The Collins dictionary defines an interview as a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions to find out if they are suitable for a job or a course of study. Most professional adults have been on some kind of interview at one point in their lives. The results from one or more interviews you have attended have either been positive or negative. To improve your chances of passing your interview, you can learn a few interview techniques used by recruiters and hiring managers. Make an effort to know their expectations in the interview session and the kind of answers they seek. One of the techniques used in these sessions is the PAR Interview Method for tackling behavioral interview questions. P.A.R are initials standing for Problem, Action, and Results. Let us see how you can take advantage of this method.
The requirement for each section is as follows:
- Problem: This refers to an existing difficulty or challenge you were experiencing as an individual or group at a particular time. For example, an agitated client insulting the front desk staff
- Action: This refers to the decisions taken or efforts made or processes initiated in order to resolve an existing difficulty or challenge. For example, pulling the client aside and offering them a cup of coffee to calm them down while they explain their frustration
- Result: This refers to the outcome or achievement of a certain decision, effort, or process that was used to resolve an existing difficulty or challenge. For example, protecting corporate image by diverting public attention from both the front desk staff and agitated clients. Each of the three parts mentioned above, that is problem, action, and result, need to be demonstrated by the interviewee (you) using real examples. You need to be brief but your examples should be powerful enough to grip the attention of the panel. Recruiters and hiring managers analyze the candidates’ responses after the interview to determine their skill sets and suitability for the job based on keywords in each of their answers. For instance, candidates suitable for management roles normally emphasize on results part of the technique while those inclined to tactical roles focus more on the action part of the technique. Additionally, action verbs used by the candidate are clues to their areas of preference. For instance, technical professionals will use words like assembled, devised, programmed, and fabricated. Finance professionals will use words like audited, allocated, budgeted, and calculated. Research professionals will use words collected, critiqued, examined, and investigated. Remember it is a behavioral interview approach, hence the qualitative emphasis. This is a laborious task for the recruiters and hiring managers but an effective way of shortlisting candidates.
Application of PAR Interview Method Using Stories
To better understand the methodology we will use practical sample questions and corresponding answers that could come up in various interview sessions. They are often referred to as PAR stories to illustrate a professional’s accomplishments in their career history.
Sample 1: Explain a Case When You Had Unrealistic Expectations from Your Supervisor
- Problem – Performance reviews were ongoing and I was expected to participate in each one of them yet the staff population was over 200 people.
- Action – I explained to the supervisor the correct protocols for conducting work performance reviews. I also demonstrated the capabilities of the respective department heads in conducting the process with their teams since I had given them adequate orientation. I also assured my supervisor that I would conduct spot checks in each department to monitor the progress.
- Result – Appropriate procedures were followed in the exercise. My supervisor gained insight into the operations of the human resources department. The department heads demonstrated their leadership skills.
Sample 2: What Is The Biggest Challenge You Have Ever Experienced As A Professional To Date?
- Problem – Experiencing sexual harassment at work
- Action – I confronted the individual concerning the unwanted attention. When my protests were ignored, I went ahead and reported the matter to the human resources department. I later participated in the disciplinary hearing process as a witness. I also sought counseling from the company psychologist.
- Result – Previous victims came forward in my support. The offensive person received disciplinary action. New policies were developed to curb the vice. The work culture improved in the entire company.
Sample 3: Citing One Example, How Have You Managed Disagreements With Colleagues In The Past?
- Problem – My colleague and I could not agree on the venue to host the company’s annual Christmas Eve gala.
- Action – I organized an impromptu meeting with the entire event committee which comprised of various department heads. My colleague, who was the vice-chair of the committee, and I, being the chair gave reasons for individual preferences. We asked the committee to vote on the matter.
- Result – We maintained cordial interaction throughout the planning process. We successfully hosted the event without unnecessary delays. The professional relationship between us improved. The looming conflict was averted since we involved other team members. We were both awarded by the company for being successful event organizers.
Sample 4: Tell Us About a Time When You Were Able To Avert a Crisis in Your Company
- Problem – A looming litigation case by a client on grounds of breach of service line agreement. The client was dissatisfied with the response time of our technical team.
- Action – I summoned the head of the technical team to substantiate the claims. I requested him to submit an urgent official report on the case. I reported the matter to the board of directors and advised them on mitigation measures as guided by the technical report. We asked for a meeting with the client to resolve the case. We implemented our course of action and gave the client a discount on the invoice too.
- Result – The client was satisfied with the corrective action and maintained his account with us. The technical team was relieved that the intervention resolved the problem. The board of directors was also relieved that the client dropped the litigation case.
Sample 5: Tell Us About a Time When You Surpassed Your Sales Targets
- Problem – The Company was restructuring and it wanted a lean team to run its operations. All departments would be downsized and only highly performing employees would be retained. The sales department that has the most number of employees was only given one month to sift its team members based on that month’s revenue.
- Action – I Identified a new target market that was in a different region from the company. I temporarily relocated to the new region to have a better understanding of the business environment. I recruited temporary local sales representatives on a full commission basis to avoid asking for a new budget. This made it easier for me to penetrate the market since the salespeople were locals.
- Result – The Company was able to break into a new market and generate double the monthly revenue. My position in the company was preserved and I was given a new assignment to break into untapped regions using my previous strategy. I also received a huge bonus for surpassing that month’s sales targets.
Sample 6: What Has Been Your Worst Disappointment At The Workplace?
- Problem – I was bypassed for promotion because my supervisor intentionally failed me in the performance review by giving false reports.
- Action – I confronted my supervisor on his ratings and asked for a fair analysis of my performance of which he declined. I escalated the matter to the HR director since this was both a discriminatory and fraudulent practice. I was granted another chance for review with a different supervisor. Investigations were conducted to substantiate the truth of the first review and responses from a cross-section of the employees nullified the false report.
- Result – Appraisal policies were reviewed to protect employees. The supervisor received disciplinary action. I was given a new senior role in the compliance department for being a courageous whistleblower.
Conclusion
The PAR interview technique is used in behavioral interviews. This is meant to identify the past performance of the employee about the currently vacant position. It also brings out the candidate’s best skills and reveals their suitability for a specific role. PAR statements are used to highlight or easily identify the attributes of the candidate. These statements incorporate action verbs that are relevant to specific professionals. To use this technique properly while answering interview questions, you must know the structure of the answers and think out your examples in advance. Know how to frame the best experiences that you have had in your entire career. This involves some element of strategic planning on your part as the potential candidate. With lots of practice, a professional can master this technique and change their odds in future interviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an interview technique?
They are procedures or processes followed during and after an interview. - What are the qualitative traits of an interview candidate?
It is describing the candidate using predetermined general or specific categories. - Differentiate between open-ended and close-ended questions used in interviews.
Open-ended questions allow the candidate to give descriptive answers while close-ended questions give standard answers.