How should I structure a story to show off my skills that isn't too general? The context of my work is probably unique however I feel my approach wasn't that unique and that anyone would have been able to gone through the difficulty and did the same thing as I did.
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Dear Anonymous friend, please do give us much more details on this story of yours!
Without the details, we cannot give you guidance on how you can make it sound special!
There is no magic formula here.
Feel free to share the story over direct message if that is more convenient.
Hi there,
There is no generic answer to this, but I'll give it a try. Don't start with the story. Start with what matters to the consulting firm, then to the specific skill / competence you have, and finally what is in that story that illustrates that competence.
Having said this, you have to realize these type of questions are much better addressed by coaching. Or at least, by having some back and forth interaction, otherwise it's too generic.
Feel free to reach out.
Hey there,
Your question is not very clear. However, if you want to write and communicate strong fit stories, check out the article I wrote here on the McKinsey PEI, which you can also use as a blueprint for other firm's fit stories: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-pei
Cheers,
Florian
The key to the fit interview is to be AUTHENTIC and GENUINE in my opinion. At the end of the day this is what is being tested during the FIT interview: communication, structure (i.e, STAR approach) and personality.
If the work was unique for you, then highlight was special about the story FOR you from your perspective. Your analytical / problem solving skills will be tested during the case interview not the FIT part.
Hi there,
This is a tough question! Made tougher without us knowing you and your stories.
Ultimately, you need to 1) Pick a story where you took real action and that action is “interview” relevant (i.e. shows real skills/expertise that consultant companies want) and 2) Articulate your actions in a clear, concise, and personable way.
Can you share with us your story? We can help you flesh this out a bit better.
Hello,
It's hard to give detailed advice without more precise information about your work and your skills, but in this situation I would recommend working through the STAR (Situation - Task - Action - Result) framework.
Essentially, you begin your story with the “S”, situation, which is where you would provide context. In your case, this would be the specific context of your work. Try to keep it short, about 2-3 sentences, just keeping in mind what would be important for the interviewer to know to follow along. Then you talk about the “T”, task, which is what you had to do in the story. This can also be specific, and I would also advise to keep it short.
Now that you have set up the context, you can dive into the “A”, action, which is where you can talk about what you did in greater detail. In “R”, result, you talk about what exactly you achieved (which should be pretty unique - even if you are using a general skillset, the context in which you apply it is different).
In general, I wouldn't worry about having a generic skillset. Most of the qualities that fit interviews look for, such as leadership, initiative, teamwork, and so on, are very broad categories that can be met in a number of ways. So the goal isn't to show that you are the “best” at teamwork, just that you are very competent at it to a degree that would match the work requirements.
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