommend using some sort of structure to make sure your interviewer understands what you are trying to convey. I'm a fan of the STAR method: Situation (set the scene), Task (what was required), Action (what exactly you did), Result (what happened).
Setting up the scene is critical. While you are intimately familiar with what happened, the interviewer is not. Take the time to make sure they can place themselves at the scene. If you don't do this, the rest of the story will be lost on them.
I personally use the same method for any type of situational interview as well: "What would you do if you were placed in a specific situation?" Take the time to develop a shared understanding of the situation with the interviewer so that you are working together to determine what needs to be done.
Take a deep breath and remember that this is a conversation. It is important for the interviewer to evaluate you, but it's equally important for your to evaluate the interviewer and make sure that this is a place you want to be at.
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