As a logistics recruiter, I meet many job seekers that struggle to come up with examples in a job interview.  When you’re nervous, it’s hard to think of suitable examples on the spot.  The key is to prepare for behavioural questions ahead of time!  But how?

It’s a pretty safe bet that you will be asked behavioural questions at your next job interview. With proper preparation, not only will you be able to answer those questions, you will also feel more confident. That confidence will let you focus on the interview instead of on your own feeling of nervousness. Click here for more on behavioural questions: https://sclsearch.com/behavioural-questions/.

A candidate’s past behaviour is the best way to predict their future performance. If you responded to a specific situation through use of a certain skill in the past, chances are you will repeat that behaviour in similar situations in the future. One of the keys to effectively answering behavioural questions is to identify the skill the interviewer is looking for, and address that skill in your answer.

Here’s a very simple exercise that will help you prepare for those tricky behavioural interview questions. It’s a simple exercise, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy!

Step One

Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle, from top to bottom.

Step Two

On the left side of the page, make a list of skills the interviewer may be looking for. The job description should give you some ideas to get you started. Begin with broad categories like leadership, conflict resolution, customer service, then get more specific. Make it a long list. Don’t forget to think of “negative” questions; many interviewers will want to know how you handle failure, so be ready for those topics, too.

Step Three

On the right side of the page, make a corresponding list of experiences that match the topics on the left side. Take the time to visualize the details of each scenario as they played out. Don’t write out the entire example, just write something that will jog your memory, such as the date and who was involved, maybe a basic outline of the problem you were facing.

One more tip – as a supply chain recruitment firm, we place candidates in a broad range of roles across the supply chain sector.  If you have experience in more than one area of supply chain, please try to keep your examples relevant to the role for which you are interviewing.  For instance, if you’ve worked in both transportation management and warehousing, but you’re interviewing for a warehouse management role, make sure you use examples from your warehousing experience in the interview.

This is purely a memory exercise, so that when you’re in the interview being asked for examples, you won’t have to come up with them on the spot. By doing this exercise one or two days before the interview, you should be able to present several examples off the top of your head, without having to rack your brain under stress.  This will give you a major confidence boost and will allow you to focus on the interviewer when you need to.

When it comes to telling your stories, stick with the STAR structure, outlined here: https://sclsearch.com/star-structure/

Looking for more interview tips? Check SCLSearch.com for more ideas, or take a look at our jobs page to see what opportunities we have available. Connect with us on LinkedIn. And let’s see if we can help you find that perfect opportunity in supply chain and logistics.