ECONOMY The Secret Is in the STARS Learn to provide what interviewers are trained to find. Losing your hair due to Chemotherapy? Afraid you are not going to look like yourself? Our - Exact Duplication Wig", is your solution!! By Allan Nahajewski y ou're on a job interview. You're naturally a little nervous. Wouldn't it be great to know I exactly what's on your interviewer's mind? What are the right answers? How can you be sure you're making the right impression? L With our individual craftsmanship everything is hand selected with only the finest materials to match your ha r type, color anu style perfectly! 5799 NV Maple, Suite 167 Wet Bloornfisici • 248-4';55-8845 a-vita-nee .537 W, .Main Brighton 810220-8n8 Ce011/0/ Actually, there's a technique that many HR pros and hiring managers use — and if you know that technique, you're way ahead of the game. The key word to remember: STAR. That's an acronym for situation, task, ac- tion, result. It's the cornerstone of a method called behavior-based interviewing. Smart companies want to make sure they hire the best people so they require managers to be trained to interview effectively and select new employees using proven methods rather than hunches or gut feelings. Yes, there's more of a science to job interviews than you might imagine. The premise behind behavior-based interviewing is that past performance is indeed an indicator of future success. Smart interviewers don't settle just for hearing your philosophy about work or descriptions of what you would or might do in particular situations. They want concrete evidence of your ability to deliver results. They want solid, real-life success stories. You know your interviewer has been trained in behavior-based interviewing when you hear queries that start with,"Tell me about a time when or "Describe a situ- ation in which you ..." or other such ques- tions. That's your cue to tell your success stories using the following outline: Take this approach, and you make the job easy for your interviewer. And the beauty is that even if your interviewer was not trained in behavior-based interviewing, you are still making the same positive impres- sion. You're coming across as someone capable of communicating your strengths clearly and objectively with an eye toward results. You're offering something of value — experience in succeeding in challenging situations. A good way to prepare for job interviews is to have your STAR plan ready in advance. If a job description was made available to you, see if you can develop STAR answers for each bullet point. Vary your examples. Take them from all aspects of your life. Generally, the most recent examples are the strongest. Are they looking for a well-organized, creative, problem-solving, customer-ori- ented, self-starter who communicates well? (Who isn't?) Take the time to find the STAR responses that bring to light your organiza- tional skills, creativity, problem-solving abil- ity, focus on the customer, self-motivation and communication skills. If the job description is brief or vague, ask interviewers to describe in more detail the 1) S2hilatiob-1 Provide the context, the chal- After a while, you'll find that using the STAR approach puts you at ease during an interview. You'll view your STAR stories as the well-practiced tools you need to shine. The stories provide a beginning and an end to your answers, which enable you to communicate more confidently. One more thing: Stay factual. Be honest. Don't embel- lish. And when discussing the result, it's all right to share the success with "the team"; however, be sure to specify precisely what your contributions were. That's it. It takes a little time and prepara- tion, but the payoff may be your next good job. PT- lenge you were faced with. 2) Talsk. What was your goal? What were you trying to achieve? AW RENAISSANCE MEDIA rr4 SOLUTION S AcAlon: What did you do? What spe- Service Custom Publishing House p, Full cific steps did you take? What were your alternatives, and why did you choose this course of action? 4) Result: What was the outcome of your actions? Did you meet your objectives? What did you learn from this experience? How have you applied this learning? Below is a sample of some of our clients: Wall and Window Graphics Video Production Cranbrook Program Be specific. Don't ramble. Just follow the steps. skills and type of person they're seeking. Then select the STAR points to match the need. Marketing Services Creative Services Cranbrook Banners & Buttons PROFESSIONALS Editorial Services Pre-press Production Social Media Magazines I Want Candy Madelaine Chocolate Co. offers treats for Valentine's Day and every other day on the chocoholics' calendar. Newspapers Corporate Identities Annual Reports Ad Campaigns Mail and postage Project Management Urban Business Consulting Employ- I - Dent Data Management Telemarketing Automation Alley's X-ology Magazine Branding and Corporate Identity Quicken Loans Insert Tapper's Diamond Buying Guide how can we help you Contact Kevin Browett or Debbie Schultz 29200 Northwestern Hwy. • Suite 110 • Southfield, MI 48034 14 February 2012 I Ab. RED THUM 248.354.6060 By Suzanne Chessler ayla Jacobson Kaye knows exactly the kind of rose she prefers for special occasions like Valentine's Day — pure chocolate. It's an easy gift for her husband, Jeremy, to bring home. The preferred roses, available at Walmart, are made at the family- run factory of the Madelaine Chocolate Company in Far Rockaway, Queens, N.Y., where she works as a sales manager and he is assistant plant manager, each on a different schedule. "The long stems of the candy roses are made of green plastic with soft, fabric leaves, a lot easier to hold than an actual rose stem cov- ered with thorns;' says Kayla Kaye, who grew up in Southfield."The full chocolate blossom, wrapped in red foil, is molded to suggest smooth petals." Kaye, 29, the daughter of Hedy and Bruce Jacobson of Southfield, graduated from Akiva Hebrew Day School and was a member of Congregation Shomrey Emunah in Southfield. After spending a year studying in Israel, she moved on to Stern Col- lege for Women in New York City, graduating as a marketing major. Soon a party planner, she designed all aspects of events and often attended to oversee details. Kaye began working for Madelaine when party planning, with weekend responsibilities, became too demanding for a mom, now looking after Noa, 2, and Henry, 3 months. "I love the snap of biting into the candy and then tasting the sweet, creamy flavor as the milk chocolate slowly melts in my mouth;' she said. "The aroma of the chocolate is as wonderful, in its special way, as the aroma of a fresh, fragrant plant." While the roses are among her favorite Madelaine products, partly because Jeremy brought them while they were dating, she also is a special fan of a peanut butter and milk chocolate combination, ha- K www.redthreadmagazine.com