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Monday, January 6 - "How Do I Improve Behavioral Stories?"

Happy Monday!

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

  1. New roles from a company focused on “knowledge on demand”.

  2. Rani asks, “I think my stories need work. How can I improve my behavioral answers?”

“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”

- Teddy Roosevelt

IN HIRING

AlphaSights

  • The company provides information to a wide range of corporate clients including investors and consultants.

  • Most of the roles are in London but there are jobs also based in North America and continental Europe

  • Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

Click here for the company’s career page

TODAY’S QUESTION

Rani asks, “I think my stories need work. How can I improve my behavioral answers?”

Recommendation: telling stories is about 50% structure and 50% tailoring. Here’s how I recommend improving:

  • First, ensure you’re really solid in your structure. I find practicing telling random daily events in the STAR framework helps get you used to creating stories in that structure on the spot.

  • Second, tailor your stories so that fit as closely to the job and interviewer as possible.

    • While you can’t always create a story that fits the job, especially if you’re entering a new industry, you can tailor it so that the parts you highlight are more relevant.

    • Focus on matching the things you did and the results with the job description. For example, many employers want to hear the data that you used to make decisions, so focus on the type of data or analysis that would be used in this role when explaining your story.

  • Finally, while the mirror is a great start, you need to practice with detail oriented people who will tell you the truth.

    • I’d move away from super close friends or partners for this as they’re focused on making you happy rather than good.

    • Find that friend or peer you find a bit annoying and get them to practice with you. They usually give the best advice :D

Conclusion:

While practice makes better, aim to get good at the structure and tailoring. Create a process so that you can tailor your stories for each interview.

Have a great day,

Adam

BOOK RECOMMENDATION*

The 2-Hour Job Search: A book I used during and after the MBA to find my first interviews. It’s a foundational resource for anyone who wants actionable steps to get more interviews.

*Note that this is an affiliate link and I will get paid a commission if you make any purchases