Snelling Staffing Services

The phone rings. It's a recruiter calling to let you know that all that hard work on your resume paid off, and they're inviting you to come in for an interview. You're psyched up, until you hear about this new situational interviewing taking place - now, you're psyched out.

 While situational interviews may be drastically different from what you remember of standard interviews, they're not impossible to conquer. In situational interviews, the recruiter is looking to glean how a candidate handles real work situations, his or her problem-solving style, and what the potential employee's personality is really like. 

 To prepare for a situational interview, study the buzz words in the job description - look for qualifications that stand out, like time management, ability to multitask, autonomy, etc. You'll have to convey these key traits by illustrating the characteristics and giving specific examples during the interview. 

 Snelling Staffing Services has compiled a list of some of the most common situational interview questions that a candidate is likely to be asked:

1. Describe a challenging   work situation.  What   did you do to solve the   problem, and what was   the outcome?
2. Tell me about a time   when you had to think   on your feet and reach a   decision quickly.
3. In your experience    speaking with clients   and customers, tell me   about an instance when   communication became   challenging and how you  overcame that.
4. Give an example of a   time you were able to be   amiable and warm as a   communicator. 
5. Describe a time when   you were successful    working in an unstruc-  tured environment.
6. Tell me about a time you  had a conflict with a   coworker and how you   resolved it.
7. Can you describe a situ-  ation in which you had t  to think outside the box   to solve a problem for a   coworker, client or cus-  tomer?
8. Describe an instance in   which you have dis-   agreed with instruction   or criticism from your   boss and how you ap-  proached the situation.
9. Tell me about a time in   which you had to really   manage your time well,   how you went about    doing so, and how you   were able to meet your   goal.
10. Can you tell me about   an instance in which   you were able to posi-  tively motivate others? 

 In preparation for the interview, candidates should read through situational questions and focus on coming up with multiple scenarios from their work history to illustrate their abilities. To structure your answer, focus on the following order: situation, action, outcome. If you keep the order in mind, the story should naturally progress to become well-rounded and on point. 

 Snelling Staffing Services is located in the Conoco building at 4001 Penbrook, Ste. 1002. For an appointment or more information, call (432) 367-7066 or (800) 296-7106 or visit their Web site at www.snelling.com/odessa.