Hero Stories – How to Talk About Yourself with Measured Confidence in Interviews

You can’t possibly predict every question your interviewers will ask (and neither can we), but you can prepare for any question. We’ve come up with a way to prepare you for any type of experience question that rears its head – from “Give us an example when you demonstrated perseverance” to “Tell us about a time when you failed to deliver” – and to help you talk about yourself with the confidence of a consultant.

Here’s an overview of the exercise we have our clients go through before spending an hour with us in a one-one-one interview prep session.

• Write 4 hero stories that describe you as a hero, doing something impressive that made an impact.  The examples you choose should demonstrate your leadership qualities, your initiative, and your teamwork orientation. Pull from your school or work experiences—leading projects and teams, starting a company or organization, or taking a risk to develop a passion—and don’t forget to quantify your results.

• Write 2 challenge stories that describe a challenge or failure you faced and overcame. Your examples should relay your perseverance, your improvement ethic, and your ability to overcome obstacles.  Classic examples come from difficult teamwork experiences at school or work—designating yourself as group leader when no one else could get the project off the ground, handling the difference in quality standards between you and your team members, and what you did to compensate for others’ lack of participation.

Sticking to the framework is key. Why? First, to give some structure to your example so it’s clear and coherent (consultants are all about structure). Second, it ensures you cover all the important talking points your interviewers are interested in. By writing out an entire story, you’re exploring the same qualities examined by consulting interviewers during the fit questions.  Third, you’re giving yourself material to pull from when you do get a question that falls outside the standard list.  Fourth, you’re practicing your story-telling style and segues, and choosing words for maximum impact and clarity.

• Don’t memorize –  You’ll simultaneously bore your audience and give the impression that you can’t think on your feet – both negatives you want to avoid.  Instead, draw from your practice to compose thoughtful, articulate responses that are spontaneous variations on the hero and challenge stories you’ve prepared.

• Get a partner – Practice answering questions with someone who will give you an intelligent and honest critique. Allot a minimum of 2 hours to practice with your partner and make an effort to conduct your session during business hours – as much as you can you want to simulate the real thing.

• Record yourself – While it may be uncomfortable at first, capture yourself on video, or use a smartphone to record and time your responses. With video, take note of hand gestures, your appearance, and your body position as you play back your presentation – watch for things like crossed arms (signaling tightness or discomfort) or shrugged shoulders (signaling uncertainty or fragility). With audio, notice pauses, stuttering, and tone of voice.

It takes hours of practice to get your presentation air-tight, but it takes only one mistake to go from a favored candidate to the bottom of the pile. Unfortunately, interviewers will latch on to bad answers quickly (they’re only human), so you’ve got to be at the top of your game 100% of the time.  Avoid a sticky situation by steering clear of these 4 key no-nos: