Preparation Tips for a Behavioral Interview

(From: http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/gettingthejob/a/Interviewing_2.htm)

Preparing for a behavior based interview can be daunting. Here are some tips to get started:

• Be familiar with the job for which you’re being interviewed. Read the advertisement or job description to identify which personal attributes and behaviors are likely to be key success factors for the role. For Client interviews it is advised that you research the company’s website and any external information about them from business directories etc.

  Make a note of two or three examples for each personal attribute that will best illustrate your suitability – you may want to bring these into the interview with you as prompts. Remember that different companies and industries may require different personal attributes, even for the same position. For example, ‘self-managing’ can mean very different things to different companies.

• Be able to draw from a variety of experiences that demonstrate your skills and abilities. A good story can also combine work experience with a non-work experience (shows you can use the skill in a variety of settings). Examples may be from your work experience, your personal life or some social or other situation. Of course a unique work situation story (unless otherwise specifically requested) should take priority. Be as open, expressive and succinct as possible about each experience.
• Let others help you out – use examples of quotes from bosses or customers, i.e., "My boss gave me a good performance review, they liked the way I stepped in to get the job done without being told to." This demonstrates your willingness to accept contribution, your flexibility and teamwork skills.
• Think ‘STAR’ – Situation or Task, Action and Result. There are several variations of this acronym in the recruiting industry, but all of them are intended to provide structure and focus to your answers. When asked about a type of situation, the interviewer is looking at how you responded to it by via a specific example. Using the STAR model you would break your answer into the three segments of; description of the task, then the action you took, and the final measurable result.

  This makes it easier for the interviewer to visualize and record your specific behavioral responses to specific events and so gain the best impression of your potential future performance. Prepare at least one STAR response for each personal attribute you may be questioned on. Make sure you don’t use the same example for all the attributes.

• Use recent examples. As you will be probed for detail around the situation, it is better to use events in the last 12-18 months as the detail will be clearer in your mind. Be specific as possible about your contribution and the quantitative results achieved. Specific absolute or relative (%) gains in areas such as cost or time savings will give you the interviewer a clearer picture of your abilities. If specific measurable results don’t apply to your example, you might explain how it streamlined processes, empowered others or resolved communication or productivity issues.
• Practice telling your stories until they are vivid and concise, one to three minutes long. An interview can be likened to a marketing activity, where you are the brand. You will only get an interview because your resume and past roles suggest that you have the appropriate technical skills set (your attributes). Often what separates you from the other candidates at the interview stage is the interviewer’s belief in how you will fit into the company’s culture and specific IT team (your personal benefits).

  Remember, you are selling your technical AND personal skills. Being able to communicate your adaptability and relatedness at an interview is essential to becoming the leading candidate. This ‘story telling practice’ is an important preparation tool to assist you in creating a natural flow to your stories so that the interviewer can focus on your potential benefit to the client.

• Ask to come back to the question. If you are stuck for an answer to a particular question, it is reasonable to ask the interviewer if you may move on to the next one and you’ll come back it.

Read Full Post »

What’s happened in the last 2 months?

还记得上一次更新是愚人节那天，这两个月一转眼就过去了。这段时间没有什么重要的更新，也没有另外赚到钱；但仍然有一些事情、一些思考，值得记录下来。

在写这篇日志的时候，我努力却始终回想不起来四月份做了哪些事情，只好借着QQ的聊天记录和邮件的历史，才隐隐约约有了个大概。

四月份里啸哥办了喜事，成为我们一班里面最先结婚的成功人士。结婚当天来了好多大学同学，大家吃吃喝喝、玩玩乐乐、其乐融融。有意思的是婚礼上放的一个祝福短片，里面有汤包（澳大利亚）、老陈（美国）、老曾（日本），好像是特意从每个国家里挑一个，把正在国外读书的同学都拍了进来，派头十足。大家还谈到后面啸哥要去马尔代夫度蜜月，五天就得花掉四五万，也算是烧钱烧到令人嫉妒的事情了。当然我自己的生活还是在平淡中继续着，烧钱的唯一条件就是得有钱，这点我从来不奢望。

老胡在准老丈人的资助下贷款买房子了，所以他和他美眉结婚也就是时间问题而已。陈梁因为换工作，五月份搬到金桥这边了；周末吃饭什么的，可以多点几个菜然后AA，很不错。四月份自己算是比较混日子的过着，在vWorker上面做了一个小项目，然后又Cancel了一个大项目，基本算是没赚着钱了。

四月份也是IT公司涨薪和招人的月份，我接到百度上海的电话，去面试了一趟，还算有点感触。百度面试的时候问了一个分制的算法问题，然后就是一些内存、调度等细节的技术问题；可以说百度对工程师的基础技术要求还是比较高的。因为我也没准备去那边工作，所以表明了态度是去体验的，再说百度公司被骂的太厉害了，诸多原因，敬而远之。后面还收到了微软和谷歌的邮件，招聘的职位都是我完全不擅长的，再加上我对自己技术能力的了解，所以就没有再考虑了。

四月底的时候在vWorker上面遇到了一个叫LDApp的公司，随后是两个几万美金的大项目，我看着眼馋就跟进了。当然大项目对bid的要求也很高，一直让我写proposal，就这样，我五月份都在写这两个项目的文档。从这件事情上，我发现自己还是挺爱财的，就是有时候比较迷糊。我到现在也没搞清楚对方是不是骗子，我能确定的是自己写设计文档的能力肯定是进步了；吃一堑长一智吧，本来赚钱也没那么容易，如果真是骗子，我是已经有了心理准备的。

五月份已经将近结尾，虽然没有赚着钱，但是还是很充实的度过了。话虽如此，目前需要的正是多赚点钱入手T410s，旧的笔记本实在太差劲了，我几乎没办法在家里办公。至于怎么赚钱，途径很多，当然最简单的还是多做vWorker的项目，另外自己也在做whisperlove的网站，总之希望自己在八月份的时候可以入手新笔记本！

从目前的尝试来看，最容易赚的钱都是些零花钱（一千块左右），而且是几乎没有资产回报的，这当然不是好的模式。在我看来，一个好的模式必须有两个特点：巨大的潜在盈利空间，即使项目是一次性的；持续的资产回报，即使盈利能力有限。有一个认知上的收获，可以总结为：小公司也可以做大项目。我想无论是做生意还是做项目管理，都需要积累经验，积累到了一定程度，做事终会变得熟练。

Read Full Post »