Interview - STAR principle and task prioritisation - mention failure as a result?
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wantsajob
Posts: 705 Forumite
Firstly for anyone unaware here is a description of the STAR principle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation,_Task,_Action,_Result
I was considering providing an answer for the result component, regarding prioritising challenging tasks concurrently, along the lines of:
In one instance the actions I took to prioritise tasks failed and one piece of work was handed in a day late. I had anticipated the work would be easier than I found it, as I pushed on with two other tasks I considered more difficult. But when I got to the more involved part of the work I found it more challenging and complex than I had anticipated. On the day of the deadline, I did not feel I had completed the work to the best of my ability, and continued to work on it handing it in the next day. Fortunately the work achieved the highest grade of any I had completed, at 80 per cent. I learned from this experience that task difficulty is not always what it might appear, and had I dedicated more time to this task alongside the others, I would have recognised this and distributed my time across all the tasks I was undertaking more effectively, increasing my chances of meeting the deadline.
Is a response like this likely to be considered in a positive light by an employer?
TIA.
I was considering providing an answer for the result component, regarding prioritising challenging tasks concurrently, along the lines of:
In one instance the actions I took to prioritise tasks failed and one piece of work was handed in a day late. I had anticipated the work would be easier than I found it, as I pushed on with two other tasks I considered more difficult. But when I got to the more involved part of the work I found it more challenging and complex than I had anticipated. On the day of the deadline, I did not feel I had completed the work to the best of my ability, and continued to work on it handing it in the next day. Fortunately the work achieved the highest grade of any I had completed, at 80 per cent. I learned from this experience that task difficulty is not always what it might appear, and had I dedicated more time to this task alongside the others, I would have recognised this and distributed my time across all the tasks I was undertaking more effectively, increasing my chances of meeting the deadline.
Is a response like this likely to be considered in a positive light by an employer?
TIA.
Wanted a job, now have one. :beer:
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Comments
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IMO, that is not a good example to give of prioritising challenging tasks concurrently because the outcome was not an entirely positive one. All the employer will remember from that is that you failed. Try and think of something better.
What you have decribed might be a good example to give if asked for an example of a time when you failed, providing that handing in the work a day late was of little consequence compared with the quality of what you did.
I also got the impression that this example was taken from handing in coursework. Try and give WORK-related examples where you can, from a placement or project if you have to.0 -
bristol_pilot wrote: »IMO, that is not a good example to give of prioritising challenging tasks concurrently because the outcome was not an entirely positive one. All the employer will remember from that is that you failed. Try and think of something better.
I disagree - the OP's response is honest, rather than some glossed up (and probably exaggerated) success story. Failure is a possibility with even the most well planned of tasks, and someone that can admit to failure and learn from it should be given credit.
Having said that, I would phrase the example differently, I would not mention failure in the first sentence as it sets a negative tone. I would go along the lines of 'this is what I did (positive) - this is what happened (negative) - this is what I learned from the situation (positive)'.Gone ... or have I?0 -
!!!!!!...? I didn't even understand the posting... do people get asked these questions at interview?
Just read the wiki link, I'd fail all interviews if based on that, not because I can't do things, but because I don't know their funny little ways, or what they're expecting - and I can't "think on the spot from a verbal instruction" so wouldn't be able to think of such an example, I'd need a couple of days' warning of the question so I could work out what to use/what to say.
IQ of 163 .... but I can't f4nny about in interviews.0 -
I'm in the same position as you, have a degree and AS. What has been suggested to me is to ask the employer to provide questions in writing before the interview as a "reasonable adjustment". The employer has done this and seems positive about it. If I had that question on the spot I'd give either a poor weakly fleshed out example, or no example at all. Just trying to structure my ideas and prepare at the moment.PasturesNew wrote: »Just read the wiki link, I'd fail all interviews if based on that, not because I can't do things, but because I don't know their funny little ways, or what they're expecting - and I can't "think on the spot from a verbal instruction" so wouldn't be able to think of such an example, I'd need a couple of days' warning of the question so I could work out what to use/what to say.
The main thing about the questions that flummoxed me was there are similar questions about handling customers, based on the same STAR principle. I was stuck trying to figure out how I could approach these questions, as having a chequered work history I have not really dealt with customers as such. When someone suggested to me that a customer need not be a customer as such, but could be a supervisor or research participant and so on, I was able to begin structuring ideas of responses for those questions.
Hopefully once I have learned how to structure things the way an employer wants to hear them, I'll get better at doing it.
I hate interviews and these types of questions :mad:
Wanted a job, now have one. :beer:0 -
I'm ASD, wouldn't ever ever tell anybody I was until I'd been in a job at least a year though. I doubt I'd be applying for jobs where I could make a request for it to be in writing, without sealing my fate then and there and being placed in the "no thanks" pile from the start. My experience of most (small) employers, with 0-10 staff, is that all this 'adjustment' and stuff would be alien to them. They'd pick somebody else that was 'normal' in their eyes.I'm in the same position as you, have a degree and AS. What has been suggested to me is to ask the employer to provide questions in writing before the interview as a "reasonable adjustment". The employer has done this and seems positive about it. If I had that question on the spot I'd give either a poor weakly fleshed out example, or no example at all. Just trying to structure my ideas and prepare at the moment.
