The next time you’re preparing for a job interview, instead of trying to rehearse answers to dozens of common questions, think of three sweeping stories that describe times you did great work, worked successfully with difficult people, or rose to a challenge. Real stories and tangible conversations go farther than stock answers anyway.
Writing for On Careers, career counselor Rebecca Thorman explains that rather than trying to craft the perfect answer for some of the interview questions you’ll likely hear, it’s better to go through your resume and cover letter and try to pin down three broad stories that highlight times you were proud of your work, worked under pressure, and put your skills and expertise to good use. That way, regardless of the specific questions you are asked, you will be prepared to tie your answers back to those specific stories, and to continue to draw from them over the course of your interview.
Obviously you don’t want to just repeat yourself, but there’s something to be said for giving consistent answers and supplying your interviewer (or panel of interviewers) with a few great stories that they will remember concretely, as opposed to a dozen different small stories addressing only individual questions. Telling a real story of a time you were proud of your work also comes off genuine (since, ideally, it should be) and presents a solid, complete picture of yourself and what you can offer to a potential manager. Remember, the more your interview takes the form of a real conversation, as opposed to just a Q&A, the better your chances are of getting the job.
U.S. News & World Report offers up a number of other useful tips for interview prep, but this is one that could really help set you apart from the crowd. Often we focus so much on getting the answer to the question right that we forget it’s equally (if not more) important to present an hiring manager with a complete, genuine picture of ourselves.
This article was originally published in July 2013 and updated on Jan. 21, 2021 to refresh dead links, perform a copy edit, change the header photo, and align the content with current Lifehacker style.