There are many wonderful job seeking services that help people to formulate convincing stories in interviews – in format of problem-solutions-results (PSR); or situation-obstacles-achievements-results (SOAR). And it is effective.
In as much as such an approach aces interview, these techniques reflect bias towards established and stable companies for job seekers with years of experience. Companies are all different – Let’s say Type I for the established, stable, big, structured companies; Type II for the rising, fast growing, most-admired, exciting companies.
Type I: PSR and SOAR could be effective if you show how the past experiences can solve the current problems of the job position . If you know your area, the interview is not too hard, though many candidates are prepared in similar manner. Questions like “tell me a time when you have to deal with ….?”, “how would you handle ….?” could show up.
Your CURRENT VALUE matters more.
Type II: Some of these are companies with like 1-2000 job-applicants ratio. You feel winning a lotto if granted with an interview. Here, it may not be so much what you did in the past, more what you are capable of on-the-spot. Sometimes, there are books like “Are you smart enough to work in . . . ?. This is where the brain-teasing questions start, like give me an evacuation plan for San Francisco? give me a plan to increase credit card enrollment; or how to measure 9 minutes when you have only hourglass of 4 and 7 minutes? You kind of get it. It is like “are you smart and capable?”. It also has questions about your passion – this is where like “what kinds of cell phones do you have?”, “what are the books you are reading?”, “teach me one thing you are passionate about”. The idea is simple, the companies want people who are smart, learn fast, adapt to changes, solve unpredictable problems and love the work.
Your VALUE SLOPE matters more.
Type II interviews are intense, could-be-fun, could-be-embarrassing and heat up your brain … Isn’t it also a good reflection on how you feel if you work in these companies?
Which types of companies would fit you more?
oliviatamccue 
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