P.A.R Interview Technique

Past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Behavioural based interviewing is becoming a common method in the interviewing atmosphere. Examples of behavioural interview questions include:

• Describe a major frustration you have had in your work and how you handled that frustration.
• Describe a time you worked as a member of a team and what the results were.
• Describe a time when you worked with someone who wasn’t pulling their own weight and how you handled that situation.

Interviewers are seeking specific examples of skills gained rather than hypothetical examples. We want to see proof! We want to see how you manage and interact in situations, solve problems, work within a team, contribute towards goals and results. Most importantly we want to see you! Examples can be drawn from your career experience to date, internships, part-time/summer jobs, projects at university, student activities or your involvement in sports or social clubs.

I would like to draw your attention to the P.A.R Model.

• P: problem or task for which you were responsible
• A: action you took to solve the problem or complete the task
• R: results of your actions

Using this model it will help you gather and produce solid examples. You will become more comfortable and enthusiastic when demonstrating your skills through factual examples. Look at the model above. If I was to ask you to ‘give me an example of a time when you lead a team project’ you should be able to answer with clear precision by using P.A.R.

Practice makes perfect!!! Think of your achievements and place them into the P.A.R

Happy interviewing!

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