Interview Question: What Did You Do When You…?

What did you do when you…?

This behavior-based interview question is a variation of the “tell me about a time when…” You could be asked this type of question during an interview for college, grad school, an internship, or a job. Here’s the key to giving a solid answer.

Tell a story and be specific.

Seriously. Be specific.

A vague answer to this type of question will cost you a lot of points. In order to ell a story that focuses on your strengths and provides relevant you might want to use the STAR method. Check out this article to get some great tips on how to use the STAR method and tell compelling stories.

More examples of this type question:

What did you do when you…?

1. Did your best but things still didn’t turn out right.

2. Had to work with a difficult person.

3. Failed to complete a project on time.

4. Had too much to do and not enough time to do it.

5. Had to come up with a creative solution to a tough problem.

6. Were frustrated at school or work.

7. Had to deal with a difficult customer.

8. Fell short of your boss’s (or teacher’s) expectations.

9. Were managing or leading a group of people and had to keep them motivated.

10. Easily accomplished a task and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

4 Questions To Ask Yourself

Who do you plan to be?

What do you plan to do?

What do you plan to have?

Million-Dollar Question:
What do you plan to give?

[AUDIO] A Lesson On Soft Skills Mastery From Martin Luther King, Jr.

The above audio is a 7min. excerpt from my MLK Keynote Address at Darton College.

I recently gave a MLK Celebration Lecture at Darton College. The overall theme for the celebration was “What are you doing for others?” My talk was focused on one of the things that enabled Dr. King to be such a powerful servant leader—his skill set. His fight for truth and justice and his selfless service have left us many priceless lessons. I believe, however, that we can also gain wisdom by exploring his skill set.

MLK had a skill set that allowed him to:

— Communicate at an exceptional level 
— Build powerful relationships
— Get people to believe in his values and vision
— Deal with an unimaginable amount of pressure, stress, and adversity
— Become a master of influence

A skill set that helps a person to embody those attributes is worth of study. Based on all that he accomplished, it’s easy to see that Dr. King mastered many soft skills such as leadership, public speaking, collaboration, teamwork, and teambuilding to name a few. For right now I would like to focus on 3 of the many soft skills that MLK mastered:

The “I” In Team: 4 Philosophies Of An Awesome Team Player

“Just win the game!!!”

Although he was in extraordinary pain, that was Kevin Ware’s message to his teammates. There was 6:33 left in the first half of a 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight game. Kevin and his fellow Louisville Cardinals were up against the Duke Blue Devils. A coveted spot in the Final Four was on the line.

5 Soft Skills Clusters – Soft Skills Development Framework

Soft Skills Clusters

This is a BETA version. The list is a work in progress. Some definitions, behavioral indicators, and commentary on the specific soft skills cluster pages are incomplete, but I decided to post the list anyway hoping that it will be helpful to you all the same. I typically add a definition and commentary each day.

In order to facilitate training, development, practice, and application across various areas of life—not just career development—I have developed a simple framework (The 5 Soft Skills Clusters) that includes key behavioral indicators:

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #499: Resourceful As A Turkey

It’s Thanksgiving and I’m running around asking people if they remember the “Five Fat Turkeys” song. Nobody remembers. They’re just looking at me like I’m crazy. Lol.

Do you remember the song?

Five fat turkeys are we.[break]We spent all night in a tree.[break]When the butcher came ’round,[break]We couldn’t be found[break]And that’s why we’re here, you see!

In the face of great adversity, when life is trying to butcher you, if you can hold out and be as resourceful as five turkeys climbing a tree then you will definitely be alright. You’ll be singing, “That’s why I’m here, you see!”

Million-Dollar Question:
Are you as resourceful as a turkey?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

[PICTURE] I’m Thankful For…

A lesson we all know, but sometimes forget: Always be thankful.

Million-Dollar Question:
What are you thankful for?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!