Your Job Interview is a Story Session
Making the connection between job interview questions and collaborative storytelling is a powerful career insight.
Job Interview Questions as Story Prompts
Stories are the essential element of thought. Scientists refer to them as ’emulations’, and catch the brain forming, testing, and comparing the world to internal emulations wherever they look. Every question you’re asked in a job interview refines the interviewer’s emulation of you as an employee, dealing with the challenges and responsibilities of your new job.
“If I make the decision to hire you, what’s that look like?” If the emulation yields positive results, you’re in the running.
If not, or if it’s unclear? You lose out to the candidate with a ‘happily ever after’.
Sell Your Performance with Stories
Credit: Samuel Mann, CC BY
Answering job interview questions with stories gives you a measure of control over the hiring decision. Rather than leave the interviewer to write their own, based on the bare facts of your resume, you should present a fully-realized tale with a happy ending.
Consider these common interview questions. What specific stories can you tell to showcase your strengths?
- How do you deal with difficult clients?
- What’s the most important thing you learned at your last job?
- What interests you about this job?
- Why did you leave your last job?
Do you have any go-to stories for job interviews? We’d love to hear them! Tweet us @NewYorkJobscom or start a conversation in the comments.