The main thing about the questions that flummoxed me was there are similar questions about handling customers, based on the same STAR principle. I was stuck trying to figure out how I could approach these questions, as having a chequered work history I have not really dealt with customers as such. When someone suggested to me that a customer need not be a customer as such, but could be a supervisor or research participant and so on, I was able to begin structuring ideas of responses for those questions.
Hopefully once I have learned how to structure things the way an employer wants to hear them, I'll get better at doing it.
I hate interviews and these types of questions :mad:
So I wouldn't tell anybody - then pray I don't get asked a stupid question at interview, which I invariably do. I c0ck up every one by being asked random questions that, to me, require massive clarification.
I don't even bother to look for jobs now.0 -
Yes I think you're right unfortunately. Luckily for this particular position it is in Civil Service in quite a large department. Their forms offer a guaranteed interview for people with disabilities who meet the requirements of the position.PasturesNew wrote: »So I wouldn't tell anybody - then pray I don't get asked a stupid question at interview, which I invariably do. I c0ck up every one by being asked random questions that, to me, require massive clarification.
I don't even bother to look for jobs now.
Basing whether to give a job on an interview seems a rather stupid endeavour. My partner tells me of some of the hopeless employees that have come to her place of work - the managers bang on about how great they did in the interview at the start, yet in the job itself they're turning up late with hang overs, trying their best to leave early, constantly using their mobile phone, and generally putting little effort into the job. I can't help but laugh at the fact I do not do well at interviews, and people who do well at interviews can be so unbelievably crap at the job afterwards. Just goes to show interviewing isn't all it's made out to be as a way of selecting employees.Wanted a job, now have one. :beer:0 -
Hi OP
I wouldn't use this as an example, simply because it demonstrates that you *weren't* able to prioritise *and* deliver. I would use an example that shows you meet the competency.
However, when I do competency-based interviews I will always ask "and what did you learn?" or "what would you do differently?" Those who say "nothing" to every question always cause me concern - there's always something to learn.
HTH
KiKi' <-- See that? It's called an apostrophe. It does not mean "hey, look out, here comes an S".0 -
What has been suggested to me is to ask the employer to provide questions in writing before the interview as a "reasonable adjustment".
This happens sometimes, especially in the public sector; my employer (private sector) on the other hand refuses to do so. You can but ask.
If they do that, they really ought to provide ALL the candidates with the questions in advance. Providing interview questions in advance goes well beyond 'reasonable adjustment' - it gives a huge advantage to one candidate over the others. There is no point in interviewing if you are going to provide the questions in advance, the whole thing may as well be done by email.
Competence-based interviewing of this type is most often appropriate for leadership/management type roles. I'm a bit concerned that employers are starting to use it for new grads/school-leavers with no work experience to draw upon and for technical specialist roles for which, frankly, there are more appropriate methods e.g. some kind of practical test.
However, if the employer has decided to use competence-based qustions then the applicant has no other option but to prepare, prepare, prepare. The OP is doing exactly the right thing by preparing answers to possible questions using the STAR principle. The best-prepared candidate usually does best at competence-based interviews, for the very reason that PN exemplifies in her post. The ill-prepared candiate, with or without AS, sits there flumoxed by the question while the well-prepared candidtae will reel off a carefully-prepared and memorised script and will seem very impressive.
All forms of interview are a 'game' and games have rules. It is necessary to know the rules of the game in order to know how to win.0 -
I agree to a certain extent. However, people with ASD's can have difficulty with more abstract thinking, which is exactly the type of thinking required for these questions which expect examples and what you did. Notwithstanding the fact that some will have little experience to draw upon due to difficulties finding work. I just do not think along the lines of things like STAR. I don't know if NT's do or not. That disadvantage, plus the new environment, plus new people all adds up to a significant disadvantage - which I feel having the questions in advance helps to address to a certain extent. I can't think of any other way around it. For those with ASD's interviews are particularly challenging, and handing someone a job without an interview isn't going to happen.bristol_pilot wrote: »If they do that, they really ought to provide ALL the candidates with the questions in advance. Providing interview questions in advance goes well beyond 'reasonable adjustment' - it gives a huge advantage to one candidate over the others. There is no point in interviewing if you are going to provide the questions in advance, the whole thing may as well be done by email.
The alternative is potentially people with ASD's who are intelligent and of some use in the work place, remain on benefits all their lives - never paying off student loans etc. All because they can't get past something like a silly interview. Or as the NAS found to be the case for some, they may not get any benefits due to discrimination experienced within the benefits system. Then this can often eventually lead too serious mental health issues which cost tax payers big sums of money to deal with. Plus why oh why do many employers insist on excellent verbal communication and team work skills for jobs where these skills are seldom used? It's like advertising for a toilet cleaner with experience of cleaning jet engines on aircraft - totally irrelevant.
When they explained the format of the interview I asked if they could provide the competence questions. I was shocked when they also sent the technical questions in addition to the competence ones. One of the technical questions were so easy that they stuck in my mind and I wasted time thinking of more complex ways I could answer it than I would on the spot.bristol_pilot wrote: »All forms of interview are a 'game' and games have rules. It is necessary to know the rules of the game in order to know how to win.
I think most people with ASD's don't understand this sort of "game", and have difficulty understanding similar sorts of "games" used by NT's. Unwritten rules are a big hurdle.Wanted a job, now have one. :beer:0
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