80% of Situational Interviewing is in 5 stories

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 💪🏽