Your responses during an interview weigh heavily in determining whether you will get the job. Many companies now use a behavioral interview process in which you will be asked how you handled past situations and challenges. What you learned from those challenges helps companies determine how you might handle situations in a new position. The SOAR (situation, objective, action, result) process helps you answer these questions effectively.
Situation
After the interviewer asks a questions, think of a situation that relates to the question. The first step in the process is to describe the situation in detail. This provides the background information for the interviewer to understand the rest of your answer.
Objective
Explain your objective or task. Describe what the goal or desired outcome was for the situation. This may include challenges that need to be overcome such as time constraints and limited resources.
Action
Describe what actions you took to reach your objective. In many cases, you may have been a part of a team, but you want to focus on what you did specifically to demonstrate your personal action and initiative.
Results
Finally, describe the results of your actions and objectives. Try to demonstrate as many positive outcomes as possible. Remember to stay positive during the interview process and not to talk poorly about co-workers and previous employers, even if they did negatively affect your results.
Other Considerations
Prepare for your interview ahead of time. Make sure you know what qualities and experience the company is looking for and prepare stories and examples that demonstrate those qualities. Be positive, but do not lie about your experience. These lies may come out in a background or reference check, so it is better to be honest about a lack of experience or skill than to be dishonest.
