In InterviewRX, ABC refers to a simple interview strategy. Think of A, B and C as the points of a triangle. When connected, you have a solid triangle – that is, you have a complete career story. Just as each side of the triangle is meaningless without the other two, you cannot develop a successful career story with just one or two parts. You need all three. Here is an example of the ABC Strategy at work.
Stephanie is fielding an interview question from Thomas. “Stephanie, how has your employer benefited from your contributions?”
Stephanie:
A- The Problem
I support three departments – R&D, Fabrication, and Engineering. I was primarily responsible for defining the documentation procedures and creating work flow diagrams. There was no evident consistency in the style sheets the three departments were using.
B – Your Actions
I reviewed the existing publications of each department. What I tried to do was pull out the best design elements and work them into a master style sheet. Realizing the three departments have different requirements, I worked hard to build in flexibility in the way the templates could be used.
C – Results
We ended up with a procedural template that met the rigid guidelines management was expecting. However, it was user friendly, and there was enough built-in flexibility that the users could customize it to their particular needs. The new style sheets provided a smoother communication path between the departments.
Stephanie connects A (The Problem) to B (Your Action) to C (The results) in a congruent, succinct and logical manner. Stephanie’s response fully answers the question, holds the interviewer’s attention and takes less than a minute to present.
Focused stories highlighting our actions and the results will maximize impact and help differentiate you from the other candidates. Just as important, a great story will help the hiring manager remember you when it comes time to make the hiring decision.