Some interview situations call for behavioral based interviewing and so the use of the STAR method is useful for preparing you $($as an interviewee$)$ for questions you might encounter. Your answers to interview questions are more substantive and thorough. Saying too little during an interview is a recipe for disaster when you don't say enough, and$/$or if there is a lot of awkward silence. STAR stands for:SituationTaskActionResultsBehavioral questions are usually prefaced by tell me about a time when or give me a situation where. Behavior$-$based interviews focus on critical dimensions of the job you will be doing; a critical dimension refers to specific skills. I have completed an example for you to show what I would like to see for your answers:EXAMPLE:SITUATION: Give me an example of where you successfully multitaskedSituation: I was chair of the $3$rd Annual Social Science Graduate Research SymposiumTask: I arranged speakers into panels with similar themes; finalized arrangements within meeting rooms; contacted catering, facilities management, and panelists; managed registration; and contacted the bookstore to request giveawayAction: I emailed speakers with the final schedule; met with the supervisor of Facilities Management the day before the symposium; met with Sodexho a few days before the symposium; delegated registration responsibilities to my committee; and met with the manager of $3$ local bookstoresResult: I successfully chaired the symposium without any major setbackIn addition, I recommend that you have about $10$ stories about yourself that you know well and can easily tell. Since most interviews only have about $10$ questions, having $10$ stories about yourself prepares you for things you can say about yourself. Be sure to include $2-3$ negative experiences that you can talk about, where you can also say things like "I learned a valuable lesson about," "I would do differently in hindsight," "Looking back, I would have handled this by$,"$ or "This experience was meaningful to me because."Example short stories I might tell include:Story about why I love teachingStory about my first teaching experienceHow I handled a difficult situation with $\_\_\_\_$ studentOrganizing a conferenceWorking on $\_\_\_\_$ committee on campusSUBMITPart I: List $8-10$ short story topics that you can draw upon during an interview. This should be a list of experiences like my example above. You do not need to go into detail about these experiences.Part II: Write the answers down to the following questions using the STAR format. You might use some of the short story topics from above, but this is not a requirement. You only need to use the STAR format for the following five questions:Tell me about a time when you used effective communication to resolve a problem with a customer or a teammateSituation:Task:Action:Result:Tell me about a time when you had to make necessary adaptations to another person $($or persons$)$ from a different cultural background. What did you do and what were the results?Situation:Task:Action:Result:Sometimes we are unable to complete a task or a project on time. Tell me about a time when you were unable to meet a deadline and tell me what happenedSituation:Task:Action:Result:Have you managed multiple tasks successfully? What were they and how did you manage them?Situation:Task:Action:Result:Give me an example of a time in which you felt you were able to build motivation in your coworkers or subordinates at workSituation:Task:Action:Result:OPTIONAL READING: UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM SCOTT :$-)$Do an online search for common interview questions for the job you are applying for. For example, I searched "common interview question" $+$ "communication professor." If you really want to prepare yourself for an interview, answer the first $20-30$ questions in writing. $($I actually went through $50!)$ When finished, put your written answers away, and have a friend ask you some interview questions as though it were a real interview, and have that person give feedback. You will be super prepared for your interviews if you do thisIf you go to an interview and they let you take their questions with you afterwards, take them! If not, write down all the questions you remember once you leave the interview. I kept a stack of questions with me for years.Bring the following to the interview: your resume or vitae, the job description, information about the organization, information about the interviewers $($if you find out who they are beforehand$),$ a few pens, water, and a light snack $($if the interview will go on for hours$).$Interviews usually start by everyone going around the room and introducing themselves. Write down their names and where they are sitting, and use their names when you talk to themDo research on the organization. Prepare five questions that you might ask at the end of the interviewSend a thank you email to the person$/$people who helped you set up the interview and the people who interviewed you when you get home that night. A few sentences goes a long way!If you can, get to the interview site an hour early. Walk around the campus or company if you are able to$.$ You can learn a lot by the waiting room or other areas you can see.Smile and be friendly to everyone, beginning with your commute to the interview and not stopping until you get home. Don't cut off other drivers, say hi to everyone you are able to$,$ be friendly, and smile. They are interviewing you to see if you are qualified, but also to see if they like you enough to work with you $($possibly for the next few decades!$)$Don$\text{'}$t talk about money until they've offered you the job.Ask people before you put them down as a reference. If it's been more than a month or two since you asked them, double check! Once a potential employer says they are going to call your references, you should call your references and tell them that the company$/$organization will be calling them. If possible, prepare your references for what you want them to talk about; send an email or a text about $2-4$ things that they should mention.Practice your handshake before you go to an interview. Seriously! Look up youtube.com videos on how to give a proper handshake and what things to avoid.Many interviews go through the first round online these days; it's cost and time saving! Make sure you practice with the technology they will be contacting you with before the actual interview. You want to make sure the sound, visual, lighting, and so on all work. Even though an interview is online, make sure you are completely dressed up for the interview as though you were interviewing in person. $($I know one person who wore the top half of a suit and just boxers for the bottom; one of the interviewers asked him to stand up at the beginning of the interview and he said he couldn't!$)$Find a way to relax yourself and put yourself in the right frame of mind before the interview. This does not include marijuana, drugs or alcohol! For me$,$ I would go running or biking $($a few hours before$)$ or do some yoga. I might also go for a walk, play some games, talk with good friends, get some fresh air, or have a light meal. Before I got the North Seattle position, I went to my acupuncturist a couple hours beforehand!