This document provides guidance on preparing for an important career moment or job interview. It discusses building confidence and understanding one's strengths, values, and ambitions. It recommends learning to tell effective personal stories and use a competency question technique. The objectives are to create a great first impression, understand different communication styles, and have clear next steps. Storytelling and a STAR technique for answering questions are demonstrated. Self-reflection exercises on career anchors and a career map are suggested to help focus interview preparation.

1. Click to edit Master text styles
July 2016

2.  Build confidence in preparing for the process of a career moment
 Understand the thinking behind a growth mindset
 Learn how to prepare so that your focus is on strengths, values and long-term ambitions
 Learn how to tell effective personal stories that will answer tough questions
 Learn a basic competency question technique and how to capture your career on a page
 Create a great first impression
 Understand how different styles impact on how you connect
 Next steps are clear
Objectives

3. Whilst people today have increasingly flexible, fluid and varied jobs or assignments throughout their career, a
job move is a key decision point, committing to significant future time and effort needed to deliver the outcomes
successfully. To be successful this matching process needs a human-centred approach.
Career moments
The purpose of any interview or selection process is to match the passions, interests, strengths and ambitions of
individuals to opportunities in organisations. It is also a significant career moment for any individual.

4. Growth Mindset Essentials
START
GOAL

5. Starting point ‫׀‬ Self-reflection

6. Starting point ‫׀‬ Career anchors
Technical/Functional
You seek up opportunity to apply
skills in a technical area and
continue to develop those skills to
an even higher level What are your
career anchors
General Managerial
You seek the opportunity to
integrate the efforts of others and
be responsible for the outputs of a
particular unit of the organisation
Service/Dedication to a Cause
You seek the opportunity to
pursue work that achieves
something of value, such as
making the world a better
place to live
Entrepreneurial Creativity
You seek the opportunity to
create an organisation or
enterprise of your own, built
on your own abilities &
willingness to take risks and
overcome obstacles
Lifestyle
you seek a situation that permits you to
balance & integrate, your personal needs,
your family needs, and the
requirements of your career
Pure Challenge
You seek the opportunity to work on
solutions to seeming unsolvable problems
Autonomy/Independence
You seek the opportunity to define your
own work in your own way
Security/Stability
you seek the employment security and
tenure in a job or organisation
Source: Edgar Schein, Career anchors

7. Grabbing attention ‫׀‬ A short story

8. Daniel Carbrera

9. Grabbing attention through stories
There are 3 basic principles
 You have earned the right to talk about the subject or incident (seen, done, felt, observed)
 You are genuinely excited about the subject (what, when, impact and relevance to audience)
 You are really eager to communicate your ideas and feelings to the listeners (what is the action and benefit
that you experienced and what is the action and benefit you want the listeners to take e.g. purpose)
There are 3 conditions
 An incident (one key incident and the items you want to
cover)
 An action (you want the audience to take)
 A benefit (the benefit they will get)

10. Storytelling affects the brain

11. Using storytelling to engage at interview
Room to split into three
You will have 10 minutes to develop your personal story using the technique just demonstrated.
You can select from an example topic below or choose one you feel will benefit your colleagues and
each person will present for a maximum of 2 minutes:
 My best experience
 Best client experience
 Company values in action
 My career story
 Our history
When everyone has presented each group should pick the best story and regroup in plenary
10 min
+
2 min
presentation

12. Discuss how did it feel to deliver a story?
Storytelling review
How did it feel to receive a story?

13. Watch the video on how to use the STAR technique for competence questions technique.
Competency technique

14. Career mapping

15. Career mapping ‫׀‬ Interview Preparation

16. Career mapping ‫׀‬ Interview Preparation
You may also want to read a book or articles on interview types and how best to prepare.
Also draw a MINDMAP on a
piece of A5 paper with your
career history, your key
challenges, successes etc.
and carry it round with you
rehearsing questions.
Update it if you see fit and
take it with you to your
interview. (You may not need it
but if your mind goes blank
when asked a question, a
short pause to look at it may
save the day and get you back
on track)
Also you can put any
company research on the
back in the same format. This
technique will greatly improve
your retention and recall.

17. First impressions count more than you think

18. Get the head straight and the rest will follow

19. INTENT
CONTENT
Source: Albert Mehrabian – 1960’s
Non-verbal Communications
Congruence!
Align music, words and dance
7%
38%
55%

20. • Task-focused
• Direct
• Decisive
• Businesslike
• Tough
• Empathetic
• Considerate
• Caring
• Loyal
• Sincere
• Expressive
• Outgoing
• Optimistic
• Humorous
• Likeable
• Logical
• Organised
• Calm
• Accurate
• Patient
Thinker Enthusiast
DirectorFeeler
Connect early by moving towards the other person
Starting on the right foot

21. Exercise
Go to one corner of the room and stand
by the flipchart that you most strongly identify with

22. Matching type to experience
• They don’t waste my
time
• They are clear and
concise
• They take the initiative
• They understand how
I feel
• They never talk down
to me
• They think of me as a
person as well as the
problem
• They take me as I am
• They can see the funny
side
• They don’t
underestimate me
• I like them, they like me
• They are thorough
• They follow procedure
• The explain everything
• They don’t rush me
• They don’t interrupt me
• They are patient
Thinker Enthusiast
DirectorFeeler
Give the other person the experience they want

23. Suggested actions
 Connect with others who can help and share my plan
 Take action and practice/research/read
 Monitor my progress
 Capture and share achievements
 Celebrate success
Reflective learning and next steps