How do you balance the details and the impact of your PAR stories in competency based interviews?

1 Understand the competency

Before you start writing or rehearsing your PAR stories, you need to understand what competency the interviewer is looking for and why it is important for the role. Competencies are the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that enable you to perform well in a given situation. They can be general, such as communication, teamwork or problem-solving, or specific, such as technical, analytical or creative skills. You can usually find the competencies required for a role in the job description, the person specification or the company website. You can also research the company culture, values and goals to get a sense of what competencies they value and how they measure them.

2 Choose relevant examples

Once you have identified the competencies you need to demonstrate, you need to choose relevant examples from your past experiences that show how you have applied them in practice. You can draw examples from your work, education, volunteering, hobbies or personal life, as long as they are recent, relevant and realistic. You should avoid using hypothetical or generic scenarios, or examples that are too vague, complex or controversial. You should also avoid repeating the same example for different competencies, unless you can highlight different aspects or outcomes of your actions. Ideally, you should have at least one example for each competency, and preferably two or three, to show your versatility and adaptability.

3 Provide enough details

When you describe your PAR stories, you need to provide enough details to make them clear, credible and convincing. You need to explain the context and the problem you faced, the actions you took and the results you achieved, using specific facts, figures and evidence. You should also highlight your role and contribution, using active verbs and personal pronouns, such as 'I' or 'my', rather than 'we' or 'our'. However, you should also acknowledge any collaboration or support you received from others, and how it helped you achieve your goals. You should avoid using jargon, acronyms or technical terms that the interviewer may not understand, and instead use simple and concise language that conveys your message effectively.

4 Focus on the impact

While providing details is important, you should not lose sight of the impact of your PAR stories. Impact is the difference or change that your actions made to the situation, the people, the organisation or the environment. Impact is what shows your value and potential to the employer, and what sets you apart from other candidates. Therefore, you should always emphasise the impact of your results, using quantifiable and measurable indicators, such as numbers, percentages, ratings, feedback, awards or recognition. You should also link your impact to the competency you are demonstrating, and explain how it reflects your skills, abilities and behaviours. You should also mention any challenges or difficulties you faced, and how you overcame them, to show your resilience and learning.

5 Tailor your stories

Finally, you should tailor your PAR stories to the specific role, company and interviewer you are applying for. You should do some research on the role, the company and the industry, and identify their needs, expectations and priorities. You should also try to find out who will be interviewing you, and what their role, background and interests are. You should then adapt your PAR stories to match their criteria and preferences, and show how you can add value and fit in their culture. You should also anticipate the questions they may ask you, and prepare some follow-up or probing questions of your own, to demonstrate your interest and curiosity.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?