The following five strategies can help you prepare for behavior-based interviews and successfully sell yourself to prospective employers.

1. Prepare SAR Stories Supporting Your Strengths
Behavior-based interviewers have been trained to solicit your real-life examples and responses in a "SAR format":

S = the situation you faced
A = the action you took to address the situation
R = the results of your action

Prepare detailed and specific SAR stories that support your core strengths and that are your greatest accomplishments from each of your past positions. Practice your responses so that you will be able to recall your past accomplishments with confidence. Remember to share stories that are factual and that support your candidacy.

2. Prepare SAR Stories Related to the Job
Ask for a detailed job description and job advertisement. Pull out key performance skills from the essential duties and responsibilities and draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. On the left, make a list of the key skills the employer is looking for. On the right, list at least two SAR stories for each skill and then practice your responses. If you are unable to get a job description, look for similar descriptions and ads at competing firms.

3. Use SAR Stories for Traditional Interview Questions
If an interview is more conversational and not behavior-based, chances are the interviewer will be confused about your candidacy because he wasn't able to gather supporting data of your skill sets. In this case, you may hear more traditional interview questions such as "What are your strengths?" or "Tell me about yourself." Find every opportunity to drop a SAR statement into an interview response. A documented example of what you've done in the past is more compelling than a nonspecific statement and will help the interviewer discover your strengths.

4. Prepare SAR Stories with Negative Consequences
Prepare stories with negative consequences just in case you are asked. A sample question might be "Tell me a time when you were unable to close a sale." Position your responses positively so that you portray yourself as effective and someone who takes responsibility.

5. Don't Forget Your Results!
Many candidates gloss over their results. Interviewers are expected to probe for this information so do the due diligence necessary to retrieve detailed results regarding the actions you took. Results may include revenue produced, cost savings, customer satisfaction scores, and process improvements, for example.

You'll never know exactly what questions and what follow up questions you will be asked during a behavior-based interview, so don't try to memorize responses. Don't let this throw you off guard - the key to your success is preparation that forces you to delve into your memory bank to spark old memories so you can articulate job-related stories quickly and eloquently.

Lori Davila's book, How to Choose the Right Person for the Right Job Every Time (McGraw-Hill), includes 401 behavior-based and other interview questions. In addition to her career coaching work, Lori works with corporations to develop leaders and teams and to implement right-fit interviewing and hiring techniques. Lori may be reached at lori@atlantacareermarketing.com or 770-392-1139.

Some additional behavioral interviewing questions to consider:

• Tell me about a time when you were a part of a great team. What was your part in making the team effective?
• Give me an example of a time when you had to deal with a difficult co-worker. How did you handle the situation?
• Can you tell me about a time during your previous employment when you suggested a better way to perform a process?
• Give an example of a time when you were trying to meet a deadline, you were interrupted, and did not make the deadline. How did you respond?
• What do you do when you know you are right and your boss disagrees with you? Give me an example of when this has happened in your career.