The best way to prepare is to take the initiative by preparing several 30 to 90-second personal stories.

Consider developing your stories around these areas:

1. A crisis in your life or job and how you responded or recovered from it.

2. A time when you functioned as part of a team and what your contribution was.

3. A time in your career or job when you had to overcome stress.

4. A time in your job when you provided successful leadership or a sense of direction.

5. A failure that occurred in your job and how you successfully overcame it.

Preparation is especially important for success in the behavioral interview. A word of warning: you must have stories to back up anything you claimed on your resume.

All stories have three parts and yours should be no different. They include:

1. A beginning (set the stage- describe the situation, the time)

2. A middle or process (this is the process you took or the action that you took to solve the problem)

3. A resolution (How was the problem solved, overcome, or resolved)

A good story should be interesting and full of action. Give them something memorable about you that make you stand out. Since these are your stories, it shouldn’t be hard. Let your personality and your core character shine through. Make sure you let them hear the steps you took to solve the problem. The more details and skills you can add, the better