My Interview With Wachovia
Well, I gave it my best. I think I did better than I did at some other interviews. Instead of traditional interviews where interviewers just focus on your past job experiences, Wachovia does a Target Selection method where they probe your past experiences in order to determine your future behavior should they hire you. I really liked it. It felt more natural, more conversational than traditional interviews, and it gave me a relaxed outlet for talking about myself.
You are to answer in a STAR format.
S - Situation
T - Task
A - Action
R - Result
For example, the interviewer asked me, "Describe a time where you volunteered to do a job no one else wanted to do and what came of it." I responded about an experience I had while working in housekeeping. (Situation/Task) I noticed that the baptistery needed some deep cleaning. This large "tub" had a thin coat of rust that lined the bottom because of an iron weight that anchored down a milk crate for short people to stand on. Without prompting, I volunteered to do this. (Action) I first asked my supervisor if we had anything like CLR. We did not. Since I wasn't about to go out and buy this, I thought back to my high school chemistry class about how reactions. Rust (Iron Oxide) reacts with hydrochloric acid to form a precipitate. I asked my supervisor if we had anything that had acids in it. She said, "Yes, we have MAD," which is a mildly acidic detergent. I then took one of my Saturdays (because Saturdays always seemed to be my quiet day) and I cleaned it right out. (Result) Almost all of the rust was instantly removed. This baptistery was a light blue-green color and it's bottom had been stained an ugly reddish-brown. Now it was solid again. The next time we had a baptismal service, the person who did the baptizing was pleasantly surprised. I also saved the church from having to call a professional service. ;)
My answers typically followed that format. I think there was really only one question that I completely bombed. (It was kinda vague anyway: Describe how you solved a problem using the resources available to you. "Well, I researched it. Duh!" ...Okay, I didn't say that, but you get the picture.)
They finish their interviews tomorrow and I should know soon afterward if I made it or not. If I don't make it, I'm not going to sweat it. It was a long shot when I first applied for it anyway, and I really didn't expect to get this far. It's in God's hands now.
You are to answer in a STAR format.
S - Situation
T - Task
A - Action
R - Result
For example, the interviewer asked me, "Describe a time where you volunteered to do a job no one else wanted to do and what came of it." I responded about an experience I had while working in housekeeping. (Situation/Task) I noticed that the baptistery needed some deep cleaning. This large "tub" had a thin coat of rust that lined the bottom because of an iron weight that anchored down a milk crate for short people to stand on. Without prompting, I volunteered to do this. (Action) I first asked my supervisor if we had anything like CLR. We did not. Since I wasn't about to go out and buy this, I thought back to my high school chemistry class about how reactions. Rust (Iron Oxide) reacts with hydrochloric acid to form a precipitate. I asked my supervisor if we had anything that had acids in it. She said, "Yes, we have MAD," which is a mildly acidic detergent. I then took one of my Saturdays (because Saturdays always seemed to be my quiet day) and I cleaned it right out. (Result) Almost all of the rust was instantly removed. This baptistery was a light blue-green color and it's bottom had been stained an ugly reddish-brown. Now it was solid again. The next time we had a baptismal service, the person who did the baptizing was pleasantly surprised. I also saved the church from having to call a professional service. ;)
My answers typically followed that format. I think there was really only one question that I completely bombed. (It was kinda vague anyway: Describe how you solved a problem using the resources available to you. "Well, I researched it. Duh!" ...Okay, I didn't say that, but you get the picture.)
They finish their interviews tomorrow and I should know soon afterward if I made it or not. If I don't make it, I'm not going to sweat it. It was a long shot when I first applied for it anyway, and I really didn't expect to get this far. It's in God's hands now.