Situational interviews can be overwhelming.
"How many questions should I prepare for? How many situations should I cover?"
These are questions experienced professionals routinely ask me.
I have an idea for you to manage the prep.
In the book, “Cracking the PM Interview," authors, Gayle and Jackie, group typical situational questions into five buckets.
A. Successes:
- Tell me about a time when you had to show innovation.
- Tell me about something you’re proud of accomplishing.
- Tell me about a time when you reached a goal that was important.
- Tell me about a time when you solved a problem in a creative way.
- Tell me a specific insight you gained from something outside of work.
B. Leadership:
- Tell me about a time when you had to sell your idea to another team.
- Describe a time when you had to motivate employees or coworkers.
- Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
- Tell me about a time when you showed initiative.
- Tell me about a time when you’ve built a team.
C. Failures:
- Tell me about a time when you failed.
- Tell me about a time when you made a mistake.
- Tell me about a time when you improperly analyzed a situation.
- Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with yourself.
- Tell me about a time when you could not juggle all your responsibilities.
D. Challenges:
- Tell me about a time when you used a lot of data in a short period of time.
- Tell me about a time when you had to decide with insufficient data.
- Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and overcame it.
- Tell me about a time when you weren’t able to reach a deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you handled a risky situation.
E. Teamwork:
- Tell me about a time when you had to do something you didn’t want to do.
- Tell me about a time when you mentored or aided a coworker.
- Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement at work.
- Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict.
- Tell me about a time when you had to compromise.
Rather than preparing for each question and getting overwhelmed.
Have a strong answer for each bucket and mentally edit the specifics.
This is the 20% that will take you 80% of the way there.
Good luck 💪🏽