This week a topic that stuck in my mind is PAR stories. These stories are methods by which a person can use to highlight attributes that they have, these are more effective than simply stating that an attribute is had. This is because a PAR story will show how a certain person acted in a certain situation proving that the person can think on the go and they really have the skill. This week I saw that a PAR story is the best way to answer a question in an interview.
We had a chance to do some mock interviews in class and while I was interviewing two of my colleagues I felt like the better way to sell your skills is through a PAR story. There was a stark difference between an answer that was simple and was simply stated and an answer that was illustrated by a specific story.
A PAR story is comprised of three parts, a problem, an action, and a result. In the problem part a problem is presented, in the action section, as would be expected, the action that took place is presented, and thee logicality continues to the result section where you relate the result of the action that took place that is related to the initial problem.
Honestly before learning about these stories this week I knew that it was better to answer questions by means of a story. However, now I know that there is a structure that should be followed to ensure that stories are used well.
As a result I will take some time before each interview that I have to draft some PAR stories in a way that they will be able to relate to the specific job that I am applying for. I feel that by doing this I will be able to better sell myself during an interview.
I also learned a lot from doing the PAR stories assignment. I've always felt awkward bringing up personal stories and making them relevant to the interview. Or, I don't remember good stories and experiences in the moment. By writing down the stories and applying them to characteristics and potential questions, I have a script to go to in that moment of need. I also found that during the interview I was more interested when the interviewee told stories about themselves. My new motto is " Facts tell, Stories sell!"
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, to just write up and get familiar with several different PAR stories for several different potential questions. I'm sure the same PAR story could likely answer several different questions, too.
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